The wolf blocked their path.
Cassian's grip tightened on Caspian's hand. He took slow steps backwards as his mind raced. The door was behind the wolf. The windows were barred. The only weapon was Leoric's trophy sculpture on the shelf. A warrior figure with a pointed apex.
I've finally found you, marked one. The voice pierced his mind. It felt strange and wrong. Cassian's eyes snapped to the wolf. Its single eye glowed faintly, locked on him.
Is that thing... talking in my head?
"What do you want?" Caspian whimpered. His small hand trembled in Cassian's.
The wolf took slow, deliberate steps. Stalking. Hunting.
I was sent by my master. Great Duvessa.
Its lips curled back in something that looked like a smile.
Cassian's pulse spiked. Duvessa. She's still hunting me. This house isn't safe anymore. He inched toward the sculpture, pulling Caspian with him. "If you want me, come get me. Let the boy go."
The wolf paused, tilting its massive head.
I suppose I could...Its mental voice dripped with mockery. But I hear little children taste delicious.
The wolf lunged.
Cassian shoved Caspian sideways. "RUN!"
He reached for the sculpture.
The wolf's weight slammed into him like a battering ram. Air exploded from his lungs. The sculpture flew from his grip as he crashed into the wall. Black dots danced in his vision. Pain radiated through his ribs to his back. Consuming everywhere.
He tasted blood.
Such a weak vessel.
Caspian's sobs cut through the ringing in Cassian's ears. The wolf turned toward the sound. Away from Cassian. Toward the terrified six-year-old frozen by the door.
No!
Gritting his teeth, Cassian grabbed the sculpture. His fingers slipped around its smooth metal surface. He forced himself up despite every muscle screaming.
The wolf prepared to pounce.
Cassian drove the sculpture's pointed end into the creature's hind leg.
The metal tore through fur and flesh. Hot blood sprayed his hands.
The wolf's howl was inhuman. A sound that didn't belong in the world.
It whirled, facing Cassian with rage.
Cassian tried to stand menacingly, but his legs wobbled. "Get out of here!" he yelled at Caspian.
The wolf's paw struck him across the chest.
Claws tore through fabric and through skin. Stinging pain erupted across his torso.
Cassian flew backwards into the bookshelf. Wood splintered. Books rained down on him. His head cracked against something hard. His vision blurred. He felt pain, too much pain to process.
The wolf loomed over him. Its breath stank of rot and death. Teeth bared, inches from his face.
The world has no place for the weak like you. I'm doing you a favour.
What gives you the right to decide?
Cassian wanted to laugh. Wanted to scream. He was weak. This pathetic body couldn't even run without gasping. Couldn't fight off a single creature without getting destroyed.
Everyone, Leoric, the priests, Celeste, this thing, looked at him like he was a burden. A problem. Something to be dealt with.
Should I be grateful? For this borrowed life? For being hunted? For being WEAK?
Rage built in his chest. A storm demanding release.
So pitiful.
The wolf's paw came down on his leg.
Cassian's scream tore from his throat. Bone snapped under impossible weight.
Goodbye, marked one.
Time slowed.
The wolf's jaws widened. Close enough to swallow his head whole.
The rage flooded him. One thought burned through the pain:
Survive!
Cassian's hand shot out.
His palm tingled. Then burned. Not from heat, but from something else. A foreign sensation crawled under his skin, demanding to be let out.
Fiery pain flared up from his back. The mark, Celeste's mark, burned like a brand.
Purple-black energy ripped from his hand. Tearing through reality itself.
The energy was jagged, fracturing. Space bent around it. Colors inverted at its edges. It struck the wolf's extended limb.
And the limb ceased to exist. Simply... stopped existing. Reality filled the gap slowly, like water into a hole.
The wolf's shriek was pure agony. It staggered back, staring at where its leg had been. Then at Cassian.
An Arcane weaver!
Its mental voice dripped with terror.
Cassian pointed his trembling hand at the creature. A smile cracked his bloody lips.
"Send Korveth my regards."
The wolf's terror turned to rage. It roared, a sound that shook the ground, and lunged.
Energy built in Cassian's palm. He didn't know how. Didn't understand. Just felt it gathering, dark and violent and hungry.
The room trembled. Objects lifted off shelves, spinning in an invisible current.
I can't hold it...
The energy exploded outward.
A sphere of purple-black energy shot straight at the wolf. It hit with great force.
The creature's roar cut off. It wobbled, shook its massive head violently, then collapsed. Its form then faded from existence entirely.
Gone. Like it had never been.
Cassian's arm dropped. Exhaustion hit him like a physical blow. His mind felt like it was splitting apart. The arm he'd used convulsed, pain screaming up to his shoulder. His vision swam.
What... what did I just do?
He tried to laugh. It came out as a wheeze. Blood bubbled at his lips.
So that's what Arcane magic is...
His body was giving up. He could feel it. Blood loss, broken bones, whatever that magic had cost him.
I hope Caspian got out.
I guess this is how I die. Again.
"You're obsessed with the concept of death."
That cheerful, mocking voice
Cassian raised his head with great effort.
There she was.
Celeste sat on Leoric's desk, one leg crossed over the other. Her robes looked ethereal, too perfect for reality. Her red hair was woven in intricate braids. Her green eyes sparkled with mischief.
"Celeste..." Blood splattered from Cassian's lips.
She shook her head, tutting. "You're a mess. Don't waste your words, or you'll die faster."
"I thought... You wanted me dead," he rasped.
She hopped down from the desk, robes swirling. She knelt before him, eyes scanning his face.
Was that... concern?
I didn't know she could feel that.
"Who will do my task if you die?" She smiled.
Cassian scoffed. Immediately regretted it. Pain hit him like a brick. "Doesn't matter. I'll... bleed out soon."
Silence stretched for too long. She broke it with a sigh. "I can help you."
Hope flickered. She was a goddess. She could save him. "Thank you..."
"Beg."
Cassian blinked. Surely he'd heard wrong. That blood-curdling smile spread across her face. She was enjoying this.
"What?"
A beat passed. Celeste chuckled. "I'm joking."
Her tone said otherwise.
She pulled out a small black pill and popped it into his mouth before he could protest. It dissolved instantly. Bitter.
Within seconds, the pain... faded. Not gone but dulled. It was manageable. His leg was still broken. His chest was still torn. But the agony receded into a distant throb.
"Now. About the wolf." Celeste turned to where the creature had been.
"How did she find me?" Cassian winced, leaning forward slightly.
"My scent, probably."
"...What?"
Cassian unconsciously sniffed his shirt. It smelt of blood and dirt. Celeste smelled like fresh linen and flowers.
She narrowed her eyes. "Not the scent mortals use." She sounded annoyed. "I marked you. A fragment of my magic resides in you. That's what I mean."
Oh.
"Wait." Cassian's mind caught up. "A fragment. Does that explain what happened to the wolf? The... magic?"
"No, my silver fox." She smiled. "That was all you."
Silver fox?
He shook his head. Not important.
A necklace landed on his lap. It was made from black yarn, and a wooden crescent pendant was tied to it. Simple. Crude, almost.
"Wear that. Never take it off. Should prevent them from finding you."
His ears perked. "Them? There are more?"
Muffled footsteps echoed down the hall. They sounded hurried.
"Oh dear. Time's up." Celeste stood, brushing off her robes. "Goodbye."
She's leaving. Again!
"Wait, how do I talk to you? What do I do?"
She paused at the doorway, glancing back. Small smile brightened her face. "The same way any mortal would." The smile vanished. "And Cassian. Be careful where you go. Many beings want you..." Her voice dropped. "Dead."
She sounded distant. Almost sad. Cassian opened his mouth, but she had already disappeared. Like she'd never been there.
The footsteps were close now. Lucian burst through the doorway.
His eyes went wide with horror and shock.
"Cassian, what happened?"
Cassian looked down at himself. He was blood-soaked, surrounded by destruction, a broken shelf, and scattered books. Claw marks stretched along the walls.
And on his wrists, faint purple rune outlines glowed softly before vanishing from his skin.
He met Lucian's eyes.
How do I explain this?