Unstable heartbeats

From a beautiful forest to a cold damp cave. The Cercatori were searching. It wouldn’t take long before they would be at the mouth of the den, watching and waiting. What else was there to do? A confrontation and a fight to the death were inexorable. Keira huddled against her companions and swore she heard Cool’s fearful heart beat. It was as loud as her own. Vangz, sitting closest to the cave’s entrance, was purposely quiet. The blood-red crystal was in his hand and seemed to be burning it.

 

“Let me take a look of that,” Keira gently took his hand and tried to pry out the stone. Vangz growled and knocked her to the ground. The assassin had had enough of his behaviour. She stood and slapped him so hard, a hand-shaped mark was visible on his cheek.

“Idiot. I meant your hand,” She took out a black handkerchief, snatched the stone in the blink of an eye, and dunked it in a puddle of water left by moisture and rain. The wizard, stunned by her strike and stubbornness, kept still as she wrapped her handkerchief around his bloodied hand.

“There,” she tidied up the blood and returned the cool stone to him. “I trust you.” The wizard smiled inwardly. She reminded him so much of a young woman who wrapped a silky white cloth around his hand before…

“Stupid boy,” she smiled and playfully nudged him on the shoulder. “You could’ve been mauled by that beast!”

“I know,” Vangz said proudly. He grabbed her slim figure and lay on the grass with her. “But you’re more important than my hand.”

She laughed and cupped his cheek. “You could’ve used magic to stop it.” The young wizard leaned over and planted a soft kiss on her lips.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself,” he ran his fingers through her hair that glowed in the sun. “I’ll do anything to protect you…to keep us together…even – “

Vangz was jolted to reality when a thunderclap resounded in the forest and echoed a ten times louder as the sound reached their ears. “You trust me eh?” Vangz kept his eyes focused on a face of his past. A face he would never forget. “You’ve made a mistake, Seneca. You should’ve never trusted me.”

Keira believed his words were directed at her. “I believe there’s good in you.”

“That’s what he says…yet he never told me.” Vangz looked straight into her eyes and held the stone in front of her face. “He never told me he completed it.”

Keira’s face was torn between dread and surprise. So this crystal he was brandishing in front of her was the Philosopher’s Stone after all. What damage might it do in the wizard’s hands? And yet…he and her Leon were acquaintances. Maybe even friends.

“So you see, Seneca? You should’ve never given this to me,” Vangz’ face held more pain than anger. “I could hurt you. And your little jester too.” Cool quickly ducked behind a boulder.

Keira sighed and lowered the wizard’s hand. “He never told me either. Leon had his reasons.”

Vangz continued to stare at this woman. Was she foolish or wise in handing him the Philosopher’s Stone? Obviously she was testing him. Would he use it for good or evil? He assumed she was confident in her ability to kill him if necessary. Yet, she claimed that she trusted him. Was this reverse psychology or some kind of assassin’s mind trick? His head spun and the voices in him argued.

“STOP!” Vangz gasped and rubbed his temple furiously. “SHUT UP! SHUT UP!”

“Vangz, calm down…” Keira was held back by a worried Cool.

“Trust me, you don’t want to touch him…” Cool said. “Brace yourself and hope he’ll regain control.”

A frightening crash could be heard a few kilometres away. The Cercatori were coming closer and closer. Vangz was in pain, and the jester and assassin had to keep him quiet as possible. They knew that hiding would be futile, but they had to at least calm the wizard down before the enemies spotted them.

“Shh…Vangz, they’re coming,” Keira and Cool wrapped a warm cloth around him and pulled him to the darkest corner of the cave. “Please, don’t let him control you.”

“N-no…” Vangz was shaking now. He gripped the jester’s collar and pleaded, “Make him stop…make him stop…”

“How?” Cool checked the wizard’s cloak for anything, anything that would help. He never thought that watching Vangz in pain would make him feel so helpless…so miserable. “Geez, I’d rather have the sarcastic wizzy back.”

“You have to be strong,” Keira put a hand on his shoulder and tried to keep him steady. “The beauty of this forest is key to your past…Vangz, fight for these good memories…come on, you can do it.”

“Keira…Cool…stay away from me…please…” Vangz collapsed and breathed heavily. His unwounded hand gripped the rocks and squeezed them in agony. He let go of the blood-red crystal and tried to remain focused on the assassin’s face. “Use it…against the Cercatori…I’m too cruel…it’ll destroy…”

The assassin crouched to the ground and spoke firmly into the wizard’s ear. “We will fight together as allies. You think we’ll leave you here?”

Earth. Her eyes were filled with the element. Loyal, unyielding. This was her. She was an entity of Earth, as he was of wind, presently. Stubborn as my girl. Vangz managed a small smile. It was weak and almost unnecessary, but it was a smile nonetheless. Keira had never seen a genuine one on his lips.

“Uh, I’m sorry to interrupt, but the Cercatori are right outside our cave!” Cool spat. “Well, at least I can see their silhouette! Shh, they haven’t spotted us yet.”

The wizard groaned in pain. “Argh…the stone…he…wants me DEAD…”

“Who does?” Cool asked. As he did so, he covered the assassin and wizard in dead vines. He crawled under and forced the wizard to drink water. After gulping and regaining a steady breath, Vangz replied, “The other side of me.”

Keira understood her dream now. Vangz had confirmed it already. He had another personality residing in him. He had appeared to her in the most gruesome way.

“Who’s lost now?” The assassin grabbed a fistful of his dark hair and forced him to look into her eyes. Vangz turned an ashen colour and closed his eyes. He was gone.

Keira noticed a thin line running down the middle of his face. She let go in shock as Vangz’ skin split in two, revealing red flesh. Like a snake shedding dead skin, this vile creature crawled out of the wizard’s slain body and stood tall. A light tan complexion coloured this being from the tip of his fingers to the rest of his body. Dark hair sprouted from his head and dangerous ruby red eyes opened.

The assassin couldn’t believe it. It was Vangz yet again, this time clothed in fine scarlet robes and grinning with undeniable evil. “You’ve killed that brat. He has done nothing but weigh me down. I thank you, Keira Seneca.”

“No! You listen to me,” Keira shook Vangz violently. “He’s nothing. You can kill him. He’s NOTHING.”

“He’s a part of me,” the wizard simply stated.

A sickening sound shook the cave. It was a screech, an ear-piercing noise that made their blood run cold. Above the cave, they could hear the ferocious beating of large wings. They were trapped from above. A warm but pungent breath from behind the cave made the hair at the back of their heads stand. Another Cercatori had successfully landed in their dimension. And in their cave.

The assassin was sure there were more of them. It would only take a matter of seconds before they would be found. But for the mean time, she wrapped her arms around her friends. Yes, perhaps it was safe to say they were her friends now.

She held them close. It may be her last time with them.