Eçłípsė

9

Akasha sighed as the door closed behind her. At best, she would get to keep half of those people. The rest were goners. 

Anyways. That wasn't the main focus. The task she had before her was something she had put up for a long time now. Not because it was especially hard or something, she just didn’t think it would make much difference. Or maybe, a voice whispered inside her, it was because she was afraid. Afraid it was useless. That there was no hope. Not for her at least.

“Well screw that”

A member passing by flinched when she suddenly spoke.

“Oh! Capricorn. Didn’t see you there.”

Akasha nodded at him as a greeting.

“Pay better attention”

“Yes boss!”

He laughed and carried on, carefree. Akasha sighed and walked out the door, out on the streets of a town so downhill, the houses on each side of the road sloped over until their roofs almost touched.
As she walked towards her ominous appointment, people became more scarce, as if they disappeared when the houses became more crowded.The alleys were so small, you would have to turn around if you met someone. Akashas steps sounded slower and slower the more she walked, not wanting to arrive just yet. When she reached the front door of the most ragged house in the whole area, not a single soul was in sight. 

The house before her was dimly lit with flickering yellow lights. A wind chime hanging beside the door made echoing faint noises as the wind softly graced it. Just from standing outside the house, you got the feeling its owner would be extraordinary, different.

Akasha didn’t even bother to knock. She knew the person inside all too well for it to be necessary. When she pushed the door open, a wall of thick, disgusting smoke hit her in the face.

“Bloody son of a hellish f***ing b**ch!”

She coughed and continued to spit out curses only logical to herself.

“Now, darling, is that really how you greet an old friend?”

“How old can you really get if you poison yourself like this?”

A figure behind one of the many drapes hanging down from the roof rose and stretched its arms casually. The drape was pulled aside and a tall man appeared. His gentle, yellow eyes fixated on his visitor. 
“My immortality isn’t weakened by something as trivial as a little smoke, Cap”

Akasha waved his explanation away as she would with an annoying mosquito. 

“You are just immortal, not invincible”

He laughed and all the ornaments in his long, pointed ears, jumped up and down. 

“Worried about me, little demon?” 

She smiled.

“Why, yes. You still haven’t told me how to get rid of this little inconvenience I’m stuck with.”

“Of course”

His smile disappeared as the subject was touched and he sat down on one of the many piles of velvet pillows.

“I’m honestly not sure, Ash.”

The level of discomfort Akasha experienced drastically increased. It’s okay, she told herself, this was expected. 

“I found a formula that might work. But I’ve never heard of a blood curse being cured before, and even if such a thing had happened, each one is different. This kind of complicated magic, all of them are unique.”

“Well, I’m not afraid. Even if it takes my life, it’ll be better than living like this.”

She sounded bitter, yet desperate.

“Well, I know that. The problem is my magic isn’t even close to being strong enough for a spell like this.”

“You don’t mean… you can’t mean…”

“Yes I do.”

The desperate feeling of anguish and helplessness left and was replaced with irritation and repulsion. The majestic creature before Akasha sighed.

“We need to go find my brother.”