Revive

Ink Bled

Chapter IV: Ink Bled

"What was that?" Louis questioned, emphasizing the space in between each word.

"Nothing good, and nothing normal for that fact." My response was short, but there wasn't anything I could say about it.

Louis took a step closer to the tree, careful not to trip over any roots. I watched as he planned out each place to land his foot, precise movements closer to the trunk of the tree. Within seconds, Louis was falling forward, his foot getting caught on--nothing. There was nothing there. Louis quickly pushed himself up to his feet, before grabbing my wrists.

"What are you doing?" I asked, confused and a little scared. Then it hit me. My magic was bright. It could stun and bring the shields of the source down, revealing whatever had been following us. Without hesitation, I shined my magic as bright as I could. I closed my eyes quickly, hoping Louis would soon follow suit so he wouldn't strain his own. I only needed a couple seconds. When I opened my eyes, a young boy, about the same age as Louis and I, sat back against a tree.

He was like me. He had magic. I studied him like I once did Louis, taking in his features. As the many metaphors sat on the surface of my brain, they couldn't describe this boy. His hair was blonde, but had a hint of darkness in it. The golden strands were laced with black ink, darkening every other lock on his head. His dirty blonde hair was messy, most likely from stumbling away from the dagger that still sat in my hand. His eyes were most similar. Dark olive eyes, laced with specks of gold and yet, more jet black ink bleeding across his green irises. He was like a trapped sun, whereas Louis was the complete opposite.

I hadn't known what got to me, but I reached out my free hand to help him up. He must have been surprised by my kindness, because I too was surprised. My grey eyes searched his, but I didn't find anything. This boy had shields locked around every possible crack in his mind.

"Who are you?" I asked, feeling the need to know who had been stalking us this far. The boy sighed, looking at the ground.

"My name is Adrien. Adrien Harlest." His tone was serious and almost robotic. I watched his demeanor grow more anxious, his right thumb and pointer finger fiddling with the ring that sat on his opposite thumb. As much as I studied him, I couldn't read him. He was more than a closed book, he was a locked diary. I took a step closer to familiarity, Louis that is.

"I don't mean to scare or threaten you," Adrien finally said, as he realized the slight fear in my movement.

"What do you mean to do then?" I questioned the kindness and patience in my voice wearing away. If he meant no harm, then why had he followed for so long? But if he were to hurt us, why had he not done it yet? The two questions swam in my mind as I continued to hold eye contact with the boy. A tinge of pain moved on Adrien's face. He did have emotions after all.

"I hadn't hurt you because I don't want to. I was following to protect you." Oh my goodness. This boy had read my thoughts like I was a simple sheet of paper laid out upon a table. What magic did he have?

"Mind Manipulation. And you have literally no shields. Sorry to intrude though." My eyes grew wide. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to accept the apology. Not out of spite, but simply out of confusion.

"What does your magic do?" I asked, more relaxed then before, but still holding my guard for any surprises.

"I can manipulate anything with my mind, including of course, minds," He paused before adding another detail, "That also means I can read minds and communicate through them." He finished, his magic abilities laid out before me.

"Like a telepath?" I asked, trying to understand him. He was like me and I wanted to know more.

"Yes and no. As I have abilities that telepaths have, my magic goes further than that." I cocked my head with confusion. How could magic be so strong to manipulate further than a mind? I half expected Adrien to respond to my thought, but he didn't. He didn't pear into my mind anymore.

"It's very complicated, much more than yours, but not as powerful." Another thing that didn't seem correct. How could his magic be less powerful than mine? He could manipulate anything. All I could do is heal.

"And revive," Adrien finished my thought with an answer. I had stopped caring that this stranger was peering into my mind. There was utterly nothing I could do to stop it right now.

"Kora, your magic is laced with the very essence of life and light. That's why it's so bright--and why people are so scared of it. Magic is already foreign to the world and you happen to wield one of the most powerful forms" I didn't hesitate to ask my next question, as scary and dark the answer could be.

"One? What is the other?" I questioned, letting the possibilities seep into the void of my mind.

"Death. Darkness. I don't know what the specific ability is, and I never intend on finding out." I nodded. I wouldn't want to know either. Such eerie magic shouldn't even exist, as mine shouldn't either. I didn't bother wondering if Adrien had slipped into my mind again. I began growing used to the strange new presence that perched inside as he peared. What other abilities hid from the world and the people of Caseren?

More than you could imagine. This time Adrien answered in my mind.

"Anyway," Adrien started, "I already know the plan,"

"Excuse me?" I exclaimed, a little surprised that this boy just added himself to our duo. Trio now I guess.

"Hey, you admitted it. We're a trio now." Adrien responded.

"Can you stop invading my thoughts?" My tone was more annoyed than I intended, but the irritation grew each time he answered a thought.

"Hold up," Louis finally joined the conversation, "What trio? How do we know we can even trust this guy?" Louis was right. I didn't really give myself the choice to trust Louis because I hadn't really had one, but with Adrien, I did.

"Wait, he's right. How can we trust you? We just met you."

Adrien didn't answer, he just stood there reading my eyes. At least it wasn't my mind. I glanced down at the unused dagger in my hand. It was my family dagger. Each member of the Letrelle line was given one. Frankly, mine was nothing like me. The design was ornate, ridges and vines running across the surface of the dagger's handle. The hilt itself was silver, the black and gold vines fading back and forth forming my family's emblem. In the center of the vine circle laid a dying rose, the thorns taking over the stem and puncturing the falling petals. It was beautiful. It wasn't me. The dagger seemed to be a symbol of darkness, and I was the literal symbol of life and light. The beautiful symbol of the dagger reminded me of Adrien. From first look, the rose looked beautiful and perfect, but the thorns just showed how damaged the rose is, the lonely petals falling to the stem just seeking company and comfort. The deadly message however didn't match anyone. Perhaps one, whoever held darkness in their palms, but they didn't matter, for I didn't know them.

I broke my thoughts from the dagger and centered them on Adrien, readying myself to speak.

"I once gave Louis a chance, blindly that is, but I don't have to be blind about giving you one," The words were sincere and I truly meant everything I had spoken. It seemed that Adrien hadn't lifted his gaze from me because when I looked up at him, I immediately met his inky green eyes.

"However," I started, "I want to hear your story. You already know who we are. We would like to know about you." Louis nodded his head and we both sat down on the forest floor preparing for whatever story Adrien was going to tell. I didn't care how deep he got, as long as he was comfortable and honest. Within seconds, Adrien began his story, his life. 

A/N- Hello everyone! This chapter and the next two or so are shorter than normal, but trust me, they are very important. Chapter VI and VII will be posted together though because they go together plot wise and are both shorter chapters. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It is my favorite so far.

Anyways, Happy reading!!- Emzie