The Time Hopper

Hollow Mercy

I watched as the forest aged, the trees stooping and withering and dying and rotting. My eyes widened with shock as Felix twisted around, watching what was happening before turning back. Our gazes locked, and I could see shock and fear in his eyes, as well as a deep anger and frustration with me. And then I was moving. I sprang to my feet, my hand tight around Kat's wrist as I sprinted into the forest, along a trail as I heard yelling as Felix told them to get after me. 

"Kat, you need to mess with the earth, please!" I begged her uselessly as we ran along, desperation horribly clear in my voice. But she didn't react, and I couldn't see her item either. I could hear people coming along behind us, and I blindly threw my hand out towards them, letting an arc of magic out and hoping whatever it did would buy us a few more minutes. 

"You can't escape from us, Sadie!" Felix bellowed, his fury making me flinch. 

"Watch me!" I yelled back, pulling us off of the trail and deeper into the woods. We were running through undergrowth now, Kat tripping every other step as I fought to keep her upright and moving. I had no plan, and no time to make one. Just get away. Just keep running. Whenever I heard them close enough behind that the crashing through the branches was audible, I would send another burst of power behind me, not even daring to look back and see what was happening. I didn't try to always age, instead just letting pure, unaltered time magic loose and hoping whatever it did would stop them coming after us. 

Finally, when my lungs were burning and everything hurt and Kat had fallen over a dozen times, I stopped. I jumped down from a hill and pulled Kat with me as we crouched beneath a swell in the earth, under some roots. Not trusting that she'd stay quiet, I held her back against my chest and covered her mouth with my hand, staying as still as I could as I waited to be found or for them to find us. After a while, I relaxed a little, waiting a little while longer to properly catch my breath before beginning to stir. As I slowly stood up, pulling Kat with me, I felt the barrel of a gun being pressed into the back of my head. 

"No matter where you go, we'll always be able to track the girl. So, why don't you just give up now and come back. If you try anything at all, I swear to god I'll blow your brains out. It won't kill you, but it won't tickle either." Felix threatened me. Slowly, I stood up, bringing Kat with me and pushing her in front of me to try and act as a human shield. 

"Did I mess up your magic so badly you've resorted to using a gun?" I asked him, feeling the panic beginning to turn into anger. I felt him dig the barrel of the gun further into my scalp and grimaced. 

"You've become cocky, Sadie, even with a gun to your head. But you can't win this. Obsivian has been around since the dawn of time, and you've only had your powers for a couple of hours." He said, and while he was right, I didn't want to give him the satisfaction. Besides, a sudden jump in power did wonders for your self confidence. I slowly turned around, so I was looking up at him, Kat still stood behind me. 

"I'm pretty sure I know how to handle myself now, especially when I look at that trail of destruction behind you. Besides, you seem pretty mad at me, which suggests that I've really managed to mess you up. Tell me, Felix, why are still playing around with Obsivian? What do you get out of any of this, especially when I can make you immortal as well?" I offered him. I couldn't see the other two he had been with, but I could see a trail of dead and blooming trees, affected by my magic. He gave me a very tight smile, hand gripping the gun with so much force his knuckles were practically glowing white. 

"Sadie, you have no idea how to use your power, everything you've managed has been a fluke. Obsivian is ancient and intelligent, and he knows what this world needs more than a silly child that has never accomplished anything in her life. I don't understand why you're pushing against this so much; if you teamed up with Obsivian, then this whole war would be over in a matter of years. You cannot win this, all you are doing is making it worse." He told me. I shook my head, and almost laughed as the barrel of the gun moved with me.