Half-Bloods R • 2 : Growing Shadows

C • 22 : Flowers of Blood, Garden of Sorrow

"Over here," Vaelan whispered.

Villin creeped up next to him and leaned over the roof ever so slightly to see their target. They watched Arva slink through the shadows, the darkness hid the disfiguring burn that Demi had left the false agent with.

"Alright, so first we watch her until she gets to an area where damage and deaths can be kept to a minimum," Villin recited their plan.

Vaelan continued, "Then, despite the fact that we'll be disadvantage, we start a prolonged battle so we can see if her magic has affected her agent abilities in anyway."

"Once, we have the necessary knowledge, we either capture or kill her. Simple," Villin glared at Arva as she turned the corner.

The siblings followed her to the edge of their building, and when she was a good distance away, they jumped across to the next building, hurriedly sneaking after her. Vaelan growled, he knew that sticking to the alleys was Arva's safest choice of avoiding danger and attention, but for a moment, he wished they had spotted her in or near a park. It would not only be easy to clear out, but the open space would play fantastically in Vaelan's favor. As he dwelled on his annoyance, Villin's tails draped over his shoulder, he looked at his sister who shook her head at him. He sighed, and the two continued following Arva.

They pulled back for a moment when Arva stopped next to a door, and after a few seconds, they heard the door open and close. Vaelan, remaining where he lay, looked in the direction and saw that her aura had moved passed where the door should be. They peeked over the edge of the flat roof and Vaelan nudged his sister.

"How many?"

She closed her eyes and a second later, she whispered, "Two. Arva and her flames, then another with some strong nullimancy."

"Right, assuming there are no humans in there, you're faster on land, so you restrain the nullimancer before he can cast a single spell," he said, looking into his sister's eyes, "Ready?"

She nodded, and the two dropped down into the alley and pressed against the walls connected to the door. Vaelan gently placed the palm of his hand flat against the doorknob, nodded at his sister, then balled his hand into a fist, punched the doorknob out, and kicked the door open. In a flash of shadow, Villin ran in and Vaelan darted in after her.

They found themselves in an empty building, with its front windows boarded up and dust covering the floor and single counter in the room. Villin rushed a figure to the left, tackling them to the ground, while Vaelan hopped over the counter, dodging a jet of flame, and forcing Arva to the ground. As he held her down, Vaelan took note of the scorched, gaping hole in Arva's new pale face. Parts of the wound were still fleshy, and even her teeth hadn't gone unscathed, with the edges of her molars being blackened. Arva's aura built up as she reached to grab Vaelan's face, but he was quicker, he smacked her hand aside and pressed his palm on her wound. Arva screamed in anguish as Vaelan pinned her down.

He looked over at Villin who was currently holding down a man who was screaming in outrage. "Let go of me!" He screamed.

Villin looked over at him and, to his surprise, her eyes widened. When Vaelan looked down, it was already too late, an orange light had formed in Arva's throat, glowing runes had taken shape on her mouth. Sparks rained from Arva's mouth as she spewed bright flame like a dragon, Vaelan tore back, but felt the fire burn away parts of his arms and sear his side.

Vaelan stepped back as Arva began spitting fire at the walls around them, "I just realized," he glanced at his sister who was now standing while restraining the nullimancer, "She hasn't healed herself, so she never learned healing magic and she doesn't have a regeneration ability."

"Don't claim victory too quickly, brother."

The building began to burn all around them, what was once a dim light was now covered in a bright, warm glow. Arva stopped breathing fire and glared at the siblings with a fierce animosity in her glowing green eyes, a few last sparks dropping from the hole in her face as the runes faded from her mouth.

Vaelan summoned his black mana blade, and twisted around, smacking the nullimancer and knocking him out. He wanted to know what the nullimancer was doing here, he wanted to know know so much more about everything that was happening, but he shook his head and forced himself back into the moment.

"Take him out of here, and come right back," he ordered.

Villin nodded and sped away with the nullimancer in her arms, while Vaelan stood opposite of Arva, preventing her escape. Arva raised and aimed an open palm towards Vaelan, runes froming along her wrist, and her hand glowing with a fiery orange glow. A fireball launched at Vaelan, and he quickly sliced through it and surged forward. He kicked her to the ground and pressed his foot down on her chest, letting the crawling flame painfully lick at her body. Suddenly, she surged up and threw him aside into a carpet of flame, purple veins wrapping around her arms and neck.

Enhanced strength.

He rushed back to his feet and ripped off his burning shirt, growling as he ran at Arva. He tackled her down, punched her a couple of times, and forced her face down into the flame, burning her wound even more and even burning off part of her neck. She tried forcing herself back up, but Vaelan summoned his second and third pairs of arms and held her down. She screamed as, amidst the smell of burning wood and cooked flesh, a more distinct smell rose up.

She tore her arm back, snapping it in half and smacked him with the broken wrist, knocking him back against the counter and dislocating his shoulder. Arva stood up, scarlet blood and orange malice pouring out of the much larger gap in her face.

Malice and enhanced strength. That's three out of four.

Arva grabbed her wrist and, with a pop and the flinging of sweat, reset the bone. Arva rushed for the door. Vaelan chased after her, hoping he could catch her, but he was far too slow. An explosion from her palms sent her out of the door, and yet, a second later she was thrown back in and onto the floor. Villin moved to knock out and restrain the ex-captain, but in one swift movement, Arva surged up, slammed Villin's head against the wall, drew a knife, stabbed his sister in the gut and twisted the blade to tear it upwards.

"Villin!" He screamed as Arva escaped, he rushed to his sister and caught her in his arms as she fell.

He carried her carefully out of the building and into the alleyway. No. No no no!

He laid her down and leaned over her, her breathing was slow, and slowing down with each second. The knife was standing lopsided in her side, and blood was rushing onto his leg as he sat next to her.

"Villin, wake up, please! I'm not losing more of my family after I've already lost so much! Don't leave me alone on this planet!" He pulled the knife out and lifted her shirt to look at the wound, it was a crooked tear that had even opened some of her organs.

"Decimii, help me," he pleaded, the crackling sound of flames drowning out his voice.

Green runes appeared across his arms as a black mist formed along the ground.

With only his withering hope, Vaelan whispered the spell the spell that none should ever utter, "Break the skin and pierce the heart, let the nettles sew together part and part, give the kiss of life and wound me, defy the laws of the garden of reality. Dark Arts: Garden of Thorns."

A few tears fell from his face as thorned vines covered his sister's body. He fell to his side and cried as darkness claimed him, just what horrors would he face when he woke in the realm of dreams? And would his last hope to save his sister even work? His mind, his breathing, and his heart all began to slow, and just before he slipped away, he had one final thought.

Don't mourn for too long, Demi.