Artemisia

Haven

There were blood red eyes looking at me from in the bushes. My instinct was to run as fast as I could, but I stayed looking at the thing that seemed like it was ready to pounce. Am I an idiot? Probably. But my mother told me never to run from things that I feared. It was clear that this was going to be a wild animal of some sort. However, a part of me said that it was much worse than that. Of course if it's a wild animal, throwing a rock at it would not be the best course of action. So instead of running, I started to walk away as if it weren't there.

I barely walked three feet before it started running toward me. That's when I started to pick up the pace and broke out into a full sprint. Looking back I see something that isn't an animal at all. It just looked like a long shadow. Logically my mind went to this idea that someone must be messing with me and there must be some sort of projector somewhere. But it wouldn't have been able to reach that far and considering how fast and far I have run, the projector would have been out of range.

Whose smart idea was it to take a sword and practice cutting stuff in the middle of a forest? Mine. And who has watched enough horror movies to know that this is how the characters always get killed doing stupid things in some random clearing distanced from the rest of the world? Me. And what dumbass put herself into that situation? You guessed it! All signs point to this dumbass running from who knows what.

Low and behold, I tripped like one of those uncoordinated bimbos too and stared my demise in its face. My sword was still in my hand but as it bared its teeth, I couldn't help but think, 'damn this is the stupidest way to go.'

I wasn't going to have it. I gripped my sword tightly. I felt weird pulsations as I was getting ready to swing at it until I heard a crack. I shielded my eyes as something flashed and the shadow burst into flames in front of me. And some debris grazed my cheek.

The grass where the shadow was was heavily singed. What did that mean?

"What in the name of magic?" I breathed out a sigh and looked at my sword. There was a blue light emanating from it. Faint, but still there. I let it go immediately because I wasn't sure what it was and it immediately faded as soon as it left my hand.

"What?" I breathed out.

Things are getting stranger and stranger the longer I am at this school. I don't know whether or not to be excited or if I should flee the country.

~

"It seems his influence is starting to spread into this world." a girl's voice said as she crouched beside me watching the scene unfold.

It was priceless. The so-called king of kings was cowering in fear of a shadow. How pathetic could she be? I thought to myself. Although, I could feel some sort of guilt well up from within me.

"If the soul is gone then we all don't have to fight anymore"

"Then let her die. Keep in mind that you yourself have no duty to protect this world."

I felt a sharp pain in my head as if someone were bashing my skull in. It's probably that blasted knave, once more telling me I should do my duty. If he would just stay silent and things run its course we wouldn't be stuck in this mess. "I don't exactly think that he would allow that to happen."

I watched as the shadow made its way closer to her, baring it fangs. How I would have loved to see that one thing end it all. However, I am a person with morals. An innocent shouldn't have to die.

"Incindeo." I whispered and a flash of fire erupted right in front of her as she put her arm in front of her eyes as if to shield herself from the blast. I heard an audible gasp come in the middle of the crackling noise as the shadow faded.