you're incredibly wicked

20: third quarter in cancer

Nikolai was at the bottom of Serena's dorm, sending her little whisps in the form of soft and fluffy white clouds, hoping that she would not be a sleeping beauty and be up. 

Serena saw these little white clouds and wondered where they were coming from. Quickly, she changed out of her pyjamas and into a more modest dress with boots that almost reached her kneecaps and throwing her hair into a half updo.

"I'm coming, just give me a moment." She murmured.

She walked out to her balcony and looked down to see where the clouds were coming from and Nikolai looked up at her.

"About time you came around. I was out here for a few hours. Since midnight."

"What are you doing here?"

"I think I found a clue onto what could help us. You have to trust me on this."

Serena shook her head slightly.

"Why should I trust you?"

"Serena, please don't do this to me. This is not the time to act like this."

For a second, Serena started to think, all until she climbed onto the edge of the balcony and let her angel wings spread out. Nikolai watched in amazement as she gracefully landed down to the floor.

"Fine. But, if we get into any trouble, I'm blaming you for taking me alongside you."

"It would be an honor to get in trouble with you."

Serena blushed.

"Luckily, I love danger and trouble, and you just make it better."

He held out his hand and she grabbed it as they walked out of the academy grounds and started to sneak through the forest that extended to the northeast end of the borders.

The climate slowly started to get colder and Serena started to shiver. Nikolai took notice and for a second, he took off his coat and hung it over Serena.

"If anybody is getting sick tonight, it's me. I don't want to see you shiver."

"Why, thank you." Serena was at a loss for words as Nikolai draped the coats over her shoulders. His body temperature started to rise seeing Serena wearing his coat.

As they walked through the woods, Serena noticed a shadow run through a set of trees.

"Nikolai. I believe I just saw somebody or something run through those trees." She whispered.

He couldn't say anything as the shadow brushed through another set of trees that were closer to the two of them.

The shadow ran closer and closer and at an alarming speed until it stopped right in front of Nikolai's face.

But, it wasn't a shadow.

It was a girl, a redhead with eyes that glimmered green. Short in stature but had a menacing vibe to her.

"Miss me?" She asked Nikolai.

Nikolai was too stuned to speak. He remembered her from a distant memory in the past, but it has been so long that he forget her.

The girl glided back until she was able to see both Nikolai and Serena. She cocked her head and examined the two of them together.

"Huh, I didn't think you had a thing for angels, Nikolai. You never struck me as one of those guys. But, I guess your preferences change, don't they?"

"Jade, what are you doing here?" Nikolai asked.

Ah yes, Jade of Envy she was known as. Nikolai and her once grew up together in Palato before her family relocated to Ensom. He was two years her senior and she believed that he was her one and only soulmate.

"Maybe I should be asking you that, you're in my territory after all. Aren't you going to academy? Is that where you met this... purity?"

"I'm not going to say what we are doing here. It's none of your business."

"Oh, but it is."

She went up to Nikolai.

"We made a promise. When we were younger. You said that you were going to be my soulmate as soon as I came of age. Remember that? We were in the fields together."

He rolled his eyes.

"Actually, you scraped your leg and I told you that you weren't going to die and I was going to take you to the nurse."

"But, that means that you cared for me!"

"Oh my god, you're making Serena sound like the sane one here. Jade, it's called human decency."

She started to feel a rage of anger and tears came out of her eyes.

"BUT I NEVER EVER FORGOT YOU, UNLIKE YOU! YOU MOVED ON! I DIDN'T!"

Serena and Nikolai stepped back.

Jade wiped away the tears after crying for a few minutes.

"Oh, you will pay! YOU AND THAT PATHETIC SAINT OF A ANGEL!"

In a second, Jade felt all of her magic start to unleash, and her magical attacks were impossible to time. Unlike Maestro, she wasn't calculated but rather impulsive and relying on the rage in her body. She directed her attacks at both Nikolai and Serena, but Nikolai used defensive magic against her.

He held out a forcefield and had Serena stand behind him.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"I'll never attack a woman. Never have and never will. Besides, she'll tire herself out eventually. Just, stay back and watch your back."

Jade's rage sent thunderbolts down to the ground, causing trees to suddenly catch on fire. The smell of smoke was suffocating, but Nikolai cast a spell that dismissed their sense of smell.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jade scowled. "HIT ME!"

At this second, Jade's full power erupted out of her body, and thousands of flashing lights as well as every spell she could think of flew out of her, sending distruction everywhere where Nikolai and Serena were. Serena cast out a protection spell miliseconds before they were hit and the spell covered them until they saw Jade, on her knees and crying.

"Nik...Nik....Nikolai. Please. It's me, Jade."

Serena walked up to her, but Nikolai set her back.

"Don't go near her."

They stood for a second just as Jade grabbed a sharp twig that was on the ground. She gave one last look to both of them that pleaded for mercy but knew that she was defeated.

"Nikolai, I will always love you, I know that we might not be soulmates physically, but you will always be mine in my heart. Remember that, remember me. Please."

Jade stared at the twig before penentrating it through her heart. Tears filled her eyes and so did Serena's. She couldn't bear to watch Jade bleed out like this. Nikolai covered her and consoled her.

"It's alright. She deserved to die."

"But..."

"She wasn't a good person. Do you know what she was doing?"

Serena shook her head.

"Jade destroyed soulmates relationships for her personal greed only for her to leave. She was going do the same for us. I wasn't going to let that happen. Not with you."

By the time that they finished consoling, the forest was back to normal and all that was left where's Jade body was laid a green locket with a large green heart.

Serena grabbed it off the ground.

"I also have Maestro's wand." Nikolai picked it out of his pocket.

"What do all of these items mean?"

"It could be a clue for breaking the curse, that's what it is."