Six Red Curses: Book 1

24. Alternate Reality

Damian chortles, his feet driving towards me, as his breath reaches my neck. "Afraid of you?", he whispers. "My plan merely had to be master, just...to...the...dot..."

Conceivably small talk will distract him, after all my brother adores talking about himself. Egotistic bastard!

Plus I have an advantage. My body heals in an instinct. I've been qualifying for this, today is the day he dies.

"Always the perfectionist."

He smiles, dashing towards the border —- a sword appears in his hand, and before my hands can strike, he plunges the sword into my stomach. A smirk emerges on my mouth, plunging my body towards him, but I fall, a thick and strong liquid, flows through my fingers as they clasp through the ripped flesh. No! Why aren't I healing? Fuck! The blood rolled over my hand, the thick fluid no warmer or cooler than my skin. As my body became slower and weaker. Along with my powers, they were drifting away. I was drifting away.

My hands lay on my stomach, my feet plunging to the ground.

"You're no longer pure, and your heart grows darker by the minute soon, you'll be mine."

My eyes loosen, where they meet with stairs, prolonged stairs, leading nowhere.

My legs persist up the stairs. What's going on? Where am I?

My eyes latched, endeavoring to feel for any mystical creatures. Nothing

Until...

I encounter a presence. A fellow? Someone, somebody who can oblige me. My feet gradually glide towards them, but before my hands can bear them, he hinges around. Sepher, of course, it's him.

"Shira?", Sepher asks. "What are you doing he—"

Me? How did he precisely locate me? Or as the king's "right-hand man", he's foreseen to keep "tabs" on me. Rolling my eyes, my mouth speaks. "I was about to question you on the exact thing."

My legs trek around from him, up the stairs, in annoyance. Despite this fact, it obtains me back, into his waiting arms. Sepher giggles, his lips curling. "Looks like we're stuck together."

My eyes roll. I don't have to look at him, talk to him. Sepher doesn't exist to me. "Did I do something, princess?"

My body lays on the floor. "His Majesty would want us to stick together.", Sepher responds, causing my eyes to roll. "Since you adore gabbing about him, why don't you spend your time with him rather than me?"

My eyes roll, examining my tightened wrist, and Sepher's glance falls with me, as he urgently withdraws his gentle hands from my wrist, and I continue on my hike. "There's nowhere to go."

Left

Right

Backwards

Straight

Left- straight

Backwards

Left

Reaching Sepher again, with a grin on his lips. "Are you willing to work together, now?"

"Fine."

All I am to him is a reward, a prize to be won, for the king's acceptance.

• Later

My legs get up endeavoring to drive away from him, but my wrist is drawn into his grasp, and my feet fall to a halt. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Please, just trust me. I would never do anything to harm you.", Sepher says, and my face falls flat. Wow! My guard was crumbling down, and forgetting who he was, who I was. My face plunges into my hand, and my mouth speaks. "I don't know what to do."

Sepher steps forward, tilting his head, and meeting my eyes. "About what?"

My heart starts to race. Panic increases, as my chest moves. Is he figuring it out? A strong gust of wind forms, my dark veins becoming more apparent as the breeze causes my sleeves to ascend. Sepher tightens his hold on my wrist, his eyes meeting mine. "Whatever you're unsure about, I'll be there for you. Think of me as your royal guide. Yours... Only yours."

Mine?

"And I have a vision.", Sepher persists, as his hand enfolds over mine.

"Where art though Astrea~"

"Where art though Astrea~"

"Where art though Astrea~"

A portal opens,my mouth curves. I've healed. My gaze diverts to Sepher, and we vault through. Merely to find...