Angel With Broken Wings

78 - Finn Ames and the Friend (2)

⚠️BLOOD, GORE, PRACTICALLY TORTURE
[THIRD PERSON POV]

Finn continues to shake anxiously at the demand, his mind reeling as he watches Carpaccio closely, 'He's so scary...maybe the scariest I've ever seen, but...this crystal holds Mash and Kat's futures! I have to...protect it till the end!' He reaches into his robes with that thought, his actions getting stopped as pain courses through his chest and blood spills onto the stone floor.

'Why am I bleeding? Magic...?' His thoughts were chaotic as he tries to connect what just happened, pain continuing to flare as he coughs out the blood building in his throat, his hands and knees pressed against the cold floor. "What were you doing just now?" Carpaccio's voice is cold as he asks the question, his eyes looking down at Finn with belittlement as he continues his inquiries,

"I asked you...what someone so weak is doing acting like a big shot?" Finn trembles once more as he manages to look up at Carpaccio, the cold gaze making him flinch as his thoughts spiral, 'You know that feeling you get...when you're really, really scared? When your blood vessels seem to squeeze shut and a cold chill clamps down upon your heart?' He clenches his hand around the crystal within it, his grip tight as Carpaccio speaks once more,

"Surely, you're aware of the difference in our strength. You're going to lose it anyway. Hand the crystal over now and it won't have to hurt." Finn's eyes tremble at the cold voice, the first-year Adler terrified as Carpaccio continues to make his jabs, "You don't want to end up like that third year of yours, do you?" His redundant question causes Finn to think back to the Adler third year, the pained expression and injuries littering his body flickering into his mind as Carpaccio continues speaking,

"I won't ask again. Give it up." Finn clenches his hand around the crystal even tighter than before, his eyes watering and shaking as Carpaccio's gaze remains settled on him with a fury burning within his eyes. Finn bites down on his bottom lip as their eyes connect, the boy attempting to summon every ounce of courage he has to be able to face the Orca first-year in front of him.

Meanwhile, Margarette Macaron walks slowly and calmly along the stone path, the Orca prefect remaining relaxed as their thoughts spin around four specific individuals, 'I'd say we got four standouts here... Mash Burnedead, who can't use magic. Kat Ride, who also can't use magic but has other capabilities. Lance Crown, who took first place among the entering students, and...he who maintained his position as first among the continuing students, Carpaccio Luo-Yang.'

Margarette holds back the hum building in their throat as they continue to walk and think, 'But I always imagined He was like me, someone with no interest in becoming a Divine Visionary. My guess is that Orter Madl cut him a deal too, but I doubt that's why he's so attached to Kat Ride.' They continue to walk as their own thoughts intrigue them, the third year allowing them to continue,

'Carpaccio is a prodigy, chosen by a wand fit to be a national treasure. In terms of talent, it would be no exaggeration to call him the best in the school.' They pause in their steps as they place their hands together in a praying gesture, Margarette closing their eyes as they pray within their mind, 'An ode to the unripe fruit, bountiful blessing of the earth, I give thanks to each and every living thing...and to my parents, for giving birth to me.'

Carpaccio continues to stab the knife into himself, the wounds transferring to the Adler first-year coughing painfully on the floor, Finn attempting to remain strong even as Carpaccio speaks up once more, "I don't get it. I'm going to get the crystal anyway, you know." Finn allows his thoughts to wander with those words, his body trembling, 'Don't give up...we just need to protect the crystal to win. He's underestimating me, this is my chance...I haven't used my personal magic yet.'