Power of Death (Agathario)

Chapter Twenty

Agatha laid in bed, sleepless. Rio had not returned yet, just like the past couple of weeks since Thanos, and Agatha had been trying to sleep for hours. She hoped sleep would be an escape from her thoughts, but her body wouldn't give her that relief.

She would try a sleeping spell, but those always gave her bad nightmares when asleep and headaches when she woke up. She'd learned that the hard way the first night after the whole Thanos thing.

Finally, Agatha got out of bed, changing into her clothes and heading out the door. She pulled her cloak tighter around herself as she walked through a quiet brick street lined with houses. She didn't know where she was, but that didn't matter. She could summon the door back at any time.

Agatha sighed as she walked. Her shoes made a loud clicking noise on the road with every step, which made her all the more awake.

Agatha heard another pair of footsteps and she looked back. No one was there. She almost yelled in surprise as she ran into someone who was all of a sudden in front of her.

Agatha jumped back, forcing herself to restrain her magic that almost emerged out of instinct. A cloaked figure stood in front of her.

"Who are you?" Agatha squinted, not able to make out the person's face.

The person reached up to their hood and lowered it. It was a young woman, maybe 17, with long brown hair and green eyes. She looked at Agatha with something like obsession. "I'm a witch. And you're Agatha Harkness. The infamous witch killer."

Agatha was taken aback. "How do you you kno—"

"It doesn't matter," the girl said, her green eyes glancing around the street. She took Agatha's arm and slipped them in an alleyway.

Agatha swatted the girl's arm off. "Hey! What are you doing?"

The girl shushed Agatha. "Careful, someone might hear."

Agatha narrowed her eyes. "Okay, enough." She started to leave, but the girl blocked her.

"Wait, please," the girl begged. "I just need to ask you something."

"Well say it fast, or you'll regret running into me." Agatha crossed her arms, though she was slightly amused. It was better than walking around for hours, anyway.

"How did you learn to steal witches' powers?"

Agatha pressed her lips together, regarding the girl. "Now why would a young witch like you want to know something like that?"

"I'm a dark witch," the girl said quietly, "and soon I might be attacked."

Agatha didn't have an answer for a second. "So you want to know how to survive."

"Exactly."

Agatha could empathize with that. But something in her senses told her not to trust this girl, so she took a step back. She narrowed her eyes. "Mm. No, I can't teach you how to steal a witch's powers."

"Why not?" The girl asked, her eyebrows scrunched together in disappointment.

"I just can't. Okay, now run off, little girl." Agatha tried to shoo her away with her arms, but the girl still didn't move.

"Please, Miss Harkness!" The girl begged, freezing herself against the alley's exit. "We can make a deal!"

Agatha scanned the girl's face, deciding she might as well talk a bit more before blasting her out of Agatha's way. "What kind of deal?"

"I can tell you where the Darkhold is," the girl blurted out. "You're looking for it, right? That's what you ask witches about before you kill them."

Agatha crossed her arms and leaned her head to the side, interested now. "Have you been following me?"

"Yes," the girl replied. Her face offered no sign of remorse or embarrassment.

"What's your name?"

The girl sighed and dropped her arms from the walls. "I'm—" She spoke, but her name was lost in a black squiggle that spread across her mouth as her jaw moved. She didn't notice, instead just watching Agatha's reaction as the black squiggle disappeared again.

Agatha stared at the girl. "You... have a sigil on you."

The girl looked taken aback. "A sigil?"

Agatha sighed. "It's a spell where—"

"Yes, I know what a sigil is," the girl interrupted. She shook her head. "But does my name really matter?"

Agatha pressed her lips together. It didn't, but knowing someone's name was one of the most powerful pieces of knowledge a person could have. "I suppose not."

"So once I lead you to the Darkhold, you'll teach me?"

Agatha opened her mouth to say she still didn't know how she stole people's powers, let alone how to teach it. But she stopped herself. If she told this girl about how she couldn't teach her, Agatha would lose her chance to obtain the Darkhold.

If this girl could follow through.

But Agatha decided it was worth the risk.

"If you get me to the Darkhold, I'll teach you." Agatha raised her hand to shake, which the girl took.

A smile spread over her young face. "Great! Do we start now?"

"Where do we need to go first?" Agatha asked, telling herself not to get too excited, because the girl might have been bluffing. She might not be able to get Agatha the Darkhold. It could just be an elaborate scam.

"Oh I'm not going with you," the girl replied. "You just have to do a few things. I'll tell you about it. But it's not a search. Once you're ready, the Darkhold will come to you."

—

Yippee the Darkhold. 

I wrote this at 3 in the morning today...

Why am I like this

Also y'all were so convinced I killed somebody when u read the author's note from the last chapter. I know when people see me in person they always think I have a dark secret because that's just how I look but I guess I must write like that too for it to happen online as well 😭

It's okay I still love you guys 🖤

May none of you suffer from insomnia.

-VictoryGreen8