Crow's Blessings → Sylus

Changed Hearts

"You're back."

A lone cauldron sat in the middle of the barren land. Standing right behind the black cauldron was none other than my doppelgänger, stirring the strange, thick orange liquid inside of the cauldron with a stick that was the same height as her. She was grinning, as always, amber eyes staring directly into my own with glee.

"And, this will be my last," I announced bravely, earning a confused gaze from my doppelgänger.

"Destroying the pendant won't break the curse, honey," her sickening voice was as sweet as always — made me cringe internally.

"Who said I was destroying the pendant?"

Her grin disappeared, the stick lazily left to lean against the brim of the cauldron as she left it. Steady footsteps brought her to stand in front of me, the sharpness of her eyes tearing through my exterior. "You think you can leave me?'"

Something was forced against my abdomen. It felt cold until pain shot up all over my chest, my body burning from the unexpected feeling. Keeping my head up, I glanced down, finding an intricate obsidian dagger digging deep into my diaphragm. Despite acknowledging that I'm currently in a dream, the pain felt worse than what I've ever experienced with my eyes wide open.

"Your soul is mine," forcing the dagger deeper into my abdomen brought me to kneel down. She sneered above me, leaving no space in between us. "I've granted you immeasurable power that brought you this far."

"I never asked for your power!" struggling against her strength was impossible. It felt like I was pushing myself against a concrete wall.

"But, you enjoy it, don't you?" her placid face contorted into a sickening smile, so sweet that it was intoxicating. "Sylus wouldn't have been interested if you never had the power."

Ouch. I'd rather have her twist that dagger deeper into my chest than say that.

"You're nothing but a normal hunter without my power," slowly, she stepped back, knowing full well that she had successfully poisoned me with her words. "A useless, pathetic human striving to prove her strength to the whole world by forcing herself to be a reliable hunter for society."

I could hear my heart thrumming in my ears. My hands rested on the handle of the dagger, the extra weight making me wince, and yet it gave me a sense of security, knowing that I'm in control of the dagger. "Better than hiding in a pendant, yeah?"

In the blink of an eye, she had her face inches away from mine, tilting her head ever so slightly. "Brave, are we?"

Swiftly pulling the dagger out of my wound, I pushed it with as much force I had left into her. It was hard enough to maintain consciousness, let alone striking a dagger blindly into my enemy. It disappointed me that the dagger came in contact with the ground as I fell forward, the warmth of my blood soaking into my hand.

"Wish you the shittiest of luck."

—

Was I choking? It felt like swallowing a burning charcoal, the bitter taste of bile lingering in my mouth as my neck felt tight.

A radiant light greeted me as I forcefully opened my eyes. The world around me was nothing but hazy static. I could feel the pain in my abdomen gradually fading to nothing along with the haziness of my vision.

The familiar black ceiling told me I was in Sylus's room, as well as the soft, wavering hum that my ears picked up on. Strong arms cradled me in a loose embrace, humming an off-tune melody that reminisced me to the early days that we met.

"You've improved," my voice sounded hoarse, like a croak of a toad.

I couldn't lift my head to see what face Sylus had on as he pulled me tighter in his arms. It would otherwise be suffocating if it weren't for his plump man boobs. "I thought Grim Reaper had you in a chokehold."