The Sorcerer [Discontinued]

Chapter Seven

Edited as of 7-24-17

This is the worst fucking idea.

"Mom! I brought a friend home!" Brice shouted as they entered the house. Seto took a moment to glance around the room, rolling his eyes at the tacky decoration.

Seto grabbed Brice's arm, holding onto the male tightly. Though he greatly disliked contact, if he had to venture into a strange place, he wasn't going alone. His eyes were narrowed and flickering around suspiciously. Brice immediately thought of an angry kitten when he saw Seto acting this way.

"Why are you so paranoid?" He laughed, but let Seto's hand stay.

A young looking woman came trotting down the stairs, carrying an empty basket. She smiled shyly at them. "Oh, hello, Brice. Your mother said to tell you she'd be home late tonight. My apologies."

"Oh, that's alright. Thank you, Mary." The woman disappeared into the laundry room. "That's Mary, our maid, but she's also a family friend."

"Okay." Seto couldn't really care less.

"Um... so, yeah. We should probably start working on our project...?"

"Mm." Seto didn't offer any other ideas. That's the reason he came over here, of course. He was still on edge, his fingers digging painfully into Brice's arm.

Brice sighed. "Let's go to my room." He removed Seto's hand from his arm, holding it in his own. He pulled the other boy towards the stairs, practically dragging him up them. Seto didn't bother trying to break away, and just allowed this, though he was clearly uncomfortable.

Brice flicked the light on, finally letting go of Seto's hand. Seto stepped into the room, observing it. It was half the size of the living room they were previously in, but it was still huge. Everything was orderly and tidy.

"Err... I have some stuff we could use for our poster? Do you have anything?" Brice eyed Seto's small bookbag questioningly.

"Yeah. Go get your stuff." Seto sat down on the plush carpet. When Brice left, he snapped his fingers, smalls sparks dancing in the air. "Can't believe I'm doing this shit for a stupid project..."

Supplies such as scissors, paper, crayons and tape appeared before him, covered in a thin layer of shimmering dust. He breathed on them softly, blowing away the magic dust.

"Woah."

Seto whipped around, a death spell on the tip of his tongue. Brice was standing there, mouth open, eyes shining in admiration and fright.

"Woah! Calm down! T-That's really cool, Matthew!" Brice desperately tried to convince him, his gaze pleading. "P-Please don't..."

Something similar to pain crossed Seto's expression. "I'm not going to hurt you, Brice." He said slowly. "Not unless I have to."

Those words were so familiar...

"A-and you don't have to!... Seto the Sorcerer... Seto Sorcerer." He whispered, his eyes widening. "It fits."

"How smart you are. Congratulations. You figured it out. I'm the magic addicted freak."

"Um... Can you do that again?" Brice asked quickly, fumbling over his words. His cheeks flushed. "You don't have to! It was just... cool." He whispered the last part.

Seto studied him with narrowed eyes. His gaze was hard and intense. "You want to see witchcraft? Are you serious right now?" How stupid can he be!

"I wanna see magic." Brice answered simply. He flopped down beside Seto, his fear gone. "Can you show me how you did that? Please?"

You're not gonna shut up unless I do it, are you?

"Fine." Seto rolled his eyes, acting as if this was a bother. However, his heart was pounding. He didn't usually perform for people, and the thought made him a bit nervous. "Erm... I'll just..." Something scary, to shut him up.

His eyes fluttered shut, and he let out a soft breath. The air was humming around them. Scary. Frightening... Soft. Gentle. Peaceful. Harmless.

Seto reached out, taking one of Brice's hands between both of his. He squeezed tightly as a burning sensation coursed through his body, making Brice gasp. His hands were deathly cold, and the smallest touch made Brice shiver. He softened his grip, then released completely. "Don't move." He practically hissed out.

A tiny butterfly rested on Brice's palm. Brice's eyes widened drastically. The little creature spread its wings, flapping them softly. It was entirely made of ice.

"Oh my god," Brice was shaking. "Oh my god... Is it..."

"Alive?" Seto took it from him, holding it in cupped hands. "As living as magic can be." He blew on it, making the creature dissolve into shimmering powder.

"Do it again." Brice practically begged. "Do something else!"

"Uh..." Seto had an unusual amount of patience at the moment. What can I show him? Summoning things was boring. Making living things from magical dust wasn't enough to shut him up, apparently. "Hold onto me." He held out his hands, which Brice grabbed without hesitation. "Mind your distance." He added with a wince as the blond stepped too close.

He's too trusting... I wonder how long it'll be before he loses it completely.

The room was suddenly cloaked in white. The floor underneath them froze over, and the air grew chilly. The Sorcerer stood up, pulling a shivering Brice to his feet. Brice let go of his hands so he could hug himself.

"I said hold onto me, not let go at the first second, you stupid boy!" Seto grabbed Brice before the boy could slip, holding the Australian by the waist. "Listen to me before you get yourself killed!" His breathing was gradually slowing, his voice becoming almost sluggish.

"S-sorry..." Brice stuttered out, blinking down at Seto. The cold air stung his face, making his cheeks light pink. "How did you... How did you do this?"

Seto laughed hoarsely. The sound made Brice's eyes pop open. Seto was... smiling.

"I thought we were past that." His grin dropped. His grip on Brice tightened, and he seemed to be using the blonde to keep himself up, rather than the other way around.

"Your eyes." Brice, in his awe, hadn't noticed the change until now. He couldn't stop staring. The rich purple of Seto's eyes was so alluring. Looking into them made him feel rather sleepy.

Pain flashed across those violet orbs, and Brice finally realized.

"This is hurting you, isn't it?" He whispered, obviously concerned. "Isn't it?"

"That doesn't matter." Seto tightened his grip on Brice again, shaking his head. "Seen enough magic yet?" The blonde obviously didn't understand. It wasn't the magic. It wasn't that at all.

"Stop. Please. I've seen enough."

The frosty scene vanished, and they were back in Brice's room. Seto fell to his knees, trying to catch his breath. Brice knelt down beside him, touching his shoulder hesitantly. He yanked his hand away when Seto flinched.

"Um... Matthew?"

"Mm?" Seto didn't look up.

"Are you... going to be okay? Should I call someone?"

This made his head snap up, and he was suddenly glaring at Brice. "Don't you dare." He hissed out. Then he took a deep breath. "Sorry. I'm fine. And please don't. It's not the magic. Let's just work on our project, okay?" Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. STUPID.

"Okay." Brice didn't try arguing. He reached for a marker. "Seto? Uhh... I won't... I'm not going to tell anyone. About. You know."

Wouldn't matter. I'd just erase their memories. Just like I'll do to yours.
"Kind of you." Seto replied, smoothing out the poster paper.

And that was that. Not another word was said about what had went down. Brice kept his mouth shut, much to Seto's relief. He didn't know how much more of the nosy blonde he could take.