Spells and Gods Against the Rot of the World [WIP]

Chapter 1 | The Beginning of the End.

Audio of this chapter! | https://youtu.be/pV-awL_R2Kc

"Leave. Leave right now." I said, throwing his clothes at him with tears streaming down my face.

"What the hell?? You really want me to leave now? Come on Izabel. You can't be serious!" Vance shouted. I quickly got on my feet.

"Pack your stuff and go. Get out of my sight. I can't do this anymore, not with you." I snapped. I started grabbing the rest of Vance's clothes out of my dresser, throwing them on the floor at his feet. His expression darkened and he stepped towards me, determined. His figure towered over me, almost threateningly. At that moment I felt the world slow, and then I heard the front door rattling open.

"Hey, guys! I'm home!" I heard a cheerful shout from the hallway. I then heard plastic bags rustling from the kitchen. Vance growled softly and turned away from me, storming out of my room. I moved swiftly behind him, stepping out into the hall. I look up just in time to see him push past my best friend to exit through our front door, slamming it shut behind him. Kathryn looked at me with a bewildered expression.

"What's his deal?" she said with a concerned look in her eye. Kat set some plastic bags down along with her starry blue bucket backpack on the kitchen counter before walking towards me.

"I told him to get out because I found out he was talking to Ashlyn," I said, my face reddening from anger. I wiped away the tears that had been coursing down my cheeks only a moment ago. Kathryn's eyes widened from shock and anger, sparks beginning to fly from her fingertips. Her affinity for fire magic was a blessing, but with her power being connected to her wild emotions it wasn't always the best in these situations.

"Are you fucking serious right now? You are so much better than Ashlyn! You are a 10 compared to that cold shouldered snob." Kathryn ranted. Even though it was hard to tell through the reflection of her glasses, her normally light greenish blue eyes began to burn into a deep gold. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. I looked up at Kat and put a hand on her shoulder to calm her, stroking her gently with my fingertips.

"Look, Kat, it's fine. I was suspicious for a while anyway. He's done it before and I should've expected it." I said before withdrawing my hand from her. Kathryn took a few deep breaths before running a hand over her frizzy brackish brown and blonde curls. Her hair was dyed, in the process of adding new colors. She always displayed her vibrant personality through her looks.

"Wanna smoke a joe?" Kat said with a sigh. She smiled at me, her eyes back to her normal light minty teal color. I smiled and nodded, rubbing my hands on my soft monochrome leggings. Kat always knew how to help me calm down. She smiled and grabbed a white and blue pack out of her bag, along with Kutreeina. Kutreeina is the name of Kathryn's lighter attachment. The blue and black metal clip also doubles as a short blade; Kat tends to fidget with it a lot. I heard the familiar click of the knife opening. Kat fidgeted with the knife in her hands, closing it and opening it repeatedly before stopping to look up at me. She smiled sheepishly and slid Kutreeina into her black hoodie pocket.

Kathryn walked past me to step outside to our "porch." Our apartment was the last one beneath the wooden steps leading to the other apartments above us. She sat down in one of the creaky wooden chairs we had placed there. She opened the pack, pulling out two long cigarettes. Kathryn placed a cigarette between her lips, lighting it with her blue lighter, Lucas.

"Why don't you call Kutreeina just Kutreeina? Why did you have to name the lighter?" I asked, plopping down onto one of our aged wooden chairs. Kat's grandmother gifted her these beautiful oak chairs, we love them despite the constant creaking.

"Well, I feel like the lighter should have its own name since Kutreeina herself is just an attachment for the lighter," Kat said while exhaling a small cloud of smoke. She passed me a cigarette along with Kutreeina, her chair creaking as she leaned forward. I rolled my eyes and placed the cigarette to my lips, lighting it. The slight minty flavor hit me as I inhaled. My eyes slid shut as the nicotine calmed me almost instantaneously.

"Interesting." I said with a slight smile, "So Kat, how was work?" I took a drag and leaned back in my chair, the chair squealing from my shift in movement. She smiled and took a puff of her cigarette.

"I got to see Jasper today," Kat said with a pleased smile. She fiddled with the cigarette, rolling it between her thumb and forefinger. I smiled at her, Jasper was a really sweet guy. Think of a fluffy golden retriever, he was the literal embodiment of one.

"What happened today then?" I said with a cheeky grin. Kat blushed and shook her head.

"Oh, we just chatted, like usual. He did say he wants me to come over again soon." Kat puffed on her cigarette again. I grinned.

"That's great Kathryn!" I exclaimed, my eyes gleaming for her. Kat had been having a rough time with her relationships recently. I leaned back in my chair, not even noticing the squealing as I took a drag off of my cigarette. 

I jolted at the sound of my phone buzzing, nearly dropping my joe. I pulled it out of my back pocket, half expecting it to be a mile long rant from Vance.

"Who is it? I swear if it's Vance.." Kathryn trailed off, her brow furrowing at the thought.

"No, it's my mom?" I said in a questioning tone. "She said to turn on the news ASAP." I stood up and took one last drag of my cigarette before putting it out on one of the posts supporting the stairway. I handed the unfinished cigarette to Kat to put into the pack.

"I'll be in in a moment," Kat said while pulling out her phone, immediately tapping away at her search bar. I nodded and turned to walk inside.

I walked down our hallway, to the archway that leads into our living room.  I turn and smile at the beautifully decorated room. Kat really had a creative touch, many of her paintings and sculptures adorning the walls. I glance at the protection sigils imbued in every painting, I take comfort in the thought of my best friend being a pagan priestess. I plop on our makeshift bean bag sofa and turn on the television, flicking to the news. I gasp and drop the remote, stunned by the images I saw on the screen. Crazed people were running at civilians, biting and screaming, their eyes glowing an ominous purplish black. As soon as someone was bitten they started convulsing violently, seizing and foaming at the mouth. Greenish red foam falling from their lips as their eyes started flashing purplish green flashes until they became the same monster that turned them.

I immediately run towards our front door, almost bowling over Kat in the process. She looks somber, and angry. Her eyes were glowing with holy rage, the glow almost too much for me. I looked away from her as she started to speak in a low deep multidimensional growl, "How dare these HEATHENS disrespect my Gods?! How dare they raise the dead for this evil purpose.." she continued to mutter as she took a hard left into her room. I heard the squeak of her desk draws and the sound of her rummaging through her items. I walk to her doorway, glancing around her faintly lit room. A desk lamp and fairy lights were the only source of light, besides the angry golden rays escaping her eye sockets. It was so radiant I had to keep looking away from her, her rage was so intense her figure was starting to glow as a whole.

"This is a war I will win, these perverted cultists shall not desecrate my practice and my deities without paying the ultimate price." She said in a single breath. Kat took a deep breath and lit two sticks of incense, frankincense and myrrh, mumbling a prayer to her gods. "Hades and Persephone, hear my prayer. Grant me strength to win this war in your name, so I may finally flaunt the gifts you have blessed me with. May all my gods hear this prayer, please grant my companions and I safety through this. Thank you." She drew the Celtic cross over herself, her eyes squeezed shut. She turned to me, sensing my lingering presence.

"Izabel, prepare yourself. This is going to be a long and difficult war. We have been blessed to fight these necromancy practitioners and beat them into a bloody pulp. It is the gods will, so help me for I will defeat them."  She growled, her golden gaze upon me. I could feel her warmth, despite the gravity of her words. I nodded solemnly, thinking of what weapons we have and how long we can survive before the front lines are brought to us.