Malion: Up In Flames

Falling apart

I took a hesitant step towards the mirror and placed my fingers onto the pane. The image on the pane rippled. I pushed my hand into the image as the pane started to swallow my fingers. The feeling was like dipping my hand in cold honey. I passed through to the other side, feeling goosebumps appear on my skin and falling onto prickly dying grass. I found myself in a clearing. I placed my hand on my temple and rubbed a mild headache away. I sat up and looked around. The forest around me was beginning to erupt into fiery colors. I shivered as and an icy breeze sent a chill down my spine. I stood up, wrapped my arms around myself and stepped to the side, expecting the others to appear in the same spot. I waited for a few moments, but nothing happened. Then I realised that it was autumn. Why was it autumn? It was mid December when we left... Why did it look like it was suddenly April? We'd only been in that realm for a few hours; a day at most.

Suddenly I was crushed against the ground. A rumble came from the object above me.

"GET." I started, as fire circled around me, "OFF!" Whatever it was that was squashing me, quickly sprang up, setting me free.

I jumped to my feet to come face to face with a strange beast. I bared my teeth and pushed my black hair out of my eyes.

The creature was wolf-like with massive saber teeth. Mangey dark fur was messily dappled all over its skinny body. Sharp horns curled behind its bat-like ears and its golden eyes pierced into mine. It growled at me. I growled back and launched myself at the creature, slashing at it with my claws. It shrieked and shoved me away. The lanky creature bared it's teeth at me and pounced on top of me, carving deep gashes in my skin. I yelled and slashed it's muzzel. It winced and bounced off of me. I sprang up, heaving and clutching a deep wound in my torso. A bitter spike of flavor hit my tongue. I watched my surroundings brighten as I felt my eyes change. I felt my claws get longer as I ran towards it. I leaped on top of the creature and slashed at it's mattered fur, tearing into it's flesh again and again. It yelped and shrieked and squealed, but I couldn't stop. Eventually, it shoved me away. The injured creature morphed slowly into a humanoid form, kneeling down at first, but standing on its hind legs and straightening its posture. A male stood above me. His new deep blue eyes glared into mine. His mangey dark hair was styled messily. He had stubble that was stained with the blood of a wound on his chin. He grinned at me, his fanged teeth glinting red.

"Hello, Demon. Lady Orin wants your head." His raspy voice huffed, confirming my suspicions. It was very strained. I bounced up to my feet and punched him square in his pale, freckled face. He stumbled to the side and I grinned, taking off into the air. When he stabilized himself, he jumped up into the air and grabbed hold of one of my wings. I quickly lost stability and crashed into the ground, on top of him. He pulled out a knife and slashed my arm. I shoved him away and kicked him. I stood above him, thinking I was victorious, but suddenly, he sprang up and slashed at my eye with the black glint of a Mordekite blade.

"GAH!" I spat out, surprised as I stumbled backward. I tried to open my eye, but everything was blurry. All I saw was red and his grinning face. I bared my teeth and growled at him. It was a deep angry growl. He was taken aback and at that moment, I pounced on top of him and slashed with all my power. I mustered all of my strength and cut at his bloody face. With one furious swipe, his throat was severed. I looked down on what I had done and got incredibly dizzy.

"Did I just... Kill someone?" I whimpered. I stumbled backward, unable to even glance at the horribly macabre scene. I collapsed to my knees and put my face into my blood-stained hands as the realization hit me. In that night alone, I had killed two people. It was an unbearable thought, but it swarmed my mind, circling and spinning. My whole body was trembling, as the dark thoughts cycloned in my head. I screamed, horrified. Still with my face in my hands, I started to sob. The thoughts overwhelmed me.

I attempted to stand up but I was thrown back to my hands and knees by dizziness. I forced myself to crawl over to the Joorlin and looked at him.

Why in The Nine Realms did he look so much like Kaylum...? I clasped his stained cheeks in both hands and stared at him. I couldn't tear my gaze away from him as I replayed the fight over and over. My vision went foggy and I got dizzy again. I had to get away from this. I stood up but lost my balance when seeing all of the vague silhouettes of the trees swirl. I took a step backwards and my leg buckled. When I fell to the ground with a heavy thud, the vague thoughts of horror faded as the darkness encroached.