Blood Pact

Chapter 1 - When Death Rains

**Year 47310**

It's raining. The dark clouds gather over Emoria to mourn the loss of a great soul. As does Irillium, a lost girl in the awoken chaos. Standing in the middle of Emoria's restricted graveyard, she pays no attention to the needles of water falling from the sky.

There are hundreds of tombs throughout the entirety of the forest, though her sombre eyes focus on one specifically. The heavens begin to shout and light crashes between the clustered clouds, yet she shows no sign of movement, nor does she intend to.

Her lack of reaction concerns Anne, an old friend, who is waiting with Rhea at the dorms. "Is she still there?" She asks Rhea, looking out the window to see the weather getting worse. Rhea, who is sitting on the floor in a meditative position, gives Anne a meaningful look, then closes her eyes to focus. After a moment, she begins to speak.

"Yes, she is still in the exact same place." She says. "The rain has gotten more dangerous aswell, and there is a good chance of there being a hurricane." Anne takes a deep breath, clearly trying to calm her anxiety. She takes a step back and leans against the dresser in her bedroom.

"If... If only I had been a better friend, and paid more attention to her when she was clearly not okay... Maybe none of this-" Rhea interrupts.

"I'm sorry Anne, but nothing would have changed. You did your best but... Unfortunately, fate can be cruel." She says. Anne drops her head, and tears begin to fall down her face, blurring her vision.

"Even so... EVEN SO I FEEL LIKE THIS IS ALL MY FAULT!" Anne says in a moment of emotional instability. Rhea watches her body tense up, shivering and doubling over. She stands up and quietly walks over to Anne and gently takes her hand in her own.

"It is ok Anne. It will be fine. Just breath, I am right here." She says while wrapping her arms around Anne's quivering body, embracing her lovingly. "Everything will be fine." She whispers softly into Anne's ear, but even with her predictive abilities, she knows that the future is uncertain.

**3 weeks ago...**

"When it comes to elemental magic, there are five main classifications..."
Mr. Armini is explaining magic types and classifications to class three of the level three year threes. Irillium, the only person in Emoria without magic, is sitting at the back of the class. Her stare is blankly fixed onto the board that her brother Galvin, or rather, Mr. Armini is writing on.

The classroom is large, but still quite small in comparison to the other classes. The class that she is in currently in is history, her main subject since it's the only one that doesn't require magic. She listens to the whispers and giggles floating around the classroom.

*So no one's even listening.* She thinks. She let's out a sigh, and her non-existent focus fades. She finds herself looking out the window at the vast valleys that surround the entirety of Emoria.

"So with that, can anybody tell us what the four main categories of earth elemental magic are?" Says Galvin, still facing the board with chalk in his hand. He notices the silence that befalls the classroom and turns around to face the students. "Can anybody tell me what the four main categories of earth elemental magic are? No one?" He says.

His eyes scan the faces of all his pupils, examining their expressions. *Sometimes I wonder why I was hired.* He thinks. He keeps looking, left to right, and his line of sight stumbles upon Irillium. *She's not even looking at the board anymore! I'm fine if she wants to daydream but can't she at least pretend to be paying attention?* He thinks to himself.

"Ms. Armini, would you like to answer that for us?" He says. Irillium fails to hear his request, deeply engrossed in her daydreaming. "Irillium!" He shouts. Irillium snaps out of it and quickly turns to face Galvin.

"Yes?!" She says. Galvin looks at her through his round glasses, clearly unimpressed. Irillium sighs. *I wonder what the punishment will be this time...* She thinks.

Ever since she's known him, Galvin has always treated her differently from everyone else, and not in a good way. Galvin often picks on Irillium and has a very short temper when it comes to her. Obviously she's presumed that he just dislikes her but Galvin thinks differently.

Galvin sighs. "You know what happens now, Ms. Armini." He says. Irillium stands up from her seat and squeezes past her desk-mates. "Right, what will it be today sir?" She says with a hint of sarcasm. Galvin and Irillium walk out into the hallway and close the door behind them, a usual routine.

Left alone, the students start to chatter. "There they go again..." One person says. "Do those siblings ever get along?" Another says, giggling. "Why is Mr. Armini such an ass?"

...

Irillium walks out into the hallway with Galvin calmly. *This child...* He thinks, despite the fact that he's only 3 years older than her. Galvin closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose, while Irillium leans comfortably against the wall.

"So what will it be today Galvin?" She says, dropping formalities.

"Dont give me that. You only have yourself to blame for this. You never pay attention and you're always being disrespectful. I don't even know what to do with you anymore. I can't keep giving you special treatment just because I'm your brother." He says exasperatedly.

"Oh wow, really? You know what? The only 'special' treatment I ever receive from you is this. Precisely this. You're always calling me out, and only me. No one else gets treated like this in my class? So why just me? Do not think that I'm grateful for the treatment I get from you." She says angrily. Galvin's tongue gets caught in his throat and he finds himself unable to refute any of the things that Irillium is saying.

"It's never been about misbehaviour, you've always treated me like this. You find any excuse that you can get your hands on to be a dick to me. You're so adamant that I'm a bad student right? So why don't I just start behaving like one." Irillium says. Her face is red and her hands are clenched. *Fuck you.* She thinks to herself, spinning on her heel to leave.

Galvin stands still, completely flustered. "W-where are you going Irillium?! He shouts to the end of the hallway. Irillium turns around and gives him a cold glare.

"I'm bunking school since I'm such a troublesome student." She says spitefuly before leaving the main building and walking out into the open grounds of the school.

Galvin can feel his heart beating in his chest. His face has gone blood red, but not because he's upset. *I... I absolutely love it when she gets upset with me...* He thinks to himself. An embarrassed smile forms on his face, which he covers with his hands in shame. *I just can't seem to help myself.* He thinks.

Ever since Galvin's father found Irillium on the streets 7 years ago, Irillium's been part of the Armini family. Galvin never liked her at first, and would purposely pick on her to try to get her to leave. He doesn't know when things started to change, but soon he found that it wasn't about getting her to leave anymore, but rather about the gratification he got from making her snap.

...

*The scenery outside is actually quite peaceful when everyone's in class.* She thinks to herself. She walks along the pathway that connects all the school buildings, listening to the birdsong and the sound of leaves rustling. A warm breeze brushes against her features and her hair sways gently behind her.

She comes to a stop and appreciates the atmosphere. She breaths in and out, calming her anger. *Ok, just calm down. You can control it. Don't lose your shit.* She thinks to herself. Sometimes she feels as if she's suffocated, she doesn't know if it's related to her amnesia, or if it's because of some other factor, but lately she's been finding it harder and harder to keep her rage under control.

"HELP! SOMEBODY-!" A sudden scream cuts through her thoughts like a dagger. A chill runs through her spine and she turns to face the direction of the shout.

End of chapter 1.