Six Fates

Chapter Three

Nothing existed between them . It was Mirai and the shadow. A huge lump formed in her throat and her legs wobbled in fear. The cool air suffocated her and she slowly began to back away. She couldn't comprehend what she was seeing and blinked her eyes a few times. Rainey looked up to see her ghostly pale sister. Aife mouthed out the words "Don't Run", hoping that Mirai would read her lips. Unfortunately, Mirai's legs didn't listen and she sprinted as fast as she could. Her breathing increased rapidly and the distance she was running seemed endless.

Mirai stopped. Her senses came back to her. She had left her sisters behind.

Rainey slapped her hand against her forehead. She saw Mirai coming back at the same speed she left.

"What are you sitting around for? Are you waiting for your funerals?", she asked panicked.

"Get up!", Mirai screamed.

Asher and Azrail covered their ears to her scream. No one came outside to check where the sound was coming from. Something didn't add up.

The shadow took out a blade. Its metallic surface shined brightly against the dark night. The shadow stepped forward. The shoes on its feet made a soft clicking sound as it moved.  A cold blade pressed onto Rainey's neck. Mirai stopped screaming. She saw how sharp that blade was. It could cut through her sister's soft skin easily. Aife's eyes couldn't find themselves to blink. The shadow had a firm grip on Rainey's flaming locks of hair and if it pulled any harder, her hair could fall out of her scalp. Aife digged her hands into the sand anxiously. Her lips were quivering and her eyes darted back and forth.

Rainey's body felt paralysed and scorching hot against the blade.

Asher grabbed hold of his hooked blade that was sharpened on the edge. Venomous fire oozed from its tip. He kept his feet at a distance, but loosened his grip when the mysterious figure spoke up.

"Sit down", it commanded. Mirai's legs plopped down instantly. The voice she heard was gravelly and gruff. Its voice did not waver even once. It was too strong to rebel against. Mirai watched as the blade disappeared from Rainey's sweaty neck. Rainey breathed a sigh of relief. She wrapped her fingers around her neck and checked for any cut marks.

Azrail felt nauseous and squirmed down in the corner, after he recognised the owner of that voice. How? He asked that question several times to himself.

Asher couldn't believe it either, but held his composure.
Denzel must have known that they escaped. He was quite skilled for being an old guardian. They would just have to hide for now.

The mapping star slowly faded and turned to a small circular pattern of lines that decorated the starry sky.

The shadow produced a small flame in its palm. The flame jumped out and circled around the girls like fire spirits. They could see the shadow more clearly, except it was a person.

Strands of pepper coloured hair hung from his head. It barely reached his waist and flattened out as a curl. The robes that he wore were rich scarlet and had thin, black borders on the side. His face was age worn and it had large pigmented spots. The cheeks on his face were sunken. The nails on his fingers were brittle and falling apart like glass shards. His body hovered above them menacingly and the expression on his face seemed too dangerous to go against. The sealed lips on his face slowly curved into a smile. One could not describe this smile. It was neither cold nor warm. It struck Mirai as a smile that knew everything.

Aife backed away, when he moved a few steps towards them. She wanted to keep a safe distance from this stranger. Mirai and Rainey did the same. They couldn't escape, even after Rainey did a thorough evaluation of all possible routes.