My Place- Randall Carpio Love Story

It comes at a price

"It's important to know that magic, of any kind, comes at a price."

"A price?" Remi's brows furrowed as her gaze lifted from Jess's hands to look into her eyes. "What kind of price?"

Jess set the book down on top of the bar as she grabbed something from her back pocket. It was a knife, about the length of her palm with a hilt made of bone. 

Remi's eyes widened as she took a miniscule step back. Jess smiled as she set the sharp edge of the blade against her palm, then she sliced a clean cut diagonally over the entirety of her palm. 

The metallic stench of blood filled the air as deep red, almost black blood pooled over the wound. She set the knife beside the book and curled her fingers into her fist as she turned it sideways. The blood dripped between her fingers and fell to the ground between their feet. 

"Ignis ortum," the whispered incantation made every candle in the dark lounge burst to light. The flames grew impossibly large until they almost licked the ceiling above them. 

Remi's jaw came unhinged as she turned to see the massive flames surrounding her. The heat from the flames caressed her cheeks and warmed the back of her neck until she felt the threat of sweat prickle at her skin. 

Aside from the light, Remi was surprised there was no ringing accompanied by the use of magic. She had anticipated it, but the lack of pain was a pleasant, although unsettling surprise. If she didn't hear when Jess was doing magic, it left her blind. 

But... she was too distracted by the beauty around her to care much for future magic. 

"I-" Remi turned towards Jess. "I want to try-" she reached for the blade. 

"Okay," Jess laughed, and grabbed a scrap of a towel to wrap around her palm to stop the bleeding. 

The flames leisurely softened until they returned to their normal flicker. The absence of the flames made the room appear much darker than it had been before. Remi blinked to adjust her eyes as she looked down at the bloodied knife. 

"What should I say?" Remi stalled as she looked from the knife to Jess. 

"Well..." A small smile pulled over Jess's lips. "Say the words 'flos sanguine' right after you cut your palm, and try not to cut too deep. You don't need much blood for this small of an incantation."

Remi nodded and shook her shoulders out to rid herself of the nerves that crept up her spine. She knew magic was bad, she knew that, but there was a part of her that was exhilarated by the thought of making magic herself. 

She let out a breath and held the knife steady over her flat palm. She pressed the blade to her skin, then sliced down before she lost her confidence. 

She hissed as the knife cut through several layers of skin. Her hand throbbed as fresh blood pooled from the wound. 

"Keep your palm flat as you say it," Jess instructed quickly. 

Remi licked her lips and fidgeted as she watched the blood spill over her hand. "Flos sanguine..." 

The blood bubbled over her palm, then it started to build itself up until the dark red blood turned into a deep, deep red rose that blossomed over her palm. It fit perfectly over her hand as the petals opened up to reveal the beautiful depths of the rose. But the petals didn't stop as they over blossomed and fell from the bud. The petals cascaded down to the floor between her and Jess, showering the stone ground right where Jess's blood was. 

Remi let out a breath as she watched the petals lovingly flutter through the still air.

"It... it wasn't supposed to die so soon," The melancholy in her voice pulled Remi's attention in.