➨You're pretty sure you screamed.

Or maybe you didn't, because you didn't hear anything. Just the sound of your thoughts racing and merging together into a jumbled mess that made no sense. Your heart was pounding too loudly in your ears.

You felt sick.

A few seconds ago you were in pain from just being skewered by his attack, but now that pain is irrelvent to you. You looked down at your hands, and there was his blood staining your skin. Even further, it was splattered across your cape.

That attack should never do any damage. It never has, because it's all in the head. Or at least that's what you gathered from your grimoire. Wherever you strike, is where your opponent will feel pain, and see it for a small period of time. Nothing actually happens.

Stepping back, you backed into the wall of the fissure he had opened up. You took deep breaths trying to figure out what to do. Are you supposed to tell someone what happened?

Maybe. Or perhaps that'll put more accusations on your head. Nozel was the only captain around at the moment, and after earlier, you really didn't want to tell him something like this. Especially since you just decaptiated one of the members of his squad.

What you needed to do was get the hell out of that hole.

You brought Aegis down with you, he landed with a heavy thud right behind you. Carefully he lifted you up as far as he could, just high enough for you to reach the ledge and pull yourself up. With one good arm, it made the movement even more difficult.

"Wow, what the hell happened to you?" Zora's voice came from one of the hallways. He pushed over what appeared to be a part of the ceiling that had fallen and made his way over. Behind him, was that servant from earlier.

You couldn't even find the right words to say, and he wasn't someone that you wanted to tell that you killed a man. Instead, you just rolled over onto your back and shut your eyes. Trying to ignore the image of the severed head in the darkness.

The ground was shaking and you opened your eyes again, the power levels increased. There was a battle happening somewhere not far away. At this rate, you didn't even want to engage and see who it was or what was going on.

"Puppeteer." He calls you again, standing over you now. "You're bleeding all over their nice carpets."

Like he would care about that. You pushed yourself to a seated position and looked up at him. "I'll live."

He twisted his head to the scared young man that he chased down. "Aren't you a healer?"

The servant stiffened up and quickly nodded. "I am! Sorry, I should've gotten on that a lot sooner, miss." He came over and bent down next to you, lifting his hand up to your shoulder. A faint blue glow surrounded his body and he used bubble magic, as he called it.

While he did that Zora scoped out the area avoiding the giant crater in the ground. "Where's the guy you were fighting?"

"He ran." You hopefully didn't say it too quickly. "I had him cornered, he took the cowardly way out."

That healing magic was doing wonders on you. The pain wasn't nearly as bad, and actually was nearly gone now. However, you were still bleeding and there was a gash in your shoulder. It just didn't hurt.

You watched him carefully, and just when he was about to get too close to where the accidental murder scene took place, you reached your working arm forward. A string appeared on his right arm and you pulled him backwards immediately.

"Stop running off." You played it off as him being too ready to dip at his own convenience. "Do you know what's going on?"

Zora scowled, but he reluctantly let you pull him backwards. He stood in your line of vision this time, his hands going to his hips. "Besides the Black Bull one, all the Silva's are out of the battle. A shame really."

The servant backed up from you after finishing the work on your shoulder. You thanked him and moved your whole arm in a circular motion to test mobility. "You know that girl is literally on your squad, right?"

"Don't care." He squatted down in front of you. Most of his expression was guarded, like he was looking for something. His blue eyes shifted from your face down to your arms. The dark swirl curling up from the ends of his eyes crinkled as he furrowed his brows.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer."

His gaze moves right back up to your face. "I don't think you know how much blood is all over you. From an injury in that specifc spot, you shouldn't have lost that much."

Maybe that's because it wasn't yours.

"It literally doesn't matter." You shook it off. Actually, you decided to remove the cape from your body. When you looked at it now, it did appear to be stained beyond repair. Plus, there was a nice tear from where you were stabbed. You decided to stay in just the all black one piece undernath. It was long sleeved, and the leg area was loose and wide. Honestly, it might've been better for combat.

He laughs. "Get up or get left behind." No time was wasted before he stood back up again. "We should go to the roof."

"I didn't know there was roof access."

"Oh," his tone made it sound like he genuinely forgot something. "There isn't. Some compass girl from your squad tore the entire upstairs bedroom into a flat. The walls and everything are gone."

You followed him as he led the way, the healer not far behind. Compass girl. Letoile. She was one of the only ones who didn't believe any of that traitor bs. Never treated you any differently either which you appreciated.

Your vision swirled together, and you suddenly felt extremely lightheaded. After last time, this wasn't going to work. You assumed that it would only happen in order to go against the reincarnations. But seeing as it might've possibly just been the reason for killing one of them, your theory went out the window.

The healer was the first to notice you faltering behind. He stopped and gasped. "Are you okay? Were there more injuries I didn't see?"

"No, it's okay. I'm just–" A bullet of pain shot through your skull. You could hear the sounds of high pitched wails, like someone was begging to be saved. Images of fires burning flashed through your head. They were foggy memories. Memories you don't remember living through.

"You'll kill them all."

The voice was distant, but still so close in your ear. You clutched your head, thinking it would make it stop, but it didn't.

You opened your eyes and the first thing you saw was a young woman. She had pale skin, and soft features that were framed into a rough expression. The left side of her face had a scar running from her forehead, through her eye, and touched her cheek. Her golden blonde hair was adorned with a flower crown with red buds and thorns.

A beat passed and you raised your hand up, grimoire at the ready. No spells came out. Just your shaking hand timidly reaching out towards her. Her smooth hand moved closer to yours, nothing much. Just her index finger. You wanted to move back, you wanted to say something, but you were paralyzed.

Her finger just barely came into contact with your palm, and when it did, there was a dark flash. You were suddenly freezing, and the elf in front of you morphed and switched into another figure.

Something, or someone of the same size, but with a much more sinister presence. When the figure was fully standing in front of you, and no longer just a blob, you got just the tiniest glimpse of a human face.

A male human face that you hadn't seen in almost a year now.

Your stomach twisted into a knot. "Dad?"

He didn't respond, but you knew that was him. But he was gone before you could do anything else. Instead, that elf woman from before showed up. If nothing else was going to piss you off today, that was the tipping point. You lost him for a second time.

There was a bubbling rage inside the knots that formed in your stomach. You weren't even sure you could control it fully. Everything on you was suddenly so hot.

Before you knew it, you charged at her, your hands were around her neck and you pinned her to the ground. "What the hell are you doing to me?" You raised one hand up behind you, ready to hit her regardless of the answer you'd get.

"I should be asking you that!" Her mouth did say those words but that wasn't a feminine voice at all.

You blinked. That's when the elf lady wasn't an elf or even a lady anymore. Except it was Zora who you had pinned down on the ground.

You'll kill them all.

"I knew some shit like this would happen." He grumbled trying to pry you off of him. It wasn't working though, because you physically couldn't move. You were stuck in that position.

"Hit me."

He looked up at you. "Huh?"

"Just do it!"

His eyes widened and his hand twitched at his side. Nonetheless, he pressed his hand against your stomach and a magic circle appeared. Shortly after, you felt the wind getting knocked out of your lungs as you flew backwards.

You landed against the wall, but that was much better than almost choking someone out. But fuck did your shoulder hurt now.

Zora gasped for air, and when he sat up his eyes fell over to where you were sprawled out. "Shit, I didn't think I'd hit you that hard."

"It's okay." You breathed slowly. Looking around, you didn't see that boy from earlier anywhere. "Where's the other guy?"

"Before you pounced on me, I sent him upstairs to the royals so he could heal them. I'm sure he'd rather be there anyway." He explained.

You couldn't bring yourself to get off the ground just yet. Right about now, you were too petrified to be near anybody. "You shouldn't be this close to me then."

He tilted his head to the side. "As much as I'd love to leave you here, it's just the stupidest idea." He scolded you. "You need to get your shit together because I already had to carry one unconscious person and I really don't plan to make it two."

"Why do you care about that?" You yelled in frustration.

He stared at you like you were an idiot. "We're being hunted by elves, I personally think everything matters at this point. You, and that magic-less freak have dragged me around into situations I for damn sure didn't have to be in. So if you think I'm letting my precious energy go to waste you're far from right. So get the hell up, and move."

Maybe he wasn't wrong but you almost choked him to death and he was more mad at the fact that you were trying to get him to leave.

You finally found the strength to get up off the ground. The injury in your shoulder wasn't going to stop you from moving. With that, the two of you made your way to the exit of the castle. He wasn't too pleased about having to slow down his normal walk speed so he wouldn't completely leave you behind. You both made it out fine though.

There was chaos outside, and a bunch of wreckage. To your right, the Black Bulls were celebrating something. You couldn't see too much, but it looked like one of their members was also an elf and they changed him back. As well as a little girl?

"Y/N!" A sweet voice swam into your ear.

Mimosa came running over to you. Just at the sight of her, you were already feeling better. She was okay.

Freaked out though. "Oh my goodness what happened?!" Her healing flower robe made an appearence and she started working on you.

There was too much you'd have to explain to her, and you weren't sure her heart could take it right now. "Nothing that you wouldn't expect." Is what you told her while you brought yourself to a seated position on the ground.

Mimosa looked over. "Thank you for bringing her back out here."

Zora didn't say anything back. Instead he just turned away looking at his squad in the distance. He's probably never been with them as a team before from what you know. Now he's watching them from the shadows like a jealous outsider.

"Why don't you go over there?" You said to him. "I'm sure they'd welcome you with open arms."

"Honestly, I'd rather just not be here at all right now." He crosses his arms.

"Sure," you mumble and lay down now. The ground wasn't the most comfortable to be trying to rest on, but it was better than nothing.

Mimosa kept talking to you, but you were drifting off into a slumber. You didn't realize how much energy was gone until you were already passed out on the cement.

...

"Y/N."

Your eyes shot back open at the sound of your name. When you blinked and looked around, you were in the same spot you were in when you fell asleep. Except now, there was nobody near you. Mimosa was gone, so was Zora. In the distance, the Black Bulls were nowhere to be seen.

Someone had said your name though and that's who you were searching for. A whoosh of hot air brushed through you. To your left, that same dark mass from earlier appeared. The same one that later turned into...

Your eyes widened as you watched that same transformation happen again. The human male morphing out of the darkness. Appearing just like you remembered before he died.

His eyes locked onto yours. He wore a Golden Dawn uniform, which caught you off guard because he was defintitely never a magic knight. You looked down at yourself and noticed that your attire changed as well. A black turtleneck with a brown lace-up corset around your torso. Heavy brown boots on your feet and a long dark cloak that just barely touched the ground.

Why were you in his Spade attire?

"Y/N," he said again. "How are you?"

No way this was supposed to be a civil conversation. Your dad who had been dead for maybe eight months now was speaking to you as if he never left. None of this made sense, and trying to put the pieces together was proving to be pretty freakin' impossible.

Your hand moved across the ground and your fingers closed around a decently sized flat rock. A beat passed in the silence. Then you flicked it forward towards the man who was seated on the edge of rubble. Just like you thought, the rock went right through him. He's not real.

"Evil fucking trick, don't you think?" You muttered and stood up from the ground. Carefully, you took a step forward. No reaction. "Who are you?"

His features softened in offense. "It hasn't even been a year yet. How can you forget me already?"

"You–" The words turned to sand in your mouth. "The person you're pretending to be is dead. I haven't forgetten him yet."

He stood up, the golden pin that keeps the cape together making a soft clink. "You're confused, I understand. I need you to listen to me for just a few moments."

Another quick scan of the landscape. "Where is everyone?"

"Back in the real world. Right now, this is your... realm. The reincarnation spell is causing a lot of magic hysteria. Well, that's the simplified version." He explained. "I can't tell you everything I want to, there isn't time for that, but I can get the important bits out."

"I don't... I don't believe you." You shook your head. "This can't be inside my brain."

"Not your brain, your realm." He raised his arm up and a grimoire appeared in front of him. However, it wasn't his own, it looked like yours. Immediately, you tried to bring yours out and nothing happened. You could still feel your mana, but there was no book to go with it.

"You'll get it back, promise." He said and then swiped his hand through the air and three different shadows appeared on the ground at the same time. You look down and can't believe what you're watching.

Acro, Sylvania, and Aegis rise from the ground simultaneously. Never have you ever seen them on the field all at once before. It would take too much mana from you at once.

What was even stranger is that you could feel the drain of your energy as if you casted the spell. Even with all three of them being out, you didn't feel all that tired at all. "You casted it, but it still took it out of me? And... all three..."

"You need to be taking advantage of this new power." He continues. "Plus, these guys are always out. Like I said, this area of space does exist. It's just now you have access to it because of the elves. Your creations get along quite well too, I'm impressed."

"Stop." You put a hand up so you could take all the information in. "I don't understand. Why are you in here? Why am I here? Why is any of this happening right now?"

"Forbidden magic." He states. His finger moves back and forth, controlling Acro to do flips and tricks around you. "I was involved in some... uncharted waters, let's just say. What I was doing before my death, and what the elves have done, are reacting viciously with each other. You can't let it win though."

At this point, you were just trying to follow this train of madness. "What were you doing before you died? Does it have to do with Spade murdering you?"

"I told you already, I don't have time to explain everything." He shut his eyes and sighed.

"I killed somebody. And then I almost did it for a second time. You can at least tell me something so I don't do that again. Or if you won't do that, tell me how to get the hell out of this realm."

Silence.

"In order to protect yourself and others, you have to use the power that the elves are trying to force onto you. Fighting it doesn't work, that's why those two incidents happened. Use it while keeping your sanity."

"How?"

All three of your puppets dispersed, running off into different directions. There was a glowing trail left behind by each of them. Those lights then conevened into a ball, and floated over to you. You backed up, but stopped when you realized that you were about to fight it.

Right.

So reluctantly, you let it come to you.