Cassandra Pendragon

“It’s unfortunate, this body can’t handle the magic, necessary to open a gate,” he whispered into my ear. He had crouched down at my side, his fingers gently forcing my head up and towards him. “But this, it can do. The beauty of soul magic. Even a worm like him can achieve truly remarkable things.” I tried desperately to push him away, but my mind still felt sluggish and my muscles wouldn’t work. All I managed was a feeble attempt to turn my face towards Ahri, but he quickly caught my chin between his fingers. “I’ll know, when you’re ready.”

The next moment, I felt cold, stiff lips press against my own and a dull, faint ache, when he bit me. I tasted silver, salt and something else, something bitter. He had hurt himself and our blood mixed for the fraction of a second, before a surge of heat consumed all sensation. Wherever it brushed against my skin, it dissipated immediately, but I could practically see the connection he had formed, my own blood acting as a bridge for a small part of the spell to overcome my immunities. A sense of dread rose form the pit of my stomach. Panicked, I thrashed around and finally found the strength to break the wretched kiss.

I coughed and retched, trying to spit out every last trace of his foul existence, but it was already too late. I could feel his magic circle through my veins, each heartbeat carrying it deeper into my body. “Try to be brave, Cassandra. I expect you to hold on for at least a few days. Don’t disappoint me…” his voice trailed off and when I opened my eyes, I knew why. John’s face had turned into a deathly pale mask, framed by colourless, grey hair. While I watched in amazement and horror, his skin decayed, gaping, black green wounds opening all over his body. The next second, he crumbled, his form withering away until there was nothing left but a shrivelled up husk, surrounded by rancid bits of gooey flesh. The last part of him to go were his eyes and the bastard, who controlled him, even managed a final, derogatory wink, before they too turned into mush.

I felt sick to my core, disgusted and violated. The burning, almost wriggly sensation, as his curse infected every part of me, so much like actual parasites growing beneath my skin, that I’d have liked nothing more, than to simply scratch off every last bit of skin and drain every drop of blood, until I could be sure it was all gone. In my stupor, I even began tearing at my lips and neck, my nails ripping deep gashes into my face. Blood flowed, but I couldn’t even feel the pain, my thoughts consumed by a single goal. Whatever happened, I had to get the magic out of me. I had to get him out of me.

I screamed and rolled around in splintered wood and decomposing flesh, my breathing shallow and much too fast. My tears fell freely and for a few moments, I truly lost it. There was only an all encompassing desire to struggle out of his clutches, to rid myself of a poisonous presence, I could feel everywhere. But there was no escape. The more I fought, the faster my heart beat, the further it spread. From my mouth, to my neck, to my stomach, to my chest… it grew and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Unless…

Desperate, I manifested my wings, ready to cut through my body and burn every last bit of the foreign spell. I ground my teeth against what was to come, but before I managed to plunge them deep into my chest, I suddenly felt warmth. Crimson flames were all around me and a voice called out to me from far away. I couldn’t understand the words and I didn’t care, but when I tried to move, I couldn’t push through the fiery walls. Someone was trying to stop me. But why? If they only knew… I couldn’t. There was no way in all hells!

“Get off me,” I screamed. “It has to go! Please, don’t make…” my words choked off as I sobbed uncontrollably, luminous, white tears mixing with silver blood.

“I’m so sorry, but you’re going to hurt yourself.” Of course! That was the damned plan. Tear, rip, shred until everything was gone. I had to… a quick flash of nauseating pain flared across my nerves, the scent of pine trees welled up around me and I lost consciousness, my dread and the overwhelming sense of… strangeness fled into the dark embrace of nothingness.

“…can’t! No way! Not a spell, not cast by a human! It’s something else, it’s got to be…”

“Look at her, for fuck’s sake! Just look! No poison, nothing natural can cause this. She’s dying, Viyara! Don’t you feel it? You have to let me…”

“I… no! You haven’t… you can’t see her the way I do, Aurelia. You’ve been tied to an immortal, you should…”

“Will you two shut up? If you want to continue screaming pointlessly, leave. She needs us, she needs our help, and so help me god, we will find a way to cure her. With or without you. So, either stop shouting and help me figure out, what’s going on, or…”

“They can stay,” I mumbled. “I’d rather not focus on what’s happening to my insides.”

“Cassy!” The next thing I knew was an altogether much more pleasant kiss, than the last one I had received, even though I could have done without the intense squeezing. Ahri had nearly cut off my breath, when she had wrapped her tails around me and she showed no signs of stopping.

“Still alive,” I croaked, when she had to come up for breath. “But you’re doing a fine job of finishing, what Amon started.” I even managed a wry smile but my fiancée didn’t appreciated the humour. She was already raising her hand to show me exactly just how little she had enjoyed my remark, but when she met my gaze, her arm dropped down limply.

“I… gods, it’s good to hear your voice. I wasn’t sure… how are you doing?”

“That’s a stupid question,” I hissed, struggling to sit up in my bed and resolutely refusing to concentrate on the strange sensations within my body. Ahri pursed her lips and quickly grabbed me under the shoulders to help, but I still caught the telltale shimmer in her eyes, before she hid her face, pretending to fluff my pillows.

I was back in Alassara’s home, our old room, to be precise, the small space cramped with more people, than it could easily accommodate. My entire family was there, looking pale and tired, as well as Viyara and Aurelia. In a way, the assembled, grieving people reminded me of a funeral, a thought, that sent shivers down my spine. But I wasn’t dead, yet.

The very same realisation seemed to come to them as well, since they quickly decided to swarm me like a pack of ravenous rats, making sure I was still breathing with hugs, pats and whispered words of encouragement. Only Reia and Ahri remained quiet, both of them silently clinging to one of my tails. They stared at me without blinking and this time, they didn’t hide their tears, even though my love managed a brave attempt at a watery smile. “I’ve missed you,” she mouthed. I could only nod, my own eyes stinging.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

While an avalanche of questions, none of them more, than a veiled reassurance I was truly awake, flowed over me, I decide to bite the bullet and concentrate on how I felt. Considering the “she’s dying remark”, I was probably in for quite a treat and I wasn’t disappointed. I felt weak, almost like when I had been sick. My heartbeat was sluggish and arrhythmic, my joints hurt, as if I had a fever and I still felt cold. It wasn’t the same sensation I had experienced, when I had nearly lost myself in Lucifer’s memories. That had been me, trying to make sense of something beyond my grasp, of my mind crumbling. This felt, as if all strength had been sucked out of me, and there simply wasn’t enough left keep my alive. I was truly dying, gradually, slowly, but inexorably.

The longer I listened, the more I became aware of something else. My body and my core were fine, my power had long since burned away the vile magic, but something deeper, something hidden, something, that hadn’t become part of my legacy, just yet, wasn’t. I was dying, because my soul had been poisoned and as it withered, the rest of me perished. Damn it, this time, I was truly fucked. My soul was still immaculate, untouched and now, it had been infected by someone, who had practised his despicable arts for uncounted years. I shivered.

“We may have a problem,” I groaned, when Viyara had finally managed to compose herself and had taken a few steps back. “I… John had been marked by Amon. I should have thought of it sooner, but I didn’t.” They exchanged glances, apparently having figured out as much by themselves. “He used his soul to hurt mine and now… I think it’s deteriorating… it’s dying. He poisoned me and I don’t think I can fight it.” A stunned silence greeted my words, disbelieve, anger and desperation slowly settling in, while I did my best to stop myself from crying. My mom mewled forlornly, the light in her eyes dimming and Reia’s fingers tightened around my tail, as if she’d never again let go. Even my brother was fighting to hold back his tears, by now.

“No,” Ahri growled. “Not like this. There must be a way. Soul magic… we simply have to find someone who’s…” she trailed off, a spark of hope igniting in her scintillating eyes.

“Knows, how he works his spells and is better at them than him,” I finished her sentence, my mouth going slack, while I quickly shuffled through the contents of my stamp. The gem, we had confided Shassa’s spirit to, appeared on the blanket in front of me and I mumbled: “I knew she would come in handy, one day.” If Mephisto had been here, I wouldn’t have even considered the spider as a potential rescuer, but desperate times…

“That’s not the only way, you know,” Aurelia stated quietly. She was the only one, who still seemed calm. “I don’t know, whom you’ve caught in their, but she stinks… I wouldn’t want her anywhere near my soul.”

“Better than the alternative,” I choked around a lump in my throat.

“Are you sure?” She looked around curiously, when everyone stared at her. “I didn’t mean we should let her die, obviously,” she finally added. “But that… thing definitely isn’t the only one, who knows soul magic. I do, too… as does my former mistress. Even if my own prowess turned out to be insufficient, I’m convinced I can find a way to communicate with Lady Sarai,” she shivered, as she spoke the name, but continued on, as if nothing had happened. “I’m sure your sister could provide the insights I am lacking. There’s no reason to turn to that beast… unless you don’t trust us. Or should I say, you trust us even less than the creature you’ve imprisoned. If so,” she didn’t seem offended at the notion, “let me reassure you: I mean you no harm. I’m indebted to you and will forever be. You helped, when I asked.” I didn’t immediately manage a reply, torn between embarrassment, hope and a bonfire of fear.

“Let her,” Viyara pressed out and grabbed my hand. “Please, let her try. Don’t open yourself up to further harm. I… I couldn’t…” I squeezed her fingers and held back my tears.

“I’m not going to, if there’s another way.” Turning to the vampire, I asked: “what now? Do I lie down and open up wide?” Aside from her and Ahri, no one had ever had had the displeasure of visiting a doctor in a technologically advanced society, but at least those two managed a grin.

“No need, here let me…” she extended her hand and placed it over my heart. I didn’t know where the soul was located, but I had always believed it to be a diffuse presence, everywhere within me at once. Apparently, I had been wrong, or she simply needed a physical connection. Either way, I felt her at the edge of my perception, but when she tried to move closer, she ran into an insurmountable wall of light. Without a focus, she wouldn’t be able to help.

“Here,” I mumbled and handed her the little pendant Greta had made, what felt like ages ago.

Nodding, she took it and closed her eyes, her presence coming closer immediately. In contrast to when Amon had spelled me, it didn’t feel like an invasion. It was more like… a friend, stepping through the door, on a cold winter night. While she brought snow and mud with her, I still didn’t mind having her there. She didn’t belong, exactly, but she was a welcome sight.

That was, until something alien within me reacted. A chill ran down my spine and my vision collapsed, while another part of the curse activated. My wings manifested of their own accord, my power surged, as if to protect me from an enemy and with a loud thunderclap, Aurelia was blown backwards, her skin blistered. I still felt the breath of eternity at my fingertips and without wanting to, I ushered the forces at my disposal forward, a scintillating, binding arch of light, that slammed into the vampire. She screamed, silvery blue light dancing around her form. Through a kaleidoscope of figures and colours, I saw her burn, her essence, strong as it might be, nothing more than a paper wall in front of the rising tide.

“Go to hell,” I pressed out, desperately fighting for control, fighting to reign my power back in before another one of my friends had to pay the ultimate price. It was tough and painful, but I had been there before, more times than I cared to admit, and I wouldn’t back down, I never had. Marshalling my will, strained as it was, I took it all back, allowed the infinite currents to flow through a vessel they couldn’t damage. Silver light swallowed my world, the splintered colours and distorted shapes vanishing behind a blinding curtain while spark after spark left Aurelia and returned to me. It couldn’t have lasted for more than a second, but it felt like a small eternity and when, finally, the last, glistening ember spiralled across my skin and vanished into my body, I keeled over, groaning. “That went well,” I panted into a pillow, the world spinning around me.

Indistinguishable voices rose and fell, warm hands touched my back but for the moment, I was content in the cool darkness, unable to raise my head. Only when soft, nimble tails wrapped around my middle and pulled me into a tight embrace, did I bother opening my eyes again. Ahri had picked me up like child and pulled me into her lap, while Viyara was helping Aurelia to her feet, the vampire’s skin already regenerating from the heavy burns she had sustained.

Struggling, I managed to mumble into her neck: “looks like the bastard knows, what he’s doing. Did I hurt anyone?” Before she could answer, Aurelia straightened, coughed and said:

“Me, but nothing serious. It could have been, though. Had anyone else tried…” she allowed her words to trail off, but I caught her meaning. If she hadn’t been strengthened beyond the limits of most mortals, she would have turned into ash with the first spark.

“I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be, it was worth a shot and I’m fine,” she moved and grimaced, “or I will be, soon enough. What now? Should we try again?”

“Have you lost your mind,” I tried to scream, but it was more of a wheeze. “There’s no way…” she cut me off resolutely, ignoring Ahri’s darkening expression.

“Not really, quite the contrary. I think I know what happened and I should be able to avoid it.”

“Think? Should? Do you want me to kill you,” I asked, exasperatedly. She shook her head.

“No… but neither do I want you to die. If that’s the choice, I’ll bear the risk, willingly.”

“But it’s not,” Mordred interjected. He crouched and picked up the gem, I had kicked away in my delirium. “This is an alternative, isn’t it? And should she fail… well, I’m not going to shed many tears for the spider, should her soul be crushed. She had it coming, either way.”

“What about Sarai,” Reia asked quietly. “Couldn’t she…” Aurelia smiled at her sadly.

“She isn’t here. If she was… her knowledge alone won’t be enough.”