Edwin liked fighting.

He liked the fiery rush in his veins, the momentary clench of his heart, the fleeting moment of muscle-tensing preparation, followed by the spring uncoiling release. To him, it was a display of skill, a magic show, an indispensable source of inspiration to create new cards.

He had plenty of experience chasing and being chased by Seeds.

Being chased by a Territory with killing intent was a different story altogether.

He let his cards fly, releasing their magic over the mob surrounding him.

Eight of Hearts – bind. A train of cards merged to form a rope that bound five people and tripped them.

Five of Spades – cut. An invisible blade ripped through the air, slashing the incoming attackers. The defeated ones cried out, dropped their weapons, and vanished into the ground like a drop of ink falling into a sea of black.

Even the shadows were out to kill him. They stretched, lengthened, morphed from left, right, below, everywhere, reaching up his ankles and knees with probing fingers..

Nine of Diamonds – rend. The shadows trying to hold him dispersed, only to have their compatriots take their places.

Ace of Hearts – barrier. An invisible wall pushed the advancing mob back. They hammered, slashed, and tore at the wall.

He was unpleasantly reminded of the post-apocalyptic zombie movie he watched last summer with Kazu.

Exhaustion crept on him. Magic was limitless, but there was a limit to his stamina. He lost count of how long he had been repeating the similar moves over and over, and the enemies were replenishing themselves.

Where are they? he thought to himself.

The Territory was holding him back, delaying him from reaching his friends.

“Ace of Spa-”

The entire space rippled with tremendous force. For a moment, he felt light-headed.

From the edges of his vision, he saw an oozing blackness closing in.

He knew what it was.

A mature Seed that had fed enough would retract its Territory, focusing its attention and energy on its Master.

They were running out of time.

The shadowy hands gripped his pants and glued him to the spot firmly. Edwin cursed, sending out another card. The hands were faster, multiplying and latching onto him, determined to drag him in.

Blackness obscured his vision.

He found himself suspended in the still darkness.

Then, a loud gunshot rang out, followed by the sound of glass breaking.

*

For a long time, Rin had the strangest sense that she was falling.

The sensation stopped, and she was left disoriented.

In the darkness, a red spotlight snapped on, illuminating a scene straight from a horror stage play.

The Seed was a monstrosity made of gears and turning mechanisms. Two blades stuck out from it like waving arms. Terrified screams and cries rang out as men, women, and children alike were drawn toward its rotating gears. One by one, they disappeared like meat entering a mincer. Black fluid oozed out, spilling over the floor and down the platform.

The clockwork heart was consuming the townspeople.

A visual representation of what was actually happening.

“Help! Help me!” the gambling house lady cried, stretching out a hand to Rin. Black liquid poured down her forehead, sparing her terrified eyes. “I don’t want to die!”

She was helplessly drawn towards the gears and vanished, her screams mingling with others.

“Rayve!”

Rin turned.

On the other side of the heart, standing in front of the gears with a vacant expression, was Rayve.

Hayle scrambled towards him, his feet slipping over the black liquid pooling on the ground.

Rayve extended his hand towards the Seed.

The screams were suddenly fuzzy noises that popped and crackled. Hayle’s cries sounded far away. Everything seemed to freeze.

The Seed raised its blade-like arms and, in a single fluid motion, lobbed Rayve’s head off.

Hayle let out an enraged cry. Tears streamed down his face as he charged the Seed.

A rope materialized and wrapped itself around him, stopping him in his tracks as pillars of light emerged through the cracks in the ground.

The illusion broke – Kazu’s doing.

They were back in the courtyard of the apartment. The Seed hovered above the Manager. Rayve was standing in front of them. To Rin’s relief, his head was intact. He wore the same vacant look. The townspeople sprawled on the ground, motionless.

“What are you doing this for?” she demanded.

The Manager laughed. His laughter echoed off the walls, a sound of exhilaration and triumph.

“Why, you ask. Because I want my beloved to know what it feels like to be loved, to be angry, hated, betrayed.” He touched Emilia’s face, leaving a smudge of red on her cheek. “You are as beautiful as when we first met. So empty – so much like me, yet so different. Your emptiness is pure. My emptiness is built on feelings that have been trampled, tainted, and lost.”

He removed his hand and gazed at them. “Such beauty is not permissible, do you not agree?”

Rin wondered if his twisted mind was a result of the Seed’s manipulation or a result of his past. Either way, it could not matter anymore.

The Seed had presented itself.

She quietly summoned a throwing knife to her hand.

“Wait,” Kazu said in a low voice, frowning at the Manager. “Look.”

The Manager started to bleed from the top of his head. Black as ink, the blood trickled down his chin, down his neck, running down his arms and dripping off his fingers. As they watched, he started to melt.

The Seed’s mechanism clattered and clamored.

He was being absorbed by it.

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Emilia stood next to him, watching with her default blank expression.

He turned to her and spoke with what was left of his mouth. “This is my gift to you, my dearest.”

The moment the Seed consumed its old Master, it began rebuilding itself. The exposed mechanism gained cover. A black pillar connected the main body to the stage and flared outwards like roots. At the center of its metallic body, an eye emerged – red irises with a jet-black pupil.

A flurry of noises filled Rin’s ears. Pleas, sadistic laughter, cries of resentment. She attempted to block them, but they seemed to be playing inside her head.

The repulsive force the Seed exuded as a result of the numerous hearts it devoured made Rin sick.

Kazu fired at the eye. Rayve raised a hand.

The shot was blocked by an invisible barrier.

“Rayve!” Hayle cried. “Wake up!”

“Get back!”

The Seed swung a blade arm at Hayle.

A figure sprinted forward and grabbed his collar, dragging him back as the blade slammed into the ground.

“Are you planning to die?” Edwin’s angry voice rang out.

“I-” Hayle began.

“Ed, your help here will be gladly appreciated,” Kazu said.

Edwin straightened himself and frowned at the Seed. “I was wondering what that terrible stench was. Turns out it’s a full-fledged Seed.”

Kazu reloaded his gun and fired at the barrier.

Edwin tossed Hayle aside and drew out three cards. Flinging them into the air, he called out, “Ten of Diamonds – break!”

The cards gathered, forming a translucent hammer that smashed at the barrier. Its defenses began to crumble beneath the combined weight of their abilities –

The village was on fire. Blood stained the snow. Ashes clouded the air.

A Seed stood in the middle of the ruins, holding a child in its claws.

“Leave him alone!” Rayve screamed, his voice breaking. He flung every piece of rubble and rock he could reach. “Let him go! Please!”

No one stood out to help them. No one wanted to help them.

The barrier shattered, and shards flew in all directions. Black spots flew across Rin’s vision as she forced herself out of Rayve’s Pulse and leaped into the air. His anguish and fear struck like knives, sharp and thorough. Her sword appeared in her hands, its obsidian blade glinting in response to her will. She twisted mid-air and brought the blade down on the Seed’s exposed eye.

The force that erupted from it sent Rin reeling backward. Activating a support Magic Circle, she righted herself mid-air and readied herself to charge again.

“Rin, look out!”

It swung a blade arm down on Rin, and she raised her sword to parry. The force threw her to the other side of the courtyard. Her shoulder throbbed as she reeled backward, the tip of her sword grating the ground.

Kazu’s light pillars emerged from the ground, holding the Seed in place as Edwin’s magic cards slashed its blades off.

Devoid of its eye and blade arms, the Seed fell limp.

“Yes!” Edwin jubilated, readying another card.

Black spires emerged from the ground around Rayve’s feet.

The night was cold and bitter. Left homeless and covered with injuries, they huddled together beside a dumpster that shielded them from the wind.

"Rayve...why are people so mean?"

Rayve wiped his tears and said resolutely, "I will protect you, Hayle. Don't be scared."

"B-But you get hurt. I don't want that..."

"It doesn't hurt." More tears came, and he wiped at them furiously.

"I want Mum and Dad..." His younger brother buried his face in his shirt, shoulders shaking.

"They’re not here anymore," Rayve said, voice cracking. "But we have each other."

And I won't leave you, he swore. I promise.

The Seed regenerated before their very eyes.

Rayve swayed on his feet.

Unknown voices whispered endlessly into Rin’s ears, distracting her. In the background, the Seed emanated a high-pitched shrill.

“Great,” Edwin snarled. “Of course, parasites take everything they need from the host. Looks like we’re switching targets.”

Hayle grabbed his arm. “No! Don’t hurt Rayve!

Edwin glared at him. “Then, tell me, how are you going to get your brother away from there? The Seed will kill him before we do.”

Desperation crossed Hayle’s face, unaware of the roots creeping silently around his ankle. They tightened and tugged, tripping him.

Edwin cursed.

Sensing another victim, the roots sprang into action, the shadowy tendrils rising from the ground, sharp ends glinting.

“Move it, idiot!” Edwin hollered.

The tendrils lunged at Hayle, who shut his eyes.

They stopped, hovering mid-air, seemingly uncertain.

For a moment, no one moved.

Hayle opened his eyes. Did the Seed recognize him? Or was it Rayve’s instinct because he was now linked to the Seed?

This was their chance.

Hayle scrambled to his feet.

The street was filled with people going to work. No one seemed to be interested in the boy wearing patched-up clothes sitting by the pavement.

His narrowed eyes scrutinized the pedestrians, sizing them up.

An elderly lady with a large shopping bag.

A young lady in her early twenties walking her dog.

A teenager hurrying to school.

His eyes fell upon a man in a suit carrying a briefcase under his arm, talking into his phone in an agitated manner.

He found his prey.

Hayle’s medicine depended on him.

He must succeed.

Edwin’s cards surrounded the Seed and metamorphosed into a giant cage, reinforced by Kazu’s light pillars.

“Rin! Destroy it!”

She did not need Edwin to tell her what to do. Rin generally refrained from using her ability unless necessary. There had been a time when she hated her ability.

Now, however, was a necessary moment.

A Magic Circle appeared in her hands, transforming into blue flames.

The fire every Mage recognized and feared – Sacred Fire. The fire that had the ability to destroy everything.

Hayle turned white. “Rayve – what will happen to him?”

“Whether or not you can save your twin, it’s up to you,” Rin said. “I told him earlier – I will destroy it all.”

The flames danced around her, taking the shape of two fiery birds. They spread their wings and surged forward – eager for the kill, igniting the path they traversed. The black roots crawling over the ground serving as guidewires.

The fire ate away at the black pillar.

The Seed, sensing mortal danger – began to thrash.

A disheveled man who seemed to have forgotten to shave for half a year stood at the entrance.

“This is our home! Get out of there!”

“Says who?” the beggar mocked him, and a cacophony of laughter was heard from inside. “Blame your stupid lil’ brother – he was the one who let us in.”

Anger rose within Rayve. They ganged up on Hayle?

“You bastards! How dare you do this to my brother! You will pay for -”

The rest of his sentence was cut short as a blow landed on his stomach, and the wind rushed out of him. Black spots flew across his vision.

Dropping to his knees, gasping for breath, he vaguely heard Hayle say something.

Laughter and mockery rang in his ears as fists and kicks rained on his body, and he tried to shield Hayle.

“In the wilderness, only the strongest survives. There’s no room for morals and values.”

The flames swallowed the pillar, climbing up towards the clockwork heart. Its eye darted around frantically in its socket.

The high-pitched shrill in Rin’s ears grew louder and louder. She saw Kazu covering one ear while maintaining his ability at the same time, shoulders tensed with focus.

Edwin muttered swear words that served as a mantra as he tried to add more cards to his cage.

The Seed tightened its hold on Rayve – its sole hope of survival. For as long as Rayve was trapped, they shared the same fate.

Destroying the Seed meant killing Rayve with it. And Seeds, being the cunning, manipulative beings they were, took advantage of conscience and connection, kindness, and sanity.

It was forcing out Rayve’s unpleasant memories to be used as weapons against them, against him – to break him, so that it could have all of him.

He stood at the counter of the Heart Shop and stared at the form.

He knew it was a Seed. But he could not resist.

“Will you be able to save my brother?”

“It depends on how much you are willing to offer.”

He would do anything for Hayle. “I’ll give you as much as you need.”

Hayle flung himself onto Rayve. “I’m sorry you have to shoulder everything by yourself. I’m sorry you had to suffer because of me! I knew all this while I knew you were protecting me.”

“Master, he’ll be all right, won’t he?”

“Hayle is strong. Don’t worry, dear boy.”

“The Seed got him when I wasn’t looking. I –” He was unable to complete his sentence.

“It’s all right now. Your brother will be fine. What happened to the Seed?”

Rayve clenched his fists. “I killed it.”

“I’m sorry!” Hayle sobbed. “I’m really sorry for giving you trouble. You’ve done enough. Please stop.”

Why are you sorry? Why are you apologizing?

Rin’s head felt like it was about to burst.

The Seed retaliated with a tremendous wave of energy that threw Kazu and Edwin off their feet.

She glanced at Rayve. If he was unable to regain his senses –

The tendrils snaked around Kazu and Edwin’s necks, attempting to strangle them to free itself.

The flames reached Rayve’s knees.

Dread drenched her heart. She did not want to kill another person.

But if she released her flames, Kazu and Ed would –

I will kill anything or anyone that tries to harm you.

Hayle threw his head back and screamed, “Wake up, you idiot! Look at me!”

Rayve’s eyes came into focus.

“Hayle?”

Rayve’s voice was barely audible above all the noise, but the Seed was proof – it faltered. “Why are you here?” He rasped, “What’s going on?”

Hayle let out a sob and hugged his older brother. “Let’s go home,” he said. “Together.”

The tendrils around their feet loosened, and the black spires vanished.

The flames climbed up to the heart of the Seed, eating away its body, eye, and everything.

Until there was nothing left.

Rayve dropped to his knees. He raised his head weakly. “Why are you crying?”

Hayle did not answer.

It started to rain. Small droplets gradually became a shower, pouring over the remnants of the Sacred Fire. Rin found herself lying on her back, unable to move. Between the lines of her blurry vision, she saw a figure step onto the platform where the bright red core of the Seed hovered, unattended.

She blinked, trying to make out who it was.

The figure disappeared.

The core of the Seed was nowhere to be seen.

So was the Creation.