In the dimly lit corner of the bar, Mike swirled his whiskey, the amber liquid catching the low light as he stared into the glass. "You know," he started, his voice low and laden with a wistful sadness, "it’s like there’s a piece of my soul that’s just... gone. Sophia was more than my sister; she was a part of me."
Altheack watched him with empathetic eyes, her own drink held loosely in her hands. "Losing someone that close... it's like walking around with an open wound. You think it'll heal, but it just stays raw," she replied softly.
"Yeah, and it’s not just the missing her," Mike added, a bitter chuckle escaping him. "It’s the guilt, too. Like I’m haunted by these shadows of things I did—things we both did, I think. It’s all so fragmented."
The bartender approached, placing a new round of drinks before them with a curious glance at Alth’s pointed ears. "Cool look tonight," he commented casually.
Alth gave a playful smirk, lightly touching the tip of one ear. "Thanks. It’s not just for show," she teased, leaving the bartender with a puzzled smile as he walked away.
Mike’s mood lightened a bit, nudged by Alth's playful spirit. "Do you ever get flashes of a magic school? Like we were there, learning or fighting... I can’t put it all together."
"I do," Alth nodded slowly. "And there was a floating island, remember? Something out of a legend where we faced off against... something huge. A darkness or a monster—it's like trying to remember a nightmare."
"And that battle," Mike’s voice grew firmer, the pieces clicking together. "We didn’t just fight; we died there. It feels like that was the end of a chapter we never got to finish."
Alth raised her glass, her expression grim yet spirited. "To unfinished stories and second chances then. We've got some serious ass to kick if we’re going to figure this out."
"To not letting the past dictate our future," Mike replied, clinking his glass against hers. As they sipped their drinks, the weight of their shared history seemed both a burden and a bridge—a way to connect their fragmented memories and forge a path forward, together.
In the corner of the bar, the television buzzed quietly in the background—mostly ignored until a breaking news alert grabbed everyone’s attention. It showed a chaotic scene downtown: a man with pitch-black eyes overpowering police officers. He had no weapons, yet he’d already killed five people with just his bare hands. Tasers and rubber bullets barely slowed him down as the officers piled on him, only for him to throw them off effortlessly. A burst of gunfire sounded from the TV, drawing a collective gasp from the bar patrons. People whipped out their phones, lighting up their faces with the glow of live streams.
"What the hell?" Mike muttered, his attention riveted to the screen. "That’s no man... it’s a demon possessing someone, right here on Earth." His research had never hinted at anything like this happening in millennia, if ever. The reality of magic and possession unfolding live was undeniable. A sinister chuckle echoed in his mind, chilling him. "We found you..." It was Anna Sha’s voice, unmistakable and terrifying. Mike shivered.
"Mike, what’s wrong?" Altheack’s voice broke through his shock, laced with worry as she reached out to touch his hand. She recoiled slightly, sensing the dark, evil energy that pulsed from him.
"They’re still following your pact?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper, eyes wide with fear.
"No," Mike said, his eyes flashing purple as he pushed back against the darkness with a surge of old, fiery rage—a rage from a past life that had never surfaced during his peaceful life on Earth. "That bitch has found me," he said, his tone hard with resolve.
Getting up from his seat, he was already heading toward the door. On the television, the demon stood up again, black tendrils sewing up gunshot wounds in a horrific display of its revival. Altheack hurried after him, her expression grim. "Where are you going?"
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"Downtown," Mike said sharply, without looking back. "I have to deal with this. That thing can't be allowed to run wild."
Altheack nodded, her resolve matching his as they prepared to face the nightmarish reality head-on. The casual evening had turned into a call to action, and despite the darkness looming ahead, Mike felt a grim determination settle over him. They were heading into a battle, one that he knew was just beginning.
As they navigated the bustling subway, heading downtown, Altheack shared a bit more about her abilities. "You know, a few years ago, I figured out I could talk to animals and even control plants, at least a little," she said, her voice a mix of wonder and casual acceptance.
Mike, crammed between commuters, nodded. Despite the years, his life had been mostly free from conflict, yet a part of him felt oddly prepared. "Yeah, and I've been in hardly any fights, but I just know I can handle this," he confessed, feeling the unknown depth of his capabilities stirring within him.
"So... how are we gonna fight it?" Altheack asked, her voice low over the rumble of the subway.
Mike shrugged slightly. "Well, you've got your bit of magic... I’m not totally sure how mine works, but I can feel my mana. I just need something to channel it through," he mused aloud.
As they reached their final stop and emerged from the underground, Mike's eyes caught sight of a katana displayed in the window of a nearby pawn shop. With the city in chaos, people were running away from the sounds of ongoing gunfire down the street. Seeing that the shop was abandoned and that everyone else was too preoccupied with escaping to care, Mike grabbed a brick and smashed the window.
"Looting now of all times?" Altheack quipped, an eyebrow raised in amusement.
Mike chuckled as he reached for the katana. "Just looking for the perfect wand," he replied with a grin. Once the blade was in his hand, he concentrated, and to his surprise, the katana ignited with a purple flame, glowing intensely under his touch.
"Wow," Altheack exclaimed as a woman running by stared in disbelief before hurrying past them.
"This should help clear the way, at least," Mike joked as the panicked crowd instinctively parted around them, giving them a clear path toward the sounds of chaos.
With the flaming katana in hand and newfound confidence, Mike and Altheack pressed forward, each step taking them closer to the heart of the turmoil. The city's downtown was a chaotic mess as they rounded the corner and saw the horrific scene unfold before them. The possessed man, now a grotesque monster, stood atop a flipped police car, seemingly impervious to the gunfire that rained down upon it. The body anchoring it to the world was nearly destroyed, yet it seemed that the closer the host came to death, the more demonic energy it could wield. Black tendrils protruded from the creature's body, forming a dark shield against the officers' bullets, while writhing worms and tentacles grotesquely stitched together other wounds.
"Fuck," Mike muttered under his breath, his eyes wide as they took in the full horror of the creature.
"Be careful, Mike!" Altheack called out. She extended her hands towards a nearby tree and chanted, "Mar Bas!" In response, the tree’s limbs stretched out, twisting into thick vines and timber, wrapping around the beast to encase it in a prison of nature, slowing its terrifying movements.
Mike's knees buckled momentarily, a flood of memories and fears from his current life overwhelming him. He hesitated, grappling with his newfound abilities and the faint echoes of a life once lived. Yet, as his instinct to fight took over, a reassuring calm washed through him. His magical energy surged, and with it, a composed battle sense enveloped him, steeling his resolve.
"I can do this... can't I, Soph?" he murmured to himself, his voice a mix of doubt and determination. The cowardice of his current self battled with the echoes of the hero he once was.
His resolve hardened, Mike charged forward, using a fire hydrant as a springboard. He leaped towards the demonic figure, which was still struggling to free itself from Altheack's magical binds. The police shouted at him to get back, but he was already in the air, his flaming blade poised for impact. With a forceful thrust, he plunged the katana deep into the monster's chest. Purple flames engulfed the creature as Mike's blade struck true, consuming it in a fiery explosion.
It was over.
Altheack watched him, concern etching her features as Mike stood over his fallen foe, feeling a surge of exhilaration mixed with disbelief. Her voice snapped him out of his reverie, "Mike, we should go!"
He nodded, glancing at the recovering officers and the SWAT team now advancing. "Yeah, you're right. Let's dip," he agreed.
Mike retrieved his katana from the corpse, only to find it destroyed by his own magic. With a sigh and one last look at the approaching cops, he followed Altheack into a nearby alley, disappearing from sight as they made their escape from the chaotic scene, leaving behind a stunned crowd and a tale that would soon become an urban legend.