Dexter’s POV
I winced as my eyes blinked open to a dull blurry image of green, blue, and a splotch of bright pink.
Burned by bright light, I squeezed them shut again then rolled over and pushed myself up.
I must’ve been sleeping for hours. The sky was clear and blue, the sun hung high in the sky, and Valentina sat in the sand nearby.
“Dexter!”
I groaned, gently shoving her back as she tried to help me to my feet. The wounds from the scythe still burned like fire. A quick check found my injuries healed, at least externally.
Perhaps there was another magister who shared my ideals. That must be it, otherwise I’d still be splayed open, bleeding.
The imp was gone, and I didn’t see spiky hair anywhere. He must’ve been defeated or maybe he thought I was dead and went to find whatever magisters remained. I couldn't think of another reason for him to just leave me like that.
“Are you hurt?” Valentina asked. “I tried to check, but…”
She let her words trail off as she looked down at black sand and scorched grass that expanded outward in a circle around me.
The sun beat down on my back, making me nauseous as beads of sweat formed all over my body. The wind felt cold against my flesh, but it wasn’t enough to cool me. I needed shade and water.
A shudder passed over me, leaving a wave of goosebumps on my skin as I finally got to my feet.
My throat was dry and scratchy, but I managed to rasp out, “Let’s go.”
Valentina looked unsure as I stumbled toward the brush that would hopefully lead us back to the cave.
A short way off, I paused, leaning over with my hands on my knees. I heaved several times but only spat up a bit of bile.
Each moment out in the sun felt like a hammer beating on my skull, and each step felt like trying to drag heavy chains across hot coals.
My eyes scanned the green bushes and the sandy dirt for the path to our cave, but all I saw were more bushes, more trees, and a sea of sand that seemed to go on forever in the distance.
I fell forward on my hands and knees. My legs felt like they were melting as I heaved up more bile, but it just dangled from my lips as it burned my throat.
My face hit the sand as the world around me went black.
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“This can’t be happening…”
Val muttered from nearby. Sand crunched constantly like someone was pacing, probably her.
“It can’t be—he can’t…”
Everything stopped. For one brief moment there was only the sound of wave’s rolling onto the shore and gulls cawing over the water.
Then Valentina’s knees crashed against my ribs as she collapsed on top of me. She pressed her ear to my chest, gently sniffling as she held me in her arms.
I wasn’t dead, but I couldn’t tell her. My dry lips wouldn’t move and with her weight pressing down on me, I wasn’t sure I had enough air to form words anyway.
I blinked, seeing only the blue-grey of rough stone above me.
We were in the cave, that much I could figure out from what I could see and hear.
Valentina was truly the greatest spell tome. Each day she proved her worth more and more. She was nothing like the selfish, manipulative, demon professor Kaylastal portrayed all tomes to be. Valentina was kind, selfless, and caring, always looking after me no matter what the cost was to herself.
As much as I cared about her, I could never repay her, or show how grateful I was to have her as my tome.
“Dexter!” She gasped, realizing my eyes were open and finally letting me breath. “Dexter you're okay! You're alive—oh god! I thought you—I was so worried and you wouldn’t—but—and I—and it was—but you—you—I was so—so worried Dex!”
“Wa…” I tried to speak but my throat was too dry.
I needed water, but how could I tell her? I tried to sit up but collapsed back as a wave of pain rolled over me. My body burned with every pulse of my heartbeat.
She laid me down, asking, tears rolling down her cheeks, her voice wavering as she said, “I need you to stay here for me, okay? Please don’t die…please…”
Little drops of hope dripped from her chin, landing around my mouth and on my lips.
I let them part and sucked in a shallow breath.
As the moisture rolled over my tongue and into my mouth, I swallowed, taking the cool sweet relief deep into my throat. Her salty tears, bitter like dirt, but also slightly sweet, revived me like a cup of N’R’G Punch.
I rolled onto my side, feeling stronger than before. My dry lips pulled apart and the words I wanted to speak came out like a coarse whisper. “Thank you, Val…” I paused, taking several heavy breaths. “Water…need more…”
Valentina gasped, then, covering her mouth with her hand she nodded. “Don’t move! I’ll be right back,” she assured as she hurried to her feet and out of the cave.
It didn't take long, but each moment was pure torture as the heat from my still throbbing wounds spread like a raging fire throughout my whole body. It was an intense fire that seemed to consume the air around me.
Each shallow breath came in a painful rasp.
I fought for my life.
I fought for consciousness.
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My will to live burned brighter with each agonizing breath until at last my pain faded and cool air rushed back into my lungs. By then Valentina returned with an open coconut in one hand, a knife in the other.
I took the coconut, quickly guzzling it down and letting the cool sweet water run down my throat, quenching my thirst and easing my pain.
After the fourth coconut, my wounds didn't burn anymore, but I had a different concern. We were still on the island or in a special dueling box, whatever the case the match wasn’t done. But by my count there should only be at most one or two other magisters. Assuming the red head was one of them, then that meant I might have to face him again.
“We need to find him.” I said, drawing a stunned glare from Valentina.
“Find who?” she asked, clearly frustrated.
“That guy with the blades and tome of darkness. If we can catch him during the day, we’ll have the advantage. But if we let it get dark again then…”
Her mouth fell open. Her eyes bulged with a mixture of surprise and disbelief. She snapped back a moment later.
With a furrowed brow she looked me over as if trying to find the cause of my sudden delusion. Then she said, in an even tone, “You’re not going anywhere.”
“Val, we—”
“No Dexter! You need rest, and besides there’s no way he’ll come after us again. You—” she stopped, biting her lip. Her eyes turned to the ground as her mouth fell open again. “We killed his beast and chased him off. He won’t approach us carelessly, even if he can summon another.”
She seemed confident and that gave me a little relief, but I still worried what would happen if I fell asleep and spiky found us.
Valentina and I were a team. We depended on each other. She might be able subdued the man if she surprised him, but even if he couldn’t destroy her, she’d suffer greatly fighting him alone.
She took a deep breath, then looked me in the eyes, saying, “Dex, please, for my sake, at least lie down and get some sleep, okay?”
I couldn’t say no. I owed her more than that.
The air still felt cool to my flesh. The earth was damp, though it had a salty tinge that left a strange metallic taste in the back of my mouth. It was as close to comfort as I would get until I finished the match and was released.
Valentina stayed awake as I drifted off.
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My eyes opened to the black night sky. Valentina lay next to me. She must have gotten cold and crawled into my arms. The cool earth no longer provided relief, but the heat was more bearable as it radiated through my flesh from her warm body.
A subtle, slow pulsing of a yellow light, like an ember that refused to fade, came into view as my eyes adjusted to the darkness.
My stomach tied itself in knots as I recalled the red eyes of death. My hands tensed around Valentina as I quietly got to my knees.
This was definitely something different, but I couldn’t shake the feeling it was another creature of darkness.
Val stirred, rolling over with a blink as she met my eyes. Her gaze lingered a moment, then she rolled back, staring into the darkness a moment before sitting up straight. Her eyes widened as the soft light drew closer, and she jumped to her feet.
I quickly rose to join her, but we both stood silently watching the strange glow, until at last a girl wearing a dark blue cloak emerged from the shadows.
A thick scarf was wrapped around the lower part of her face and a large hood hung low, casting her features in shadows, but even then I could tell it was a girl with pale skin.
The small yellow light reverted into a book and fell in her hands as she stared back at us. There was uncomfortable silence for a moment, then she asked, “Are you going to kill me?”
She spoke like she didn’t even care about her own death, as if her life meant nothing to her. I knew that feeling well. After learning what happened to my parents, I considered ending everything.
I must have taken too long to answer because she added, “You want to win right? To get points and go home? So… you’re going to try and kill me, just like him.”
She sounded sad, or maybe disappointed. She took a few steps closer.
I took an equal number back.
Valentina jumped between us, pushing me back until I was right against the cave wall.
Something didn’t feel right about the situation. The girl was dangerous, clearly, but how dangerous exactly was a mystery. My mind felt foggy as I tried to think, to plan, to find some means of escape, but even before I formed a thought, something told me it was impossible.
“Why does everyone like points so much? I hate these stupid things.” She tossed a heavy sack on the ground. “Going home is a fool’s goal. If you had anything to return to then you never would’ve ended up here.”
I stared in stunned silence, then snapped, “You’re wrong! I have friends, goals, something I need to find out. I don’t know about you, but I’m here so I can get stronger and eventually learn what happened to my parents.”
She lowered her hood, revealing eyes that swirled with fire and two small horns atop her head. Her ears were slightly pointy and she had a small patch of red scales next to each eye. If I had to guess I’d say she was maybe twelve, but that would make her the world's youngest magister.
Perhaps she was actually much older and just cursed like Donovan. I decided that made the most sense and let my mind work back to finding some escape.
The girl narrowed her eyes letting her gaze burn through me as she groaned, “So you choose to fight then?”
I shook my head. “I won’t kill you. I think there’s another way, but—”
I stopped short as she came close. Looking through Valentina as if she didn’t exist, the odd little girl stared deeply into my eyes. She searched me as if looking for some hidden truth, or trying to determine my intent.
Her voice came out a cold whisper. “Another way? And what might that be?” She glared, challenging me.
I gulped, then, trying to keep my voice even as my mouth ran dry, I said, “Well as long as only one person can still fight, or if everyone refuses then…” I paused to let her put two and two together.
She snorted, backing up with a smirk and shaking her head. “I thought you wanted to get stronger, maybe I was wrong to approach you. After seeing what you did to Renton, I thought—well…it doesn’t matter. I still won’t let her have you.”
Valentina tensed, pressing closer to me and gripping my arms in her hands.
In a flash of light the girl disappeared, teleported out of the arena, but her spell tome and bag of points remained.
“What the hell was that? And how did she—”
“Dexter, that tome…” Valentina released me, stepping toward the book, with a curious air about her.
The spell tome was like Valentina in its design, though it had a proper title. ‘A study of the realm of shadow and eternal night.’ It was a tome of darkness and complete with a shining rune. Valentina traced it with her finger, whispering, “Nyx.”
The spell tome seemed to react to her touch, shuddering then personifying, becoming a girl with short pink hair, icy blue eyes, and a stern expression. She wore an almost sheer black slip and she seemed to glow with her pale complexion, though that could be my imagination.
Valentina shook her head, recoiling back and covering her face. “This… no, you can’t be…”
The other girl frowned. Grabbing the bag of points then holding a closed fist out towards me. She seemed to ignore Valentina crouching beside me and holding her head. Val was muttering something to herself, but I couldn’t make out what.
The strange girl’s spell tome shoved her fist closer. “Take it if you don’t want to die,” she said.
I looked at the girl, then the bag before meeting the girl's eyes again. I opened my hand beneath hers as I asked, “Who are you?”
She didn’t answer, just opened her fist dropping a shimmering blue pill into my hand. It had the letters M-G written on its side and felt like ice in my hand.
“What’s this?”
She blinked twice. “Call it what you want, but most who depend on these call them Tomorrow. Take that pill the next time your chest starts burning.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the arena flashed away. Valentina and I were in the aerodrome outside the black ship’s dock. She was still holding her head, rocking on her heels as she mumbled.
I wanted to check on Valentina but a group of magister enforcers was approaching. Now wasn’t the right time. We needed to get back to Founder’s Tower.