"Why would your father let his pet Kindlers attack you?" Elvira never thought a sentence so strange would ever escape her mouth.
"To kill us, obviously."
Obviously.
"Aren't you afraid of death?"
"I won't die; the world is yet to see all of me."
Elvira scoffed. She could hear the cheeky grin in his voice.
The light from Kairo's magic circle was beginning to wear out around them and the abysmal darkness continued. Elvira noticed Kaeo's footsteps beginning to take smaller strides as he continued. Though her vision was blurred, Elvira could hear the haunted shuffling fast approaching from everywhere Kairo's magic's failed to reach.
"Let go of me," Elvira demanded.
"No. If we're separated, you'll fall prey to the darkness. You have no magic to protect yourself." Kaeo replied, harshly. He came to a standstill right at the edge of Kairo's magic circle. Beyond it, through his enhanced vision, he could see the glistening grey eyes of the Kindlers.
Something must have held up Kairo, Kaeo concluded. "We've underestimated the range of this realm spell. This could end badly," he whispered.
"Do you remember what Kairo told us?" Elvira asked, noticing how Kaeo was taking small steps backwards.
"What?"
"The range of an illusion. We are in an illusion of darkness right now, so the spell has to be big enough to harness not only the whole market, us, but also the army of Kindlers. Kairo said that the density of the created object multiplied by the mass is the range of an illusion spell to last."
"Which means that the Kindlers are an illusion?" Kaeo asked.
Suddenly, Kairo's magic circle shifted backwards and a cold screeching body was about to prance at them. Instantly, Kaeo induced his magic in his feet and backed almost fifteen stris away in a millisecond.
"Or not," Elvira gasped as soon as they were back in Kairo's magic circle. "I meant that the illusion spell must be anchored on something. Like Kairo's spell was anchored on real noodle bowls, this spell must be anchored on the real street." Elvira explained.
"So, to break an illusion this big—oh! I got you!" Kaeo exclaimed.
Kairo seemed to be running in the opposite direction to them and his magic circle was following him. Kaeo had to simultaneously go backwards as he charged his fist. A brilliant blue magic circle appeared over his knuckles. "Are you ready?" he asked.
"Go!" Elvira shouted, covering her head with her hands.
Kaeo jumped backwards to remain in Kairo's magic circle and positioned himself to land a punch. His right arm passed a sequence of magic circles before landing on the ground. Elvira yelped as the impact created a deafening sound. The illusion shattered around them as Kaeo found himself elbow-deep in the middle of a very bustling road.
Elvira rolled off to the other side, coughing and cursing under her breath. Her nostrils inhaled the dust underneath a stall, which caused her to cough even more violently.
Small smoke fumes escaped from the hole as Kaeo twisted his hand out of the concrete. Kairo's appearance illusion had worn off and a small crowd began gathering around the foreigners.
"What happened?"
"Did he just…punch through the concrete?"
"Why does he look like that?"
"Maybe he is a foreigner…"
"A mage? Destroying our property?"
"Summon the Church officials! This is big!"
Kaeo stumbled back on his feet, unconcerned about the crowd's whispers.
"Elvira? Where are you? Elvira? Are you okay?" he called, trying to make his way through the crowd.
"He has an accomplice? Find her!" a stranger ordered.
Kaeo's otherwise humorous face switched to a scowl as he punched the stranger in his face, consequently breaking the local's nose.
"Who are you to find her?" Kaeo spat as blue blood spurted out of the man's nose.
"That's assault! Grab him!"
On the other side of the street, Elvira rolled out of stall she was under. She scrambled back to her feet only to find herself in an even more tattered white dress. The dirt and grime were all back and her neck brandished the mark of a person abandoned by the stars.
She caught sight of Kaeo fighting the crowd and alarm bells blared in her head. She did not want to alert the crowd but she wanted to protect her friend like he had protected her. But…she held no amazing powers to come to his rescue.
Elvira looked around and picked up a few stones from the ground. She threw them at the crowd and shouted, "METEOR SHOWER! THE STARS ARE PUNISHING US!" on top of her lungs.
Instantly, everyone looked up, momentarily letting go of their violent desires.
Elvira's eyes found Kaeo's.
They shared a look of understanding before shoving the people away and jumping into a sprint.
Kaeo held out a hand for Elvira to take.
Elvira extended a hand to grab his.
As soon as he would get a hold of her, he could speed them away. The two magic circles over his feet indicated that he was prepare to stop only when they were out of town. The giddiness in his sapphire almond eyes indicated that he was prepared to laugh out loud as soon as they were done.
Elvira's fingers were about to touch his when someone pulled her by her hair.
"It's the mark of an oddity! The cursed one abandoned by the stars!"
"She's cursing us all!"
Elvira's eyes widened as she was pulled away.
Kaeo sped towards her.
In the very moment, something dark and sharp sped through Kaeo's abdomen. Impaling him. Blood spurted out of his mouth as he fell to the ground.
Elvira screamed and kicked her way towards him.
Suddenly, darkness surrounded them. Yet again, the gurgling and shuffling began closing in on them as Elvira scrambled towards Kaeo's body.
She pulled his head in her lap, wailing as she tried to press a hand over his bleeding stomach. She couldn't make sense of what was happening anymore. Her teeth were chattering as the light left Kaeo's eyes. Their dimming left Elvira blinded by the darkness.
The kindlers were speeding towards them.
Elvira wailed, desperately clinging onto Kaeo's escaping blood.
"No! You cannot leave us! Kairo! Where are you?! Kairo! It will all be fine! Enhancer types can heal themselves; you just need a nudge. I'm here, I will protect you! I won't let you die until your brother comes, I won't—I can't—no, no, no—"
A sharp claw grabbed her shoulder, another slender body climbed her back, sharp feet perched themselves on her head—but Elvira did not let go of Kaeo. She hunched herself over his torso, clinging onto his corpse.
"I won't let you, I cannot, I won't, I won't, you cannot die, you cannot die, you cannot die…" she kept chanting.
He had held out his hand for her.
He had uttered words of kindness when all whom she loved had abandoned her.
He had protected her.
She couldn't let go him like that.
She did not function like that.
She had to help.
But she was so useless.
So, utterly, pathetic. Clinging onto a corpse while creatures nibbled on her flesh.
No.
This couldn't be how she dies.
This couldn't be how her story ends.
The stars couldn't be so cruel to her.
"Iwon't lego, I won lego, iwon lewgo…" her tongue couldn't roll anymore.
It wouldn't be long until the Kindler poison took over her entire body.
Then she would become one of those creatures… devouring Kaeo's body in the darkness.
The mere thought ran chills down her spine.
No.
Her eyes flashed open and a scream manifested from within her soul.
A brilliant red magic circle flashed over them, the intensity of which burned the Kindlers within and around it. Elvira's eyes burned scarlet and her body could barely stand the weight of the power circling above her. She gritted her teeth and held onto Kaeo's body as strong winds started spiralling around them.
Stinging pain coursed through Elvira, twisting her arms and feet. Her gut felt as if it had been punched by a thousand men and blood oozed out of the corners of her mouth, eyes and nostrils. They left a crimson trail over her pale face, forever changing the trajectory of her fate.
Magic circles appeared all over Kaeo's body and the illusion of darkness began shattering around them.
As soon as the first ray of sunlight broke within the darkness, Elvira's spine gave up. She fell backwards, her auburn eyes unmoving, fixated, as sharp rays of reality broke through the illusion. The piercing rays landed over the magic circle and crossed it to warm Kaeo's body.
Elvira's chest stopped heaving as soon as Kaeo's sapphire eyes shot open. She fell back, onto the ground.
The illusion shattered. They were back in D'amar square.
All that was left around them was debris and corpses.