Marcus/Rocco
The forest didn't
feel as overwhelming this time.
That was the first
thing I noticed.
The second was
that I wasn't waiting for someone else to move.
..I stepped
forward first.
"We track from
here," I said, my voice steady as I glanced at Callie.
She didn't argue.
Didn't correct me. Just nodded once.
That alone told me
everything.
Behind us, Riley
adjusted her grip on the short blade she'd starting carrying, while Noah
stretched his arms like we were about to start a game instead of a hunt.
"Okay," Noah said
casually, cracking his neck. "Quick question. Are we fighting something ugly
again, or like… slightly less ugly?"
Riley rolled her
eyes. "Does it matter?"
"It matters to
me," he replied. "I need to mentally prepare. If it has extra limbs, I'm
running first and asking questions later."
"You're not
running," I said.
He pointed at me.
"See, that's the kind of unrealistic expectation that gets people killed."
Despite
everything, I smiled slightly.
Ella stayed quiet.
Too quiet.
I could feel her
watching me, even without turning around.
That hadn't
changed. Not since yesterday or since the café.
The trail wasn't
hard to find.
Not anymore.
That faint pull-
the same one I felt before- was clearer now, like something inside me knew what
to look for.
"This way," I
said, moving deeper into the trees.
Callie followed
without hesitation. The others came behind.
The air grew
colder as we moved, that same wrongness settling in, but this time-
It didn't throw me
off, it sharpened me.
"Contact soon,"
Callie said quietly.
I nodded.
I could feel it
too. Closer. Stronger than the last one.
Good.
The clearing came
into view.
And it was already
there.
Waiting.
This one looking
more stable than the first demon I Faced, its form solid, its movements
controlled as it slowly turned toward us.
Its eyes locked
onto me instantly.
"of course," I
muttered.
Noah leaned
slightly toward Riley. "Please tell me that's not what I think it is."
"It is," she
replied.
"Great. Love that
for us."
It moved first.
Fast.
But this time, so
did i.
I stepped forward
before it could reach us, drawing my blades in one smooth motion as I met it
head- on.
The impact rang
through my arms as I blocked its first strike- but I didn't get pushed back
this time.
I held. Adjusted.
Countered.
One blade cut
toward its side- it twisted, dodging-
- But I expected that.
I stepped in closer instead, closing the distance completely. Before it
could reset, I lifted my leg high and brought it down sharp, controlled arc..
An axe kick.
My heel slammed
down hard against its upper body, driving it toward the ground and breaking its
balance completely.
Don't think.
Move.
I followed
immediately, pivoting as my elbow came around in a tight arc, the strike
connecting cleanly.
The impact
connected. This time, it staggered.
"Yes," I breathed.
The difference was
clear.
I wasn't reacting
anymore. I was controlling the fight.
The bracelet
pulsed.
I didn't force it.
I let it flow.
Power spread
through my limbs- familiar now, not overwhelming. My movement sharpened, my
speed increasing just enough to stay ahead.
The demon lunged
again.
I sidestepped,
letting it pass before bringing both blades in a clean cross strike.
This time, it hit.
A clean cut.
The creature let
out a distorted sound, stumbling back as black blood oozed out from the wounds.
I didn't hesitate.
I closed the
distance again, driving forward with another knee strike before following with
a spinning elbow.
It tried to
recover. Too late.
My blade moved.
Clean, decisive and then-
It stopped.
The body went
still before collapsing into the ground.
Silence followed.
Real silence.
I stood there,
breathing unevenly, staring down at what I had just done.
"… okay," Noah
said after a moment. "That was significantly less terrifying than last time."
Riley let out a
breath. "You call that less terrifying?"
"I mean, he
didn't get thrown across the forest this time," Noah said, gesturing at me. "So
I'm counting it as progress."
Callie stepped
closer, her eye scanning me briefly.
"You didn't force
it," she said.
"I know."
"You controlled
it."
"I know."
A small pause.
Then she smiled slightly.
"Good."
That was it. But
coming from her, it meant a lot.
I turned slightly,
glancing at the others.
Riley gave a small
nod.
Noah gave me a
thumbs- up.
"You didn't die,"
he added. "Proud of you."
"Thanks… I guess,"
I muttered.
Then I looked at
Ella.
She wasn't
smiling, wasn't relieved.
She was just
staring at me. Not the demon but me.
And something in
her expression tightened my chest.
The walk back was
quieter. Not tensed, but not relaxed either.
Eventually, Ella
spoke.
"You didn't even
hesitate."
I glanced at her.
"I couldn't."
"That's not what I
mean."
I frowned
slightly. "Then what do you mean?"
She stopped
walking. So, we all stopped.
Her eyes locked
onto mine.
"You didn't feel
anything." She said.
That caught me off
guard.
"I did."
"It didn't look
like it."
I hesitated.
Because I didn't know how to explain it.
"It's different
now," I said finally.
Her expression
shifted. Not understanding or acceptance.
Fear.
"That's exactly
what I'm worried about," she said quietly.
Silence followed.
Noah stepped in
before it could get worse.
"Okay," he said,
clapping his hands once. "Let's not turn this into an emotional breakdown in
the middle of demon territory, yeah?"
Riley shot him a
look. "Noah- "
"I'm serious," he
continued, though his tone softened slightly. "Look. Yeah. It's messed up. None
of this is normal. But he's getting better."
He gestured toward
me.
"Would you rather
he stayed the guy getting thrown around every fight?"
Ella didn't
answer.
Noah sighed
slightly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I'm not saying
it's easy," he added. "I'm just saying… we kinda need him like this."
That landed. Not
perfectly, but enough.
We started walking
again.
Slower this time
and quieter.
Later that night,
I sat alone again.
Same clearing.
Same silence. But
everything felt different.
I looked down at
my hands, then at the bracelet.
Then back at the place
where the fight happened earlier.
"I didn't
hesitate," I said quietly.
The words echoed
slightly in my mind.
Ella's voice
followed.
You
didn't feel anything.
I exhaled slowly.
That wasn't true.
I did feel
something.
Just not during
the fight. It came after.
The weight of it.
The realisation. I
had killed something.
Not a monster in a
story or a distant threat.
Something real.
And I hadn't
stopped. I hadn't questioned it.
I had just… done
it.
I leaned back
slightly, staring up at the dark sky.
"… is that who I'm
becoming?" I muttered.
No answer came.
Not from the
bracelet, the silence or myself.
But one thought
stayed.
Clear and
unavoidable.
If I hesitated… I
would die.
If I didn't… I
might lose something else.
And right now.
I'm not sure which
one scared me more.