39: The Eye of the Storm
A few months earlier
“Why do you need those books?” Celine asked, frowning at the selection of reading material lying on the table in front of her. “You can’t even read half of them.”
Luke waved her off.
“I… I can’t tell you that… not yet,” he said sincerely, and Celine could see the determination in his eyes. She looked over at Rilliana, who was standing next to him. She was the one who had suggested most of them to him. Their eyes met, but the elf just shrugged.
“Luke, you’re a smart kid. At least that’s what your mom told me, but this is dangerous,” she said, tapping a book titled Demonology, Volume 6. “Even in the hands of non-mages, these books are…”
“Rilliana said you learned magic from these books.”
“Yeah, sure! But that was before there were supermarkets, cars, and what are those things called that you use to make fire?” Celine asked, looking at Rilliana.
“Lighters?”
“Lighters! Exactly. Um, where was I… Luke, learning magic is extremely difficult and dangerous, and you’re already too old.”
“Please… I have to do it. I wasn’t lucky enough to be born with the gift, but I can… I have to learn it. Understand it.”
Celine looked at the elf again.
“All right… but that book stays here!” said Celine, taking the book of demonology back. In exchange, however, she placed two others on Luke’s stack.
“A translation book, written by our esteemed Rilliana. Elvish-English, English-Elvish. And materials science. I’ll tell you right off the bat: This isn’t going to work. You won’t be able to throw fireballs, teleport, or fly.”
“Very encouraging,” Rilliana commented, and Celine rolled her eyes.
“I just don’t want him to be too disappointed when…”
“I won’t be… and I don’t want to throw fireballs anyway. That’s Mom and Caitlyn’s job.”
“Sure… everyone wants to throw fireballs, Luke. Even you. Rilliana, be a sweetheart and teach him Elvish grammar so he doesn’t set himself on fire. And now get out of here—I want to enjoy the sun,” Celine said, shooing the two of them out of her lab.
One week earlier
Jinara opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling of her room. The fact that she needed sleep every day because of her new body annoyed her. It was a nuisance she could eliminate with just a little more power. She just had to make her host disappear completely.
“Get the hell out of my body already!” echoed in her head like every morning, and like every morning, Jinara strolled over to the small cell where she had locked Kim away. As Jinara came to realize over time, Kim was growing just as strong in her mind as she herself was, and no matter how deeply she locked the little human away, she was kindly reminded anew every morning to leave Kim’s body.
“I see you haven’t changed your bad manners one bit,” Jinara commented, swinging her hand to open the heavy steel door. The petite, blonde Kim emerged. She was naked. The catsuit and the restraints in which she had spent the night lay torn to shreds in a corner. Kim looked up at her angrily, determined to give Jinara a massive headache if she didn’t silence Kim right now.
“I see you’ve freed yourself from your restraints again?” Jinara remarked as Kim raised a hand and strained to materialize something. A moment later, a couple of brown ropes appeared above her, though they immediately fell to the floor like wet rags. Kim’s expression twisted as Jinara began to grin widely.
“Oh, not bad, Kim… You’re getting better and better, but…” Jinara choked on her words when she saw the stupid grin peeking out from beneath the blonde hair. Kim clenched her hand into a fist and pulled it toward her. Jinara barely had time to throw herself to the side as a spear pierced the air right where she had been standing just a moment before. It whizzed past Kim’s ear and sank into the wall behind her. For a moment, Jinara forgot that she was an immortal demoness and stared in disbelief at the weapon, which was now slowly dissolving into thin air. Kim clicked her tongue and slumped to the ground. Jinara straightened up and looked down coldly at Kim.
She’s gotten good… too good… That could have ended badly. I have to eliminate her before she gets even stronger. But for that, I need more power. More suffering in the city, Jinara thought, lifting Kim up by her long blonde hair. Kim groaned.
“You’ll regret this.”
Kim looked up and smiled at the demoness, despite her weakness and the pain.
“Your turn will come eventually.”
If things keep going this way, definitely. Jinara thought, though she would never admit it. She lifted Kim higher by her hair so that they were face to face.
“Even if you’d hit me, it wouldn’t have done any good.”
Kim laughed scornfully and said, “Then why did you dodge? I guess I just have to kill you in my head, and then you’ll be out of here for good!”
Jinara clenched her teeth to suppress a revealing response and instead threw Kim back into the cell. She bounced off the wall and slid down it. Kim pushed herself up with her arms and, breathing heavily, stared up at her tormentor from beneath her hair.
“If you say so,” Jinara lied, raising her hand toward Kim.
“Give me your worst—by tomorrow morning, I’ll be free again, and you’ll be out of here.”
Jinara knew Kim wasn’t making an empty threat. She had to steal Kim’s body before it was too late. Kim was becoming too strong for Jinara. She had to break Kim, once and for all. She dropped her hand and licked her lips greedily.
“How about a bet, Kim?” she asked, making the cell walls vanish. Only the doorframe remained.
“A bet?” Kim asked, staggering to her feet.
“A bet,” Jinara confirmed, waving her hand at the doorframe. A silvery liquid bubbled up inside it until a mirror revealed Kim’s battered body.
“All you have to do is break through this mirror.”
Kim shot her a sideways glance.
“What’s the catch, devil?”
“Glad you asked,” Jinara laughed, and with a snap, a new latex catsuit formed around Kim’s body. Metal straps also closed around her wrists and ankles, as well as her neck and hips.
“Hmm,” Kim murmured, looking down at her restraints. The silver bands were studded with purple crystals. “And what’s stopping me from throwing these restraints off?”
“Our bet, my dear. Those straps will stay on you until you break through the mirror; otherwise, it’s back to your cell—and this time, forever,” Jinara explained, waving her hand toward the doorframe once more. Immediately, steps formed beneath her, and she rose higher and higher into the distance.
“Ah. A staircase…” Kim said dryly.
“A staircase and an abyss of eternal darkness?” Jinara asked, and black clouds of mist appeared to the left and right of the staircase.
“I suppose I’m not allowed to fall down there?” Kim asked mockingly, and Jinara knelt down beside her.
“Once you step onto the staircase, there will be no turning back for you. Only one way out, and then your body belongs to me.”
“No tricks,” Kim demanded, pointing her finger at Jinara.
“No tricks. Break through the mirror and you’re free of me,” said Jinara, making the sign of the cross on her chest, right over her heart. It flared up briefly and burned into her skin. Kim looked at her suspiciously, but nodded and stepped onto the platform in front of the staircase. She lifted one foot and placed it on the first step.
“Ah! Before I forget: You shouldn’t turn around, or your little journey will be all the more difficult.”
“What do you mean…?” Kim asked, about to turn toward Jinara, but stopping herself at the last moment. She swallowed. That was close. She didn’t exactly want to end up like Eurydice from Greek mythology right at the bottom of the stairs. Actually, she didn’t want to end up like that later on, either.
“Have a good journey, little human. How do you always say it? The first step is always the easiest?”
“Kiss my ass.”
Jinara just grinned and vanished into the fog that rose behind Kim with every step she took. Meanwhile, Kim looked up at the mirror, which now seemed so far away. She knew Jinara was lying, but she had to take this chance. If there was one thing she’d learned, it was that everything required concentration—whether it was creating spears or prison cells. This endless staircase must be costing Jinara an enormous amount of concentration. Kim knew that her demon would eventually make a mistake.
Jinara regained control of Kim’s body and finally got out of bed. She had gotten Kim off her back for a while—or, if she gave up, forever. She just had to keep extending the staircase. Nothing could be easier than that.
“But I have to get stronger… I need more nourishment...” she muttered, sifting through her past for a spell or ritual she could use. Ancient magic that would allow her to absorb enough suffering to get rid of Kim. Jinara looked toward the corner of the room, where a small cage stood. Dark thoughts and suffering snaked out of it and strengthened her. But it wasn’t enough. Jinara needed more than Kim’s sister could give her. After Jinara realized how docile the woman could become with the promise of deliverance from her cursed chastity belt, she did everything Jinara wanted. She had become a willing servant and slave. At first she had resisted, but with a little magic she had become nothing more than clay in Jinara’s hands. Her desires betrayed her.
“Wake up, slave,” Jinara whispered, and Chloe immediately opened her eyes. A red flicker reflected in them, and she sat up. Chloe looked up intently at her mistress and waited for her command.
“Bring me the Book of Demonology, Volume 6, from the witch’s library. She’s probably hidden it, but if you get it for me without Celine noticing, I’ll reward you.”
“Yes, Mistress,” Chloe said as if in a trance and opened the cage to go to Celine. Jinara watched her for a moment longer. The blue latex her slave was wearing was that of a human heroine. Too bad Chloe herself was nothing more than a puppet. Jinara waved her hand briefly and heard Chloe moan loudly in the hallway as her chastity belt began to vibrate. Not enough to push her over the edge, but enough to numb her senses and prepare her for the reward that would never come.
Today
Luke sat in front of his computer, reading the ancient magical words. He had done everything right. All the magic circles were neatly drawn, and every cartridge on his desk was engraved, just as the elves had done with their arrows.
“But then why do you keep exploding?” he muttered, picking up his great-grandfather’s old revolver. The gun was a work of art, precise and adorned with golden lines. Only the cylinder was missing, since it blew up during testing. Every time with a louder bang. He was glad Caitlyn wasn’t home right now, for several reasons. Luke leaned back and looked outside through the large window. Although it was only early afternoon, it was still dark outside. It had been that way for days. Thick clouds had gathered over Leon City and were also blocking out the light over the cursed forest. As if on cue, it began to rain. Thick black raindrops fell to the ground like needles and drummed against his windowpane.
“Well, hopefully it’ll clear up after the rain...” he muttered, turning to Celine’s materials science book. He was looking for a metal that could withstand the magic of the bullets, since the original cylinder had already given out. Unfortunately, the other metals he’d tested were also inadequate and had already punched a hole in the wall more than once. There was a knock at the door, and Luke hurriedly hid the bullets and the gun.
“Come in!” he called, quickly opening a tab with his favorite game.
“Luke, honey, your dad’s asking if you want anything from town.”
Luke turned to his mother and put on a thoughtful expression so as not to appear suspicious. If she knew he had a revolver in the drawer, she’d have given him an earful. Cylinder or no cylinder.
“No, thanks, Mom. I’ve got everything I need.”
“Fine,” she said, and was just about to close the door when she changed her mind and opened it again before stepping inside. “How are your studies going?”
Luke was 90% sure she wasn’t referring to his college studies.
“It’s… getting better. Learning Elvish was actually the biggest hurdle,” he said truthfully, watching as Terra leafed through one of the magical books.
“I’m really sorry you don’t have the gift,” she murmured, smiling sadly.
“No problem, Mom. I’ve got computers for that, and just reading about it is exciting.”
Terra nodded approvingly and turned to the next page.
“Then I won’t bother you any further… though… Celine got in touch and asked if you took another book from her. Demonology, Volume 6?”
Luke shook his head.
“Good. Otherwise, I would’ve given you an earful.”
Luke laughed nervously, which didn’t escape Terra’s notice. She gave him a piercing look and raised one eyebrow of her pale blue eyes—the same ones as Caitlyn’s. She’d apparently inherited more than just the magic.
“What are you actually doing here that’s causing things to explode all the time?” Terra asked suddenly, her tone serious, as she compared the rune circle on his desk to the one in the book.
“Nothing.”
Terra narrowed her eyes and scratched the bridge of her nose when she heard that poor lie.
“Luke… don’t make me open that drawer over there…” she said, her eyes still closed, “I’m worried. Your father is, too. So… what are you doing here? What’s going on?”
Luke lowered his gaze, and his forced smile vanished.
“Mom… I can’t…”
Terra placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently.
“Let me help you… with whatever it is. I’ve been out of your life long enough—let me be a mother to you. Please.”
Luke looked up at her, tormented. Terra smiled gently down at him. Her blue eyes pleaded with him. She wanted him to open up, wanted him to tell her everything. His hands clenched into fists and began to tremble. Then he nodded.
“It… it’s about Kim. I suspect—no… I know there’s something inside her. Someone is controlling her.”
“You’ve asked about this before. Was that because of this ‘Kim’?” Terra asked, furrowing her brow. This magic was incredibly difficult to master—for her and Caitlyn, it was even impossible. She doubted that anyone other than Celine or Ifry would even be capable of casting such spells anymore. Terra was about to question Luke’s statement, but she decided to remain silent and wait to hear what else her son had to say.
“I spoke with her—briefly. She begged for help and told me to run, but I want to save her,” he said, opening one of the books. Inside was a diagram of a magic circle designed to banish demons.
“That’ll be tough. If she really is possessed, she’s hardly likely to step into the circle of her own free will.”
“Yeah… that’s why I have this book. I even learned Elvish just for this,” Luke said, holding up another book. Terra furrowed her brow.
“Yeah… you make magic arrows?”
“YOU CAN SPEAK ELVISH?!”
“I used to be better at it… your mom was really bored 800 years ago.”
Luke raised an eyebrow at that comment.
“But… the explosions aren’t coming from a bow and arrow.”
“No,” he said, opening the drawer. Terra gasped when she saw the revolver and the bullets. But before she could give Luke a piece of her mind, she noticed the missing cylinder and the destroyed prototypes. She took one of them out of the drawer and examined the huge hole the bullet had punched through the metal. She shot her son a sharp look.
“I’m careful, but…”
“Haaaaa. Luke… you’re really not making it easy for me to be a good mother,” she muttered, and Luke lowered his gaze. Terra herself glanced at the elven book and then back at the cylinder in her hand.
“I’m your mother, so I should put a stop to this… but… I’ve been wrong about my actions before. Explain it to me. Why are the cylinders breaking?”
“The magic in the bullets is too powerful. Arrows can’t hold that much magic, and they aren’t enclosed in a small chamber when you fire them.”
“So… you just need a better material?”
Luke nodded.
“Maybe I should ask Dad to bring me some tungsten from the supermarket.” Luke gave a wry laugh. But Terra shook her head and stood up.
“Wait a second.”
Terra left the room, leaving Luke alone in the room. When she came back, she was holding a glass in her hand. Its contents glowed silver and gold, with a sparkling blue visible now and then. She held the glass cup in her hand and raised it to show it to Luke.
“What’s that?” he asked, admiring the swirling liquid.
“Honestly… you’ll have to ask Celine. She gave it to me as a gift during our last meeting… It’s supposed to be three magical metals she mixed together. Divine, demonic, and one from our beautiful Earth. But she said she had no use for such a high concentration. But maybe you do?” she asked, handing him the glass. The alloy—if you could even call it that—slapped against the walls of his little prison like water. Ready to break out at the first chance.
“What if it breaks, too?”
“Then so be it. I have no other use for it anyway. Come on, give it a try. I’ll make sure it hardens,” Terra encouraged her son, and he nodded. Luke took a prepared mold and placed it in the center of the magic circle on his desk. Then he opened the jar. Immediately, the alloy tried to escape and separate, but Terra quickly raised her hand, and a blue sphere enveloped the metal. She let the alloy hover over the mold and pressed it inside. Surprised, Terra winced as the metal began to resist.
“Oh shit,” she cursed, pressing against the living metal with all her might. It began to fight against Terra’s magic, pounding against the barrier with all its strength. Sweat broke out on her forehead as her magic was steadily drained, and her legs began to tremble. Luke acted immediately and placed his hands on the rune circle. He began to whisper as the circle started to glow. One rune after another lit up, and Terra’s eyes widened. She felt the alloy harden and attack her protective shield with increasing intensity, draining her magic. Just as her legs gave way beneath her, the metal came to a halt. She collapsed, breathing heavily, and barely managed to fall onto Luke’s bed. Luke was immediately by her side, making sure she didn’t hurt herself, but Terra waved him off.
“I’m okay, Luke, but… you… have you learned to cast spells? Like Celine?”
Luke shook his head. “The magic lies within the circle. “Anyone could activate it, with enough patience and the knowledge here,” he murmured, pointing to the books. Terra shook her head in turn.
“If it were that easy, Trisha would have learned it long ago. It’s a gift, Luke!”
“Old books and math,” he brushed off the compliment, but smiled.
“Take it out,” she said, pointing to the mold. Luke did as he was told and used a pair of pliers to pull the now-solid alloy out of the mold. The metal now looked like ordinary stainless steel, except for the blue lines that ran through it like veins.
“Are those fracture lines?” she asked worriedly, but Luke shook his head.
“The magical earth metal and your magic, Mom...” he murmured, inserting the cylinder into the revolver. As if the alloy had sensed that it was in its new home, the blue lines spread across the gun, replacing the golden embellishments. The revolver glowed briefly and then went dark.
“Did it… did it work?”
Luke picked up the gun and loaded a shell. The alloy burned when he touched it, and he flinched.
“It’s still hot,” he muttered, raising the gun.
“Soooo, now I’m supposed to be the good mom again and tell you that…”
BANG
Luke flinched as the recoil jolted his hand. The bullet itself shattered against his bedroom wall, and suddenly vines sprouted from its center. They wrapped around nearby furniture and pushed other pieces aside. Luke, however, had no eyes for the magic that was currently engulfing his room; he stared at the gun in his hand. His hand still seemed to throb from the shock of the recoil. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his mother’s fingers cautiously reach for the gun. He let her and stared at his hand, which was trembling slightly.
“So, um… Maybe we should test these out a bit first, before you go and not save Kim, but…”
At that moment, she was interrupted when someone pounded on the front door. The noise could be heard throughout the house and was almost as loud as the shot itself.
“Maybe you upset our neighbors a bit with that shot?” Terra asked, trying to stand up, but her legs wouldn’t obey her. Annoyed, she looked at the revolver that had robbed her of all her magic, and then at Luke. He understood immediately and hurried down the stairs.
“What neighbors, anyway? We’re the only ones living on this street,” he muttered as he opened the door. Just as he was wondering how said neighbor had gotten past his security system, a hand shot forward and grabbed his throat.
“What have you done?” Celine hissed through clenched teeth, pressing Luke against the stair railing. Taken by surprise and gasping for air, he looked up in confusion into the witch’s eyes, which were staring at him as if he’d just rammed a dagger into her back.
“Words…” he croaked as her hand began to squeeze.
“You know exactly what you’ve done!” she snapped at him, pointing outside. She shoved him toward the door. Luke stumbled and fell to his knees. He looked up and saw the sky, still pitch black, and the rain.
“What? Was there no such thing 800 years ago...” Luke began, but fell silent as he looked more closely at the rain. A good 50 paces above them, it clapped against an invisible barrier and burned up without leaving a trace. The barrier was only around their property, and so Luke could see long strands in the trees, clinging to the branches like spiderwebs. They looked as if they’d been doused with tar.
“What the…?” he asked, but Celine painfully yanked him to his feet by the hair.
“This is your doing, Luke! I told you not to take the Demon Book, and then you just thought, ‘Oh, the old witch won’t notice if I steal it,’ didn’t you?” she hissed at him angrily. Luke blinked in confusion.
“But I don’t have it. I left it in your care! I wasn’t even near your clearing!”
“DON’T LIE TO ME!” Celine screamed, and beneath her rage, Luke could make out something else: fear.
“Stop this ritual before you doom the whole town!” she screamed again, raising her other hand, in which a fireball was now forming. Luke’s eyes widened, and he tried to break free, but her hand was clamped down on his head like a vise.
“Celine, would you please let go of my boy?” Terra asked from the top of the stairs. Her voice was cold. Both looked up at her. She leaned heavily against the railing and pointed her hand toward Celine.
“I’d love to, but unfortunately your son is practicing demonic magic and lying!”
“He’s not lying. He doesn’t have your book,” Terra said calmly, “he showed me everything.”
“But…”
“Celine. Luke doesn’t have it,” Terra repeated, lowering her hand. Celine looked down at Luke, who was still staring fearfully at the flame, but the next moment it went out. Celine let go of Luke and looked toward the city, where the center of the cloud cover lay. Terra hobbled down the stairs to reach her, but Luke hurried over to help her down.
“Can you explain to me why you’re threatening Luke?” Terra finally asked when she reached the bottom, and Celine simply pointed outside.
“I suppose this ritual is in the book that was stolen from you?”
“And why do you suspect me?” Luke added.
“Chloe told me you took it,” Celine murmured thoughtfully, “but why is she lying to me…?”
There was another interruption when they heard the flapping of wings and Ifry glided into the garden, carrying Phaelyn in her arms. While the demoness seemed completely unaffected by the rain, it was soaking the angel. The threads were wrapped around her and prevented her from moving much. This didn’t seem to bother her, though, since Ifry was carrying her safely. Phae even looked confusedly at her friend and then at Celine as the latter rushed worriedly toward them in the front yard.
“We were caught in the rain of black tears! Please help her!” Ifry cried out in panic, lifting Phae into Celine’s arms.
“I’ll do what I can,” Celine murmured, rushing into the house with the angel.
“I’m fine,” the angel stammered, confused, and tried to fight against the sticky threads, but the more she struggled, the tighter they pulled.
“Don’t move, Phae,” Celine whispered, walking past Luke and Terra.
“What’s going on here?!?” Luke asked, more forcefully this time, and Ifry looked up at him.
“Someone has unleashed ancient demon magic on Leon City. A ritual that my kind invented to… It’s magic that was meant to be used against angels,” she whispered, ashamed, “but the Council of Demons banned the ritual after they saw the destruction it caused. Phae was probably too young to have seen it. But I’ve seen what the ritual can do.”
Luke walked over to her and lifted her hands, which were hanging limply at her sides.
“It wasn’t you, was it? But you know the spell? Can we prevent the worst… whatever that is…?”
Ifry nodded. And pointed toward the center of the clouds.
“Whoever’s responsible is right in the middle of the city. I… I should stop him and...” Ifry said with a trembling voice, trying to spread her wings. They opened for a moment, but then immediately collapsed.
“What the...” she muttered, trying again. Luke saw her glances darting back and forth toward the house.
“Your heart is here, isn’t it? I think mine’s in the city,” he finally said, and Ifry looked at him in surprise. “Stay here. I’ll go and… stop that spell.”
“You?”
Luke turned to his mother, Terra.
“Mom, I know we were going to run more tests, but I need the revolver.”
Terra was still leaning exhausted against the door. She thought for a moment and finally nodded before drawing the gun and handing it to Luke, along with his ammunition.
“Take care of yourself, Luke,” she murmured, kissing him on the forehead.
“I will.”
“Wait. What? You want to go into town now? Don’t you realize that within seconds you’ll be just as trapped as Phae? Only demons are safe from that! You won’t even make it by car...” Ifry exclaimed, but then she saw the revolver and took half a step back.
“More of that? How much of that stuff does Celine have?” Ifry asked, taking another step back as Luke raised the gun questioningly. It seemed as though the revolver was giving off an aura that Ifry found unpleasant.
“Celine said this was the last of her alloy. She couldn’t use it because of the high concentration,” Terra explained.
“Yeah, I can feel that,” Ifry muttered, stepping closer again as Luke put the gun away. “I think this thing should protect you from the rain, too, but Luke, I don’t want you to keep the gun.”
As Luke drove into town as fast as he could, Ifry’s words echoed in his head. She sounded worried, perhaps even hurt by what he had created.
“But you don’t have to worry, Ifry,” he muttered to himself, “If it works, I won’t need it anymore.”
Easier said than done, because from a distance, Leon City looked like a tar pit. The weapon seemed to be protecting his car from the worst of the sticky rain. The others weren’t so lucky. They were stuck and couldn’t move an inch, so Luke had to keep switching lanes. It was still manageable on the highway, but as soon as he reached the bridge leading to Leon City, he had to get out.
“Hopefully what Ifry said is true,” he said as he stepped out of his car. Sure enough, the rain beaded off him and fell to the ground, though he still felt a sticky resistance as he walked. Luke nodded and was just about to set off when he heard moaning above the sound of the rain. He followed the sound and found himself standing in front of one of the cars blocking his path, and immediately realized where it was coming from. The people inside weren’t safe in their vehicles. The rain had found its way into each of the vehicles and ensnared the drivers as if they were flies in a spiderweb. Black, sticky strands were wrapped around the limbs of the woman inside. Her eyes were closed as if she were sleeping, yet she was struggling against the strands as if they were tightening around her—and they probably were.
“Hey! Can you hear me? I’ll get you out of there!” Luke called out to her, but then paused. Where could she find shelter if the rain was getting into her car? How was he even supposed to free her when even Celine, with her magic, had taken so long? And what was he supposed to do about the other people on the bridge? The people in the city? Luke swallowed hard. He realized that the only way to save her and everyone else was to rid Kim of the evil within her.
“I’m sorry… I… I have to go!” he said hesitantly as he stepped back. He turned around and began to jog lightly. It was still a long way to the city center.
“Kim? You look great in that dress. Let’s take some pictures!” Judy laughed, running her hand over Kim’s shoulders. Kim flinched as she felt the touch through the latex. She wanted nothing more than to swat at the shadowy figures swirling around her, but she couldn’t turn around.
“Kim? Phoebe’s waiting for you downstairs. Do you need some more money for your lunch?” Chloe’s voice asked, and someone ruffled her hair. She let it happen. Jinara’s tricks. Memories from the past that had been haunting her ever since she’d started climbing the steps.
“Mmm!”
Kim stopped. Her body suddenly refused to obey her when she heard the moans of her boyfriend Luke. The moans that had been seared into her mind when they were prisoners at the bondage hotel.
“Luke,” she whispered, closing her eyes.
“Mmmh ...” echoed from farther away, and at that moment, Kim couldn’t take it anymore. She had to turn around. Just to catch a glimpse of him. She opened her eyes. Instead of Luke, chains floated in the air, now brutally wrapping themselves around Kim’s arms and legs and dragging her downward.
“No! Luke! Where’s Luke?” she screamed, trying to break free from the chains, but her mind would no longer obey her. Jinara’s bonds were too strong, and they pulled at her. Pulling her down into the darkness. But Kim didn’t want to give up. She couldn’t. She looked up. The endless staircase ahead of her and the mirror she had to break through. She had to go back. Kim took a step up the stairs. Then another—and they were heavy steps. The chains were sapping her strength. But she couldn’t give up, couldn’t…
“Luke… please save me...” she whispered as she continued to trudge upward.
***
“Hey, Luke.”
Luke immediately stopped in his tracks and looked up. Chloe was sitting on a car covered in webs. With her arms wrapped around her legs, she looked sullenly down at the street.
“Chloe?” he asked, furrowing his brow, and took a step toward her. “Why aren’t you wrapped up too?”
“My trusty jewelry,” she muttered, pointing to her belt and bra, which had been encased in the blue latex catsuit for months. “The demonic metal in them prevents me from getting wrapped up, but my car wasn’t so lucky.”
“Oh… I’m sorry,” he said, looking at her suspiciously. He hadn’t seen Chloe’s rusty pickup truck—of that he was certain. Besides, he hadn’t forgotten that she’d lied to Celine to frame him.
“And why aren’t you getting wrapped up?” she asked, with the same expression on her face as he had.
“Uuuuuum,” he said, searching for an excuse, “Celine cast a protective spell on me so I could, um, run a few errands for her to stop the rain.”
“Really? Then I’d better come with you to make sure you get there safely. I know a few good shortcuts,” Chloe said, leading the way. Luke hesitated. But he couldn’t let on if something was really wrong with her. He followed Chloe, and the two of them broke into a light jog.
“And why did you want to go into town?”
“To see Vanessa. But the rain held me up. But I’m not worried. The rain shouldn’t be able to hurt her,” she said with a shrug, and Luke nodded. Still, he would have thought Chloe would be more concerned about Vanessa.
“If you say so,” Luke muttered, glancing briefly at Chloe. For a split second, Luke thought Chloe had flashed a broad grin, but then she let out a scream. Luke recoiled as Chloe was pulled upward by her foot. She dangled a step above the street, waving her arms in confusion. Luke watched, fascinated, as the threads had joined together to form a rope that was now wrapped around Chloe’s ankle—even though she was supposed to be protected by the metal.
“Whaaat? What’s going on here? ‘Luke, get me out of here!’” she whined as she swayed back and forth and the threads kept growing longer and longer.
“Well… of course,” he muttered, shaking his head, and climbed onto one of the cars.
“A knife would definitely come in handy right now,” he said, pushing the threads aside. Fortunately, they weren’t stuck very tightly, and he was able to untie Chloe as if she were trapped in regular rope. Carefully, he let her slide to the ground and then jumped back onto the street himself.
“Where did that trap come from?”
“No idea,” Chloe said with a tone of conviction, “just hope there aren’t any more traps we might stumble into. Ouch, that really hurt.”
Chloe knelt down and rubbed her ankle, through the latex and her futuristic high heels.
“Did you hurt yourself?” Luke asked, bending down toward Chloe to get a look at her latex-clad legs.
“Hard to say,” she muttered, pressing gently against it. She winced.
“Ouch, Luke! Carry me!” Chloe suddenly cried out, wrapping her arms around his neck. Luke was completely taken by surprise and was pulled to the ground.
“Chloe, what the… let go of me!” Luke shouted breathlessly as his head was pressed against her breasts and she cut off his breath. Chloe didn’t seem to hear him as they both rolled across the asphalt and the sticky threads.
“Ouch, ouch, ouch!” Chloe cried over and over as the threads clung to both of their clothes and wrapped themselves around them. Luke managed to break free from her and gasped for air. Then he realized that the threads were sticking him to Chloe. At least they weren’t growing as fast as they had with the other people in Leon City. Still, they were both wrapped in sticky threads from head to toe.
“Chloe, what the hell are you doing?!” Luke asked angrily and pushed Chloe away, but the threads were too strong. Immediately, he was pulled back toward Chloe, and they slammed into each other.
“Oh, sorry, Luke, I thought you could lift me up.”
Luke’s left eye began to twitch.
“You know perfectly well that I don’t go to the gym!”
“Ah, riiiiight!”
“Ha, great, now I have to untangle us first. You’re really impossible!”
“HA! That’s what Ava always says to Summer!”
“Chloe? Shut up!”
“OH! THAT TOO!”
Luke bit his lip. Chloe was playing one of her games again. He couldn’t let that throw him off. Luke pushed a few of the strings aside. Chloe squirmed a little, too, and at first Luke thought she wanted to help, until the strings slipped out of his hand and snapped back.
“Chloe, stay still,” Luke said, his patience wearing thin, as he tried once more to grab the restraints.
“But it feels so good,” Chloe whispered and began to moan as she rubbed herself against him.
It took an eternity for Luke to free himself from Chloe so they could continue running together. He’d considered shooting her with one of the vine cartridges more than once, but he had to keep them together. Instead, he grumbled to himself while Chloe chattered away cheerfully. They were gradually approaching Central Park, and with every step Luke gripped his gun tighter—until something caught his attention.
“And I thought at first that this rain was just a prank by Celine and…”
“Chloe, weren’t you just injured a moment ago?”
Now it was Chloe’s turn to pause and fill the awkward silence with an “uh.”
“Uuuuuuuuh,” she said, seeming to genuinely struggle to give him a reason why she was feeling better now. Luke was just about to shake his head and keep walking when he saw her eyes dart briefly over his shoulder. Immediately, all his alarm bells went off, and he spun around with his gun drawn. Just in time, because at that very moment, something leaped toward him. He pulled the trigger, and the black shadowy creature burst like a water balloon. In its place, a blue runic circle appeared, sucked in the darkness, and vanished. At that very moment, the bang echoed through the streets and reverberated off the walls. Luke flinched. The recoil had hit him hard again, and his hand felt numb. Silence. Even the rain seemed to have stopped making any noise.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” Chloe whispered. Luke was just about to turn to her and ask what she meant when he noticed movement between the cars. Something jumped onto one of the cars and sniffed around before spotting him. That gave Luke just enough time to catch a glimpse of the creature before it ducked back into cover. It had a shiny black body, six legs, and a long, rat-like tail. Whatever these creatures were, Luke could see that they were fast and strong. Some of the cars between them were being shoved aside as if they were running blindly into them.
“Chloe, run!” Luke yelled, sprinting toward the park. They had to get off the street; he wouldn’t stand a chance of hitting those things among the cars. He leaped onto the sidewalk and ran across the grass. Ten steps, twenty, thirty—then he spun around. He raised his gun, but lowered it instantly when Chloe stood before him between the cars, a lecherous smile on her lips.
“For someone who doesn’t go to the gym, you’re pretty fast, Luke. Don’t you want to come and drag me along with you?” she called out, laughing.
“What? Chloe, I…” Just then, twelve of those creatures leaped onto the surrounding cars, and one of them came very close to Chloe. She stroked its back, just as a supervillain would do with a cat.
“So you’re behind this?” Luke asked, his voice trembling. “Did you do this to Kim?”
“Who knows?” Chloe said with a laugh, patting the monster on the back. It immediately charged toward Luke along with the others, and Luke raised his shaky hand.
Next up is another banishment round! he thought, and fired. Two creatures burst into pieces at once, just like the first one, and once again the recoil slammed hard against Luke’s arm. But he didn’t waste any time and fired again. Another hit, just as vines shot up from the ground, grabbing and wrapping around three of the monsters.
“Oh? I see you’ve been helping yourself to the vines in the forest? Did you know I used to love playing with them?” Chloe asked over the sound of Luke’s next shot, while one of the creatures lashed out with its tail and hurled a sticky ball in his direction. It hit him in the leg and pinned him to the ground.
“Shit,” he hissed, tugging at his leg, but no matter how hard he pulled, his leg kept snapping back into the grass.
“Oh ho, Luke. They’ll have you any minute now.”
BANG, BANG, CLICK, CLICK, CLICK
Luke turned pale as three of the creatures remained and now seemed to be laughing at him along with Chloe. But he didn’t let that distract him. He had to keep fighting—for Kim! He opened the revolver’s cylinder. All six chambers were smoking from the heat.
“Good idea, Luke, keep reloading. Come on, grab him!”
Luke gritted his teeth and reached into his pocket to pull out his bullets. He jammed them into the chambers, burning himself on the metal, but closed the cylinder anyway.
The monsters leaped toward Luke. He raised his gun.
BANG
A blue shield stretched out in front of Luke. The monsters leaped against it and burst apart like the others. Shaking, he fell to his knees and began to work on the glue that was eating its way up his leg.
“Damn, Luke, not bad,” Chloe shouted, clapping her hands.
BANG
Vines wrapped themselves around Chloe and mummified her instantly. The plant pressed itself over Chloe’s mouth and eyes. He needed peace and quiet. He had to concentrate. He had to find a way to undo all of this.
“No wonder you guys always gag yourselves,” Luke muttered, pulling the dirt—along with the goo—off his leg. He then managed to scrape the black stuff off his jeans and stood up. Chloe wiggled happily in the vines again, but there was someone else standing next to her. At first glance, it was Kim, but there was no trace of her pretty smile. As if greed and rage had devoured her heart, she grinned maliciously at Luke. Her otherwise light-blue eyes had changed color. One was now violet, while the other was a brilliant red. Her hair was tied into two long, bushy braids, and a crown studded with sharp spikes rested on her head. Her hands were like black claws, and she wore a skimpy latex bodysuit with over-the-knee stockings attached. Her black high heels were adorned with dark gold that shone even in the rainy city. Shreds of latex fell from her shoulders to the ground, like the wings of a bird drenched in oil. Luke knew immediately: This wasn’t his girlfriend. It was the monster holding her captive.
“Not bad, boy… your weapon defeated my monsters and took my servant out of commission. Not that that was particularly difficult,” the monster cried out in Kim’s voice, laughing mockingly. With a wave of its hand, the plants holding Chloe in place were charred, and the blonde crawled on all fours toward Kim’s body to wrap her arms around her leg.
“Thank you, Mistress. Look, I brought him to you. I deserve a reward for that, don’t I?” she whispered eagerly, and Kim looked down at her disapprovingly.
“After you fell into your own trap, you greedy little thing,” she muttered and kicked her aside. At that very moment, however, Chloe moaned as she knelt before Kim, and a shudder ran through her body. At the same time, a collar appeared around Chloe’s neck, with a chain running from it to Kim’s hand.
“Aaaah, thank you, Mistress,” Chloe moaned as Kim stroked her head.
“Maybe a little reward, but remember. We still have a guest. Behave yourself, slave.”
“Yes, Mistress,” said Chloe, licking her lips as she gratefully stroked Kim’s thigh. As she did so, she cast a quick glance at Luke. Chloe’s eyes, too, had turned a pale red.
So she wasn’t the mastermind after all—it was still whatever was inside Kim. Luke thought, flipping open the cylinder of his gun again and reloading the revolver with his last rounds.
Banishment, banishment, vines, shield, lightning, banishment. He counted along and felt around for more rounds, but found only one left. He glanced at it quickly and grimaced. It was the first one he’d made. A prototype and extremely unstable. He was lucky it hadn’t gone off on its own during all that turmoil. His mother must have simply given them all to him.
“Are you done, boy? I have to say, I’m surprised that you...” Kim looked him up and down with disgust, “managed to banish and take out my Shadow Servants. But that won’t work on me. Believe me, I’ve tried!”
Luke raised his aching arm. He had trouble aiming. Trouble taking aim at Kim.
What will happen if I hit her? Would I save Kim, or…? he thought, seeing the mocking smile.
“I’ll tell you what, kid: Why don’t you take your first shot while I prepare the final part of the ritual?” Kim called out, raising her hand. A red runic circle appeared above and below her, while the clouds in the sky began to swirl around her. Lightning flashed overhead and thunder rumbled, making Luke’s ears ring. He had to do it—he had to pull the trigger.
BANG
The blue circle appeared on Kim’s chest. The magic pulled at her, but nothing happened. Kim looked at the runes in astonishment and then at Luke.
“Not bad at all, kid… if only you’d been born 800 years ago. Then the fight would be more interesting.”
Kim made a throwing motion in his direction, and Luke saw the black clouds shoot through the rune circle above her. They transformed into a sticky mass and continued flying toward him. He barely managed to jump aside just as the strands dug deep into the grass behind him. Luke didn’t turn around; he didn’t shoot. He knew he didn’t stand a chance without a plan. Luke ran to the side and threw himself behind a parked car. Immediately, more strands rained down, piercing his cover. Luke stumbled out from behind it and threw himself behind another car. He didn’t jump as far as he’d expected, but that saved his life when a black blade split the car in two and cleaved the asphalt.
“Oh? Jumped too short?” Kim asked amusedly as the black sword rose and lunged at Luke once more. Instinctively, Luke fired at it, and the weapon was swallowed up by the runic circle.
Kim stumbled up the stairs with glazed eyes, further and further. She had already forgotten when she’d stopped counting. Why she was running. The chains were draining her—her strength. Kim swallowed hard. The latex against her skin, the shadows caressing her. It felt good. The climb, on the other hand…
Luke kept running. His heart was racing from exhaustion, stress, and rage. Kim and Chloe’s laughter rang in his ears as he narrowly escaped one attack after another.
BANG
Vines grew around Kim and engulfed her body, but a snap of her finger caused them to vaporize into ash.
“We’ve been through this before, kid. Don’t you have anything new?” Kim shouted, and a new black blade sliced a bus in half horizontally. Luke ducked and rolled across the street. Shards of glass and metal flew past his ears. He felt them piercing his skin, but there was no pain. His arm was the only thing that hurt. But he had to fight, keep running. For Kim. Luke raised his weapon toward the sky as hundreds of needles rained down on him.
BANG
Once again, the blue shield saved him as Kim’s magic shattered against it.
“Watch your back, kid!” Kim shouted, and suddenly Luke was dragged to the ground. Her magic had grabbed his foot and was pulling him across the street. She dragged Luke toward her and pinned his hand to the asphalt with her boot. He pulled, but it was as if his arm were stuck in a vise.
“Really nice weapon, boy. Your willingness to sacrifice yourself is truly honorable. Too bad it’s over now! Take his weapon, slave.”
“Yes, Mistress,” Chloe giggled, crawling toward Luke.
“I’m sorry, Chloe,” Luke said through clenched teeth and pulled the trigger.
BANG
A blinding light flashed on Chloe’s chastity belt, dazzling both women. Kim stumbled backward as even the rain was overwhelmed by the light. Luke seized his chance and scrambled to his feet. He pulled the trigger again.
BANG
Another rune circle appeared directly over Kim’s heart. Once again, it seemed to pull only at her, but nothing else happened.
“Kim, please! I know you’re in there! Please!” he shouted in her face as she rubbed her eyes. Luke grabbed her hands and yelled at her again.
“KIM! PLEASE!”
Kim no longer knew why she was still fighting. Why she was climbing the stairs. The darkness was so inviting. Even warm. She just had to take one step. One step and Jinara would grant her every wish again, wouldn’t she?
“Kim!”
There they were again. The voices of the shadows reaching for her.
“Yes?” she whispered, walking toward the abyss.
“PLEASE! KIM! PLEASE WAKE UP!”
The shadows were panicking. Or so she thought, and she chuckled to herself.
“KIM!”
She blinked. Those weren’t the shadows. She looked up the stairs. There she saw him. Her goal. The mirror, and in it, she saw Luke. So close and yet so far away.
“The stairs...” Kim whispered, stepping away from the abyss. She climbed the stairs again. She ran. She no longer cared about the chains. She had to see Luke.
“LUKE!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.
“LUKE!” Kim screamed, shaking her head and looking up at him. For a brief moment, he could see her bright blue eyes. But just as quickly as they had appeared, they vanished again.
“YOU LITTLE—!” she hissed, wrenching her hands free from Luke’s grip. She grabbed him by the throat and threw him to the ground. Gasping for air, he grabbed Kim’s arm, trying to push her away, but she was choking him.
“What are your last words, human, before I kill you and make this city my new kingdom!” Kim hissed as his strength waned and his arms fell to the ground. Kim watched as the sparkle in his eyes slowly faded. How she had missed it—but soon she would have Kim’s body in her possession forever. As soon as Kim took that final step.
“Wait… where is she?” Kim whispered in panic, and for a moment she let go of Luke.
“I have… one… left,” he said as he took a quick breath and, with renewed strength, picked up his last bullet. For a heartbeat, they both stared at the bullet in his hand. Then he slammed it onto the asphalt, and immediately they were both thrown back by the explosion. Kim was thrown against a building. She landed on her feet and stumbled forward, clutching her head. Then: a scream.
Kim ran—no, flew—up the stairs as the chains dissolved into smoke. The mirror was getting closer. No doubt about it. Jinara would lose. Kim wouldn’t lose her body. She just had to get through the mirror. Just the last few steps.
“GET THE HELL OUT OF MY BODY!” Kim screamed, lunging forward. The mirror exploded into a thousand shards.
Kim stumbled. She squinted into the sunlight as the sky slowly cleared.
“I have my body back?” she asked, looking at her hands. The latex on them was dissolving, and her claws were disappearing. Even the magic stone that had felt like it had been lodged in her chest for years began to crumble and fell to the floor. Her dark robe vanished, leaving her in simple jeans and a shirt. She looked past her hands to the floor. Next to her lay a sleeping Chloe. A magical chain ran from Kim’s hand to her sister’s neck. Disgusted, she tugged on it, and it dissolved instantly. A click could be heard as the chastity belt and bra opened, freeing Chloe.
“Finally, we’re both free, sister,” Kim murmured, but then she remembered: “LUKE!”
She looked around among the rubble, and there she saw him. He was lying unconscious on the floor. She immediately ran to him and skidded to a stop. He wasn’t breathing. His shirt was torn to shreds, and his skin beneath it was bleeding. Kim didn’t know why, but she knew she had to do something. She held her hand over his wounds, and magic flowed from it. The last bit she had left of Jinara. His wounds closed, and he took a breath. She breathed a sigh of relief—until she saw Luke’s right arm. It was covered in blue lines that had burned themselves into his skin.
“Luke… what did you do?” she asked in horror when she noticed the trembling in his arm.
Celine held the phone receiver in her hand, waiting for someone to answer. Impatiently, she tapped her finger on her living room table while Luke, Kim, and Chloe slept on her sofa and armchair. Terra watched over them anxiously, though she herself looked like she needed a bed.
“Come on. It’s already… oh, only four o’clock,” Celine muttered meekly, trying again anyway. She glanced at the TV, which was reporting on the events in Leon City. Of course, people were spinning the story to suit themselves. At least none of them had the sense to realize that they’d almost ended up as a magical battery for an old friend. “Chemical accident at a nearby factory” was the headline, and people believed it.
“Tanja...” someone suddenly said on the other end of the line.
“Aaaaah, hi Tanja. I’m really, really sorry to bother you…”
“Did you know it’s four in the morning in England right now?”
“…at four in the morning. Listen, could a few of my friends stay with you? I just want to know they’re safe.”
Silence. Celine could only hear the sound of a TV in the background.
“Tanja?”
“Yeah… yeah. I need to think about it. Does this have anything to do with the chemical accident I just heard about on the news?”
“A little. I’m afraid someone’s targeting Chloe and her sister. I want to get them out of the country. At least until things calm down here.”
“Haaaaaa. Of course. I, um… might still have room somewhere for two more sisters…”
“Maybe three… or,” Celine said, pausing to think for a moment, “maybe four.”
“That doesn’t make it any easier… haaaaa. I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome.”
Celine hung up and turned to Terra.
“Well?” murmured Terra, looking worriedly at Luke’s arm. Even Phae’s magic couldn’t heal him.
“They should be safe in England for a while. We have to resolve this here before Jinara seeks revenge on them.”
“Do you think we’re ready this time?”
Celine’s mouth tightened into a thin line. She dreaded the answer.
“Where am I?” Jinara thought as she woke up. She knew immediately that she was no longer inside Kim’s body, but she wasn’t without a body either. She found herself in an almost empty shell.
“Hello?” she asked, looking around, but no one answered. “Well… if you don’t want this body anymore… then I’ll just take it for myself.”
Jinara took control, and immediately she felt enormous resistance when she tried to move.
“What the… Fuuuuck,” she cursed as she recognized the body. The weakest vessel she’d ever had. But when she opened her eyes, she saw someone else. A figure was crouching in front of her, whimpering and crying.
“Magic,” Jinara murmured, licking her lips. Maybe a little break was exactly what she needed. To gather her strength and reshape this useless body with the help of the magical source before her.
Crack
She bent a metal strut to the side. It snapped off and clattered to the floor. The woman in front of her startled and looked up. Her pale blue eyes looked familiar to Jinara. She grinned.
“Didn’t expect you to get lost in this era, Terra.”