This is the NEW beginning chapter for Spellbound, that i have re-written after a month (or two, looking back now) of losing sleep over the point of view and awful present tense. To anyone who has read the first chapter before this one, i am so sorry. to any new readers, may you never know what came before this. may you never hear of this poor, confused author's attempts at writing late at night. may she never write in first person, and present tense again. (im posting to both and archiveofourown now)

Disclaimer: I only own my characters and the subplots.

Prologue: Premonitions.

Callie pulled herself up from the hard ground and stood in a daze for a few moments, watching fireflies obscure her vision. She felt drained– lifeless. Her shoulders sagged with invisible weight. She shook her head, batting away her fatigue and the invisible lights in front of her– she needed to focus. It was all she could do at the moment, injured, unarmed, and completely without any help.

She forced her feet to move with as much energy as she could muster, and the moment she did, her foot hit something hard– like a dead weight. It was only until she stood, blinking in confusion, before she realized that what she had hit with her foot, was literally dead weight. It was a body.

And it wasn't just a body either– Callie bent down to grab their lifeless, gloved hand. –It was the corpse of a very close friend of hers.

But it couldn't be, could it? How could he be dead? How could he be, after everything they had been through? He wasn't supposed to die. He couldn't die– If he did, then that would mean–

"You lost." A voice answered her thoughts. She looked up, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill over her dusky cheeks. Oh god– he can't be dead–

Robin strode over to her, ignoring the body altogether and focusing on her terrified expression. He stood with dark streaks of blood down the side of his face, running down his arm and dripping from his pale fingertips. Two bright, red glowing orbs replaced where his eyes would be; his skin was taut and stretched over his features. He looked close to death himself– more like an animal than human, more skin and bone than soft flesh.

"Why do you cry for him?" Robin knelt down to meet her watery eyes. "He's dead– he isnt coming back– why would grieve over one singular, puny life?"

"Chrom–" Callie swallowed, forcing down her grief. "–You killed him. Oh god, Robin–." She choked, gripping onto Chrom's hand even tighter. As if that would bring him back.

The body of Robin curiously watched her as tears fell past her cheeks, and down her face. He quickly made a move to grab her chin, and Callie froze, horrified, as his cold fingers roughly wiped away the water from her face, smearing it with the blood on his hands.

"No…" Robin whispered. "You killed him. He's dead because of you. They both are."

She could dimly feel something inside of her crumble. Too afraid to do anything, and too late to save her friend from being murdered. And now his blood was on her face. what if he was right– what if it really was her fault.

"Though i admit, physically killing him my own hands might make me somewhat guilty." His face twisted into a sickly-thoughtful expression. "I may have to take partial responsibility after all, hmm..."

"Robin, please–" Callie choked, new tears taking the place of her old ones, rushing past the ugly bloodstains on her face. "–You don't have to do this, you can still fight–"

"Robin is dead. He isn't coming back. Please do try to understand that– I have no time for your petty grief." He chided.

The heart of Grima shrugged, looking down at the fallen prince with a bored expression on his face. "Humans are weak– do you suppose that's Naga likes them so much?" He mused.

"And this body–" He leaned closer to her, and Callie flinched backwards. "Why do you suppose he let me in?" He bared his pointed teeth and smiled. "Because he's weak–"

He stood up suddenly, looking down at Callie from under his hood; his face illuminated by his brilliantly glowing eyes. He raised one of his arms and pointed at her, sparks of bright lightning began curling around his fingers and trailing up his forearm. He didn't even need a tome to kill her now.

"–and so are you." He scolded, letting the spell shoot past his fingers, and straight into her chest.

(really really sorry about the super long dry spell! i got through the 4 chapter and realized i needed to change pov and then my motivation crumbled)

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