Hello, everyone! Welome to the second chapter! If you like it, please leave a rating or a review! I'd love to hear what you guys say about my writing!
2
A brown-haired boy opened a letter in a dark alley with trembling fingers. He licked his dry lips, his mouth suddenly feeling dry and sticky, not that different from a desert. The boy forced his eyes onto the paper to read the small print:
Michael,
I hope you're doing well. I have a special request for you. I must keep this brief, for I have company coming over in a few, and just in case this message gets in the wrong hands. How long has it been, Michael, since we last talked in person; man-to-man? I miss those days Michael, when you weren't as busy with your work to come into my office to chat with me. That sounds selfish, doesn't it?
Now, like I said before, I have a special request for you. I don't know how long this'll take, or if you'll survive this, really. Before I tell you about your mission, let me just tell you that you will be dealing with Pure-bloods – lots and lots of Pure-bloods. Your markings will certainly come in handy in this mission. I guess you can call it an A-rank mission. A suicide mission, maybe, if you're not careful enough. (Although I doubt you are dumb enough to not be careful, Michael.)
Jesse will come for you tomorrow at noon, at the Devil's Den. It's on the other side of the town you are in, Michael. If you really must, go ahead and ask someone for the Devil's Den. Really, I thought that your mark of Navigation would help, if you get lost. I mean, that's the only reason why you have it, isn't it? I expect you to know the codeword, and for you to dress… appropriately for this special occasion. You will have to guards to assist you. Maybe then you will have a chance to survive the first month. I expect you to keep your... illness in check at all times during the mission. Coughing up blood in the middle of a battle is obviously inappropriate.
Michael, you only have one try to make this work. I expect you to do this safely and how you were taught. Don't die on me, like the others. You have one chance. Use it wisely.
Oxxxxxxn
Michael swallowed nervously. He shoved the letter into his pocket, not caring what Octavian might say about his paper. He walked out of the alley, hands stuffed into his pocket, looking slightly disheveled and uncomfortable. A look of agitation showed only his eyes. He trembled, as Octavian's last words to him replayed itself over and over in his mind. You only have one chance. Use it wisely. He shuddered. The more he thought about it, the more it bothered him. He closed his eyes, the letter pressed to his chest. Sweat beaded his face, for he was quite nervous. He could hear Octavian's shallow laugh, taunting him. He knew right then that he would have to do the mission. If Octavian requested for it, then it is my duty to comply.
This was going to be a long journey.
This was considered suicide, right? A mission so deep and impossible. Mission Impossible. Michael chuckled as he thought of that. And in the end, the main character always dies, he thought. Eighteen years of living didn't seem right. He was scared to die. Who wouldn't be? The boy, fatigued as can be, blacked out, collapsing against the alley wall, clutching the letter to his chest. It wasn't the first time that this had happened. It was somewhat normal to the boy, but it always caught him by surprise. All he could see was darkness, and yet his consciousness had not been lost.
Michael. When was the first time that I had been called Michael? It was when Octavian found me, right? I remember that... I was lying in an alleyway... coughing up blood... Twelve years old, I was. I had no idea that the drug was going to kill me... Death is on its way, isn't it? I know it... I can feel myself slipping away into darkness... I could feel Death's cold, bony hands reach down and play with my body; my hair, my hands, my face. I blacked out that time, too, didn't I? I thought that I was dead. I thought I was going to Hell, for taking too much of that drug. I didn't know better. I didn't know that I was going to die.
Death. What a simple and yet scary thought. I don't have much time to live... Doctors say another year, but I think I can live for longer. These runes will help me. I am an angel. I cannot die yet. I cannot die. I will not die... I can die. I am mortal. God hates me. It's all that stupid drug's fault. Six years with living with it... and now... I am going... to die... God save me, for I am as merciless as the rest who have come seeking for your help.
The drug, it's able to kill even God if he tried. How could I have gotten myself addicted? It doesn't really have a name, does it, although many people call it Deadly Lavender, right? It has a sickly sweet taste that some people can never get into, like candy. I was merely twelve years old, and it had tasted so good. I craved it. It made me feel so... good. I had forgotten about everything in the world. It made me happy and energetic, but also it was slowly killing me. It doesn't take long for someone to get addicted. I got addicted after my fifth try. Geez, how embarrassing. Does Caleb know about my secret? I hope not. I don't want to be a grenade, hurting everyone that gets close to me. I don't want to hurt anyone when I die. Not even the Old Man. This stupid sickness is really going to kill me, isn't it? I know... every time I take the drug I can feel a portion of my life stolen away from me. And yet I have to take it, or else I will die for sure. It hurts when I don't take it. My body feels tired and aches... and then it turns into pain... then agony... until my heart beats no more and it is useless to even try to revive me. Yes... that's how I will die, isn't it?
If there's one thing that scientists still haven't figured out yet, it's the cure to this Deadly Lavender