Demons, part 7

In a realm of nightmares, Blythe stood facing another version of himself. This mirage seem to be him, but older and wilder. Tendrils of blood danced in the air between them. "You're not real", stated Blythe, trying to relax. The vision laughed menacingly. "How can you be so sure?", it teased. "This place isn't real. You're just a manifestation of my subconscious", replied Blythe. His other self stood lax as the blood started to orbit languidly around him. "Figured out that much, have you? Then let me ask you this - If I'm just a mirage conjured by your fears, then I am obviously what you see yourself becoming. Why is that it, Blythe? Do you fear the madness or welcome it?", taunted the mirage. Through sheer force of will, Blythe calmed himself in the face of this question.

Slowly, he met the eyes of this taunting image. "You're wrong. The one that controls this place, the witch, she just picked up bits of information from my mind, just enough to conjure you. This entire place is a trap meant to paralyze its victims...Some form of twisted dream magic", stated Blythe. His other self seemed annoyed by this, making an awful sneer despite the static within its image. Another crack splintered the sky overhead. A dark stare pierced Blythe straight to his soul as the mirage took on the shape of the witch, North. She glared at him with distaste. "You're smarter than you look, mage. How did you figure out my spell so quickly?", she asked, sceptically. Blythe grinned faintly. "I've spent most of my life living alongside fear. It's not so bad once you get used to it", he replied calmly.

The sky shattered, revealing a darkness of molten memories. North glanced toward the shifting images with little interest. "If you don't fear the past or the future, what of the present?", she said, taking on a confident stance. "What do you mean?", inquired Blythe, taking a step back. North chuckled at his unease. "You're friend is here, too. Did you know he's keeping a secret from you?", she taunted. Blythe squinted at her in question. In the distance, Kavi and Jasper finally laid on eyes on the blood mage. "Go", said Jasper, nodding toward him. Kavi nodded in kind, thanking his brother before taking off in a run.

"He's close and he's afraid. He doesn't want you to know the truth, but this world is mine and with the two of you in it, I have access to all of your memories. Let's take a look, shall we?", said North, with an evil sneer. The darkness behind them settled into one image - Tanya, Blythe's sister. She was clearly staring down someone she hated. You could see it in her face, but who? Taunts were made and blows were exchanged. Then it finally hit Blythe. He recognized the voice behind the camera (as it were). It was Kavi. In a flash of horrid rage, Kavi's hands settled over Tanya's ears and unleashed a terrible sound. Her screams chilled him. Then, he saw her fall, dead and Kavi's blood soaked hands came into view, shaking violently. Then North pulled the plug and the rest of the memory was lost.

Blythe was in shock. Everything felt numb and heavy all at the same time. Eventually, he realized his name was being called. He slowly turned to find Kavi skidding to a halt nearby, shame in his eyes. "I can explain", panted the desperate dragon slayer. The sight of tears on Blythe's face was like a knife to his heart, knowing he was the cause. North laughed wildly behind them, clearly amused by their pain. "Why?", uttered Blythe, his voice shaking. Kavi straightened his posture, catching his breath. "She killed them all, Blythe...Everyone from the guild...She was targeting Veda. I had to do something!", replied Kavi, somewhat pleading for mercy in his tone. His own tears beginning to fall, he sadly stated, "It was the biggest mistake of my life."
North's terrible laughter was annoying, but Kavi couldn't peel his eyes away from Blythe's horrified stare. "I'm sorry", he uttered with earnesty. "Have fun, boys", taunted North, vanishing from sight. Blythe couldn't move. He wanted to take that expression off his face, but he just couldn't. He felt so torn inside. Kavi simply stood and stared, waiting for a response. He was terrified he would lose the only light in his life because of his past actions. The wind whipped up the sand, blowing fiercely between the transfixed mages. Finally, Blythe took a deep breath and started walking toward his lover. Kavi was nervous. Blythe looked angry, an odd look for his sweet nature. A mere step away, Kavi flinched and braced for impact. Seconds later, he opened his eyes in surprise. He hadn't been hit. He was being embraced. Blythe wept into his shoulder. "Why? Why did you think you had to bear such a heavy burden all by yourself?", he sobbed. Kavi's entire being gave way to shaking as the two dropped to their knees.

"You don't hate me?", asked Kavi, breathlessly. Blythe hugged him harder in response. "I only hate that you felt you couldn't share that pain. I know you. You took no pleasure in killing Tanya. In fact, it eats at you, doesn't it?", he replied. Giving in to the moment, Kavi returned the embrace, grateful for someone so pure at his side. A few minutes passed as nerves were gathered. Rising from the sand, Blythe offered his hand. "Let's get out of here. Jasper's waiting", he said, offering a soft smile. Accepting the gesture, Kavi, too, got to his feet. "How?", he asked, staring into the void around them. Blythe kept a firm grip on his hand. "This is all an illusion, a prison of fear. Go to your happy place and the illusion will shatter", explained Blythe. Kavi looked to him in wonder. When did that sweet, goofball get so wise? With a faint smile, the answer came to him. The ultimate weapon against fear was love. Leaning in, both were set free.

-

Back in the real world, Kavi's eyes focused just as North's blade grazed his throat. Behind him, she held on, waiting to catch his limp body. "Even if you get out, you'll have nowhere to return to", she smirked. To her surprise, a barrage of throwing knives came from her other victim's direction, pinning her to the wall by her clothing and hair. "Impossible!", she shouted, realizing Blythe was free from her spell. She watched as Blythe ran to Kavi in panic. A simple nod from the dragon slayer set him at ease. "What?!", cried the witch, "You're supposed to be dead! I sliced your throat open like a fish!" Kavi turned to meet her fiery gaze with a smirk. His collar fell loose from the cut, revealing his scales. "What are you?!", hissed North. Her athame was clearly not enough to pierce a dragon's scales.

Blythe loosely wrapped his arms around Kavi's shoulders and beamed at the pinned witch. "Your knife will never be enough to take down the defenses my mother left behind", stated Kavi. He reached forward and set his hand over her eyes. North shrieked in panic, awaiting what she had seen in his mind. Instead, a string of inaudible notes rendered her unconscious. In her terror, she never saw Kavi's other hand touch Blythe's ear, pulsing a harmless string of beats to cancel out the attack. North hung limply against the wall, pinned by Blythe's knives. "What should we do with her? It's too dangerous to leave her alone", said Blythe. "She'll be out for a while, even if someone comes along and tries to wake her", replied Kavi. As a moment of silence passed through, he blushed at Blythe's affection. (He'd since tightened his grip.) "Don't forget, you're not alone anymore", uttered the blood mage, followed by a soft kiss on the cheek. Kavi grinned faintly. "You're right. I'm sorry", he sighed.

"We should probably find Yona before she destroys something important", stated Kavi. Blythe chuckled in agreement. Turning to find an exit, he was stopped by a firm grip on his wrist. Turning toward his lover, he asked, "What is it?". Kavi's expression was dark and his eyes downcast. "I saw something in there", he said solemnly. Slowly looking up, he said, "You died." Blythe relaxed and offered a soft grin. "Likely a just another mirage", he offered. Kavi shook his head. "No. I think it was from when your magic awakened. Fairy Tail was there", he explained. He started trembling and uttered, "There was so much blood." Blythe looked on helplessly. True, Kavi had been told about the incident, but it seemed he wasn't aware of all of the details. Blythe took Kavi's hand and pressed it to where the stake had pierced his torso. "See? No hole. I'm all right", he said. Kavi calmed faintly. Finally he said, "I'm sorry. I guess I played it down in my mind so I wouldn't worry, but it was serious...Don't ever do it again." Blythe nodded with a smile and the two set off to seek out Yona and Jasper. Hopefully, the worst of the coven's trials were over.

-

To be continued...