After going back up to my room, I saw that someone had put my sketchpad on my bed. I haven't drawn in forever.
I picked up the book, and flicked through it.
This wasn't right.
Everything was defaced. The portraits had crude scribbled over it, the landscapes had been coloured it as if a three year old had done it.
I looked through the whole book, each picture ruined more than the last.
When I reached the picture of Ash.. I couldn't take anymore. I closed the book, left it on the floor and ran out, crying.
I ran down to the hall, passing Ash on the way. I kept going until I was out of that damned castle. I ran down to the forest. I ran through it until I couldn't run any further, because I ran out of breath and the trees were too thick to run through.
I sank down a large oak tree, and sat there crying until I had no tears left.
At some point, Ash came up and sat with me. We didn't say anything, just sat together for a while. After the sun had set, Ash left. I looked back at where he had been sitting, my martial art gear was there.
My gui, katana, gloves, throwing knives, sticks. Everything.
A silently thanked Ash, and changed into my coal black gui. I strapped my katana to my waist, put my arm guard on and slipped the throwing knives into it. I left the gloves and sticks own.
I did some basic stretches and warm ups before taking out my blade and practising attacks and blocks.
I kept just hacking and kicking at an invisible enemy,
I shut my eyes and pretended that I was in a war, everything around me was trying to kill me.
I dropped my katana at one point so I started kicking and punching until I could reach it again.
I threw my knives at an archer behind me. Stabbed a knight to my left, and kicked a guard behind me.
Once I had defeated all my imagined foes, I opened my eyes again and collected all my gear, I went over to the tree that took the full force of my knives. I had scored a cluster.
It seems that I had improved since I left.
As I was walking back, my gear and clothes in my hands. I had kept my gui on. I heard a twig snap behind me.
I turned around, just in time to see a dark figure duck behind a tree.
I snuck around the tree, but as I guessed, there was nothing there.
I shrugged it off, and jogged back up to the castle.
I went through the front door, and as expected Dylan was there.
I ignored him and just went up to my room.
He followed me up, but I shut him out.
I wanted to be alone.
I went to sit on my bed, staring at the sketchbook.
Suddenly, a flame erupted from the middle of the cover.
What?
I don't have magick.
I was entranced by the flames, a deep gold colour, dancing as if there were no tomorrow.
I caught a glimpse of myself in my phone screen.
My eyes.
They had turned gold.
A mirror of the flames.
I closed my eyes, and willed this to be fake, when I opened them. The flames were gone, and my eyes were back to their normal deep blue.