more action! there's a lot of shit that goes down this chapter (again!) and I had fun with it ;D enjoy!
Judal shows up at his apartment this time, coffee in hand and a messenger bag slung over his shoulder. He looks oddly casual in jeans and a t-shirt, though he's still wearing makeup.
"What are you doing here?" Hakuryuu asks, confused and mildly upset. This is ruining his morning routine.
"Good morning to you too," he answers, but his expression stays cheerful. "I thought it'd be better to just meet you here."
Hakuryuu opens the door, letting Judal in. At least now he can show off how clean he usually keeps his home, rather than the horrible mess it was last time. That almost feels like a lifetime ago, even though logically he knows it hasn't been that long. "I didn't think you remembered where I lived," he settles on saying.
"'Course I do. We've been here to get your car a couple times," he says, flopping on the couch. "Jeez, it looks way better in here! You have such a fancy place."
"Thank you," he says graciously. "I'm sure yours could look better-"
"I've tried," Judal cuts him off. "Cleanliness just isn't my strong point, you should know that by now."
Hakuryuu shakes his head before he goes back to finishing the last of his breakfast. "I also didn't expect you to be ready so early."
"Couldn't sleep," Judal explains. "But all the progress I made'll make everything a breeze."
"Is that wise?"
"Being prepared is a great idea! Usually I just go in and hit things until they break, but I feel like you've been a good influence on me."
Hakuryuu sighs, taking his plate to the kitchen to clean up. "I meant not sleeping."
"Oh, that's nothing. I don't really believe in sleep."
"Everyone needs to sleep, Judal."
"Whatever," he says petulantly. "Are you ready yet?"
"I just need to start the dishwasher before we head out."
He whines loudly. "Fine!"
Judal is still a manic ball of energy when they get to the car and Hakuryuu has no idea how he's so peppy. He kind of wishes he wasn't, because it's making it difficult to follow his directions. Judal's not good at being a navigator and his poor sense of direction takes them all over, instead of a direct route.
"Are we lost?" Hakuryuu finally asks, getting frustrated.
"No," Judal says. "We're just taking my route. We're following unstable magic, you know."
"If we're going to the source I found, I have an address for it. We don't need to-"
"Shh. I've got this under control."
"Do you?"
"Turn there!" Judal says loudly. "Right there!"
Hakuryuu barely makes the turn, tires squealing at the sudden change in direction, and he silently curses Judal. It takes them up a largely unmarked road with trees bordering each side, untamed and forgotten. It was obviously well planned and taken care of at one point, which makes its current state a bit sad.
Judal's peering out the window as they drive, seemingly enthralled by the passing scenery. They lapse into silence until Hakuryuu sees a house looming in the distance.
"Is this it?"
"Look like it," Judal says, whistling. "Yeesh, this place looks like shit."
"It looks abandoned," Hakuryuu says, slowly pulling around to the front and parking. He isn't sure what they're looking for, but the air feels wrong, similar to how the book did at first.
"And it feels like it isn't," Judal tells him, clambering out of the car. "Come on!"
Hakuryuu follows him to the house, hesitantly picking his way across the jagged concrete of the driveway. The wide porch sags on one side and it audibly creaks when Judal climbs the stairs. He pushes on the door with confidence that quickly turns to frustration when it doesn't open.
"Are you having trouble?" Hakuryuu asks, carefully making his way up onto the porch.
"Honestly, I didn't expect it to be locked," Judal whines. "Guess we're doing this the fun way!"
"What?"
Judal pulls out his wand, aims it at the door, and his grin widens so much that Hakuryuu is legitimately concerned. "Stand back!"
"Wait-" he tries to say, but a barrage of ice spears fly at the door, splintering and cracking the old wood. With a horrible groan, the last remains of the door fall away and Judal steps through.
He looks back at Hakuryuu, a cocky grin on his face. "Coming?"
Hakuryuu follows his lead, frowning the whole time. "Was that really necessary?"
"Maybe!" Judal answers, shrugging.
"You have no idea how to be subtle," Hakuryuu tells him, looking around the dim room.
"Thank you!" Judal says cheerfully.
"It wasn't a compliment."
"I chose to take it as one, and that's what's important." He pauses, observing the room carefully. "Upstairs, I think."
"Do you think the stairs will support us?"
Judal shrugs. "If not, I'll fly you up, don't worry." He leads the way through a few more rooms, and everything smells of decay and disrepair. They reach a sprawling grand staircase, obviously beautiful once, but now a crumbled rotting thing. Judal tests the first few steps fearlessly before he motions for Hakuryuu to follow.
The stairs creak and sway, but are thankfully still sturdy enough to hold them the whole way up. The hallway, however, is riddled with holes; the rotted carpeting does nothing to hide that. Judal pauses before moving forward, feet leaving the ground to float over the missing floor.
"Judal?" Hakuryuu calls out. He's not risking falling through the floor for this.
"Hm?" He looks over his shoulder and at least has the decency to look somewhat ashamed. "Shit, sorry! I forgot you, huh?"
"Well, I'm not going to break my neck while you fly away unharmed."
Judal laughs, offering Hakuryuu a hand. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't worry, I got you."
He grips Judal's hand tightly, and, like always, it's somewhat overwhelming how powerful he is. Even with the thick magic hanging in the air, Judal shines through, powerful and dangerous in his own way. And then it's almost as if the ground falls away beneath him as he's pulled closer to Judal, and he feels almost weightless.
Judal tugs on his hand, leading him down the hall. "I'll take you flying for fun later," he promises, and there's a soft fondness in his voice for a reason Hakuryuu can't quite place. But it's ignored for now, filed away for later because they have more pressing issues to worry about. The hallway seems to warp with magic and Hakuryuu is grateful for the steady grip from Judal's hand. It's something to focus on that isn't anger and hatred, and Hakuryuu doesn't have to think about fire and his family and-
"Hakuryuu." Judal's voice cuts through his thoughts. "I think I've found something."
They're in front of a door that looks fresh and new, looking out of place compared to the decrepit walls around it. Judal grabs the gilded doorknob and turns it, and there's a momentary look of surprise on his face when it opens.
The room looks almost normal at first, more preserved than the rest of the house, and they can see how opulent it must have been when it was maintained. The walls are hung with thick silks and everything is gilded and covered in filigree. It exudes elegance and-
"Hey, there's someone in here," Judal says, dragging Hakuryuu into the room to investigate.
It's like a room frozen in time, and Hakuryuu can feel the wrongness intensify as they make their way further in. He wonders how Judal is still so calm. Practice and experience, probably. The floor is solid and whole, and he drops Hakuryuu's hand once he realizes it's safe.
"Heeeeeyyyy!" Judal calls out once he's closer. "Are you friendly or rude?"
No answer. Hakuryuu glances at Judal and he shrugs, moving closer still. The figure is unflinchingly facing a window, the only one with its heavy curtains drawn open.
"Okay look, I'm not gonna sit around and play nice all day. Are you the one that's fucking people up or what?" When they don't respond, Judal stomps closer. "Hey, I'm talking to you here!"
"Judal, maybe you shouldn't be so rude," Hakuryuu tries to reason with him, joining him by the window. Upon closer inspection, he can see that the figure appears to be a young woman, wrapped in a dark robe.
"I do what I want," he snaps, brandishing his wand. "Do you hear that?"
Judal reaches out to shake her shoulder and his hand passes right through her. This, apparently, is enough to disturb her, and she finally turns to look at them. Her robe falls away, revealing pale green hair and a soft pink headdress, but something about it doesn't look right. She looks muted and fuzzy, as though she's started to decay like the rest of the house.
She's staring at Judal's wand intently, though her expression is still placid. "Who are you?" she asks, voice quiet but firm.
Judal shoots her a cocky smirk. "I am the Great Sorcerer Judal," he announces proudly. "And this is my less impressive assistant, Hakuryuu."
"You're a magician," she says, low and threatening. Gone is the polite face, replaced with a deep anger, and Hakuryuu braces himself for the worst. "You have no right to show your evil face here."
"You're turning people into murderers, but I'm the evil one here? I don't think so!" Judal raises his wand and shoots and ice spear at her, only for it to fly right through her and shatter against a wall. Judal frowns and backs up some, and Hakuryuu follows his lead. He murmurs some incomprehensible words, flicks his wand, and the air shimmers in front of them.
"Stay here," he tells Hakuryuu, grinning. "You're not gonna be much help."
The girl turns and Hakuryuu can finally get a good look at her. She's dressed in such finery that he would think she's some sort of royalty if she wasn't in an abandoned building. "How dare you!" she yells. "I am Dunya Musta'sim, the last true princess of my home country, and I will not be attacked by a filthy mage."
"Fuck you, I don't live in a decrepit shack. You're the filthy one!"
She pulls a blackened scepter from her robes and gestures at them. "Mages like you destroyed my home and murdered whoever they wanted for their own greed. You're disgusting creatures."
Judal rolls his eyes. "Whatever, lady," he says dismissively before brandishing his wand again.
Shadows crawl across the floor and raise up, turning into something solid to wrap around Judal's ankles. He glances down angrily. "Hey! Get off!"
He shoots some sort of dangerous looking spell at them and they dissipate for a moment. Another tendril tightens around his wrist until he cries out and drops his wand. Hakuryuu watches it clatter across the floor and behind another writhing mess of shadow as Judal struggles, screeching obscenities the whole time. He's not powerless without his wand; Hakuryuu has seen him do little things without it before. But it's not just for show, either.
Judal eventually pulls free of the shadows, twisting almost impossibly to slip through them. He can't reach his wand, so he just he'll just fight without it for now. He weaves a spell in his hand, energy glowing at his fingertips, and Dunya turns her attention to him.
Hakuryuu looks at the shimmering air in front of him, considering his options. Dunya seems focused on Judal for now, twisting the air around herself to deflect any spells he flings at her. He can see Judal's wand from where he is, but he's fairly certain Judal's protective shield won't follow him there. Hakuryuu to decides to risk it, rolling across the floor while Dunya is distracted. When his fingers close around the wand, Hakuryuu can feel something resonate within him. The metal feels warm to touch, almost friendly, and he has one goal: get it back to Judal.
He dodges more creeping tendrils, trying to keep himself safe and out of sight as he makes his way to Judal. He's almost in the clear, but Dunya sees him before he can quite make it over. The ceiling cracks and warps until there's a dark sky overhead, and the rolling clouds harden into swords, poised to rain down on them, and he doesn't have time to be subtle anymore.
"Judal!" he yells.
Judal turns, and his face brightens when he sees the wand in Hakuryuu's hand. "You got it! Thanks!"
Hakuryuu runs over, passing off the wand, and it pulses in his hand when Judal grabs it. There's a brief flash of something indescribable on Judal's face, but then it's gone, replaced with determination. For all his usual casual attitude, Hakuryuu has to admit that he's impressive when he puts his mind to it, practically radiating power.
"You wanna fight? I'll give you a fucking fight!" Judal yells, grinning maniacally. His wand glows and twists into something new, growing and stretching into a dangerous looking staff. He lunges forward and the air crackles around him, lightning shattering some of the swords in the air. Dunya frowns, directing more swords with her scepter, and Judal merely laughs.
"Stupid bitch! I ain't here to get stabbed, not today," he screams, a flurry of ice and lightning and unbridled power as he flies towards her.
Dunya just stares at him, annoyed but unimpressed. "I cannot be hit by your magic, foolish boy. I'm above that."
"Says you!" Judal slams headfirst into her, and there's a shower of sparks as they clash. "I'm better than whatever weakass magicians you dealt with before."
Hakuryuu jumps to avoid an errant sword and turns, trying to find the barrier Judal set up before with no luck. Lightning tears though a wall and Hakuryuu freezes, expecting it to go up in flames. But instead it seems to dissolve, wood splintering into nothing as more magic takes it out.
"You're dead," Judal tells Dunya, one arm encased in ice as he attempts to land a hit. "You can't just hang around because you're upset about some shit that happened in the past."
"I don't need to hear that from a vain little sorcerer who doesn't want to die. Aren't you a bit past your own lifetime?"
He shrugs, dodging another barrage of swords and deflecting them back at her. "Yeah, but I never let anyone off me!"
She raises her scepter again and everything feels wrong and dizzy, and the room tilts, just slightly. Gravity doesn't feel right, but Judal seems immune. Probably because he's still flying, avoiding her attacks. Hakuryuu grabs hold of a wall as their fight sends the room into a topsy-turvey mess.
Judal is quick and nimble, slipping through more than one close situation. But it's not as random as it looks, Judal's weaving path through shadows and tendrils: Dunya's swords are too slow to catch him, and instead she runs her own spells through, trapping her in a writhing mass of shadows. .
"Got ya!" Judal says triumphantly, and rains down black lightning on the whole mess.
When the smoke clears, Dunya is still standing, but just barely. There room shimmers and Hakuryuu can see peeling wallpaper forming in places as the carpeting fades under his feet.
Judal looks down at her. "Just 'cause you're a ghost doesn't mean I can't hit you. So what's your deal? Maybe if you actually talk, I won't toast your spectral ass."
Dunya sinks down, looking more like a lost girl than a vindictive ghost, but doesn't seem ready to talk. Probably because Judal isn't exactly the most welcoming and comforting.
Now that the room feels almost right again, Hakuryuu makes his way over. "Maybe you shouldn't threaten people and expect them to listen."
Judal jerks his thumb at Dunya. "She attacked us!"
"Do you even know if destroying her would stop the infection?"
Judal looks at him defiantly, but his silence answers the question.
Dunya is silently watching them talk, perhaps considering her next attack. Hakuryuu isn't the best at diplomacy, but he's got to be better than Judal. Maybe he can get her to open up.
"We want to help you," Hakuryuu says, and now that he's said it, it seems like the lamest comfort he could offer. Dunya glowers at him. "You're hurting people."
"You just want to get rid of me," she hisses at Judal. "You're here to finish the job."
"Lady, I have never seen you before in my life."
"Judal!" Hakuryuu wishes he'd just shut up. "The only thing we want to get rid of is the curse that's hurting people. You can't really want people to suffer like this."
"They took everyone I loved, so now everyone can witness their loved ones dying while they're helpless to stop it!" Dunya yells, tears filling her eyes.
"Killing random people won't bring your friends back," Judal says, and there's a raw bit of honesty in his voice that catches Hakuryuu's attention. "What are you even doing here, anyway?"
"They sent me away to get an education here, with servants and a bodyguard for company. I barely saw my parents, but I had Isaac and his mother, and we were happy," Dunya explains. "But there was a war in my homeland while I was away, and magicians seized power in the end. It was- it was a bloody revolt, so I couldn't ever go back. I couldn't even risk going anywhere outside of this property. This felt like a prison, but everyone tried to make me as happy as possible."
Dunya trails off, staring at the scepter in her hands. "They tried...for a long time, but nothing was enough to keep me hidden forever. Eventually someone figured out where I was, and I guess they wanted to finish the job."
"They were probably afraid you'd come back and try to claim the throne," Judal interrupts. "Political shit, you know?"
She glares at him, but continues. "I don't know their exact reasons, but everyone tried to save me, even when it seemed hopeless. Isaac…" Her eyes cloud with tears again, and she stubbornly blinks them away. "I watched them torture him when he wouldn't move aside, even after everyone else was dead. He…" She shakes her head. "Maybe if they'd just given me up, they wouldn't all have died."
Judal opens his mouth, presumably to disagree, and Hakuryuu subtly elbows him.
"And that's all," Dunya says. "I can't ever see anyone I love again and it isn't fair, so no one can-"
"People don't really go throwing massive magical coups anymore," Judal says, and Hakuryuu almost can't believe how rude he is. "Seriously, I would have heard of some giant uprising. How long have you been here?"
She looks lost and frustrated. "Years, decades maybe? I don't know; I can't remember. But you're just here to ruin things!" She turns to face Hakuryuu, brandishing her scepter at him. "Maybe I'll send your little friend after you, then. And his whole family, too-"
"Hakuryuu's not gonna fall for that little trick," Judal says confidently, even as Dunya's eyes flash with rage and power. Hakuryuu's head hurts, like something's trying to rip through it, but the pain fades almost instantly. As his head clears he can hear Dunya screaming in frustration.
"Told you so!" Judal says, laughing.
A beat passes, and Hakuryuu is almost certain that Dunya will attack them again, that nothing they said mattered, but instead she winds back down, curling in on herself as she finally cries. She's nothing more than a victim of fate and bad luck, and as she cries she starts to flicker and fade away. The room withers away with her, curtains rotting and walls crumbling, until there's nothing left but a broken scepter.
Judal plucks it off the ground and carefully slips it into his bag. There's a moment of calm before a splintering creak, and the floor starts to fall apart underneath them.
"Shit!" Judal yells, grabbing Hakuryuu's arm just in time to save him from falling through. He flies them out through a missing window, and they can hear more of the house crumbling apart as they leave.
He deposits them at the car, safely out of the way of the house, and his oversized staff changes back into his usual wand. At Hakuryuu's questioning stare, he just shrugs. "It's easier to carry around this way, even if it doesn't look as cool."
"Do you think she's gone?" Hakuryuu asks, staring up at the mansion. It seems even older now, without Dunya's influence.
"I don't feel her presence anymore, and this book is totally harmless now," Judal answers, leaning up against the car to observe the house as well. "Yeesh, what a little brat."
Hakuryuu joins him at the car, shaking his head. "You have no sympathy for people."
Judal eyes him up. "Do you?" he asks, and Hakuryuu feels like he's being tested and judged, though not necessarily in a bad way.
There's a silence, where Hakuryuu considers his options, and Judal changes subjects before he has a chance to answer. "The last true magical uprising I can remember was a couple hundred of years ago, in some little country in Europe somewhere," he tells Hakuryuu. "She looked the part, but this was a new issue."
Hakuryuu nods, thinking that bit of information over. "Maybe she kept getting angrier over time?"
"Maybe," Judal says, but he doesn't sound convinced. They lapse into silence while Judal plays with his phone, and Hakuryuu moves to get into the car when Judal lets out a gleeful noise. "Nope, I got it!" He shoves his phone at Hakuryuu, grinning. "See, they had an estate sale here a few months back. It probably disturbed her."
"That does make some sense."
"Case fucking closed!" Judal looks pleased. "You weren't too shabby back there, especially since you can't even do any magic."
"I just got you your wand," he says, finally getting in the car.
Judal tosses his messenger bag in the backseat and joins him, still smiling. "You did it strategically, though."
Hakuryuu nods. "Of course. But I am wondering...how come she couldn't affect me?"
"I cast a protection spell on you," he says nonchalantly.
"Oh. Well, thank you, I suppose."
Judal just grins at him. "I wasn't sure what to expect in there! So you're welcome. But shit, that kind of wiped me out. Let's go home," he demands, yawning.
"Can I look up directions this time?"
He laughs. "Okay, okay, you can be the navigator. It's not like I have any idea where we are."
Judal falls asleep minutes into the drive, leaving Hakuryuu alone with his thoughts. He keeps thinking back to Dunya and her twisted sense of vengeance, and it hits a little too close to his own feelings to be comfortable. He almost wonders if he would share her fate one day, and he's relieved to finally drop Judal off at the shop.
"You can just go home," Judal tells him sleepily. "I'm going to pass the fuck out again. Night!"