AN
' ' indicate Malcolm's past self thoughts.
This version is unbeta'd and may be reuploaded in the future đ.
A vacant decayed forest beyond the empty fields concealed the two men from the silver moonlight. Malcolm sat on a tree's stump with his shirt off. The cold winter night caused his teeth to chatter and the hairs on his arms to raise.
"to get rid of this mark, I'll be lookin' inside your conscience and mana system," Tobias said. He motioned his hands with a cautious gesture.
Malcolm nodded, but winced at his private thoughts being invaded. He let out an exhausted sigh and tilted his head back, his eyes peered into the shimmering moon. Tobias' cold fingertips broke his gaze as they traced his arms and neck. In response, waves of drowsiness pulled at Malcolm like the moon would to the tides. Malcolm heard Tobias speak, but his lips didn't move.
"I'll try to make this quick." Tobias' voice echoed around Malcolm. The thick dense brush faded to black, and, with another slow blink, replaced itself with a familiar scene.
"whoa." Malcolm mouthed the words while he turned his head to glance around. The scene flashed around him to how the two first met.
The event continued through its usual introduction, at a nearby wooden tavern where a wealthy man stayed. Malcolm breezed through picking the lock to his target's room. He peered inside and stared in both shock and amusement. Tobias sat on the man's bed gleefully counting the assortment of golden coins. Malcolm's former self leered at Tobias with a scowl.
"what are you playin' at here, sir?" Malcolm asked. A blue pulse of mana arched across his palm. He brandished his gun with a wave of his hand and stared at the other man with a cocky grin. His hand held the trigger firmly.
"Oh, are you the joker that got delt after me?" Tobias quipped his reply and brandished a joker card with a wave of his hand. "or are you just lookin' for a slice as well?" He returned Malcolm's grin with a coy smile.
'Heh. This guy's crafty, and kinda cute.' Malcolm's cheeks burned to a familiar cherry color. The thoughts from his past self came out in echoes as if he spoke aloud.
I hope fate can't hear these too. He thought.
The scene whipped away with a gust of wind to darkness, then slowly a new scene bled to the surroundings.
'Why did that rat do this?' The floored voice came through strong enough to crack the ground from under him. He reflected on this moment, weary Tobias could hear his current thoughts. Though defeat washed over him, Malcolm held his ground over the feelings being normal. His bloodied body laid helpless on the cold Ionian soil as endless curses lashed out against Tobias leaving without him.
The thoughts seemed endless, but they broke with a slow withering to black. Malcolm lingered in the darkness and desired solitude from his past. He closed his eyes, no distractions being all he wanted. He exhaled a thankful sigh and wondered how long Tobias would take to find a solution.
White flashes of light shattered his blissful ignorance. Once again, another memory replayed.
Malcolm squinted his eyes with his mouth agape as the scene came into focus. His former self rested in a makeshift bed of tattered blankets and brush. Tobias stood several feet away against one of the several broken trees in the decayed vacant field. This scene existed nowhere inside his memory. He dismissed it as a side effect of Tobias working inside him, but watched the scene cautiously.
'This better be worth my while at eleven at night.' Malcolm's past self stood up from the bedding and dusted himself off. He yawned, then stretched liberally before walking a few feet away where Tobias stood.
"ya know, Fate. I reckon you should let me sleep," Malcolm said with a low yawn.
Tobias laughed and placed a hand on Malcolm's shoulder. "listen here partner, I got something to ask ya," Tobias replied. He glanced into Malcolm's groggy eyes, blue pulses of mana arched through his eyes like lightning bolts.
"this early in the mornin?" Malcolm face palmed, then let his hand drop to his side.
"all you gotta tell me is one thing. What do you desire most?"
Uneasy intuition struck Malcolm. The withered trees, raw air, and shining silver moonlight proved this occasion should be memorable. Transparent magical rings flew towards his past self as Tobias repeated his earlier question. Malcolm watched intently as his old self fought against Tobias' spell.
'damn it! I ain't tellin him that.'
"I desire..." Malcolm's doppelgÀnger clenched his teeth after the remark. He scowled at Tobias and glared into his eyes.
'What the hell, Fate?' Malcolm's prior self scrunched his face up and jerked his face aside from Tobias gaze. Tobias placed one hand on Malcolm's shoulder and another on his cheek and rubbed against his face with a tenderness Malcolm knew he'd remember. Tobias gently guided his face back towards his eyes.
"you can tell me anything, partner." Tobias carried a relaxed and encouraging tone. The pulses of magic returned. Malcolm's cheeks burned a faint red color while he opposed the compulsion. He groaned, fighting magic proved to be worthless.
"It's... you! Malcolm's eyes widened, the hairs on his arms lifted at his confession. Tobias broke eye contact and threw his arms around him with a heartfelt sigh. Malcolm returned the embrace with his eyes clenched to a close and a curse under his breath.
"it's all right." Tobias squeezed his arms tighter around him. "I feel the same way, too."
They stood in silence under the crescent moon. With a sharp turn of his head, Malcolm disengaged himself off the scene. He held a finger under his lip and furrowed his brow. Evelynn's desire spell made sense now, but that still left an unanswered question. It was like an itch Malcolm couldn't scratch.
A gust of wind snapped him back to the scene, blue zaps of energy encased around both Malcolm's old self and Tobias. He watched with his mouth cupped in his palm as the realization crushed him.
"forget both your feelings for me and what happened at midnight, Malcolm," Tobias said. His voice croaked with regret, and his eyes watered with a loss Malcolm couldn't deny hurt Tobias more than him. "I'm sorry."
The scene vanished in a fade to black, leaving Malcolm alone to stomach the news. He stared blankly ahead, unsure of why Tobias would force him to forget.
Evelynn? He thought.
The blank abyss dissolved into the colorful room from his previous deadly encounter. Traces of darkness unveiled Leblanc's figure, her purple eyes stared into Malcolm's. Her mischievous smile spread softly as she paced towards Malcolm. She giggled as she approached him with glee. The mark on his stomach burned in rhythm with her laughter. Malcolm stepped back from her advance while he clutched where the pain radiated.
"the black rose will bloom once more," Leblanc said. She winked at Malcolm, and her body dissipated to an outline of dark energy. Crows emerged from the dark clot of magic and flocked around Malcolm as he continued to walk.
"now I know why she wasn't as strong before." Endless caws and sounds of flapped wings filled Malcolm's ears. "He made you forget. She only fed off of his pain."
"that's enough, wench." Tobias' voice boomed in the distance. Malcolm shuddered, Tobias' hand rested on his shoulder. "I've figured out your game, and you ain't taking him." Tobias squeezed Malcolm's shoulder, and a yellow card fell from the sleeve of his other hand. He held it between his fingers as he examined the flocking crows.
"He's already dead just about, but if you insist on trying to have at it," she scoffed. Her voice came from above where the crows flocked. "distortion."
"Xao-Tirivi!" Tobias shouted. He flicked the yellow card above them. Malcolm watched with awe as it combusted into a golden color, the flock of crows cascaded from the sky in yellow flames. With a counter-clockwise motion of one hand and clockwise with the other, Tobias created a blue circle of magical energy. "this ends here."
Silver chains spawned from the combustion above them, and latched around Malcolm's body in the blink of an eye. Malcolm struggled helplessly as they pressed tighter into his skin. Impressions formed throughout his body as the metal links penetrated his skin.
"fuckin' hell!" Malcolm roared. He wanted to collapse on the floor, but the binding chains held him upright. Cries filled with agony escaped him while the chains drenched themselves in his blood. The dark red trails tricked down his legs into a small puddle under him.
"sorry, Tobias. I'm sure you'll draw a stronger hand next time," Leblanc said with a laugh, her whereabouts unknown.
"destiny!" Tobias shouted. Leblanc's figure showed in the aftermath of Tobias' explosion, and a sinister crimson eyeball lingered above her body. Tobias hissed at her, then summoned a few blank cards with a wave of his hand. "Gate." He appeared in the sky and levitated behind her. She carried the tethers that bound Malcolm loosely around her fingertips. She tugged them lightly and laughed as Malcolm yelped with each pull. Tobias leered at the hand holding the chains and positioned the enchanted circle he conjured towards it. "sever." He tossed the cards into the magical circle, a bright orb of energy strobed brighter each second.
"sacré dieu!" Leblanc shouted. She spun around and tugged the shackle as a dazzling ray of light beamed from the circle. Her arm disintegrated to ashes, and facial expression went from bewildered to empty. Leblanc's body fell from the sky onto the ground. Her body bounced several times a few feet aside from Malcolm. A burst of silver light emitted from the final impact, and her body dissolved into a shriveled black rose.
The chains that formerly bound Malcolm burst from his skin into tiny glass like fragments. Blood coagulated on the floor as he gave way, quivering and wailing from the pain. He clutched his frame in a half-hearted fettle position, and whispered endless curses under his breath.
"gate." Tobias teleported to the rose and squeezed it to dust. He smiled, another job's work done and turned towards Malcolm. "Now would be a good time to stand up, princess."
Malcolm found despite his past injuries the pain relinquished, and he could stand.
"Fate.. thank you," Malcolm said.
"any time, short stack."
The surrounding scene dissolved to black. The forest they previously settled in revealed itself. Malcolm opened his eyes and met Tobias' gaze. He glanced at the ground and let out an empty sigh before speaking.
"Fate, why go to all that torment?" Malcolm stared back up to Tobias. His smiling expression hadn't altered.
"simple. Your reactions are stronger than mine." Tobias wrapped his arm around Malcolm's neck and perched on his lap as he draped his legs behind his back. "behind that tough skin, you're just a soft rabbit."
"What're you playing at?" Malcolm rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't have came after you, anyway."
"you sure?" Tobias pressed his face towards Malcolm's, as if to try him. Their noses touched each other's slightly, and Tobias' tender skin drew Malcolm closer.
"shut up." He pushed onward and grazed their lips together under the crescent moonlight. Malcolm wrapped his arms around Tobias and stood up with his arms cradled around him for support. He bit Tobias lip for control as he laid them on the ground with Tobias under him. The kiss broke as Malcolm pulled back and panted for breath.
"i'm a little upset you hid this from me," Malcolm said between breaths.
"well, I reckon it was better than us fueling her power to where she'd become the queen or some shit." He leaned in to kiss Malcolm again, they settled under the moonlight, embraced tightly.