The Crow
(Third Arc: Another World)
(Part 29)

"He's out" 'Violet' said out loud musingly. "Who'd have thought a broken bond would affect him this much? Entirely for the better…" Her hands hovered above the sorcerer's pale, pained face. Who would have thought his fall would come from the inside out?

Magic flared under her skin as it came in contact with his – white, pearlescent hues of magic traveling between them. Remnants of the familiarity he had with Violet's magic and their bond, which was flooded with it.

'Violet has light magic… a very large pool of it… no wonder she snubbed me! Even a no name like her could snatch Clow Reed with such a great potential!' Envy made her blood boil. The same blood that was tethering her current face rebelled – it made her chest convulse for a moment as nausea rose.

For that moment, until she managed to calm down, copper colored curls waned into black.

"Even her face dislikes me" The doppelganger told the fainted sorcerer. The trauma of his bond with Violet braking affecting him to this point could only mean one thing "Not that she has a choice anymore, she's just ceased to exist"

'Time to dump this body and get my own…' It must be teeming with magic, from both the upstart Li and the stupid apprentice. Once she had her own body, she could decide what to do with Clow.

…

He's been following the trail of ashes, fire guiding him through the darkened corridors. 'I've never come through here' His steps never faltered. There were no shadows his flames couldn't erase.

Eduardo was first and foremost a battle mage.

But that doesn't limit what he can do. Fire ran in his blood, he descended from Hephaestus himself, from Aetna – and his mother wouldn't let that go to waste, so she taught him how to use fire to heal, purify, to read portents and to defend. Magicians usually think fire element was limited to battle.

How wrong they are.

Eduardo del Parole knew how to use fire for more than burning people. He knew how to track them as well – such as he's been doing ever since the moment he's noticed how visible Violet Potter became. 'She was a black hole… no, more like a sun… she eclipsed and burned the sight of everyone who sought her. Not even fire could reach her, and then it could…' Something must have happened to her.

And it wasn't that he cared. He didn't hate her personally, not anymore, not after coming to the realization that he's misjudged Violet Potter so violently he became blind – all because the chit defended him twice without thought of profit for herself – it made him think. And think he did.

'I own her' was the conclusion he came. He still hated that fact, but not the apprentice. 'She is not Eldora' It stung. To realize his own feelings could be distorted and used against him to the point where he was caught in a mirror trap.

So he used fire to stoke a sacred flame through prayer, and used the ashes produced to ask a question… 'Where is Violet Potter'

And the ashes answered.

'Speaking of…' the ashes' trail stopped in front of a door. 'Found you'

Brown hair swept in front of his eyes and immediately stuck to his sweaty brow. Annoyed, the mage angrily wiped it with his wrist, letting the cloth of his long sleeved shirt absorb the moisture. The door was nondescript as he expected, and covered from top to bottom in protective barriers.

'Fire can be used for more than battle' Eduardo thought smugly, letting flames lash out from his body, destructive in nature, they sought something to consume. Dismantling wards by burning their anchors was unusual and hard – one had to have selective control of what their flames fed upon, and his control was top notch – so it didn't take more than a few minutes for the barriers around the door to shudder and collapse, their base having turned to nothingness.

'Now, locks…' He usually just melted those. And the door's handle and lock dripped down in a sizzling pool, leaving scathing trail marks on the wood and solidifying once connecting to the floor's cool tiles.

With a final push, the door was open.

'A room… should have seen that coming' the sneer on his face became more pronounced when he realized just who the room belonged to. It wasn't a hard conclusion to make, since there were pictures and mirrors scattered on every available surface. 'Vain little bitch'

There was a large four poster bed with the curtains closed in green pastel colors, a fluffy carpet at the foot of the bed and a spacious closet with a door slightly open, revealing a collection of trending dresses.

The urge to set fire to everything rose, and it was with hesitance that the fire mage squashed it. He had to find Violet Potter first and foremost.

In the end, he really didn't need to.

"What do you think you're doing!?" The screech came before a hand tried to shove him hard. A head of blonde hair occupied his vision, and Eduardo didn't wait for another chance. Heating the air around him was easy and very satisfactory when his assailant yelped and let go of his forearm, hands blistering and red. "Merde! Connard!"

"It is I who should ask you that question" The Spaniard growled, igniting even more of his magic so it turned into a white hot halo around him.

"You used to be such an une bonne marionette" The blonde snapped angrily, arms moving up, showing him his reflection in a small hand held mirror. "Why don't you reviens back home?"

The tug was immediate. A suction unlike anything he's felt before took hold of his magic, creating a mini-storm of fire and smoke as his powers were swallowed by the mirror.

'You used to be such a good puppet… why don't you come back home?' If she thought she'd catch him twice with the same trick, the bitch was sorely mistaken.

"Je parle aussi français, vache" He taunted "And now I know for certain you had something to do with the attempt at Potter's life the other night" His voice dripped with contempt. "You locked my will away in one of those mirrors, and used me as a cover!"

In answer to his accusations, Charlotte Dubois just laughed. Her clear blue eyes shining with a silver lining underneath, making dread pool in Eduardo' stomach. 'She's never been so magically powerful… where is this sudden power coming from…' The blonde pushed forth the mirror, upping the suction of his own flames. His magic flagged, sputtering like a dying amber but not giving up – this time he was better prepared to resist.

"Give up now! After this night, the title of most powerful will belong to me anyway! Do you have any idea of how much power that grace Violet had? Wasted on her! She'd have given it all to Clow!" Her mood affected the power of her spell – it grew again, making the fire mage waver and fall to his knees.

' Damn… my strength is leaking faster than I… thought… at this rate I will…'

At least until a third player entered the fray. A shadow grew from behind Eduardo as whoever that was wrapped themselves in a magic cloak – the presence was familiar though 'Pipsqueak alchemist came to play as well…' For once he was half thankful for the backup. Orange spilled over red – the alchemist also had fire in his blood.

Before Charlotte could react to Edgar, a dagger was flying with precision from a point slightly beside the Spaniard sorcerer's hips and hitting the hand held mirror right at the center.

The skewered mirror pulsed, before shattering in the blonde's hand. "Putain de cochon!" The blonde snarled, throwing her broken toy to the floor where it clattered – broken glass flying everywhere.

"Parole… what is going on?" The short strawberry blonde boy asked, keeping a watching eye on the cursing Charlotte, who was glaring right back at him.

"You shot a dagger at her without knowing what's happening?" The fire mage had to ask, resisting the urge to face palm – mostly because with the destruction of the mirror, his powers were returning to him.

"Mirror magic is troublesome" His words were drawled, heavy with that weird American accent – though Eduardo wasn't one to judge. His own accent carried his origins quite heavily. "And I aimed at the mirror" The brat pointed out carelessly. 'Now I see why he gets along with Li…'

"Ugh! Two against one is it?" The crazed mage they have intercepted seemed to have regrouped. She made to move to her closet, and the fire mage answered immediately with a volley of flames in her direction, not caring that he might barbeque her. She's soiled his honor by using him to hurt Teacher's apprentice, and then tried to openly attack him – all but challenging him! Charlotte's eyes widened as flames closed in on her, and within the last possible second, threw herself behind the closet's open door "Let us see how you fair against unfavorable odds"

"Don't let her touch the closet!" Edgar warned, quick mind already coming to the same conclusion as Eduardo. An alchemical circle lit up beneath the brat's feet as he held another dagger – his focus – and a golem made of the same stones as the floor rose up, barely three feet of height.

It was quick though, running half the length of the room on the same span of time it took the fire mage to conjure another fire ball.

Charlotte, in a quick movement, managed to duck inside the closed however… The golem slammed against the old wooden furniture, followed by fire soon after – the very air stilled for a fraction of a second, before the whole room was swallowed by a fiery explosion of stone fragments, wood splinters and pieces of clothes. Acting on instinct, Eduardo raised his sword – his focus – and concentrated his depleting magic on defense, Edgar crouched behind him.

When the debris finished settling in the aftermath of the explosion, both males were able to see the result – Charlotte stood where the closet should be, carrying an armful of little hand mirrors – two of them glowing with a white and brown light… not unscathed, for her dress was ripped and bloodied in places, and a gash ran down the length of her chin to her brow.

"Réfléchir" The blonde coughed, activating what could only be a spell. The mirrors in her arms lit up, and before any of them could blink, the room was filled with copies of Charlotte… just as the one who'd give them all trouble crumbled to the rubble covered floor – dirty blonde hair flashing colors before settling back on a very dark copper.

"Gilipollas de mierda" Edurado cursed under his breath, eyes widening at the downed form lying between broken pieces of masonry and wood. "What have you done you crazy bitch!"

"Why! I also borrowed her body and identity!" One of the Charlottes answered smugly. There were at least eight of them, all holding up a mirror each. "There was no use wasting such a good puppet while it still had some magic, was there? Don't worry, the real Violet is actually slowly being drained inside one of these mirrors… can you take a gamble? If you destroy the wrong one, both Miss Li and Miss Potter will be lost forever"

The little American brat looked impressed as he stared at the multiple copies of Dubois. "How many times have you multiplied yourself?" He even sounded impressed. Eduardo wanted to cuff the brat's head, but didn't want to waste energy.

"A couple of times… I'm sure you're not that interested" One of the Charlottes cooed brightly, her mirror reflecting her mirth. "I was certain you, of all people, would wonder where Xiao Ling's body is"

'Fuck! She's right! That means she's controlling at least three bodies at once, and now there are eight here… how many is her limit? How many times can she split her attention until it strains?' the fire mage's mind whirled with thought, struggling to come up with everything he knew about mirror magic.

'There has to be a main mirror serving to center all others… that has to be the one the real Dubois is holding, and it is not here' That was obvious.

"Tsc… I don't care at all for what happens to that baseborn whore Potter, and if you harm the Li clan's heiress, they will fall upon you with a vengeance, no matter what powers you think you have" Eduardo half bluffed. The Li clan most certainly would chase the heiress' murderer to the ends of the world, and make sure she had no more credibility amongst the families… and he did care for Violet's fate – mostly so he could pay her back – his honor demanded it.

Though Charlotte didn't know that…

Edgar caught up on his train of thought, spiky hair swaying lazily like a hearth's fire. "Let Xiao Ling Li go" He suggested glibly, voice soft and unassuming.

"I don't think so" Another Charlotte bit out "When I'm done with the people in this manor, not even the Li clan will be able to stand in my way" she shot back, lips curling into a mocking smile "Why don't you join the girls? Be good boys, and I will make it quick… kidding! Having your magic sucked out hurts torturously so, I've been told"

Alchemist and battle mage didn't have time to retort, for eight copies of Charlotte descended on them, brandishing their mirror and suckling at their might little by little.

"We need to find the two…" Edgar fended off a blonde by hitting her hand with the handle of his dagger. The Charlotte almost let the mirror fall, but managed to hold onto it by grasping with her other hand. Another blonde picked up a piece of wood, and was trying to stab Eduardo with it.

"I know! But how?" The fire mage dodged a lunge, managing to stay far away from the mirror and avoid seriously hurting another copy – he didn't know which of them might be holding Xiao Ling or Violet in the mirrors – all confirmation he had were that telling white and brown shine from the very beginning. 'Wait…' "I know how… Pay attention to the mirror's glow!"

The alchemist nodded, swerving behind Eduardo for cover and pausing to summon more golems. If he had more time to prepare for a fight, he'd have more advantages… as it is, the little guy is stuck on improvising. 'Not bad for a pipsqueak'

A Charlotte tried to make her way out of the room, but was met with the business end of his blade just as she reached the door. Her mirror pulsed with a dull blue/gray light, he noticed from the corner of his eyes, keeping his attention on more than one enemy.

"There…" Edgar prepared his dagger, aiming it at one of the blondes staying on the far back 'Brown!' Eduardo crowed mentally. 'Where is the white one?'

But it was getting increasingly difficult holding back the eight copies as their magic was continuously being drained.

As if answering their thoughts, one of the mirrors lit up violently with a white light. The blonde menace gasped, as each of her copies were lit up from the inside in a wave of light so pure it staggered them all.

The struggled halted, Charlotte illusions faltering and flickering as cracks formed on the mirrors' surfaces… the one that was liberating such a bright light shattered entirely, liberating a warm white orb that swirled and undulated like smoke. It shimmered and dulled, pulsing slowly and weakly.

Understanding filled Eduardo. 'She's dying!' He breathed out sharply, sending a harsh look at Edgar "Keep an eye on them!"

'Fire can be used for more than destruction…' He recited mentally, drawing on the frays of his depleting powers and begging the flames to fawn on the embers that was Violet Potter's life at the moment. Her will to live was staggeringly powerful, it helped – the fire mage darted toward her fallen, broken body and willed on the sacred flames of his soul to let go of all anger and focus on the sanctity of life. 'Fire is life'

Rough fingers found her pulse, getting slick with the blood leaking from the wound on her face – the ragged cut was shallow enough that it hopefully wouldn't scar, but there were an assortment of other little punctures that would. 'I will have to cauterize the worst, since I am so low on magic… focusing on internal damage is a better idea' And so he did, pulling out long pieces of splinter from her body and applying fire on the tips of his fingers so she wouldn't bleed out. The sacred flame licked at her insides, painting a grim picture of punctured organs and internal bleeding in his mage eyes.

Violet's bright soul wavered, seemingly growing brighter as her body stabilized. Eduardo continued to heal her, ignoring the smell of charred skin and all the blood coating his hand – soon, the soul was making its way back to the body, as it deemed safe enough to inhabit.

The fire mage sagged, drained beyond belief and relieved above all else. The soul entered through her chest, briefly touching him and flooding Eduardo with feelings.

Desperation.

Pain.

Anxiousness.

Terror.

And an infinite sense of Determination.

Just as his own body gave out and he was greeted by darkness, he was able to witness the moment bright green eyes snapped open.

XxxxXxxxX

Yuuko's lips thinned as she approached the manor.

Clow's defenses were up, she's realized, though nothing she wasn't able to overcome by stepping through the layers of reality between the front gate and the front door – she wasn't called the Traveling Witch for nothing… there are no frontiers she isn't able to cross.

"Something is very, very wrong…" The witch thought out loud, throwing open the door. On the foyer, one of the moving servants paused to greet her. "Where is Clow?" She dismissed pleasantries.

"Lord Reed is busy" the maid sniffed disdainfully, irked by Yuuko's abrupt manners. "He's in the library with Mistress, and we are not to interrupt their time together"

'That old fool…!'

Yuuko's breath shifted, and on the next moment, she was stalking inside the manor in search of her old, blind friend.

XxxxXxxxX

TBC~

Notes:
1) Um.. pretend the fighting scene was good? Thanks.
2) I'm fond of hurting Violet and Clow, aren't I?
3) And I actually feel sorry for Charlotte... and I kind of am starting to like Eddie Word without meaning to. He's still a cocky asshole though.