Hello! Long time, no see. I've finally finished this chapter! Woo hoo! Enjoy! ;D
The Card Master coughed violently, shaking the uneven frame of the cheaply made bed. Evelynn tsked at his condition, dipping the rag into the bucket of ice water once more.
"Even if the magic makes you feel invincible, you still need to take care of yourself. Magic is a force of nature, a force of chaos. If the magic's organic conduit grows weak, it will break free and wreak havoc."
"And how do you know this?" Twisted growled before breaking into another fit of coughs.
"I read."
Twisted quirked an eyebrow at her.
Evelynn sighed, "After the 'surgery', I decided it was best to study what was now flowing through my entire being. Considering that born-sorcerers are highly susceptible to being killed by their powers when in a weakened state, one could only imagine what little it could take to wipe out a made-sorcerer. I actually read an article on the devastation magic can wreak on an augmented mage. It was amazing, the..."
Twisted was no longer paying any attention to the excitable, young woman. Instead, he was eying the three luminous entities that stood around his bed. Gold to his right, cerulean to his left, and scarlet before him.
"Rise." spoke the gilded sprite.
"Fortify your resolve," added azure.
"Granting us our wish." crimson finished.
"Who the hell are you?" Twisted asked the apparitions. "Are you demons?"
Evelynn jumped as Twisted began shouting incoherently. He sounded furious, but at what?
"No,"
"We are beings of pure magic,"
"Who dwell within you."
"So, what? You're waiting for the most opportune time to destroy my soul and take my body?" Twisted growled, tears stinging his eyes as he was thrown into a fit of coughs.
The spirits watched him in silence one moment longer, then vanished.
"The hell do ya think you're goin'?" Twisted shouted, springing up quickly in his bed.
He grew dizzy and his vision swam, his head throbbing as the blood rushed down. He flopped back onto the bed with a groan, his forehead slick and clammy with a new sheen of sweat. His lungs felt heavy and thick and wet, like a water-saturated sponge, yet his throat was dry, and burned with every cough.
The Card Master wheezed as Evelynn dabbed at his forehead with the cool, damp rag again.
The fit subsided, allowing Twisted to regain his breath. Once he stabilized, he turned to face Evelynn; and watched in shocked horror as her skin evaporated into a thick smoke. The pall lingered about her frame, obscuring any and all identifying features. The ebony haze swirled in lazy patterns, fluid, yet solid enough to form a shell. Petite wisps escaped from the periphery, dispersing nigh instantly.
What Twisted saw next was absolutely disturbing. The smoke parted before her face with the sickening squelch of rent flesh, bright, scarlet blood rushing off of a sallow face as if by the force of an invisible shower. The face he saw was Evelynn's; the face of the Evelynn he knew in Zaun.
Dun Dun DUUUNN!
Spoiler:
Next chapter will be a blast to the past! As in, Twisted has a fever-induced flashback... D':
See you then!
~Zarathna