Demons, Witches, and Toads (BoyxBoy)

The Art of Unpredictability

Mulock pressed his hands together, purple flames beginning to twist out of them once more. Wheeler glanced over his stance, taking it in. The demon was planning to attack this time- Wheeler was sure of it.

Never taking his eyes off Mulock, the boy ran forward, mentally picturing the spell he hoped to create as clearly as he could, whispering the words, "Vitaə Nova." As he said it, his blood began to burn and he let out a low breath, trying his best to not let it overwhelm him like last time.

In a stroke of luck, he managed to time his counter attack at the exact moment Mulock moved to strike. As the fire sprung from the demon's hands, a massive vine erupted from the ground, wrapping itself around him. The fire struck the plant instead, instantly setting it ablaze. Mulock quickly waved a hand, the fire diminishing with a hiss.

With his goal successfully accomplished, Wheeler tightly gripped his wand, attempting to will the plant to come to a halt. However, to Wheeler's horror, his efforts seemed to only make it grow faster still, continuing to wrap itself around Mulock like a massive snake.

Panic seized Wheeler's gut, the burning in his blood growing so painful he nearly keeled over.

"Oh no," he gasped, growing frantic as the plant began to tighten around Mulock's delicate frame. "Ohmygosh, it won't stop...Mully I don't know how to make it stop--"

"Don't panic," the demon said, his voice surprisingly calm. "Just breathe. Wheeler you can do this. I know you can."

Wheeler did his best to ignore how terrified he was, breathing in and then out as slowly as he could despite the burning pain rushing through his blood. He cleared his mind of everything but Mulock's words, repeating them over and over again in his head, he could do this...he could do this.

At last, the fire in his veins began to calm and with it the plant slowly trembled to a halt before going dead still.

The relief Wheeler felt was short lived as a wave of worry instantly came crashing down over him. Frantically he ran to Mulock's side, the demon in question already ripping the vines from his limbs.

"Mully," Wheeler stammered, eyes brimming with tears. "Are you alright? Did I hurt you? I'm so sorry!"

"I'm fine," Mulock replied, finally managing to yank himself free from the plant. "And don't worry. I was never in danger."

"But still I...I could've..." Wheeler choked.

Mulock approached him now, his voice softening. "Wheeler, I'm already dead. You could never hurt me."

"You say that but, Mully..." Wheeler's voice had grown quiet. "I know you probably only think of me as a dumb kid but to me you're....you're a treasured friend, and I don't know how I could live with myself if I ever harmed you."

Mulock had begun to stare at him, his gaze unreadable and more intense than Wheeler had ever seen it.

"Um...is everything alright?" Wheeler asked nervously.

Mulock blinked, as if coming out of a trance.

"Sorry," he said quickly, immediately glancing away. "The way you spoke just now...it just...you reminded me of someone I knew a long time ago."

"Back when you were alive?" Wheeler asked, his voice quiet.

"Yeah."

Wheeler glanced down at his hands. "Why don't you ever talk about it?

The demon was silent for a moment.

Wheeler swallowed hard, worried he'd said something wrong.

At last however, the demon spoke, his voice low. "Because I wasn't a good person back then." He let out a soft chuckle, though there was no emotion behind it. "Not that I'm one now, by any means. But at least I'm a demon. During that time I was just a boy...a stupid, stupid boy who made some horrible mistakes and realized the consequences far too late."

"You still won't tell me what you did?"

The demon shook his head. "I can't."

"Why not?" Wheeler gently questioned. "I promise I would never judge you for it."

"Funny," Mulock said, his voice softer than Wheeler had ever heard it. "That's exactly what he said too." He glanced at Wheeler, his expression strangely distant. "But of course, if you ever found out, just like he did you'd..." he stopped himself, suddenly moving to grab his jacket. "Good work today," he said quickly, pulling the garment back over his shoulders. "Countering fire with something flammable and using my own attack against me was a great idea."

"Oh," Wheeler stammered, realizing that Mulcok had made the executive decision to bring their conversation to an immediate end. "Thank you."

"We definitely made progress today," Mulock continued, keeping his gaze lowered as he began to re-button his jacket. "The more we spar, the more we can make sure you can properly control your powers. We'll meet here again tomorrow and do it again, alright?"

Wheeler figured the demon didn't plan on giving him a choice either way.

"Alright."

He wished he could press further into Mulock's past but he knew there was no way the demon would give in. It was strange, the more he seemed to learn about Mulock, the more mysterious he became.

Maybe someday he'd have the answers, but as of now the demon remained a locked door and Wheeler had absolutely no idea if he'd ever find the key.