Arcane

Akane

      They wore strange black gloves "Woah woah slow down your gonna poke someones eye out with that scythe" this voice was a man's voice but it wasn't Sunaro. From the corner of my eye I could see dark red hair, it was messy and disheveled on top of slightly lighter tanned skin and a very strong jaw line. I already didn't like him.

       Prying myself away from his grip I could get a better look at him. "Kaen?!" I said through pants. "Yeah it's me, why are you running like your life depends on it?" his face was confused and he squinted his red-brown eyes at me while he adjusted his gloves. Blood that ran down her arms where the soldiers were holding her.

       I could feel the blood pouring down her arms and what it felt like, what it smelled like, it drew me in and in that moment I wanted nothing more than to use my curse and wipe it away from Akari's arms. It had been so long since I used my ki and I felt like I was crawling in my skin. I itched to use it and the feeling of insanity grew more powerful each day I resisted. I would only use it on myself. That is the vow I made to myself.

"Well?" his voice was back and I was on the brink of shoving the blade i held up his ass. "I'm going to my quarters to freshen up if you must know" I lied. He looked at me suspiciously and I knew he knew I was lying. Just let me get away with it just this once please, I need to see Akari. I was sweating now. I could feel it dripping from my hands and damping on my face.

"Hey are you ok?" Kaen had stopped fidgeting with his gloves now and was looking directly at me. "You're sweating" he reached out to touch me but hesitated and drew his hand back. He clutched his hands to his chest. The gloves squeaked next to each other. His face looked pained and he looked away from me. I looked at the floor in shame. Of course he won't touch me. I'm "tainted". I expected as much.

"Ugh this job is going to be such a drag" I mumbled under breath. The moment I was alone, I was running again. Kaen had slipped away from me and I was alone once again. The door to Akari's room grew closer and closer. The sound of squeaking gloves lay fresh in my mind and the face Kaen made when he pulled away from me was surprisingly hurtful. Many people had been disgusted by me and I had never been a problem but the look he gave me was painful. I hated him more than ever now.

       Standing outside Akari's room stood guards outside a closed door and she was just on the other side of the door. "This is the crown princess's room, please state your identity, and reason for arrival" the guard said. I was so close to her and considered skinning these guards alive for keeping Akari from me. I fiddled with the necklace dangling from my neck. It was a tempting thought.

       The ridges of the small bone fragment felt rough against the tip of my finger and I could feel the weight of the necklace in my hand. For years I had this piece of jewelry but couldn't recall where I had gotten it. The memory was all fuzzy in my head. For as long as I could remember I had this necklace around my neck and felt the warmth it gave me. For years I had felt as though it granted me safety and it stayed with me for all these years when people didn't.

       I had one day left before I was sent to Morell. What if I didn't return? What would Akari think if I never returned. I have to see her before I go. I dropped the bone shard and it fell back onto my neck in the spot it always sat. I gripped Canaria and could feel the blood running through the guards veins. Every drop seemed to call out to me. Tempting me with the promise of sweet relief.

   I yearned to use it. The voices would subside and I could finally be rid of them. It was a cruel curse and I knew I couldn't use it. No one deserves to have their own blood turned against them.

"I'm here to see the princess before I leave for my job in Morell" I slid her finger down the blade of the scythe in my hand and looked at the guards with a chilling stare as the blood trailed down my finger and dripped to the floor with a satisfying plop. Their stone cold faces broke for a split second.