Amity and Enmity

Chapter 8

Murder.

It spelt out 'murder'.

Why did she have the word murder branded on her neck?

And what's more, she felt some sort of spell attached to it, a message. The young woman didn't even know she was a mage until then, nor how to cast a spell, but now the knowledge slowly flowed into her mind. She knew how to read the message.

Her fingers returned to the scarred skin on her nape, pressing against it and sending out a short burst of magic into it. The information arrived within an instant, the message in the brand: homicide, five.

Murder. Homicide. Five.

No, but that would mean-

No, she wouldn't ever-

But she had no memories, so how could she deny it being the truth? Yet somewhere deep down, the young woman knew she was not a person capable of murder. Without memories, how was she so sure what kind of person she was? Perhaps it was best to have lost who she was, not to remember if she had been a murderer before waking up in the snow.

Desperately wanting to find any other clue as to who she was, or perhaps refute her from being a murderer of five people. The young woman inspected her clothes.

She found an inside pocket in her coat and stuffed her hand inside, finding two pieces of paper. Unfolding them, she discovered that they were letters, one addressed to someone called Corinna from Rin and the other to Rin from Corinna.

To Corinna,

Please be safe. I did not go to our usual meeting place right after the blood moon as there was another monster nearby, so I had to leave. I managed to leave you this message here, but the monster keeps returning. I think it is hunting me down. I don't know the reason why though. If it keeps on coming back, I will have to try and lose it or fight it off. I will use my mask as a last resort, but I doubt it will come to that. I will keep showing up to this spot as much as I can. Hopefully, we will be reunited again.

Love Rin.

Dearest Rin,

Sorry I wasn't able to get here on time. I was transformed for far longer after the blood moon. Several days have passed since I regained consciousness, but I am now human and in complete control. I think I have been using my mask too much recently. It keeps on calling me even when it is not a blood moon. I need you here with me to keep me sane. I will await at our spot nearby if that monster you wrote of is lurking around.

Love Corinna.

Could she be one of these people?

Why would she have these on her if she wasn't?

But to her disappointment, all that was on the letters were talks of meeting up at 'the usual place', which of course she did not know where. There was no clue as to which she could be, Corinna or Rin, or perhaps neither, and she had just stolen these messages. Why did she have both letters in the first place, not just one?

With no other clues to who she was on her person, the young woman waited in the safety of the small cave until the blizzard outside calmed down.

Once it was no longer snowing, she stepped outside and began trekking once again through the desolate field of white in search of answers. As she walked, she reread the two letters, hoping to find something in them that she missed the first time, whilst also occupying her mind away from the branded 'murder' on the back of her neck.

The young woman glanced around, scoping the area for any signs of life and other people. Even if she could not find answers about who she was, the young woman still wanted to know where she was.