The Gift of Good and Evil

The Tower

You tilted your head. "A-are you okay?" You asked, as you took a step back.

When she didn't answer, you moved your hand to lower the book she was reading. A feeling of terror washed over you when her eyes rose to meet yours. They were no longer the beautiful earthy green you loved so much, but instead, they were pure red.

You grabbed the book from her grasp, throwing it on the table behind you and moved to grab her face, summoning your magic to try and break whatever the hell this was.

"Who did this to you?" You asked her, as you frantically tried to break her free.

You summoned all your magic, but it wasn't working. No matter what you did, you couldn't free her.

Instantly, you were pulled away from her, flying backwards as your arms were bound in front of you. You struggled with the bindings as you hovered in the middle of the tower, a foot or so above the floor; only realizing the magical dampening cuffs had reappeared around your wrists when you finally looked down.

"Y/N, Y/N, Y/N..." a low voice hummed. "You never were able to predict my next move, were you?"

Chills ran down your spine as the voice echoed in the air.

No...it couldn't be.

You looked over your right shoulder to see a translucent shadow walking around you. With every step it took, it materialized further and further until it resembled the man with whom the voice belonged.

"Rafal..." you shuddered, as his evil grin came into view.

"Miss me?" He quipped, as he flourished his hand and the bonds around you tightened.

You struggled, attempting to free yourself; you opened your hands summoning your magic, but just as before, the cuffs were too strong.

"Poor Y/N, released from those cuffs only moments ago, to be immediately rebound in them." He chuckled.

"What do you want, Rafal?" You growled as you glared at him.

He paced back and forth for a moment before speaking. "What I want..." he started, "is to win."

His figure was not yet completely solid. As he opened his hands, you could see the wisps of shadow flicker and flow around them. He closed his hands once again, pulling them into fists as he spoke.

"I almost had it all," he muttered, "True love and all the power at my fingertips...but it was taken from me...by readers."

"How are you here?" You asked breathlessly. "I thought-"

"Agatha killed me?" He mused. "Come now Y/N. Do you really think Excalibur is powerful enough to kill me?"

His eyes shot in your direction as he grinned. "When she sliced me with the sword, it destroyed my physical form; but a piece of me remained here, bound to this godforsaken tower."

Suddenly, the magic surrounding you lowered your feet to the ground, keeping you bound tightly, but now reaching Rafal's eye-line.

"I bided my time, creating the perfect plan to regain a body and reclaim the magic that was rightfully mine. But then...a new challenge presented itself, when I discovered you had returned to the school."

Your eyebrows furrowed. "Me? Why?"

Rafal moved to stand directly in front of you, meeting your gaze with his own wicked stare. "Your power is the only one that rivals my own. An immortal soul split equally between good and evil. And a demigod if my memory serves me right?"

You shook your head. "How did you know about that? I thought you didn't find anything about my heritage."

He grinned mischievously, licking his lips as his gaze darkened. "I didn't. But you did. And you told Storian all about it when you returned. Even asked her if she knew the whereabouts of your mother, Hecate."