The Gift of Good and Evil

The Shadow with the Red Eyes

You gasped for air as Lesso began twisting the blade within you.

"Please," you choked, looking deep into her eyes. "Fight this."

Rafal chuckled. "She couldn't even if she wanted to. She's too weak to fight against my influence. But don't worry she can still hear you."

Lesso withdrew the knife from your stomach and you watched as your blood spilled out onto the floor.

As the blade was removed, it felt like ice was being dragged across your skin. Lesso's expression had not changed since you'd entered the tower; and honestly, that was probably the most terrifying part. You were in physical pain, sure, having a knife twisted in your gut hurt like hell. But your true love being the one who did it, without a flicker of concern...even though you knew she was being mind controlled...it was still painful.

"You won't heal from this one," Rafal taunted. "You see this...this was my contingency plan."

Your gaze rose to meet his; your eyes dark with anger. "What do you mean?"

Rafal clicked his tongue. "I saw everything that went on in here, remember?"

He strode over to Lesso, moving from one side of her to the other as he continued. "When I discovered that you and dear Lady Lesso were courting...all I had to do was set you up for success."

You shook your head, confused.

"It was clear you two were in love, at least a little. That night during the unification ball, I saw a twinkle in her eye that I'd never seen before; even when she'd claimed she loved me. So, I helped push it along a little."

The pain in your stomach was beginning to grow worse. You could feel yourself weakening and at this point, you were using every ounce of your strength to stay standing.

"You see, in order for it to be considered true love, a sacrifice must be made. And that was the beauty of my plan; it would work either way. If Lesso didn't make it back in time to save you, Clarissa would've simply erased your memory and banished you from the school; and my shadow monsters would have rounded up the students and professors, stealing their magic and siphoning it back to me. But if she did save you, well that would count as an ultimate sacrifice; risking her own memories, to save yours."

Your vision was beginning to dull. Colors seemed less vibrant and your breathing was becoming ragged. As you attempted to pull your arms in to try and stop the bleeding, you winced once again in pain.

"With Lesso's sacrifice, your fate was sealed. The truest form of love had been expressed, and therefore, you were now killable. All I needed was for her to come to me; and that was easy. I just gave her a hint as to who was behind this; and she did all the rest. She didn't even see it coming."

Rafal moved his hand around Lesso's figure, as if admiring her beauty. "Sweet naive little Leonora...always was...weak."

You pushed against your bonds, growling at him. "She's stronger than you give her credit for."

Rafal laughed as his gaze returned to you. "Perhaps, but she's still no match for me."

That sudden jolt forward at him took more out of you than you'd realized. Your knees were beginning to give out and sweat was dripping from your forehead. The puddle of blood on the floor was growing bigger by the minute.

Rafal slowly stalked closer to you. "With you out of my way, there will be no one to stop me. The schools will fall, students will perish, and all their magic...will be mine."

He waved his hand and the invisible bonds that you'd been leaning on to stay standing disappeared. As they did, your knees buckled, and you collapsed to the floor. You pulled your still bound hands in toward your abdomen, putting pressure on the wound.