Magika [Completed]

Chapter 32

"Wake up, Al."

Aldeheid groaned at the small voice calling out to him. He squinted at the light from the clear sky above. Though the sun was out, its warmth didn't reach him, and his breath still clouded the air. Goose flesh rose on his skin armouring it against the pinpricks of cold.

Aldeheid sat up and found himself in a field of winterblooms. Their crisp scent was like morning dew and made the air smell clean, fresh.

Wenry was beside him, a smile gracing her round face and blue eyes brighter than sky above them. "Come on, sleepy head. I want to play Tactica."

He blinked the sleep from his eyes and rubbed at his arms to warm them. "What is this place?"

"It's our new home!" She did a little twirl. "Isn't it amazing? The winterblooms are so pretty, and we can play as much Tactica as we want."

Aldeheid watched Wenry as she ran to a set of stone chairs with a Tactica board set up between them. Apart from that, there seemed to be nothing else in the field of winterblooms.

Just them and Tactica. He pushed to his feet and crossed to the table, the winterblooms parting for him. His head was heavy, and filled with a buzz that made it difficult to think straight.

"Look, Al." She held up a tiny dragon figurine. But it wasn't like any game piece he'd ever seen. This dragon had glittering white scales and bright blue eyes to rival Wenry's. Aldeheid was sure he'd seen it somewhere before, but his memory was fuzzy.

It puffed out a cloud of frost and flew from its pedestal to flit around Wenry's head. She giggled, and chased the dragon through the field of flowers, her white dress fluttering around her.

Aldeheid whirled around and came face-to-face with Death.

Her pale skin was luminescent in the sunshine, and the hem of her black dress dragged across the winterblooms as she walked to his side. "Aldeheid." She smiled, and the white flecks in her starry eyes seemed to dance.

To mock him.

Aldeheid wrinkled his nose, his hands curling into fists. "Get away from me." His voice held a carnal edge that made it sound more like a growl.

Death looked at him as though he'd just slapped her.

"I said get away!" He didn't want to put his hands on her, but if she came any closer, he wasn't sure if he could resist the temptation. "You're a monster."

She looked down her nose at him. "No more than you." Then she turned and rounded the Tactica table, seeming to glide through the flowers. "It's time to go, Wenry." Her voice was frostier than the air, but there was a hint of something else. Guilt? Sorrow?

Aldeheid couldn't tell.

"But we didn't get to play Tactica," Wenry said with a pout as she stopped in front of them. The dragon landed atop her head, still as a statue.

"Next time, alright?" Death held her hand out to her. "Say goodbye to Aldeheid."

He took Wenry by the shoulders and pulled her away, taking several steps back. "She's not going anywhere with you." As death turned to face him fully, he stared her down and the air seemed to crackle between them.

"Al, it's alright," Wenry said, looking up at him with brows furrowed.

He shook his head. "No, it's not alright. I should've... You should've..." The buzzing in his head intensified, drowning out all thoughts, and he clamped his hands over his ears in a vain attempt to stop it.