The Fear Of Death Confounds Me: A Wizard101 Novel

Chapter 32: Fear

Later that night after we'd all gotten some well deserved rest, I walked to Cyrus' room, knocking gently before hearing his authoritative voice from the other end of the door.

"Enter."

I walked in to find Cyrus sitting cross legged, floating shirtless in the middle of the room, in a meditative position. His body was strangely ripped for a man of his age, with a giant scar covering the front of his torso; he'd almost be attractive, if he wasn't a bitter middle-aged douche. Even as I thought the words I realized that part of me didn't mean them, I've grown rather fond of him; he's just a man with many demons, not unlike me. He gently lowered himself to the ground, remaining in the same position on the floor as he landed. He then spoke, not moving to so much as open his eyes.

"Sit down, Emily."

I narrowed my eyes, as I obliged his request, sitting cross legged in front of him. I smirked at Cyrus, who still had his eyes closed.

"So I guess it's true, Meditation heightens all your other senses."

"It's called attention to detail." He whispered as his eyes slowly opened, blinking to adjust to the light. "Your footsteps, they're lighter than that of the others, that's how I knew it was you."

"And here I thought it was my knocking pattern."

"Blatantly incorrect, you rarely knock."

I shot him a smile, rather impressed at his antics before giving him a respectful nod. Cyrus brought me back on track.

"I'm assuming you're here for a reason?"

I nodded, bringing out the crystal and handing it to him.

"I found her..."

I trailed off...lowering my eyes, glimpsing Cyrus' mournful reaction beforehand. Cyrus could immediately tell something was up, as slight worry and urgency crept their way into his tone.

"What did he do?"

"He tried to bring her back to life..." I sighed. "He ended up turning her into a wraith."

Cyrus' face scrunched up as if in pain at my words, closing his eyes as he let out a shaky breath. He looked towards the ground, deeply troubled by my news, shaking his head before his voice came out just shy of a low whisper.

"He's too far gone."

I turned to look at his horrified expression, reaching out to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. He snapped out of the terrors running through his mind, training his face into one of stoicism. He cleared his throat, moving away from my hand.

"I'll work on finding out more about his plans, in the meantime stay close."

I nodded, getting the hint. He needs some time alone, and if he's anything like me? He'll throw himself into his work, as a means of not dealing with whatever he's feeling. I walked out of the room, lingering for a moment by the door, feeling a pang of guilt. He's dealing with his brother's inevitable death, which is going to be my doing. I can't help but feel responsible for how he's feeling.

"...Cyrus?"

He turned to face me, slightly startled.

"Yes?"

"I'm far from good at this shit but..." I exhaled to calm my beating heart. "This entire situation sucks, and I understand the toll it can take. So..." I shook my head sighing. "If you need to talk, you know where to find me."

And with that I left the room, not waiting for his reply. I decided that I also needed some time alone, I've been too caught up in my life drama as of late, I almost forgot the true purpose behind all of my angst towards Malistaire, the bastard killed my parents, for literally no reason whatsoever other than the fact that they stood in his way.