Magnus Academy: The Cursed Blood

Chapter Fifty-Three

The Advent of Caelesti the Unknown

"Offering the remnants of your soul just to trap me in this trance," I looked up, seeing Claudious stood still in front of me with a calm smile upon his face. He had always appeared so beautiful, he had that kind of face that would take anyone's interest. He had a cool and calculating aura around his calm light shade of dark eyes, docile expression, and he had always acted so righteous. "...did you really think you could bring me along your death?"

He leaned closer, his steps creating a thumping sound against the frozen-filled ground and as the white snow continued to pour like rain along with the sight of my own blood tainting it, he showed a smile. It was a genuine one, I knew then it was his own will. His mouth parted, sighing. "I have always did like you, even more than necessary. It was out of interest at first, curious as to how my own playful best friend managed to actually fall."

"How sure are you your emotions were real?"

He lifted his hand, his fingers tracing my temple. "I don't know. At this moment though, you're the most," he smiled bitterly. "...in my eyes." He stepped back, raising both of his arms beside him. "Even at that last battle, I have no control of myself. But I am already dead, even now, I am no more than a mere soul. I will fade soon and when I do, I truly hope you can escape, Ke'ala. This is my most powerful spell--"

"I can, and I will."

He chuckled, and I wonder why must his puppeteer hide such a rich expression. "I trust you will."

"Were you always like this? You aren't as emotionless as your controller make you seem to be."

"No, at least I believe I wasn't. Somehow, I have begun confusing my real identity although at this point, it no longer matters." He sat on the floor, ignoring the coldness. His feet had already faded, turning into dusts that slowly crept up his legs, they were slow but he felt no pain at the process of his banishment. "I deserve this. I have killed innocent people over the years I have worked for the Organization, I have betrayed the trust my companions have given me back at the Academy, and I have failed everyone's expectation of me to become a protectorate of students of Magnus. Being a President isn't so easy, after all."

"You were controlled, you had a will but you cannot use it."

"Are you comforting me?"

"I was simply stating a fact."

"...thank you. But you mustn't be kind, Ke'ala. The world will continue to despise you and you must not be kind, otherwise you will break."

"I am already broken, Claudious--shattered, where each piece of me kept on getting missing." I clenched my fist, watching the lower half of his body fading along the chilling wind. "We are truly birds of the same kind, but even at this moment, our feathers differ."

"You--too, will die, Ke'ala."

"I know." I replied, and my abruptness made his lips curve a little. "But I will not die until I end everything."

"That seems so like you." He raised his arm, almost as though caught up in the moment while dusts erased his fingers. "Don't tell Thane, nor anybody else ."

"He will know of your betrayal sooner or later, they will all know." I frowned. "They're going to blame me for your death and you know that, it's as though you're asking me to just accept it all."

"I cannot bear to fail them, Ke'ala." His tone was low, filled with so much sincerity. "Just wrapping my head around the fact that they had trusted a traitor...I can't bear it."

"You won't have to. You're going to die either way."

"You're cruel too." That didn't replace the smile on his face though. "But again, that's so like you."