Stained in red

Whirlpool

Once. Twice. A finger rippled a pool, twirling around and around, and around. The ripples lapped the edges with gentle whispers. We are here. We can hear you. We can destroy what you need. Tell us. Tell us and they will be gone. Be gone. Be gone. They echoed. Feed us your anger. Feed us your hatred. We can destroy what you need. The ripples faded along with the hushed whispers, said only to haunt.

The wind brushed along my jaw. I breathed it in. Let it fill up my chest. I held the breath and dipped into my magic. Into its endless hole of darkness and destruction. I shut out it's calls and started the exhale.

It swarmed away, the screaming of the darkness, and the crackles of flame. Until all that stayed was the gentle flutter of two frosty wings, and a song of a distant magic that lurked far deeper than I was willing to go.

Take the Violets! Cause then the pain that we once felt. Take them, and have no mercy! The darkness chanted. I tried to stop them, but it was too late.

Flashes of purple sprayed the sands. I walked ever closer to the fight. Breath. I told myself. Just breath. I let the air float through my mouth, the exhale came with another pulse of magic.

I knew I was killing. I didn't know who. I didn't know how many. My eyes were closed. My mind had shut down. Only the buzz of ripe power flooded my veins. I was stained with red. My Red... a curse and a gift. A force not to be underestimated. A force I could not control.

"KASSA!" I heard that gruff voice, but the girl that he wanted was deep down inside the whirlpool of power and suffocation. Maybe, too deep.

A strong force hit my ghost. I threatened to topple forward, but the wings kept me aloft, fighting to turn me towards him. What was his name?

Everything was black. But I could see what I was doing. Not fixing the battle. Wiping it out entirely.
"Kassa..." Black muffled my ears and I lost my sight. I lost my taste. I lost my thoughts and my heart. Only pure lust.

I was drowning. Not the waves that lapped the stained sands, no. The waves of magic and curses that pulled me down, dragging me further away. The panic of death made me claw and kick, fighting through my pain.

"Kassa. Concentrate! Don't let your guard down!" Mother scolded. "Pull back, more...more..." I pulled until the bow was about to snap. "Good girl! Well done, Kassa! Release it." I did and the bird came down with a thump.

Along with an image: Mother fell to the ground, her scream cut off. Her brown eyes staring at the ceiling. Only the stars didn't take her soul to a warm place. She was left, abandoned. Alone.

"Kassara. Stop. That didn't happen." Dad lifted my chin with his hand, Stroking my head with the other. "Mother is safe. You must remember that. Find peace my Kassara. It is not your time. Not yet my Kassara. Not yet."

And then he vanished along with the pain and sadness. So I clawed. And I pulled. And I kicked. And I didn't release it, not yet. I had to wait until the string was about to snap. So I help onto that life within me, that flickered like the fire. I breathed in, and I didn't feel the gush of power. Only the shouting from Sarkon. And the life on the other side.