Two darkened hearts were to become one, but they were separated by the threads of Fate.
Now they find themselves stranded in a cold, hostile world alongside only a handful of survivors, ruled over by a dark, omnipresent force.
Though they are not to...
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As lightning flashed overhead among the clouds, we hastened our step toward the house up the road. Margo's metal armor was attacked sporadically by drops of rain that made tiny thumping noises on her helm and breastplate, and I put my cloak's hood up.
The road was relatively straight, but the steep hill up which it traveled was the primary reason why we had not yet reached the house's front door. There was a tangible air of foreboding as we made our way up the hill, as if a message was being sent to my mind that read 'Turn back immediately!' I disregarded the warning, and as if the world itself were calling me a fool for doing so, lightning flashed, only for me to spy a dark shape dart behind some brush. We were doubtlessly being watched at this moment in time, and I wondered if it was such a good idea to keep going. With my left hand I felt for my sword, still tucked away in its scabbard under my cloak. With that sword, and with Margo by my side, we would vanquish the wizard that lived here, and then be on our merry way.
It was one last job, and then it would all be over. I assumed that I was getting pre-wedding jitters already; becoming worried about the commitment I was soon to make to Margo. It was said to be common, that it happened to everyone, but I knew that it wasn't the reason I was feeling this way. That was when the idea hit me that my feelings could be related to magic.
I stopped, concentrating as the raindrops began to fall faster. I tried to feel for any magic in the surrounding area, seeing if I could sense what the ne'er-do-well wizard was doing. My vision shifted from color to black-and-white, and for a moment my vision had to adjust to this new kind, one that would let me see visually any magic or magical item. Then, out of nowhere, like tiny falling stars, red drops entered my field of vision. It was at that moment that my heart sank in to my chest, and my feelings of urgency and dread heightened.
Whatever this wizard was doing, he was doing it to the rain.
"We need to find shelter, and fast." I said, quickening my pace even more. "The wizard has enchanted the rain somehow!"
"The rain?" Margo asked, picking up speed at my side. "Why would he do that? What does he have to gain?"
"I have a strong feeling that we will soon find out." I said, hoping that we would be able to stop him in time. If he was using the rain, whatever effect the raindrops were supposed to have would blanket the city. An unbridled, unwatched wizard like him, with power over the entire city, could end up killing thousands if this was truly some sort of attack. Even if it wasn't, he was too dangerous to be left alive.
We soon found ourselves in front of the old mansion, its daunting size even more dramatic up close. A clap of thunder sounded overhead, and we began making our way up a set of cut stone stairs up to a large sheltered porch. In front of us now were two metal doors, inlaid with intricate designs that resembled flowers and flowing depictions of plant life that covered the border.
Margo stepped in front of me, and turned to face me expectantly. I nodded, then she turned back to the door. With one swift motion, one that had been practiced too many times to count, she kicked the doors open with a well-placed kick. We had to move more rapidly, and a stealthy approach had become non-viable the moment he had started the rain. We stepped inside and began to look around.
The foyer was one that looked nearly abandoned, but its intricate architecture, though covered in dusty cobwebs and generally looking in a state of disrepair, still held up. I imagined what this room must have been like, long ago: filled with dancing and singing and feasting, with energy and perhaps even young love filling the air. It was as if the home itself, though it regretted its current sorry shape, remembered its days of grandeur and glory. Instead of the smell of wine and exotically-spiced dishes, now all that hung in the air was the musty smell of decaying wood. I concentrated, summoning a glowing orb of light in my hand to act as a torch, and as it manifested, the disgust set in more deeply than ever. The floor was almost covered with a layer of strange green slime, with a consistency close to, but not quite reaching water. I felt rather enraged, as these were new shoes I was wearing. I got up on my toes, delicately trying to avoid any new damage to my wardrobe. I wondered aloud what the green slime could be, and when I got no response, I realized Margo was no longer by my side.
"Margo?" I called out, becoming a bit worried. "Where are you?"
"Come here, I found a door!" I heard her call back. "I can't get it open, so I will need you to melt it."
I followed the sound of her voice in to a hallway that lead off of the foyer. I found her standing in front of a door which glowed softly with red light.
"Running off on our own again, are we?" I asked, annoyed that she had done something so reckless. She was no wizard, and wizard tricks were not what she knew, so why was she tempting fate like that? I only wanted her to be safe, and while she could handle any one-on-one melee battle that the world threw at her, wizards were an entirely different breed of evil. I proceeded to speak my mind.
"What do you think you're doing, running off alone like that?" I asked her sharply. "What if you had actually found the wizard? What if he had ambushed you in the hallway? What if he had laid a thousand traps for us after all, and the lack of security outside was to make us complacent? You may be able to kill bandits or monsters, but people like him are too far gone to be predictable, and too powerful to be fought alone. Margo, never do that again. I can't afford to lose you."
She merely shook her head and sighed. I knew that she was probably scolding both me and herself right now, and would most likely dwell on the issue for a day or two. All I wanted was for her to be safe, to be happy.
"Are you going to get us through or not?" she asked, clearly irritated.
I reached out to the door and began melting the side of the door open, so that we could easily push through it. After a few seconds, and a little shove, the door swung wide open, revealing the true depths of our target's evil.
Author's Note: Hey everybody, thanks for reading part 3! I hope you're enjoying the story so far, I know I'm enjoying writing it :D please vote and tell me what you think of the story in the comments below! Have an awesome day.
