So You Might be Soulless

15|| Challenge

A drug that can give extra powers... Diya was deep in thought, fragments of facts slowly piecing together. I remember learning about them briefly in school- but it was mainly just a myth.

"Diya? Diya!"

A hand waved in front of her face. Diya reacted on pure instinct, flinging a shard of darkness at the voice.

"Woah!" Sebastian barely dodged in time, the tips of his blue hair were cut and fluttered to the ground.

Horror and fear swept through Diya and she clasped her hands to her mouth, hastily stammering out apologies. I am so screwed.

"Diya Elsher." Caspian's eyes glittered deviously, magic circles illuminating his gleeful expression. "I charge you with attempted murder of–"

"Wait, Cas," Sebastian raised his hands and stepped between them, "it's fine, don't kill the bodyguard. It was my fault for startling her in the first place."

Caspian tsked and the magic circles slowly fizzled out. "You are too kind, Seb."

"And you are too ruthless, Cas."

Diya felt like she was spectating something she shouldn't be watching and awkwardly turned around, pretending to be interested in the flowers that bloomed along the pathway.

"Dee–"

"Diya."

"Diya," Sebastian hastily corrected, "do you want to go to the library?"

"I have a better idea," The Second Prince grinned, a devious glint alight in his crystal blue eyes, "why not have Miss Elsher fight against our top soldiers? See if her abilities are as good as she claims them to be?"

"Never show off your skills for cheap tricks, belloma." A voice chimed in Diya's mind- a memory almost forgotten.

But what if he's being a prick?

Though it wounded her pride greatly, Diya shook her head. "I cannot do that, but thank you for the offer Second Prince–"

"What, scared you'll lose?"

One more word and I won't be responsible for what happens next.

"I'm more worried that I won't be challenged enough. Second Prince."

"Do you look down on the Imperial Army?"

He's grasping at straws. "No, I'm worried they might go easy on me since they don't know my fighting style."

"Oh you don't have to worry about that," Caspian leaned heavily on his walking stick, "I will get my best fighter- who I know will hold no bias."

"I don't have my sword."

"You can use the Imperial ones."

"What if I just say no?"

Caspian smirked cruelly, "Then I will have to assume you are denying an Imperial request?"

"Caspian," Sebastian said in a warning tone, "be very careful with your words."

Caspian delicately shrugged. "I'm just saying... isn't it a catastrophic blow to your social standing to deny an Imperial Request?"

Caspian expected Diya to be scared. He wanted to see what she was thinking- determine whether she was a threat to his family. Any fake would take the bait and, once she lost heavily, he could finally oust the parasite from the Imperial Family. It was his duty to keep his family safe and he couldn't let them down again.

What he was not expecting was the smile that spread across Diya's expression like an infection. She tilted her head to the side and her dark hair tumbled over her shoulder as she adopted a demure expression.