Angel With Broken Wings

35 - Mash Burnedead, Kat Ride and The Wolves of Magic (4)

[POV CHANGE | THIRD PERSON]

Bureau of Magic

"Wahlberg," A bald man begins, his chin resting upon his knuckles as he speaks, his eyes placed on the older gentleman, "I apologize for the sudden call." The white haired Headmaster shakes his head slowly, responding softly, "No need for apologies, however, if you've called me, it must be..."

His words trail as the man answers the unspoken question, "That's right." His expression was grave as he continued, "Six of death row's most notorious inmates have escaped from Hecatrice! The prison guards were slaughtered and assisting the escape was none other than Innocent Zero!"

[POV CHANGE | DOT]

Previously, Dot claimed a victory over beauty.

"Yeah! Bring on the next guy!!" I was excited in my shouting, my expression triumphant as I stared into the clearing smoke, my grin slowly fading as the pretty boy becomes visible once more, his body positioned into an attractive pose.

'He's striking an attractive pose even in defeat...He remained good looking until the end. He's a real man, I can accept that.'

My thought's felt chaotic as I stared at the unconscious figure, Lance speaking up being me as he slowly moves forward, "Is it over?" I prepare to respond, my stance becoming unsteady as what feels like an earthquake begins to strike the ground below us.

Holes slightly open up beneath us, slowly pulling each of us downward, my words coming out in an aggravated shout, "The hell?! We're being sucked into the grou–!" My concern went ignored as I hear Mash calmly say from nearby, "Not my creampuff....Someone, save my baby..." My eye twitches at his lack of concern for his own safety, Lance speaking up next as he disappears into the ground, "It appears, our enemies have no intention of letting us go."

I try to move, but feel my arms pinned to my sides by a shaking figure, my gaze moving downwards to Finn clinging onto me with a terrified expression on his face, "Waaahhhh!" He cries out, my body going limp as I give up on trying to fight my way out, the only through remaining in my mind being,

'Sometimes, I wonder if I'm the only normal one.'

[POV CHANGE - THIRD PERSON POV]

The four boys go falling down through the sinkholes, Finn and Dot screaming, Lance remaining calm and stoic, and Mash eating his creampuff, "Goo Chee Goo, Lil Puff."

As the hole opens up, bringing the falling to a stop, Lance manages to land coolly onto the ground his voice calm as he comments upon noting his surroundings, "Hmph. So, they plan to split us up...That won't stop me." He turns around upon feeling a magic presence being him, his eyes landing on a black haired double-liner with glasses, the other male's expression disappointed.

"The double liner freshman? I was hoping to get Mushroom Head..." Lance steadies his stance as his thoughts do a quick run through his mind, 'That was his spell just now? He must be high ranked in the Magia Lupus...' The other boy continues to complain, not paying any mind to Lance's tense figure, "I really would have preferred the Mushroom Head...but they gave me the double-liner...hmm..." He continues to show his distaste as his expression hardens,

"You'd better be worth my displeasure."

~~~~~~

Meanwhile, Dot and Finn are landed before two double-liners, a male with a staff topped by a skull and long, pink haired girl, Finn clutching onto Dot's leg with tears slipping down his cheeks. "Oh geez, oh geez, oh geez, oh..." Finn's rambling gets interrupted by the playful voice of the female, "Aww, we get the one-liner duo? Easy-peasy!"

Finn whimpers as he eyes the two in front of him and Dot, "T-Two double-liners... Mum, Dad...thank you for everything, I'm sorry..." Dot let's out a sigh at the dual-hair coloured boy, "Hey, don't give up before we even started. Show 'em what an underdog can do, if not for yourself then do it for Kat and Lemon." His words make Finn stare at him blankly, Dot's voice full of bravery, "Ya side characters better watch out, you're facing the main character!"

~~~~~~

Mash bounces off the ground once he lands, his knees tucked into his chest, "Ouchies..." He mutters as he makes himself stand, his feet going down the path in front of him, "Where is everyone?" His question is met with another voice, the sound familiar but not entirely friendly as he turns around to face the masked boy from before,

"Did you lose your friends?" Mash looks at the boy blankly, his expression remaining impassive despite the chaos currently in his heart, he was upset that they kept leading them all along, especially since they took Kat and are doing who knows what to the girl, but he didn't know how to put all his thoughts into words as he responds plainly, "Oh, it's you."

"We meet again." Abyss comments, acknowledging the clenched fists of the boy in front of him as he speaks one more, "Your skills last time were quite impressive." Mash responds blankly, uninterested in the conversation, "Oh, thanks." The next words make the black haired boy flinch, his eyes darting to the side quickly, "You're...incapable of magic, aren't you? Just like your friend...Kat."

The use of her name makes his hands clench even tighter, Mash responding, "N-No, I'm not, n-neither o-f us are..." The lie was poorly given as Abyss sighs at the quivering boy, "I've made you nervous." The comment makes Mash respond with a question, his words still shaky as he speaks, "W-What makes you t-think that?" The lack of response brings for another statement from Mash, this one coming out more steady, "Really, tell me."

"Don't be afraid," Abyss commends, "We're two of a kind. We are both abhorrent to this world." He was soft spoken with his words, his eyes hidden behind the mask he wore as he continues to speak, "You must have your reasons for being here, but I too have my reasons." A sword appears in the hand of Abyss, his stance ready as he stares down Mash, the boy responding by raising his fists up to fight, "Huh, you sound like...you almost think that's enough to defeat me.

"I'll beat the stuffing out of you, will all I've got."

~~~~~~

Kat shifts from foot to foot as she eyes Abel, his expression showing feigned strength as she clenches her hands tightly into fists. "Does anyone else know?"

His question briefly caught the girl off guard, her gaze flickering back to the wooden puppet of Lemon before returning to Abel, her answer coming out with a shaky breath, "No." His pink eyes seemed to light with surprise, a chuckle coming from his lips with an undertone of disbelief laced within it.

"Why not?"

The question incites a shiver from the girl, the female knowing that the boy in front of her was stalling for time, waiting for her defenses to drop. "I was scared." Her honest response makes him falter, "You don't know what it's like to live as I have lived. Fear of not knowing who to trust, if you can share what happened, if people will just experiment on you again if they find out.

"But I can't do it anymore, everyday I'm showered in a love I've never received before, and that's terrifying, it makes me hesitant because they don't know who - what - they are loving. To the White Coats, I'm nothing but a failure, but to Mash and the others, I'm just me. I'm Kat Ride, and they give me the courage to not be afraid of you, of those wack job scientists, or of myself." She takes in a deep breath as she returns to a fighting stance, her gaze sharp and ready as she finishes her speech,

"And I'm going to fight you, and prove to you that my trust in my friends is stronger that your screwed up ideals!"