Delusional Fool

The sight before me, when I entered the cave lit by at least a hundred candles, surprised me.

The whole cave was painted in colorful art, depicting several rituals. Most of them didn’t look violent.

What could have been beautiful was, however, spoiled by the heavy smell of metal and rot.

Marcus was down on his knees in front of a stone altar that was covered in old and new blood. They had probably killed the seven that hung in the tree here.

He turned to look at me as I called him out.

“It is over, Marcus,” I said sternly while I approached him.

He didn’t seem surprised to see me.

“I should have known my little brother would involve the umbra, to do what he can’t, but you’re delusional if you think I’ve been looking for you,” he said calmly.

“You’re the delusional one. How many people have you killed, trying to find one soul?” I asked him, trying to sound calm, when all I wanted to do was laugh at him.

“Not enough, it would seem,” he said with cold eyes and an annoyed frown.

“How did you find me? I made sure to not tell Erik this time.”

“Damion helped us. It’s why you can’t use your magic,” I smirked at him.

I watched as all color drained from Marcus’s face and his expression turned confused. “But he can’t, I’m not breaking his rules,” he hissed, panic evident in his voice.

“You fucked up. Marcus, you tried to hurt someone he loves,” I giggled while walking toward him, slowly.

He looked so puny, still on his knees.

“I have been trying to bring people he loves back from the afterlife, he should be thanking me,” he spat, his face now twisted in anger.

“You really have no idea why your rituals haven’t been working?” I asked, raising my eyebrows at him and folding my arms.

“Maybe I just hadn’t found the right sacrifice yet.” He smiled viciously before he grabbed his dagger and lunged at me.

Without his magic, though, he was no match.

I dodged his attack and knocked the air out of him with my fist, before I twisted the knife out of his grip and pushed him down.

His head hit the wall of the cave and blood gushed out of a fresh wound.

He looked up at me with fear in his eyes, and I couldn’t help but cackle, like I was possessed by the ghost of my past.

I liked watching him suffer. I liked seeing him scared.

“Since I’m going to kill you anyway, I’ll let you in on a little secret,” I began, picking up his dagger from the ground.

I bent down over him, pressing the dagger to his throat.

“You couldn’t find Morgana’s soul, because I am very much alive, and I do not share your vision,” I whispered in his ear and giggled as I withdrew myself to watch his world shatter.

His eyes were wide as he tried to grasp this new information.

“You tried to kill me, Marcus,” I pointed out while I slid a finger along the blade of his dagger, reading the inscription.

“Do not mock me with your lies! Morgana would never return as an umbra,” Marcus cried out in anger.

“They didn’t kill me, you know, but they tried to kill my son. I couldn’t have that,” I mumbled.

“~A soul to bring us to glory and freedom,~” I read aloud from the dagger, in the arcane language.

I was happy about the antimagic zone; I didn’t fancy another cleanse.

“You give me far too much credit. I only ever wanted to protect my boy, I think,” I mumbled.

I looked at him, and he was suddenly staring at me in awe and shock, realizing that I really was speaking the truth.

“Do forgive my insolence, mistress, all I want is to serve you,” he whispered in shock.

“You’re nothing but a psychopath, Marcus, and you’ll die like one, I believe,” I said, handing him the dagger.

“Just one more sadistic act, I dare you,” I said, smiling maliciously at him.

He lifted the blade to his throat with trembling hands, just as I had hoped, but something shifted in his eyes and he attacked me again.

I jumped back on my heels, dodging the blade in the nick of time.

Tears were streaming down his face. I had broken him.

His belief in me had been all wrong and his reality shattered.

His grip on reality was fading like smoke; I could see it in the eyes of the madman in front of me.

I drew my gun and watched Marcus’s eyes widen in shock before I pulled the trigger.

I was shaking as he fell dead to the ground.

It had all happened so fast, and just like that, he was gone.

I suddenly felt an odd energy that was new to me.

“Oh, you are not going anywhere, but Hell,” I heard a voice. A man appeared.

It was the reaper I’d seen during Samhain.

He really did look a lot like Damion. Was he Morgana’s son too?

He knelt down and placed his hand on the corpse. There was a faint red light.

He turned to me with a weak smile playing on his lips, and just like he’d appeared, he was gone.

What was that?

“Bella, are you okay?” I heard Jasper’s voice from the entrance.

I got startled and turned around to look at him.

“I saw you running up here on your…own,” he said, stumbling on the last word since he caught sight of Marcus.

I was lucky he hadn’t arrived earlier and heard our conversation.

“It’s Marcus, we’ve done it,” I said, feeling a little numb.

It was hard to believe he was really gone, just like that, and so easily.

I wasn’t sure I really was a reincarnation of Morgana either, but why else would I have her memories?

They felt like mine, not a stranger’s, and I’d felt myself change with their return.

I wanted to see Damion.

“Bella! Are you okay? You look pale,” Jasper asked calmly.

He had approached me.

I shook the thoughts off.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” I answered, while I put my gun away and walked out of the cave.

I sighed.

“The sun really won’t rise here? Can’t wait to go back home,” I said while Jasper looked at me suspiciously.

I didn’t care that he was watching me when I pulled my cigarettes out.

“So you really did start smoking,” he remarked while I lit my cigarette and inhaled deeply.

“It’s calming,” I answered as I blew out the smoke.

“How did you know Marcus was up here?” he asked suspiciously.

I looked at him.

“Intuition, just followed the trail of blood,” I said with a foxy smile.

There was no way I’d actually tell him about Damion.

“You really shouldn’t take such risks, Bella. That’s why you got suspended after all, from what I’ve heard,” he sighed.

“Worry about yourself, Jasper,” I said and began walking down.

I was losing the feel of my fingers since it was so cold. I wondered if Marcus realized, the moment he lost connection to his magic, that it was all over for them, and that he had lost.

The first and second squad leaders were furious at me for pursuing him on my own. The eleventh squad leader was awfully quiet, though.

She was probably relieved that I was the one to find him. Receiving Damion’s help was something she had kept secret from the others.

The eleventh squad wasn’t going straight home with the rest of us after we’d made it back to the hotel, showered, and eaten. They were staying to clean up the scene with the ninth squad.

I shrugged at the thought, but the amount of magic they had used was too great. They needed a cleanse before it was considered safe for them to sleep.

I was curious. I wanted to know. I wanted to see what would happen if they didn’t.

In the memory that had flashed before me, I had seen umbra as they used to be. Could we be like that again?

Damion had told me that I, nor the other umbra, were ready for such a change yet. I was probably wise to trust him.

Although, we really needed to talk.