ninety-three

Fed up with all the talking, Changbin summoned his deadly magic, letting it gather around his palms. It was black, yet interlaced with flickers of dark red. He hurled it right at Jisung's barrier and the impact was incredibly hard to withstand.

He repeated the same motions again and again. The dome broke. Jisung's magic shattered like glass. Tiny shards of light rained down on him and evaporated.

Terrified, he stared at Changbin with wide eyes and barely managed to jump out of the way before a ray of dark magic struck him.

Walking was painful, running even more so, but he wasn't about to give up. Light gathered around his fists. Gritting his teeth, he attacked back and sent a beam of light towards Changbin's direction.

Surprised by the sudden change in Jisung's attitude, Changbin let out a snort. "What's that, human? You want to suffer a little longer? How dare you use my own power against me."

"Shut up," he hissed. He ignored the constant throbbing of his back, ignored the blood that soaked his shirt. His priority was to survive and an injury couldn't hold him back even if it hurt.

He wouldn't lose his life to this maniac. Swirling shadows shot towards him, and he only had a second to evade them. He cursed and gritted his teeth as pain flared in his back.

He gathered magic in his hands and aimed it at Changbin. A blindingly bright beam of light flew at the blood mage. However, it didn't do much. He was more experienced than Jisung when it came to magic, and his powers were significantly stronger.

Nervousness and fear started to cloud Jisung's mind once again. Alone, he stood no chance. He wondered where Minho was and what was taking him so long. Did he really believe that the illusion had been real?

Jisung briefly lost his focus and that nearly almost led to his death. He ducked down fast and Changbin's aggressive magic missed him by a single strand of hair.

"Fuck, it hurts," he hissed, black spots appearing in his vision. He could tell that his body wouldn't endure this for much longer. Desperation began to gnaw at him. The light in his hands dimmed.

"Are you giving up now, human?"

Giving up wasn't an option for Jisung. It was something he would never do. Maybe he could use his magic once more. Just one more time. But the burning in his hands and his exhaustion were clear warning signs that he was overstepping a boundary.

Suddenly, a loud crash sounded from behind him. He flinched yet couldn't turn around in time. His surroundings were filled with light. Everything turned stark white.

The bright magic that had poured into the room slowly vanished. His vision returned as his eyes became used to the light in the basement. Changbin stared at someone behind him, his lips forming a frown.

He had used his own dark magic in order to shield himself from the impact, but a part of his hair and clothes were burned by hot light.

"That was the only the beginning," a sinister voice said from behind Jisung. The hollow sounds of footsteps on the concrete ground neared him. "There is more to come."

Jisung should've been scared by this, but the opposite was the case. As soon as he realized who the voice belonged to and whose magic was enveloping him, he was so relieved he nearly cried.

"Seems like I wasn't quick enough," Changbin muttered under his breath before he raised his voice. "Doesn't matter, I am still going to kill this human. You arriving here doesn't change that fact."

Minho didn't give him an answer and passed Jisung, lingering in front of him. "I'm sorry. I was quite late," he said, exhaling. "But not too late for revenge though," he added without ever taking his eyes off of Changbin.

"Are you angry, demon?" He taunted. "I figured you would like to reunite with your old boyfriend. Looks like I was wrong. Did you kill him?"

Again, Minho didn't answer and continued to stare him down. His eyes screamed murder. The light in the room flickered madly, creating an eerie atmosphere. A peculiar red hue mixed into its usual white glow.

To be continyohheeddd...