I reached into my satchel and pulled out the parchment. Hiding behind the tree, I glanced at the soul sketch in my hand, and then peered at the group of children playing on the field. My target was among them.
Just to be sure, I held up the portrait and examined the features of the boy. Dark skin, big eyes, round and chubby cheeks.
I wrapped my fingers around the hilt of my dagger, its metal cool against my sweaty skin. I didn't pull the weapon out just yet.
It was almost dusk anyway. Once the sun will set, the kids will go back to their homes, and in the cover of the dark, I would make my move.
As I waited, I made sure to keep my eyes on the target. I had already known the boy would be young, but looking at him directly was so much different.
Now, he wasn't just lines drawn on a parchment anymore. He was flesh and blood, a living breathing human, a child full of innocence and laughter. My conscience once again began to torment me with doubts.
Was I really going to do this? Murder an innocent child?
"You have to do this, Jason," my lips quivered as I muttered. There was no other way. My future depended on the outcome of this job. Kill the boy, and prove your loyalty to the High Council, or fail and die. My only options were to kill or be killed. Quite literally.
With a shaky breath, I steadied my trembling hands and gripped the dagger's hilt again, its metal warm from the contact.
I abhorred the use of weapons. I may have killed before, but I wasn't accustomed to it, and I wanted to keep it that way.
Besides, the power residing within me had a will of its own. It could feel my intent, and it was not happy that I was using a weapon instead of seeking it's help. Wanting release, it kept pushing me to throw the dagger down, so it could let loose.
With a few deep breaths, I managed to pull it back inside. I had to remind it who was in control. However, it wasn't easy. Any struggle against my power always left me heaving. I sank down on the floor and leaned against the tree.
The chatter of the kids continued. It was twilight. There was still some time left, so I waited, keeping my eyes glued to my mark. The boy appeared to be thirteen. As old as I was when I first began my research on the dark arts and discovered the existence of the Immunes.
The boy and I had that one thing in common. We both belonged to the most mysterious class of magic users in the history of the dark arts. We were both Immunes.
However, while my Immunity granted me the chance to join the High Council, his Immunity was going to be the cause of his early demise.
Fate had a twisted sense of humor.
As the time to act approached, I thought about how I ended up in this impossible position.
I grew up on the streets, but my humble roots never held me back. I didn't stop until I knew all there was to know about the dark arts.
I learned to differentiate between the power capacity of each type of magic users, and those who who had no affinity to magic whatsoever.
The kind who puzzled me the most were the Immunes. They were the rarest forms of magic users, with an immense amount of raw latent energy stored within them.
On the contrary, they had the strongest antipathy to mana, so much so that any form of magic would be repelled against them, hence the name.
The only downside was that most of the Immunes spent their lives oblivious to the existence of the inexhaustible well of power within them. Even if they did learn about it, they had never been an Immune who could access it. Until me.
I released an infinitesimal amount of my power into my fists, and it rushed through my veins. My fingers clenched. The minuscule energy was enough to turn the parchment in my hand into dust, and bend the metal hilt of my dagger in an odd angle.
Something within me struggled to take away my control, so I reigned the power back in.
This was the result of my research. What I discovered was the secret recipe of awakening the untouched, raw power residing within every Immune. The key was to take the life of another magic user.
I accidentally came to learn this when I killed a lawbreaking sorcerer, defending myself. Only after then, the pieces of my research clicked together and my all hardwork bore fruit.
My mind went back to the time when I crushed that man's head with a brick, desperate to save my satchel, which had nothing that would be of value to him, but contained my entire life's work.
I glanced at the bent dagger. I only had this power because someone's blood was spilled. However, I didn't regret it one bit. That man had it coming. He was trying to rob me.
This boy, on the other hand...
I gazed at him and my chest grew heavy. There was something so fragile about him that it physically pained me to even imagine hurting him. It was hard to believe that he had the potential to end up like me.
It didn't matter that he was just a harmless little boy at this stage, I had no choice but to kill him in cold blood, and punish him for something out of his control. Just the magnitude of his potential was enough to give him a death penalty.
I bit my lip, running a hand through my hair. What was I thinking going to the High Council with my research? How green I was suggesting to end wars and build civilization by cultivating this power!
Instead, what did they do? They passed a decree to hunt down every single Immune. Those fear mongers would rather annihilate innocents over risking someone rising up against them!
The worst part was that it was all happening because of me.
If only I hadn't sought a seat in the Council, or suggested such grand ideals. If I only I didn't seek glory...
I was the one who had sentenced all those innocents to their deaths. Guilt wrapped around me like a wet blanket.
Rubbing the moisture from my eyes, I peered at the children again. It was dark now, and most of them had left, but a few were still there, offering goodbyes to each other.
The boy waved at everyone and jogged towards the road. I trailed him through the shadows, keeping myself hidden under the cover of trees and bushes. He was just within reach. I glanced around the deserted road and raised my hand to grab him but before I could do so, I came to an abrupt halt.
I can't do it, I told myself. He's just a child!
But he's going to die anyway, a voice responded, startling me. Why should we die with him?
I bounced my head to the sides to discern the source of the voice, but there was no one. The familiar tinge of power returned to my skin and I immediately knew who had spoken. In fact, I had known all along. The power had a will of its own.
Stop! I commanded it, trying my best to reign it back in. However, it slipped through my grasp, dodging me skilfully, as if it had only been pretending to be tamed. Before I knew it, I was locked in with no access to my own body.
Who's in control now? The voice chuckled.
I frowned inwardly, but my lips were smiling. No matter how much I tried to straighten them, it didn't happen. By the time I realised what was happening, my body had caught up to the boy again. The road was dark and deserted, with ample trees and bushes around it to provide cover. My hand reached forward, and this time I was unable to stop it.
No! Give it back! It's my body! Stop! I knocked and screamed, but my pleas fell on deaf ears. The power–or energy–or whatever it was–had won.
I'm doing this for both of us, it replied. My body suddenly pounced on the boy, my hand clasped over his mouth.
The boy writhed in my grasp. I could feel every convulsion and reverberation as he tried to fight me off. My hand became slick with his tears.
No! I could feel my stomach weighing down. Tears seeped out of my eyes, but my lips remained grinning.
"Shhh, be still." The voice came out of my lips, bit it wasn't mine. The boy let out a defeated whimper and froze.
My hands shook with uncertainty. Maybe I still had some control but it wasn't enough, because I tried with all my might to stop and failed.
Power thrummed through my body, its familiar tinge on every inch of my skin.
The boy shuddered under my grasp, as my hands held him against my torso and twisted his neck.
My thoughts screeched to a halt. I stopped fighting back and let the power consume me. Defeat had left me utterly exhausted.
The only thing reverberating through my mind was the relentless echo of bones cracking as the boy's neck snapped, and his glassy eyes stared into the depths of my soul.
