Chapter VIII — Pyrokinesis (Part 2)

The door clicked shut and Claudius stepped into the enchanted sound-proof room.

His heightened olfactory senses picking up the intoxicating smell of blood immediately, more distinct now that they were alone.

"Before you start, Claudius, I do not have the answers you seek. I do not know why nor how. However, while it is there, I do not feel any attraction to him — you know I cannot. But I cannot say the same for him. Werewolves have a strong belief that their mate bonds never lie. And since I do not yet have a solid explanation, I have not outright rejected him because he will likely not even accept it if I did. Therefore, I see no point in disclosing something that is unnecessary for them to know."

Claudius stayed silent as he watched Cassandra cross the room to the open window.

"And I wish for it to remain that way."

"They'll find out sooner or later, Cass. You can't hide it forever. Heck, you have even allowed them to follow us to D.C.! That place is crawling with his underlings and subordinates! On top of that, between New York and there, you know there's a high chance he's going to be there.-"

There was a swoop as the black raven dove in.

"They would have followed us regardless and I would rather have them next to us where I know exactly where they will be than have them running around wildly looking for me only to end up running into anything else — or heaven forbid, him. If they simply went there for pure business as claimed, it wouldn't arose his attention. However, we all know they are not. And if he finds out that a bunch of wolves are poking their heads into something that is none of their business, and creating trouble in his city..." Cassandra trailed off, shaking her head. "I did it so I have at least a semblance of control over the situation, Claudius. When the time comes, I will decide how to deal with it. Until then, I wish for it to remain that way as long as possible."

Cassandra didn't bother keeping the tiredness and weariness out of her voice.

"Furthermore, whether it is considered lucky or not — be it for the rest of us or them, it is best if those of the werewolf race continue to live in their ignorant bliss as the supernatural world is the way it is because of it. Aside from the centuries long feud they have with your kind and amicable relationship they have with us witches, they have always kept to themselves and because of that the rest of us have also left them reasonably alone too. Right now, the delicate balance of our world hangs on a very thin thread. On the surface, we're all able to coexist relatively peacefully even after what has happened seven years ago. But should that peace be disrupted due to a change that can lead to a butterfly effect, it can very well end in war and bloodshed where even mortals will be dragged in the case we are not careful."

Claudius stares at the black witch who stroked the head of the raven perched on her left arm, her gaze distant as it was focused on the expanse of trees that seemed to stretch on forever outside the window.

There was a moment of silence before she spoke again, hesitant to approach the subject.

"How is Nicholas?"

"He is...not taking it well. Not to mention, our parents had made him attend an arranged meeting this close and seemed serious about pushing it forward,..."

Claudius shook his head.

She turned to him and Claudius was certain that if he had a beating heart, it would have stopped at the sight.

She was bathed in the moon light's soft glow, her porcelain pale skin and wave of silver-white hair that cascaded down her back shining, giving her an almost ethereal appearance. Pointed ears, full ruby red lips and penetrating violet eyes that met his blood red ones. While her face revealed nothing, her eyes were a whole different story as a torrent of emotions swirled in them.

It was a rare moment as Cassandra lowered her guard slightly. Claudius being one of the extremely few individuals who were able to catch a glimpse of the vulnerable side of the usually ice-cold woman.

And it was moments like this, that the feelings Claudius spent years burying deep down would come flooding to the surface.

Like many others, it was her captivating beauty that drew him in when he first met her. Followed by the slight unease that bordered on awe and fear, after learning of her identity yet unable to resist the dangerous allure that she exuded. More often than not, in the many occasions where they met in subsequent meetings, they would find themselves unofficially left together to be paired due to circumstances.

For Claudius, the first couple of times were the most awkward and nerve-wrecking social interactions he ever had to endure in his life. Cassandra, on the other hand, had simply remained indifferent.

It was not until the fourth time that they were once again stuck together, that he couldn't take the tension anymore and mustered up the courage to break the ice. From there, it got better in the sense that it did get less awkward despite the fact that Cassandra still gave him nods and one worded answers to his questions. There were also times where she simply stared blankly when he attempted to make her laugh with one of his jokes — she did not get it. Though occasionally, Claudius did manage to catch a few tiny quirks of her lips.

Claudius's five year old self apparently didn't let himself get bothered too much by it as he was already quite content that she wasn't ignoring him or worse torturing him like he expected her to, attributing to his wild imaginations and misconceptions then he had about black witches. He did most of the talking to fill the empty space between them as they walked about the von Stein's mansion's garden.

About a year and a half later, his pyrokinetic abilities started to manifest. It was as traumatic as it was disastrous for Claudius.

The first time it happened was during lunch break, a bully had purposefully bumped into him when they passed each other, causing Claudius to land painfully on his behind, and inside him sparked an underlying anger. In return, he had glared at the bully's retreating back, and all of a sudden, the bully was engulfed in fire.

Claudius could only watch, rooted and frozen to his spot as the boy in front of him wailed in pain at the fire that scorched him and rolled onto the grass, attempting to put it out while everyone else in the vicinity were stunned before recovering and going into a frenzy. The boy was rescued after the school's gardener had used a water hose to put out the fire. But, not before the boy was badly scalded and scarred, even while taking into account the vampires' healing ability. After the incident, news had spread fast and whispers started. Yet, while there was no concrete evidence pointing towards him, Claudius was never more certain of anything else in his mind.

The next time it occured was when he had been in class. Twirling the pen in his hand absentmindedly, Claudius had allowed his mind to wander, distracted to the point he had missed the teacher's multiple calls of his name. His friend seated to his right had reached out to shake him out of his reverie.

Startled all of a sudden, Claudius reacted, his vampire instincts making him move to avoid the incoming hand before he himself even registered what was happening and swinging his arm out. An arc of fire shot out from his hand and his friend jumped up, just narrowly avoiding the flames that burnt papers on both their desks.

The teacher had let out a shout of warning at the same time everyone near the two of them had automatically backed away. There was a beat of pin drop silence as all eyes in the classroom were on them. Claudius was shaken as he recovered and slowly looked up with his own wide eyes, seeing his friend suspended a good ten feet above where he was originally seated. Descending from the classroom's high ceiling, a maniacal grin broke out on his friend's face as he waved off the teacher's fretting and started praising the discovery of Claudius's wicked abilities. The whole class had bombarded him with questions, all in awe, for an elemental gift as a special ability was extremely rare. However, Claudius was numbed and barely registered any of it as the horror realisation gradually sunk in — he could have killed his friend with a power he could not control.

After that incident, the next time he had met her again, it had returned to a stagnant silence between them once again, with him being consumed in his own thoughts — the incident still fresh and plaguing his mind — and internal battle to bring it up. It lasted till the both of them reached the fountain located at the centre of the large garden. They stopped and faced each other at the same time. All it took was the slight tilt of her head to the side and a questioning look, and all the worry that had been eating him from the inside out just came pouring out.

When he was done, she simply stared at him, her cool violet eyes revealing nothing.

She took a few steps back and he watched as her red lips parted and began moving. He felt a dark crackle of energy in the air as a string of words foreign to him yet clearly filled with magic flowed out of her mouth.

With an amethyst glow, a purple magic circle with him in the centre spanned out and a ring of fire erupted from its outer ring, causing him to yelp in surprise and stumble, falling on his back.

Standing on the other side of the dancing flames, she spoke, not giving Claudius the chance to.

"If you wish to be free, you will have to find your own way out."

With that, she turned and walked away while he simply watched her with eyes still as wide as saucers until her retreating form disappeared into the garden.

It was a beat of silence before Claudius gathered himself, scrambling to his feet to get up and dusting the dust off his pants.

He stood in the centre of it, there was a three meters radius distance between him and the flames that glowed brightly in front of him.

He took tentative steps forward, hand raised, reaching out towards it. He felt the increasing heat as he neared it, and just as the dancing flames came into contact with his fingers, he immediately retracted it in a swift motion, holding it to his chest before lowering it.

His suspicions were confirmed — the flames she had conjured up were menacing — he had known all along they would burn and scald him like his had scalded the bully. They were meant to entrap and imprison him.

He clenched his fists.

He also knew he would not be able to charge head first through it without suffering third degree burns, even with his vampire speed. They danced at him tauntingly.

The unpleasant thoughts sent a rush of anger surging through him and reacting out of a seven year old's childish impulse, he conjured up his own ball of fire on his right hand and he threw it at the magic fire. He didn't stop, tossing ball after ball of fire at rapid speed in his fit of tantrum.

However, her flames only seemed to blaze stronger as it consumed each of his. This continued on for a few minutes and Claudius felt his energy drain away slowly until in a final burst of frustration, he swung his arm, releasing a wave of angry orange fire in a wide diagonal arc. When they both collided, her magical flames still blazed tall.

He was panting heavily, a sheen of sweat dripping down his pale forehead and he glared down at his own hands first before looking up and directing the glare back at her flames that seemed to mock him. Calming down, he drew in a shaky breath and forced himself to think.

He looked down at his own pair of pale hands. Gradually, his glare disappeared, morphing into one that was deep in thought.

Because he was much more composed, the apprehension and fear of his power was more prominently felt. Hence, he steeled his resolve and willed himself to conjure up another ball of fire. When it swayed gently and engulfed the palm of his right hand like he wanted it to, he let out a tiny sigh of relief. He felt its warmth course through him.

Approaching it tentatively once again but with a spark of brief confidence this time, Claudius held out his ignited right hand to reach towards her magic flames. The atrocious heat more prominent with every step he took. At the last second, just before his flames could meet hers, he paused, hesitating.

Squeezing his eyes shut tight and taking in a deep breath, his cheeks puffing, he stuck his hand forward, and immediately he felt her flames flare up aggressively, with the intention to consume his own small one.

As he felt the growing heat lick his palm and fingers, his eyes flew open. In alarm, his flames reacted to his emotions, flaring up as well, pushing hers back. No sooner that it did, hers retaliated with twice the previous magnitude, and hence, fully consuming his faster than one could blink. In a panic, Claudius yelped and retracted his scorched hand with vampire speed.

Tears sprung at the throbbing sting he felt that was fading painfully slow. He turned and observed his hand and the entirety of his arm that was now red as a ripe tomato.

He bit his lip, refusing to let the tears fall. Using his unhurt arm, he wiped them away profusely, sniffling slightly.

He glared at the fire, jaw clenched. He had already worked it out — the last stunt, while it backfired, had allowed Claudius to confirm his suspicions and verify certain factors.

He knew what had to be done and with a firm resolve, he conjured up another ball of fire and made his way forward.

Her fire had hurt him — it had extinguished his and burnt his hand. If Claudius had to describe it, for the brief moment that he had came into contact with hers, they were hostile and oppressive — not that he expected any less in this situation, Cassandra's intention had been to entrap him from the beginning, it was needless to say, her fire would have viewed him as the enemy.

There was also a tinge of cold, dark magic in hers, that he had felt and given that it was cast from a black witch, he knew it was distinctly different from any other fire he had come across — it was filled with her magic. His own flame, on the other hand, had always blazed with a warmth — they never burnt him and Claudius might even dare say it was calm and comforting. Therefore, in order to escape, he would have to turn her flames into his by fighting fire with fire — in other words, conquer and possess.

Once again, Claudius held out his ignited hand towards her magic flames but this time with a confidence and steel like determination that was rare for any seven year old to have. There was no panic when his flames came into contact with hers and began to consume his. However, he didn't allow it to go far, as he willed his own to blaze brighter. As he did, he pushed his feelings of anger of being unjustly trapped, poured his desire to be free and above all, embraced the newfound trust and partial understanding in this power after being plagued by weeks of frustration and fear of it.

His fire battled against hers and began to spread, he felt the unbearable heat surrounding him fade and a soothing warm flowed through him.

He was so focused as he watched in amazement that it startled him when she spoke. He thought she had left.

"Your pyrokinesis is not something to be feared. Fire is not just about destruction and harm. Like a sword, it depends on its wielder. Mastered well, it can be used for defence and protection. Fearing it, letting your emotions get in the way, will only turn it against you and eventually, it will consume you. Do not just view it as something to be controlled. It is a part of you. Learn to accept it and understand it, and it can be your strongest ally and friend." She materialised and she approached closer, stopping a few feet before the ring of fire that was now made out of his flames.

He stared at her, his mouth hanging open slightly, wanting to say something in response but not knowing what, because her words had hit home. Each word she spoke only resonated the truth of what he had discovered and came to terms with in the last half hour.

Slowly, he extracted his hand from the fire, eyes still trained on her.

With the fire now his to direct, Claudius concentrated as he willed it to dissipate and it did, until what was left was a black, charred ring on the ground.

There was no movement for several moments as they continued to stare at each other, till she turned on her heel and walked in the direction of the mansion.

A silence enveloped them, as after a beat, Claudius fell in step behind her. Cassandra simply walked ahead, leaving him to his own thoughts which was still processing what had just occurred. He looked up, watching her whom was a few steps ahead. Her back which had always been intimidating and only moments before, sparked anger in him, gave him a sense of wonderment and reverence.

Unbeknownst to him, he had perhaps already began falling for the bewitching sorceress then.

In the days that followed, Claudius spent every waking moment replaying that event in his mind. The gnawing fear and stress that had plagued him for the past weeks was replaced by a feeling of lightheartedness and excitement he hadn't felt in forever. It was liberating — her words had lifted a heavy weight from his shoulders. Furthermore, while it was only later down the road when he looked back and analysed that day, did he come to realise how that day spoke volumes. As a seven year old, it had set him free and happy but as he grew older, it held a much greater significance.

They had brought to light the weight she had carried as a child and even now as a full grown woman.

He had already decided what he would ask her the next time he saw her and the anticipation of their next meeting grew with each passing day.

However, when they did meet, he found the words to have lodged in his throat. He had spent all week building up his courage and reciting what he was going to ask repeatedly in his head, yet before her, his mind drew a blank. Heart thudding and words stuttering, he had eventually gotten his request out.

And so their training began and he continued to fall.

While he would frequently hit on her jokingly and teasingly, just to get a rise out of her, there were a number of times, when he was left alone to his own thoughts, that he would wonder how much of it held the truth. It was safe to say he has never outright acted on his plausible attraction towards her for he had always known she saw him as a brother and dear childhood friend just like she did for his brother. Claudius has also long since accepted that his feelings would never be reciprocated. However, that didn't stop the said feelings and attraction from developing.

There was a stretch of silence while each was lost in their own thoughts. Claudius didn't elaborate any further on his brother's current predicament and he was thankful he didn't need to — he knew she, among everyone else, was well aware and could empathise better than anyone else.

There was not an ounce of sympathy like many of the others. No, for her it was filled with empathy.

One was tormented by grief and plagued by anguish while the other was driven by pain and haunted by the loss. As the two of whom were hit the hardest by the event of seven year ago, each were suffering and coping in their own ways.

Claudius has never felt as helpless as he did as when he had to watch the two dearest and closest to him trapped as such and he could do nothing about it.

"I have checked what you asked me to. The surge in the abduction cases occurring in each of the locations can't also have been a coincidence. And according to Hugo's investigation, there's one to be hosted in D.C. in three days."

The only response Claudius received on his report was a curt nod from Cassandra, whose expression was equally as grim as his.