“One second…are you decent?” Zavier asked, I looked around at myself before looked towards my phone a little confused.
“Yes, why?” I asked
“Are you by a mirror?” they asked, I walked into my bathroom, the mirror was still covered in steam from the scalding, scalding hot shower I took.
“Yes”
“One moment” they said, I heard their hoofs clack on concrete, before a heavy door open and close with this overbearing wash of blaring music which they were trying to muffle before this loud swishing pop sound before all of the sound was quiet and silent. I heard another door along with their hoofs on wood before this squeaking sound followed. I looked up as I saw movement, inversed in the steam of my mirror a large circle formed with these complex lines crossing about it followed and runes appearing in the inverse before the entire mirror softly glowed and the mirror shifted like it was boiling water then calmed showing…not my reflection, but this stately bathroom of marble and gold, Zavier seated facing the mirror. “Love that spell” they said, their voice doubled through my phone and the mirror, though the mirror was slightly tinny sounding.
“Might want to know that one” I said
“Mirrors, water…anything reflective” they said, in the mirror I saw the strange juxtaposition appearance of my slightly younger cousin, pale skin covered in swirls of freckles, a high ponytail of black hair that faded to neon green hanging behind them with their horns coiled about their head, glowing swirling silver/gold eyes and statue like face, gothic heavy makeup and dressed in goth clubwear with lots of chains, spikes, studs, harnesses and latex: it’s hard to believe that they’re basically the great-grand-child of the archangel Michael. “I’ll email you the talisman and incantation, you know that those things don’t pass over phones well.” They said
“Thank you.”
“So, you think this man…this Aden Ashmore is your bond?” they asked resting their folded hands on the marble sink top, I just slowly nodded as I saw their hand slide over to push a bottle out of view on the mirror, but not looking away from me.
“I…I knew it, the moment I saw him…it was like I knew all my life that I would be his.” I said, “It…its terrifying.”
“Breathe, Vlad…I can see your shoulders trembling” they said, holding a hand up, “You said everything went bullet-time, all you could focus on was him and the scent of his magic flooded your senses, right?” they asked, I nodded. “Did you feel like you got sucker-punched in the stomach?” I nodded, “Like if they started walking away, you felt this…carnal urge to almost chase after them?” they asked, I nodded, “the idea of them being in danger made you absurdly angry?” they asked, I nodded as I looked towards my feet, feeling my eyes start watering. They sighed deeply, “That’s a bond…without a doubt, that is a bond.”
“Why?” I asked, “Why now?”
“Vlad, you know the magic that makes this happen to us. It’s nothing we can control, nothing we have any say over…nothing like that…it is fully out of control and all we can do is go along for the manic pixie dream girl of a ride.” They said, “We…don’t know if the fact Kal and I both had those crazy things happen when we found out bonds were part of the process. The fact that our bonds were…pivotal to the things that happened makes us believe that it’s a yes, but…we don’t know. There’s over thirty of us and Kal and I are the only ones who have found our bonds…three if you count yourself.”
“The…the magical world is still getting over everything we had to do with you and Kain” I said, softly rubbing my eyes with the heels of my palms, “I…I don’t know if the magical world is ready for something like that again.”
“Vlad…look at me.” they said, I breathed deeply as I looked up in the mirror meeting their swirly eyes. “Are you worried about the world’s place standing in the way between yourself and Aden?” they asked, I softly nodded, “Are you concerned that you going after him would cause people harm?” they asked, I nodded again.
“I…I don’t want to see people hurt”
“I’m always baffled at how you are the absolute…softest, sweetest and most caring out of all of us.” They said with a sigh before looking back to meet my eyes, “As I said, yes…we’re batting two for two with Kal and I both having to do a lot of crazy bullshit because of our bonds…but you can always be the first one that doesn’t have something like that happen” they assured
“What happens…if I don’t let the Bond happen?” I asked
“It’s already happened, Vlad” Zavier said, probably trying to make me feel better by their soft, caring tone, but the words were a poisoned dagger right into my heart as I gripped the edge of my sink. “Once one of our bonds has started…there is no stopping it. You know the stories we’re told when we’re kids. Even Grandma doesn’t know who put this magic on us…but someone out there learned of us and sense Kal was born, there have been stories about us finding someone who is cosmically bound to ourselves. Their very existence, their personality, their mannerisms, their magic…everything about them is the perfect mesh for us.” They said, I could have sworn I nearly felt Zavi’s scalding hot hands holding mine to assure me. “But the stories say…” Zavier said before their eyes alit silvery white, “To every warlord, there is a bond…someone who their heart grows fond…someone they’ll protect, cherish and love forever more and beyond…two souls correspond…forever long. No rain, no sleet, no blinding light will stop these bonds as I write. No flight nor fight nor blight will stop this…their only birthright. Set their hearts alight, this is my last foresight, I am the warlord’s acolyte and forever more…this is my decree: even if they flee…their Bond will bring only glee, to their bonds they become a devotee no matter how they’ll disagree, this is my guarantee. Jubilee for the warlord, that’s all I wish…this is my last and final accord…if I fall upon my sword, the world shall keep this spell its lasting ward, the warlords will find their hearts bound to a Bond with a scarlet cord, pulling them further and further toward…the one who claims their heart their horde. A Bond to make a warlord weak…these are the words to thee I speak: I know of their magic and persons before them, that is my mystique, this is my technique. A soul is not a thing to wrench and bend…but to them, my hand I lend, the time I spend, the plants I tend…all for the world to mend…that is my amend. I am not an enemy or friend, I am simply word transcend…Hark my words of the warlord’s bonds…for if they are harmed, you have not long.” This…different voice left Zavier was not their usual one, but that of their actual form. They shook their head as their eyes returned to the nonstop motion of their swirly eyes, “Hate when that happens.”
“Yet you started it.” I said, all of us know that story…for as long as any warlord can remember, we have always known that poem. We can’t find the markers of a curse or spell like this on us, we’ve checked multiple times and found nothing that would give us a sign or link to who made this. We’ve even checked the Earth for a sign of the spell and found nothing. There is just…nothing to give us any idea as to how or who put this spell on us…all we know is what we can get from the wording, all we can guess is that they died very…very soon after making this spell and had some kind of foresight ability…that’s it, nothing else. Zavier sighed deeply before looking towards me.
“Please, think about what I’ve said, Vlad…please, get to sleep too.”
“How is it still night for you?”
“You’re only three hours ahead and you know how time is here.”
“Right, you forget time is slower there once you leave” I said
“But please…Vlad…try to get some sleep…think about what I’ve said…we’ll all be here to support you…no matter what.” They said before their hand rose up and they tapped the mirror, it rippled again like churning water before from its center it stilled as the ripples vanished leaving the mirror as it was though not a speck of steam marked its surface…I had collapsed down on the floor at some point, I put my back to the wall as I hugged my knees to my chest, not wanting to think about what Zavier said, but unable to ignore the sense and reason they spoke when talking to me about everything they said about this…spell that plagues us as a strange blessing…the light that seeped out of the mirror was gone and the only light was from the streetlights outside, leaving me sitting silent, in the dark on the floor of my quiet bathroom.
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