MARKED BY THE ENEMY

MARLOWE. I tucked the strands of hair falling over my face back into my bun and stepped inside the storage room. The faint scent of old books and sawdust hit me the moment I closed the door behind me. Everything looked the same as back then. There were jars filled with magical crystals lining the top shelves, while on the lower shelves, there were old tools and boxes lying there. My boots clicked against the stone floor as I headed straight for the shelves at the back. When I got there, I instantly found the wooden box. It was sitting exactly where I had left it on the bottom shelf. I crouched down, gathering my blue sundress between my thighs as I picked it up. Having the box this close again brought back a flood of memories, but out of all of them, one remained plastered inside my head. My parents had spent months crafting this magic enhancer for my fifteenth birthday, right after my own magic had failed to awaken. On the day they gave it to me, I was too ashamed and stubborn to accept it, viewing their gift as a form of weakness and an insult. Looking back now, I hated my younger self for that. I should have hugged them. Should have cried and told them how much I loved it. But now, it was all too late. My chest burned as I rubbed my thumb against the hard wood. Why did it always take losing people to understand how much they truly mattered? Suddenly, a golden light bled out from beneath my thumb. It grew brighter and brighter until a dull, throbbing ache spread across my skin. Before I could pull away, something like a needle pierced deep into my flesh, catching like a hook. I gasped, snatching my hand back. A tiny needle retracted into the wood, taking a bead of my blood with it. “What the hell?” I muttered, rubbing my pricked thumb. The box suddenly clicked open, the lid falling back with a soft thud. I stared, dumbfounded by what lay inside. A red stone ring. I plucked it out from the case and set the empty box aside. Turning the gem over between my fingers, I looked for any hidden mark but found nothing. No inscriptions, design or glow. The box had literally stabbed me with a needle just for this cheap looking piece. “Seriously?” I squinted at it in the dim light. It wasn’t what I expected. But still, it was the last thing my parents had ever made for me, and that alone made it special enough. I closed my fingers around it and straightened my posture. “I don’t know if you’re powerful enough to awaken my magic," I whispered, staring down at my hand. "But I promise to keep you close.” I slid the ring onto my finger, expecting nothing to happen. I was wrong. Everything went white as the sound of a bell pierced through my skull. I grunted, doubling over as the world spun around me. A violent, suffocating pressure pounded against my head from the inside out, leaving me breathless. I clawed at my hair, groaning as strings of saliva dripped past my lips and onto the floor. What was happening to me?! Oh Goddess, please save me. The pain intensified as a strange cold settled behind my bones. It spread outward in waves, freezing my muscles and squeezing every ounce of warmth from my body. My knees buckled, and I crumpled sideways, hitting the floor with a loud thud. The only heat left was the ring, burning against my skin like a brand. It sucked out the last bit of my magic until I couldn't even lift my head. My vision darkened, dark spots bleeding in from all around until I could barely see. That was when it dawned on me. I was going to die. Right here, right now. And the worst part wasn’t the pain. It was the fact that I hadn’t done a single thing yet. All those promises I made to my parents hadn’t been fulfilled yet. No accomplishments. Nothing. I didn’t want it to end like this. As I tried to fight it, everything stopped. A massive stream of pure warmth rushed in to replace the cold, moving through my bones and veins. I jolted up from the ground, gasping for air. What was that just now?! I almost- My hands began to shake as an overwhelming amount of energy surged through me, pressing outward. It wasn’t painful. If anything, the sensation made me feel light. In the space around me, faint traces of light appeared, curling into everything they touched. My lips parted as I watched them drift toward me, passing through my hair and skin like a warm mist. The sight was beautiful. I looked down at the ring, letting out a breathless laugh. It actually worked. My magic had awakened. For the first time in my life, that sickening sense of defenselessness was gone. I touched the gem absently, a bittersweet thought crossing my mind. If I'd just worn it sooner, maybe my parents might still be- An electric current bolted up my spine, causing every hair on my arms to stand on end. My magic had spread into the surrounding area, without my permission, and it detected someone’s presence outside. They were lurking in the forest. My heart quickened as I turned to stare at the door. How long had they been there for? Nobody visited this place anymore. If it were a traveler, they would have headed straight to the main mansion, but instead, this person was waiting here, beside the storage. They had probably followed me. I slowly stood up from the ground, the joints in my back popping. I let my legs lead me to the wide brown door, my mind creating scenarios of how badly this was going to end. I pulled it open and stepped out into the night breeze. Instantly, my magic sent out a cocoon of warmth to shield me from the cold. It was like a second skin. My gaze drifted toward the dark trees circling the storage house. A chill raced down my spine as I felt eyes watching me through the shadows. "Who's there? Show yourself!" I called into the night, fighting to keep my voice steady. No one answered. My fingers twitched at my sides. "I can feel you out there," I mumbled, turning to my left. How was I going to play this out? I bit my lip, flexing my fingers at my sides. Just then, an idea hit me. I backed away in the opposite direction, tracking their movement from the corner of my eyes. If they wanted to play a game of hide and seek, I'd give them the best surprise of their life. Stepping further away from them, I slowly raised my hand and called on my magic. It came to me instantly. No resistance, no slipping away like it always had before. My stance widened as I compressed the air around my palm. Then I spun, releasing a sharp air s***h into the trees where they were hiding. A shadow blurred to the side just as my s***h tore a clean path through the trees behind them. Splintered wood came down with a loud crash, sending a sharp gust of wind back my way. My jaw clenched. They were too fast. The way they moved through the darkness told me, whoever it was had experience. If I wanted to win this, I needed to draw them out quickly. I spun around, scanning the other trees, but they were nowhere in sight. Silence returned, and the only thing I could hear was my own breathing. "What do you want?" I demanded, tightening my fists. “Just show yourself already!” A branch snapped behind me, and everything in me stilled. I turned to see a boy with messy brown hair stumble out from the darkness, his green eyes wide. He looked me over, then around the storage house before his gaze drifted over my shoulder. “Look, I know I shouldn't have stepped out, but I just couldn't help it.” He rambled, his face twisting into disgust as he pointed behind him. “Do you know what I saw back there?” What the hell was going on? My fists loosened without thinking and I tilted my head, staring at him blankly. "A bug. An actual flying bug! You know I can't handle those creepy things." My brow creased as he trailed off. Why did I get the feeling that he wasn't talking to me? His green eyes suddenly shifted, and his strong posture crumbled as he took a step back. Before I could turn, a strong blast of wind struck me from behind, staggering me but not throwing me down. I turned around when I regained my composure and saw a cloaked figure step out from the shadows. I had a feeling he was the one I had been attacking earlier, not the weird boy behind me, but still… My magic quietly spilled out from me, forming a transparent barrier around my body. They might be working together. The figure c****d his head slowly. “I knew I shouldn't have brought you along.” His voice was soft, and his accent felt familiar. I tried to back away to keep both of them in my line of sight but as soon as I moved, the cloaked figure's head snapped toward me. My breath hitched and I froze. Even under the shadow of his hood, I caught a terrifying flash of red. His hands went to his collar and I tensed, bracing myself for an attack. But instead, he pulled his hood back, letting the cloak drop to the grass to reveal familiar red eyes. My brows furrowed. "Hadrian?"