THE LAST AKUBANI

Chapter 1: The Awakening

Marlowe’s POV.

Going back to reality after staying in a dreamless state for a year and a half felt exhausting.

After my parents' burial ceremony, I thought nothing would make me want to leave home. But still, here I was far away from the mansion and in my parents' storage house, looking for the one thing that reminded me of them.

I kept my eyes forward, my boots clicking against the floor boards as I headed straight for the shelves at the back of the storage room.

My chest swelled with warmth when I saw the wooden box sitting at the bottom of the last shelf. Exactly where I had kept it a few years ago.

I crouched down and picked it up, my lips trembling when I recalled a bittersweet memory.

My parents had made this enhancer for my fifteenth birthday, right after my magic had failed to awaken.

Back then, I was too ashamed and stubborn to accept it but looking back at everything I shouldn't have done that. I should have hugged them. Maybe even cried while telling them how much I loved the gift.

I rubbed my thumb around the hard wood, my vision blurring as my chest burned.

Why did it always take losing people to understand how much they mattered?

A golden light suddenly bled out from under my skin, glowing brighter until a dull throbbing ache spread over my thumb. Something sharp pierced through my skin, sinking deep.

I quickly withdrew my thumb, my eyes narrowing when I saw a tiny needle retracting back into the wood, taking my blood with it.

The box came open with a soft click. I held my breath as the lid fell back, the sound breaking the silence.

I stared, dumbfounded at what sat inside.

A red stone ring.

My brows furrowed as I plucked it out from the case, setting the box aside. I turned the ring over between my fingers to examine it more but there wasn’t anything interesting about it. No inscriptions, design or glow.

“Seriously.” I muttered, squinting at it.

It wasn’t what I expected. But then again, this was a gift from my parents and that alone made it special enough for me.

I closed my fingers around it and straightened up.

“I don’t know if you’re powerful enough to awaken my magic,” I whispered, fingers tightening. “But I promise to keep you close no matter the outcome.”

I slid the ring on, expecting nothing serious to happen but I was gravely mistaken.

Everything went white as a bell rang inside my head, turning my brain to mush. A breathless grunt escaped my lips in that instant as all the noises in my head went silent and my body turned numb.

One second I was standing; the next I was gasping for air as my skull was being pounded from the inside out. I groaned, gripping my hair viciously as saliva spilled from my clenched teeth.

What was happening to me?!

I thought the pain would end there, but nothing seemed to be happening right as a strange cold settled behind my ribs.

The coldness started to spread, freezing everything it touched. All my life, I'd never experienced hypothermia before but whatever this was had to be worse. It squeezed out every ounce of life and warmth from the inside.

My legs weakened and my body crumpled to the floor with a dull thud.

The ring was the only hot thing, burning against my skin like a brand and draining out what little magic I had left until I couldn't lift my head.

My vision blurred, 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 suddenly stopped.

Something warm rushed in to replace the coldness, moving through my bones, my blood…

I jolted up from the ground, gasping.

What the hell?!

My hands began to shake as a strong wave of power surged through my veins, pressing outward. The pressure didn't hurt; instead, I felt weightless and full at the same time.

Thin threads of light wove through the air, threading into everything they touched around the room.

My lips parted slightly at the mesmerizing sight. I couldn't believe it. Magic truly was imbued in everything.

I laughed breathlessly. It was finally awake. I looked at my hands, then down at my feet.

The ring had worked and it was far beyond my expectations.

I let out a long, shaky breath I'd been holding for years. For once, I didn't feel that sickly sense of defenselessness. It was exhilarating.

I touched the ring absently, wondering what I could have achieved if I'd worn it sooner.

My parents might still be-

The hair on my arms stood up as my magic, which had spread through the room without notice, detected a presence outside. Someone was out there, lurking in the forest.

My body moved before my brain could even process the fear. I stepped out of the storage house, bracing for the cold that would assault me but it never came.

Only warmth followed me.

The happiness was short lived as I focused back onto the situation at hand.

My gaze drifted towards the dark forest where the presence lingered. A prickling sensation ran down my spine as their gaze landed on me.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" I hollered into the night, forcing my voice to stay steady despite the unease creeping through me.

No one answered.

My fingers twitched at my sides. "I can feel you out there," I added, keeping my tone casual. I looked slightly to the left, acting as if I were still searching.

I knew this stranger wasn't here for a friendly visit. Nobody had ever stumbled upon this place by accident because it was always hidden.

So what were they here for?

I slowly raised my hand, calling on my magic. It answered instantly. No resistance, no slipping away like it always had before. It felt so easy I almost wanted to laugh. All those years of reaching for nothing, and now I finally had it.

My stance widened as I zoned back onto the threat.

The air compressed around my palm and I spun, releasing a sharp air s***h into the dark where their presence loomed.

A shadow blurred to the side just as the s***h tore a clean path through the tree behind them.

My jaw clenched. They were fast.

The way they navigated quietly through the darkness told me they were experienced. If I wanted to win this, I needed to draw them out.

Silence returned, and the only thing I could hear was my own shaky breathing.

"What do you want?" I called out. When no response came, I tightened my fists.

"Just show yourself already!"

My body went rigid at the sound of a branch snapping and just then, a boy with messy brown hair stumbled out from the darkness, his green eyes going wide.

He scanned me at first, then looked around the storage house before glancing over my shoulder at the forest behind me.

“By the Gods, I'm so sorry. I know I shouldn't be out here right now but I just couldn't help it.” He pointed behind him, his face twisting into disgust. “Do you know what I saw back there?”

What the hell was going on? My hands lowered subconsciously as I tilted my head, staring at him with a blank look on my face.

"A bug. An actual flying bug! You know I can't handle those creepy things."

My brow creased as his rambling trailed off.

Why did I get the feeling that he wasn't talking to me?

His green eyes suddenly shifted and his strong posture withered away as he nervously took a step back.

That was when a strong blast of wind struck me from behind. Strangely, it didn't throw me across the ground but just staggered me a bit.

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, forming a transparent barricade around me.

They might be working together.

The figure c****d his head slowly to the side. “I knew I shouldn't have brought you along.” His voice was soft, laced with a very familiar thick accent.

My heart stuttered when his gaze found me. Even though his face was obscured, I caught a flash of red.

His hands suddenly went up and I tensed.

I thought he would attack me but instead he took off his cloak, revealing a familiar red-tinted irises.

My body froze as my eyes widened.

"Hadrian?"