BLOOD LEGACIES
Chapter 225: Blood Magic

Chapter 225: Blood Magic

It was a tug of war, the struggle of who would go down first, who would be the first to let the other blood spill, and who would give up. My nostrils filled with the smell of blood, my body welcoming the pain like fireworks to the point I felt nothing, only my blood lust empowering me, the pain was nothing now and I only focused on the fuel my rage gave me and I let it flow.

I growled as I tried my hardest to hang the tail on mid-air, aiming fiercely at me to bite my head off, but I was resilient and like the first time the spell slipped into my head, I need not chant for it was already manifesting and I allowed more power to exert and I let it set loose.

My growl turned to a cry of both pain and anger as I parted my stretched-out hand leisurely like I was trying to open a heavy door. Ripping sounds echoed in the hall as well as my loud cry. The tail before me shook vigorously and then I heard it, the bones snapping but not mine but of the monster, I was trying to split into two. I focused... my breath out of place, focusing on what lay within... what I was trying to bring to the surface. My lungs were out of air and I knew my insides were turning to mush but I ignored it because my very determination was to rip this beast from the inside out.

I wailed as with a final parting of my hand the Manticore opposing me ripped into two like a large razor slit right through it, the force of my final spell caused the window glasses to scatter as my scream prolonged until what was left of me was my raspy breath, but it wasn’t enough, the pain wasn’t there but the lust for blood that overwhelmed me, so I turned in spite of my breaking body to face Jean.

Jean’s blue orbs shook in horror the moment my gleaming green eyes darted to her, I didn’t need to look at the mirror to tell how much murderous look I gave, or my intent to kill that hung in the air making it tight and foggy.

"W-What a-are you?" she stammered as she backed away.

My eyes trained to the other Manticore I plunged to the wall leaping in front of Jean and roaring on the ready to attack me.

A slim breath escaped me as the spell once again imprinted in my brain and came to the surface. The blood from my nose and lips evaporated into droplets and stationed in front of me, gathering like I was collecting them. It came easy, it came familiar and I knew what to do, I let it take over... I let it form and before my eyes a symbol I didn’t pay attention to form with my gathered blood, and what I did next released the final spell and also set me free.

I screamed.

~

OWEN

I could see it all from this angle, from the broken wall. My pain and wound from my battle with Manticore were long forgotten as I watched Emma display suicidal power, unlike anything I have ever seen. I was paralyzed and I couldn’t move an inch because of the dark aura that radiated off her body. It was terrifying to the point that the mere air was chilly and every breath that left me was covered in cold steam.

Emma was aggressive and in pain as she tore the Manticore into two like cutting paper. But yet she didn’t stop there, she faced Jean and the last Manticore when she unleashed something I thought only my ancestors could conjure. ’Blood Magic’ no one needed to tell me, I have read stories about it, been told by my dad about it, but no one has ever seen the Grimore that the spell contained, so how the fuck was she able to conjure it like some simple magic? And what made it more mind-blowing... was Emma haven’t said any spell so how the hell was she conjuring it? Before my eyes no one needed to tell me this was Emma going berserk... no... this was what a Vortex was truly capable of, this was what my father was afraid of.

But this felt like something more... her aura was too dark to be called a Vortex and it felt almost familiar.

I watched with widened eyes when she wielded her blood and clustered it in front of her and it formed a rune symbol ’Air’ she was mixing blood magic and her element and I know all too well it will explode.

"SARAH GET DOWN!" I called to Sarah who was paralyzed just like I was, but it was too late. She released the clustered magic with a scream and the air waved like a blast, the windows broke, the wall cracked and this was just the remnants passing through, I couldn’t imagine what her target would be.

It settled... like a spark of light it was gone and over. But another horror happened when Emma hurled blood.

"EMMA!"

She dropped to the floor like a sack and the angle at which she fell would get her head bashed but luckily Grayson caught her before she did.

"Emma," he said to her and I forced my body to move to them.

Emma was in his arms, passed out and barely breathing, her nose and mouth covered in blood, she went too far and she was in a critical condition.

"She’s not breathing" Grayson panicked and I did too.

Suddenly screams were heard and we turned to Jean who was on the floor... pieces of the Manticore were before her, everywhere painted in blood. She screamed in fear even though Emma didn’t harm her.

"We need to get her to a hospital!" Grayson’s barking voice brought me back.

I fell on my knees, paralyzed and confused, and as if not enough when I touched Emma’s skin... she was cold like a dead body.

~

{Song for the background: You Were Never Gone; by Hannah Ellis}

I could only hear my ears ringing, my heart slamming loud beats. My blood was pumping and unsettled. I sat there still wounded, they wanted to attend to me but I didn’t let them. I brought Emma back to the covenstead as fast as I could. Told my dad and some of the others were sent to investigate the scene and put Jean in custody.

Emma was still in there and I was yet to hear from them, I have never been so anxious and terrified in my whole life.

The doors barged open and I turned watching as Vanessa rushed into the lobby, I quickly rose to my feet, I flinched in pain but ignored it.

"Owen," she said in tears and it broke me. "Where is she? Is she okay? Tell me, tell me!" she gripped me hard to the point she almost tore my shirt and yet I had no words to say because I didn’t know her current condition, all I knew was it was like I brought a dead body back with me, but I wouldn’t dare tell her that, it would break her, it would break me too, because I was scared and I knew at the back of my head, no one was capable of surviving what she did.

"Owen, talk to me!"

The door badge opened but this time it came from the room and we turned, Vanessa rushed to our doctor, skilled and capable of handling this situation but his sad expression made my heart drop.

"Tell me is she okay? Please tell me she’s okay" Vanessa pleaded in tears, holding onto the silent doctor. "Tell me!"

"She’s..."

"No no no! Don’t you fucking tell me, she’s dead! Don’t tell me that you hear me!"

"Calm down, Vanessa"

"DO NOT TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!" she wailed at him.

"She..." he found it hard to speak again but he continued because of Vanessa’s desperate pleading. "... She went too far, I did all I could but..."

"But what?!"

"Her condition is critical. Whatever spell she used almost tore her body from the inside out, her body’s too fragile to take it but yet she took it all, and now..." he sighed deeply and gave way for Vanessa to the door.

I hurriedly strode to her the moment she opened the door.

"No... no!" She covered her mouth when she set her eyes on Emma.

My chest tugged on me as Vanessa broke and cried bitterly.

Nothing could hurt more than this... nothing could prepare me for what my eyes saw, this was hell, if only I did better, none of this would have happened. I backed slowly because I wasn’t sure my heart could contain what lay before me. My back found the wall and I dropped to the floor. clenching a fist full of my hair.

Vanessa’s cries echoed in the room.