SPIRITBINDER: The Boy Without A Mark
Chapter 38: The Night of Murder

Chapter 38: The Night of Murder

They arrived at the cabin, the cold night air biting at their skin. Through the window, Morvane and Drevon could see Hiraya and Medas asleep, Medas holding Hiraya tightly as if to shield her from the world.

They entered the cabin quietly, their footsteps creaking softly on the wooden floor. As they moved closer, Hiraya’s eyes fluttered open. She turned her head toward them, her gaze sharp and unwavering despite her grogginess.

"So," she said, her voice steady but cold, "who among you will kill me?"

Morvane froze, his throat tightening. "You know," he finally said, his voice a whisper, laced with pain.

Hiraya’s lips curled into a bitter smile. "I was told about the prophecy. That the only way to stop it is to kill me. I tried to end it myself, but I couldn’t. So... is it you?"

Morvane’s eyes filled with tears. He tried to speak but could only manage a strangled apology. "I’m sorry," he choked. "I’m so sorry."

Hiraya’s gaze softened, but only slightly. "Is there no other way?" she asked quietly. "What if I don’t have a child? Would that stop it?"

Morvane shook his head, his hands trembling at his sides. "I don’t know," he admitted.

Hiraya sat up, her face heavy with resignation. "I’ve already thought of that," she said. "But as long as Medas and I are alive, the child will be born. No matter how hard we try to stop it."

Her voice faltered, and she looked down at her hands, as though they bore the weight of her fate. "I wanted to live, too, you know. I wanted to fight this. But I’m powerless. I know Medas is the one who took my shadow beast, but I let him... because I loved him."

She looked back at Morvane, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I convinced myself the prophecy wasn’t real, that it was just a cruel joke. But then I saw it myself. A man showed me everything. He let me see the future—the truth."

Morvane sank to his knees, unable to bear the weight of her words. "Is there really no other way?" he pleaded, his voice breaking.

Before Hiraya could answer, Medas stirred. His voice was groggy but firm. "Who are you?" he asked, sitting up abruptly. His eyes darted between Hiraya and the two intruders. "Who are these people, Hiraya?"

"Get out of here, Medas," Hiraya said sharply, her tone like a whip.

Medas blinked, confused. "What? Why?"

"Just leave!" she shouted, her voice rising.

Medas’s face twisted in anger and confusion. "Tell me who they are first!" he demanded, his voice echoing through the cabin.

Hiraya’s chest heaved as she tried to maintain her composure. "It doesn’t matter. Just go!"

But Medas wasn’t convinced. His gaze hardened as he stared at her. "Is one of them your lover?" he asked bitterly. "Is that why you don’t want to marry me? Is this why you’ve been pushing me away?"

Hiraya hesitated for a moment, then pointed at Morvane. "Yes," she lied, her voice cutting like ice.

Medas’s face contorted with fury. "Him?" he spat. "You chose him over me?"

In his rage, Medas’s telekinetic powers surged. A knife from the kitchen counter flew toward Morvane and Drevon, the blade slicing through the air with deadly precision.

Drevon stepped back effortlessly, dodging the attack. He turned to Morvane, his expression calm but detached. "This isn’t my fight," he said plainly. With that, he disappeared into the shadows, leaving the others behind.

Morvane barely managed to evade the knife, stumbling backward. "Medas, stop!" he shouted.

But Medas advanced on him, his fury unrelenting. "You dare come here and threaten her life? You think I’ll let you take her from me?"

Morvane raised his dagger defensively, his hands trembling. "I don’t want this!" he shouted back. "I never wanted this!"

"Then why are you here?" Medas roared, his powers crackling dangerously around him.

"I have no choice!" Morvane cried, desperation seeping into his voice.

As the two men clashed, Hiraya stood frozen, her voice trembling as she screamed at them. "Stop! Both of you, stop this madness!"

But her pleas fell on deaf ears. Medas and Morvane continued their fight, each driven by anger, fear, and the unbearable weight of their shared fate.

Hiraya’s voice erupted, sharp and piercing as she shouted at the top of her lungs. "Medas, we can’t be together! I hate you! I hate everything about you! I know you took my shadow beast—you stole my power, the only thing I ever had!"

Medas froze, his body stiffening at her words. His voice, low and trembling, broke the silence. "I did it to protect you," he said, his gaze pleading. "Your power was consuming you, Hiraya. I didn’t want to lose you. I wanted you to live—live happily. I wanted us to live happily."

Hiraya let out a bitter laugh, tears streaking down her face. "Happily? I’m miserable! You think I’d ever be happy like this? We live in two different worlds, Medas. You’re a noble, and I’m nothing—a nobody. How could you ever think this would work?"

Medas’s face crumbled, his knees buckling as he fell to the floor. He let out a guttural cry, tears streaming freely. "I thought we loved each other," he sobbed. "I know you love me. Look at me, Hiraya. Look me in the eyes and tell me again—tell me this man is your new lover."

Morvane, standing silently in the corner, felt the weight of the room pressing down on him. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t force out a single word.

Hiraya’s voice dropped to a cold, measured tone. She refused to meet Medas’s gaze, her shoulders trembling. "I despise you," she said, her words sharp and deliberate. "You should leave."

The weight of her words struck Medas like a physical blow. He froze for a moment, his face drained of all emotion, his tears stopping abruptly. Slowly, his eyes lifted to meet Morvane’s, and they were filled with something darker—something dangerous.

Without a word, Medas extended his hand, his telekinetic power crackling to life. The knife he had thrown earlier flew to his palm, its blade glinting in the dim light. He gripped it tightly, his jaw clenched, and in a blur of motion, he swung the blade toward Morvane.

Everything happened too quickly. Morvane’s legs felt rooted to the ground, his body frozen in place as the blade arced toward him.

But just before the knife could strike, Hiraya moved.

She lunged between them, her arms outstretched as if to shield Morvane. The blade met her neck with a sickening sound, the force of the blow cutting deep.

Time seemed to stop.

Blood poured from the wound, staining her pale skin and pooling on the floor. Hiraya’s body went limp, her knees buckling as she collapsed.

"Hiraya!" Morvane screamed, catching her before she hit the ground.

Medas stood frozen, the knife still trembling in his hand. His face twisted in horror as realization dawned. "No... no, no, no!" he cried, dropping the blade and rushing to her side.

Hiraya’s breaths were shallow, her eyes fluttering as the life drained from her. Medas cradled her in his arms, his tears falling onto her blood-streaked face. "Why... why did you do that?" he choked. "Why would you—why would you protect him?"

Hiraya’s lips parted, her voice barely a whisper. "Because... I had to ..."

Her eyes began to close, her voice growing weaker. "I wanted... to stop this. I wanted peace. But the prophecy... it... was always stronger than us."

Medas sobbed uncontrollably, holding her tightly. "Don’t leave me," he begged, his voice breaking. "Please... please, Hiraya, don’t go!"

But Hiraya’s eyes fluttered shut, her body growing still. Her last breath escaped her lips, and the room fell silent, save for Medas’s heart-wrenching cries.

Morvane sat beside them, his hands trembling as he looked at Hiraya’s lifeless body. Guilt and anguish tore through him, his heart heavy with the weight of what had just transpired.

Medas held Hiraya close, rocking her gently as if hoping she might wake. "This wasn’t how it was supposed to be," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "You were supposed to live... we were supposed to be happy."

The prophecy had taken its toll, leaving them broken, their lives forever scarred by its unrelenting grasp.

Medas’s anger flared once more. With a shout, he used his telekinetic power, aiming it at Morvane, but nothing happened. He strained with all his might, but his power seemed to fizzle out, as if the very air around him had frozen in time.

Suddenly, the pressure in the room lifted, and a voice rang out.

"I enjoyed that little outburst, haha! But that’s enough, Medas."

Drevon appeared, his smirk a sharp contrast to the grief-ridden scene.

Medas opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. His lips moved, but he was silenced, his body refusing to obey him.

Drevon walked calmly toward Morvane, giving him a brief nod. "While he’s in this state, you might want to tell him about the prophecy," he said, his tone matter-of-fact.

Morvane looked at Medas, his heart heavy, but he knew what had to be done. He inhaled sharply and began to recount the prophecy to Medas.

"The prophecy..." he began, his voice breaking, "speaks of the one who will bring about the end—your death, Medas. It’s meant to happen. It’s all been written in the stars. The child you were destined to father... the one who will destroy everything... that future is a burden you cannot escape."

Medas’s face twisted in disbelief and sorrow. "So... this is it?" he whispered, staring at Hiraya’s lifeless body. "This was always meant to happen?"

Drevon, watching from the sidelines, nodded. "That’s right," he said coldly. "This is fate."

He stepped forward, his gaze on Medas softening for a moment before hardening again. With a swift motion, Drevon deactivated his power, and gravity returned to its normal state. Medas dropped to his knees, a wave of exhaustion and defeat washing over him. He looked at Hiraya one last time.

"If this is the prophecy," Medas whispered, his voice shaking, "and this is what was meant to happen... then I should die too."

With trembling hands, he grabbed the knife—the same knife that had taken Hiraya’s life—and brought it to his chest.

But before he could plunge the blade into his heart, Morvane rushed forward, grabbing Medas’s wrist with desperation.

"No, Medas!" Morvane cried, his voice a broken plea. "You can’t! The world still needs you. Ketamran still needs you. Our future... it lies with you."

Medas shook his head, tears falling freely as he tried to break free. "I can’t live without her," he sobbed. "I can’t bear this."

Suddenly, Medas’s body went slack, his eyes closing as if the weight of his emotions had overwhelmed him completely. He collapsed, unconscious, his body going limp in Morvane’s arms.

Morvane’s sobs echoed in the cabin as he held Medas’s unconscious state. His heart shattered as he looked down at the man he had once considered a friend, now a broken shell.

Drevon, still watching the scene, raised an eyebrow. "I can make him sleep. His emotions are too high right now. And don’t worry... I will erase his memory, so when he wakes up, he won’t remember any of this."

Morvane, still trembling with grief, could only nod. His heart felt like it was being ripped apart as he cradled Medas’s unconscious body.

Drevon approached Hiraya’s body with a look of cold resolve. "I’ll take care of her too," he said, his voice tinged with a chilling calm. He placed a hand on Hiraya’s lifeless form and muttered under his breath. "I’ll erase her memory of this moment. She’ll never know that Medas was the one who killed her, not in the way she believed."

Drevon turned back to Morvane, his face unreadable. "I’ll clean up this mess. Get rid of the blood, make it look like Hiraya hanged herself. That way, when Medas wakes up, he’ll think this was all self-harm. He won’t remember the truth."

Morvane felt a surge of guilt, his chest tightening as he stared at Hiraya’s body. His voice cracked as he whispered, "I... I don’t know if I can live with this. How will I tell Medas and Hiraya?"

Tears streamed down Morvane’s face as he looked at the two bodies—the woman he had once admired and the man he had once called a friend.

Drevon stepped back, his expression unreadable. "You don’t have a choice, Morvane. This is the only way. For Medas... for Ketamran."

And as Drevon began to erase the last remnants of their tragic night, Morvane was left alone with his grief, the weight of his choices hanging over him like a dark cloud.