She collapsed forward on one knee, coughing violently, blood smeared across her face and armor. Her breathing was ragged.
Around her, Annabella and her small group of classmates stood frozen at the edge of the exam platform. The final stage. The most sacred place in the trial.
Gasps erupted.
Someone screamed.
"What have you done?!" a girl shouted, pointing. "She killed him!"
Rea looked up, dazed
Her face streaked with blood, eyes wild with grief and anger. "No...no, he saved me....he saved me."
They backed away, afraid.
Annabella's heart dropped. But she didn't hesitate. She sprinted forward.
"Arthur!" she called, falling to her knees beside him. "Arthur, gods..."
His eyes fluttered open, blood bubbling at his lips.
"You look ravishing," he whispered weakly, trying to smirk.
Annabella's hands shook as she brushed the blood from his chin. "Save your strength....please, just"
Rea turned, struggling to her feet. "I didn't...he jumped in. I tried to heal him, I... He needs help. Please, Bella....please."
She reached out, but her hand trembled violently, her light flickering:" I'm trying...The wound is ...It is from a cursed blade"
Arthur grabbed Rea's wrist suddenly, pulling her close. "Listen to me," he croaked.
"Don't speak," Rea begged.
"No time." He exhaled slowly, struggling. "It was… my father. They planned this."
Rea's eyes widened. "Why…?"
" Because.....Rea...you're our sister."
A breath caught in her chest.
Annabella gasped. "That...That makes sense now. A Trinity spell got you here." Her gaze snapped to Rea, stunned. "I thought Arthur did it...but it was you."
Rea blinked, overwhelmed, confused, her hands covered in her brother's blood. "I—I don't know....It can't be."
Arthur coughed, every word costing him. "Charles… our father. He knows. You're both light and death...an abomination in his eyes. He'll never stop hunting you, Rea. He'll burn the world before letting you live."
Rea grabbed his tunic, tears finally falling. "I just found you. I can't...please...I can't ...not now."
He smiled faintly. "You're stronger than all of us. Even him."
Annabella met Arthur's eyes and he nodded once.
"I'm sorry, Rea," Annabella whispered, her voice breaking. "But I won't let you die too."
Her hands glowed faintly violet as she reached out and touched Rea's forehead.
"No!" Rea shouted, struggling. "Don't do this...Anna....bella!"
Annabella's magic surged, bending Rea's body into stillness.
Rea's head lolled forward as her body slumped.
Just before unconsciousness took her, Arthur squeezed her hand. "It was… an honor… sister," he said.
Then he looked at Annabella, his breath catching one final time.
She kissed his forehead gently. "Go in peace, Arthur Winstor."
With silent tears streaming down her cheeks, Annabella carved a quick rune in the air. A portal shimmered open behind her, and she dragged Rea's limp form through it.
As the portal closed with a final shimmer of light, the wind stilled.
And Arthur Winstor lay still
Back at the school courtyard
Commotion buzzed across the courtyard. Students had vanished mid-exam, and no one knew why. A surge of energy had rippled through the wards. violent, ancient, unmistakable.
The exam inspectors had been dispatched, but no word had returned.
Among the murmuring crowd of faculty, House leaders stood tense.
Head of House Malvolius, Derek Bellarion, narrowed his eyes.
"This blast... it could only come from a Yennifer. That level of raw force? She must've been cornered."
Head of House Tarkilian, Peter Karion, countered with a frown.
"No. I felt the signature of a Lucreus in there too. The light was too refined. It was... conflicting. As if both forces came from the same source."
Valerius Varsovi of House Venomius scoffed.
"Nonsense. You're suggesting opposite natures converged? Impossible."
At the edge of the gathering, George Winstor stood in silence, face pale with concern.
Then came a voice, low, cutting, and bitter.
Charles Winstor, approached from the shadows.
He stopped beside his father, lips curled in quiet disdain.
"I told you, Father... I'd put an end to our family's greatest shame."
George didn't turn.
Charles's voice sharpened.
"That child, the bastard you raised against my will, should have been silenced long ago. But you protected a mistake. And now, the mistake corrects itself."
George's reply came soft but edged in steel.
"You will not undo what is already written. That child....Rea....will survive. She will fulfill the prophecy."
Charles scoffed.
"There is no prophecy. Only a senile old man clinging to children's tales while his house crumbles."
George's eyes flashed.
"It is not the house that burns, Charles. It is your Soul."
At that moment, a swirl of light shimmered behind them. A portal opened, glowing gold around the edges.
A solemn delegation emerged. At the front, Harry walked, face drawn in manufactured sorrow. Behind him floated a conjured bier of enchanted flowers, and atop it a still body.
Gasps rippled across the courtyard. George stepped forward, his hand trembling.
But when he saw who lay lifeless upon the flowers, his knees buckled.
Arthur.
His grandson. Not Rea.
Charles's face blanched. He rushed forward, eyes wide in horror.
"Who did this to my son!?"
Harry stepped forth, voice grim but calm.
"It was Grandfather's protégée...I have been told "
The crowd erupted in cries of outrage.
George's voice, though cracked with emotion, rang clear.
"That is a grave accusation, boy. You know slander against a member of the school is a punishable crime."
The Council murmured in agreement. Eyes turned to Harry.
"I have a witness," Harry said quickly, "who saw her. She carried Arthur's body like a prize. and taking Annabella as hostage".
An uproar broke out, rage, grief, disbelief.
Charles, holding his son's limp form, turned to the Council.
"Then let this be declared: Rea is now an enemy of the Mage Council. She is to be hunted brought to justice. Alive or dead."
George was silent.
Then, in a strained voice, he said,
"The Council must decide."
One by one, the House leaders gave their answers:
"Aye," They all said"Aye," muttered Devorak as if pleased with the current outcome. Two birds one stone. With Arthur gone, presumably killed by a death mage, to add salt to the injury a bastard, Charles claim was weakened.
And then, finally, all eyes turned to George.
He hesitated, eyes hollow.
Then, barely audible:
"...Aye."
Back in the Forest Clearing
Rea's body ached like she'd been dragged across dimensions.
The last thing she remembered was Arthur's blood… his hand in hers… and Annabella's glowing eyes before everything went black.
She woke with a start.
Pain surged through her ribs. Her breath came in short gasps until gentle hands pressed her down.
"Rea ...shhh. It's me."
Annabella.
Rea's jaw tightened. "Where are we?"
"A forest clearing, west of the testing grounds. Remote. Safe for now."
"You shouldn't have taken me," Rea rasped, her voice sharp despite the weakness in her limbs. "I could've fought—"
Annabella sat back on her heels, eyes flashing. "You would've died."
"Then I die," Rea snapped. "He died for me. I could've burned every one of them to ash."
Annabella stood suddenly. "And then what? Burn the council? Burn the world?"
"I didn't ask to be saved."
"You're welcome," Annabella said bitterly, turning away.
Rea shoved herself upright, wincing. "You're selfish."
Annabella's shoulders stiffened.
Rea continued, her voice low. "You took my choice. You made me abandon my brother's body. You didn't give me the right to decide."
Annabella spun around, face flushed, trembling with restrained fury. "Do you have any idea what they saw? You, drenched in blood dragging his body out of thin air. They all think you killed him, Rea."
Rea froze.
Annabella stepped closer, her voice breaking. "We were surrounded. They were panicking. They were going to share that story, pass it along like wildfire and soon, a horde of mages will come for you with orders to take you dead or alive."
"I could've taken them all," Rea growled. "Or died trying."
And then, smack, Annabella's hand cracked across her cheek.
Rea's head turned with the force, the sting blooming red and hot.
Annabella's voice was steel. "Then Arthur would have died for nothing."
Rea stared at her, stunned.
Tears welled up in Annabella's eyes, but her voice stayed razor-sharp. "Do you think I wanted to leave him? Do you think I don't see him every time I close my eyes? You think this..." she gestured wildly around them, "is some victory? I pulled you out because I wasn't willing to bury both of you. And now you're calling me selfish?"
She turned and walked away into the dark, shoulders trembling.
Rea stayed where she was, her heartbeat echoing loud in her ears. Her cheek still burned from the slap but the deeper pain was somewhere else. Somewhere hollow.
She was mourning the version of her life that was never hers or even real.
Morning by the Riverbend
Rea stirred beneath the canopy of trees, wrapped in her half-damp cloak, aches stitched into her bones from both the fight and the restless night.
She hadn't seen Annabella since their argument.
But she felt her.
Even if she were continents away, Rea was sure she'd know when Annabella blinked.
Still, she didn't chase her. She didn't want to apologize.
Then, just before sunrise, there was the sound.
Footsteps. Light, deliberate, but not careful enough to fool her senses.
Annabella.
Rea let her eyes stay closed.
She felt fingers brush her temple. Cool fingertips checking her wound. A sigh. Then, softer,
"You stupid idiot," Annabella murmured.
Rea stayed silent.
She heard the shift of fabric. A soft splash.
Water.
Cracking an eye slightly, Rea caught the vision before her.
Annabella had stripped down
Her skin gleamed with morning light, hair pinned loosely up. Each movement was a total turn on.
Then Annabella surged up, running both hands through her hair and flicking droplets over her perky nipples.
Without turning, she said coolly, "You can stop pretending to be asleep now. The bulge in your pants says it all."
Rea's lip twitched. She rolled over onto her back, one hand tucked under her head. "I get this all the time. You just happened to be there."
Annabella glanced over her shoulder, brow arched. "Charming."
She stepped out of the water, droplets trailing down her legs, and plump ass. She raised her hands, murmured a spell under her breath and just like that, the moisture lifted off her skin and her clothes. Dried and pressed.
Black pants. High boots. A long coat buckled at the waist. Clean, minimal, elegant.
Rea sat up and groaned. "How do you make so lustful so easily?"
"You problem," Annabella said dryly. "You see temptation where there's efficiency."
She tossed her damp hair back and signaled toward the river. "Go clean yourself. And if your... situation is going to keep presenting itself, maybe deal with it before we hit the road. The sight is distracting."
Rea gave her a lazy smirk. "So now you're watching me?"
Annabella didn't blink. "I'm warning you."
"Mm. You sound willing to help."
Annabella turned, sashaying just slightly as she passed. "You're not that special, Rea."
Annabella left, but Rea caught the ghost of a smile just before she disappeared behind a tree.
Late Afternoon
They were making their way through a forest path, dappled sunlight flickering through leaves overhead. Rea followed, boots crunching against the underbrush, her gaze glued more to Annabella's sway than the road ahead.
"You sigh like you want to be heard," Rea murmured breaking the silence.
"And you brood like you want to be pitied." replied Annabella
"I don't brood." Rea said frowning
"You sulk." Annabella replied flipping her hair
Quiet it was until
"You walk like you're trying to be chased," Rea said, breaking the silence again.
"I'm walking like someone who doesn't want to be captured" Annabella snapped, eyes forward. "You should learn from me."
Rea smirked. " If it means you , I and a bed....I am all in."
Annabella stopped. "I'm warning you."
"Oh, don't flatter yourself. I flirt with every girl who slaps me and dumps me in the middle of nowhere."
Annabella turned, eyes sharp. "You're lucky I haven't dumped you again."
"Don't read into this," she muttered as started checking Rea's wound.
"I'd need a translator anyway," Rea responded as Annabella's touch and scent sent Shivers down her spine. "Your mixed signals are in twelve dialects."
At The tarven in the evening,
Later that night, they arrived at a tavern loud with laughter, lute strings, and the smell of roasted meat and ale. Annabella leaned against the polished bar, dressed in a clean, fitted dress the tavern owner had given her, he'd fallen in love at first sight.
Her hair was tied elegantly at her nape, her wine glass glistening in the low amber light. She smiled, subtly, but unmistakably, batting away the barkeep's compliments with practiced grace.
Rea sat in the far corner, arms folded, jaw tight. Her cloak was still damp from the rain, her mood darker than the skies outside. She hadn't spoken since they arrived.
And then she saw it.
A tall, lean girl with striking cheekbones and a confident stride sidled up to Annabella. Whispered something in her ear.
Annabella laughed, light, more charming than usual, and leaned in as though to hear more.
Rea stood up.
She walked across the room like a storm dressed in black. When she reached them, she didn't speak just grabbed Annabella, casually, like a sack of flour, and threw her over her shoulder.
"What in the...Rea!" Annabella shrieked, kicking her heels.
The tavern erupted in amused whistles and cheers.
"I'll return your girlfriend when she learns some damn manners," Rea growled, marching up the stairs.
She kicked the door open and dumped Annabella onto the bed. The door slammed shut behind them.
"You want to tell me what that was?" Annabella barked, straightening her dress.
"I was going to ask you the same thing," Rea snapped taking off her coat and boots. "Drinking with strangers? Flirting while I sit there like an idiot?"
"You could've said something!" Annabella sat properly on the edge of the bed, legs crossed, her dress wrinkled.
"Oh? Like how you said something before knocking me unconscious and dragging me through a damn portal?" Rea stepped closer, voice low and dangerous. "You took that choice from me, Annabella. You didn't even let me say goodbye."
Annabella flinched, but her voice rose with defiant anger as she abruptly stood up to face Rea. "You would've died! You think a grand, tragic goodbye would've fixed that? Arthur died saving you. I wasn't about to let you make his sacrifice mean nothing."
"You don't get to make that choice for me."
"Someone had to!" she yelled, voice cracking. "Because you never see the danger until it's bleeding out in your arms. You—"
Annabella's fists clenched. "You keep thinking love is dying for someone. But sometimes it's choosing to live. Choosing to protect them, even if they hate you for it."
Rea surged forward, her hands gripping Annabella's waist. Their mouths crashed together, teeth, breath, frustration. Annabella shoved at her shoulders, resisting. But the more she pushed, the more her body betrayed her. She bit Rea's lip, defiance, not rejection.
Annabella wiped her mouth, breathless, and hissed, "Is that why you grabbed me like I was some toy? A distraction from your feelings? You'd rather fuck me than talk to me?"
Rea didn't answer. She hoisted Annabella by the thighs and dropped her onto the bed, pinning her down by the wrists. Their breathing was labored, wild, synced like a storm waiting to break.
Her hands slid into Annabella's dress, pushing her soft linen innerwear on the side. "No," she growled lowly. "But I've run out of ways to reach you."
Annabella's chest rose and fell. Her thighs tensed involuntarily
"You're such a cliché," she whispered.
"And you love it."
Annabella exhaled sharply. Her eyes sparkled, but her voice remained cold. "I hate you."
Rea smiled against her skin. "Liar."
Annabella gritted her teeth, but her hips betrayed her, curling just enough to brush against Rea's fingers. Rea hissed. " Now you are just begging for it" .
Rea took off her shirt in one fluid motion, the firelight dancing along her skin. Her pants followed, slow and deliberate, even as she pinned Annabella's wrists gently above her head. The image of Annabella beneath Rea, flushed, breathless, eyes wide with barely hidden anticipation, just made the tension between them almost painful.
The tension between them was unbearable. Rea started dry humping her, making Annabella gasp, twist and arch against her hard member. The sensation sent a flush of heat blooming low in Annabella's belly, making her almost feel dizzy.
"You gonna let me have my way with you?" Rea asked, proud of the effect she has on Annabella, her voice low and hungry. "Or..."
Annabella interrupted, breath catching as Rea's hand peeled her innerwear and pulled her dress up to her waist.
"Or maybe just let me love you the right way." Her voice cracked slightly. "I love you, Rea. I hate that you're suffering, but this... this isn't how I want us to start our life together."
Rea froze.
A life together, she'd said.
And then, Annabella surged up and hugged her.
Not just a touch, clung to her.
And Rea broke.
The first sob caught in her throat like a betrayal. She clung to Annabella like she was the only anchor in a collapsing world.
"I didn't get to say goodbye," she whispered. "He smiled at me. He smiled… and then he died. I could've—"
"No." Annabella's voice was fierce. "You couldn't have. Don't you dare carry that."
Rea pulled her tighter.
They held each other in the dim lamplight.
Annabella stroked her hair gently and whispered, "I'm sorry you didn't get to say goodbye. But I'm not sorry I saved you. I'd do it again. Every time."
Rea's voice cracked. "I'm sorry for taking it out on you. We weren't even close, Arthur and I. He was an ass to me most days. But he… he gave me something I'll never be able to repay. He gave me a second chance. And when he died, it was like he stole something from me. My identity. My place."
Annabella whispered, "You still have a place. You have me."
Rea lifted her eyes. "You've given me something else. A reason. A future. A life together."
Slowly, Rea leaned in, kissing her with a tenderness that silenced the room. Her hands found Annabella's breasts, played with her nipples prompting lewd gasps out of Annabella that was now even more sensitive with all that teasing.
Rea's kisses were slow now. Exploratory. She skilfully stripped Annabella naked and then started grinding her groin on Annabella's wet p****, like each part of her deserved to be adored.
Annabella gasped and moaned twisting with pleasure, The skin-to-skin contact felt exhilarating.
Rea didn't rush. She memorized her with her mouth and hands as though she was learning Annabella all over again.
When Rea gripped her thigh, lifting it around her waist, now determined to penetrate Annabella and claim her raw, without a fertility spell. Her lips parted and in a desperate plea
"Just…ghnn hold me tonight....ahhh," she whispered. "I'm not...ready...ghnn."
Rea froze.
"I'm not... ready," she repeated, voice trembling, gaze a storm of want and fear.
Rea met her eyes and softened. She nodded, pressing a kiss to Annabella's lips, then gathered her in her arms, tucking the blanket around them both.
She held her close, cradling her like something precious. And despite the ache she still felt, the desire that pulsed in her groin, Rea let herself rest. Just holding Annabella.
But Annabella didn't sleep. Her eyes stayed open in the dark, wide and silent. Because for the first time, the possibility of a life with Rea didn't feel like a fantasy. And that terrified her.
Each time they lay together now which was happening at a scary frequency, she knew what it could mean. What it might bring. A future. A child. A vulnerability they could not afford, not when they were hunted and had no clue.