The snow clattered against the timbered roof of the solitary cottage, accumulating in drifts that adorned the earth with textures best left untouched—unless one harbored a death wish.
Inside, a scene of warmth unfolded: a blonde woman, approximately thirty, swathed in a voluminous duvet, clung to a man of middle age. They sat watching a television program he clearly found uninspiring.
She reached out, brushing his cheek, her hand adorned with a modest ring. As was her nature, she did so gently.
He turned, his expression shifting from one of distant contemplation to disillusionment, replacing the hypermetropic gaze he'd worn moments before.
"What's wrong, Devin?"
"That brat died."
"You didn't even like him."
"Still my brother, honeybun."
"You've been brothers for centuries. Surely you're both mature enough to part ways."
He stared out the frost-laced window, lost in reverie. A single tear traced his cheek—an incongruous sight given his imposing build and weathered ebony visage.
"I need a moment," he murmured, rising and leaving her to collapse onto a pillow still colder than he.
She paused the Netflix show, watched his retreating figure, considered something, then resumed the program.
Outside, Devin emerged from the snowbank that had engulfed the doorway. He exhaled heavily, surveying the wintry tempest with a scowl before raising his arm.
A radiant light emanated from his hand, swirling like viscous pigment. The snowfall ceased, and the dense clouds dispersed, forming a pocket of calm amid the storm.
He lit a cigar—thick and pungent—allowing it to rest on his lips as he inhaled the toxic smoke with abandon, the pale sunlight glinting off his silvered hair.
"I'm too damned old to mourn a 720-year-old child who forsook everything he once stood for," he muttered, trying to convince himself.
But the subtle sting at the cigar's tip betrayed his self-deception.
"You're never too old to feel," came a regal voice—the same one that had nearly slain Marrie.
Devin responded with a burst of air, a sonic boom rippling outward as he scanned the void, attempting to locate its source.
"Who the hell are you?"
The voice laughed richly before coalescing into the form of the Asian bodyguard who had once bewildered Marrie.
Devin lunged, grasping her throat, throttling her with brute force.
She flailed, tapping his swollen forearms in surrender.
"You seem familiar."
He said letting her go, she fell on the ice, partially melted now, grasping her neck, not believing his strength.
"I was Chide's companion—once. And I know precisely who murdered him."
"Cassodie Yung and Allan Bartholomew Stone."
"That's ancient history."
"Did you know Melody is their M.M?"
He froze, glancing back at her as the clouds reconvened, snow resuming its furious descent.
"Changes nothing."
"Really because Chide told me to find you to tell you that the path to seventh star is not closed off in his travels he found a way to 7th level."
"Bullshit" "You tell yourself that how long till you are replaced by that Melody chick?"
He plunged back into the slush, returning to the cottage's embrace. The woman smiled, fingers grazing her reddened neck.
The scene shifted to a lavish mahogany door—opulent, bordering on ostentatious.
Inside, hushed voices murmured. Outside, Cassodie lingered, guilt etched across her bandaged joints. She clutched her biceps, visibly anxious, while passing maids whispered in subdued tones.
They spoke of her—she was their favored topic of late. Though they tried to be discreet, she could hear every word within the building's walls.
"So after the coma, you awakened with these abilities—talents, they're called. Magic, essentially. And the girl who did this to me is also a talent bearer."
"A remarkably potent one. To reverse aging? Extraordinary."
"So why did Cassodie want me dead?"
"Let her speak for herself. Cassodie, stop lurking and come in."
Cassodie entered, her lack of confidence and sincerity paradoxically enhancing her beauty. Allan, accustomed to her eccentricity but not her allure, remained silent.
She bowed in fact kowtowed at Marrie's feet.
Marrie's heart melted at this simple action nearly forgetting the fierce might that scared her to near death.
Maybe she liked seeing a being with such supernatural power bow before her that would drive anyone mad with mad power wouldn't it?
"Miss Bartholomew I do not know what came over me still I deeply apologize and take full responsibility for all of it."
She muttered cutely Allan glaring at how quick this psycho changed gears it was maddening that he had nothing or nobody to blame.
"I don't know if I can forgive you for dislocating my son's jaw but you only scared me I can let that slide." Marrie said calmly even though she knew this apology was more because of her relationship with Allan more than anything.
Cassodie stood up and hugged the now youthful Marrie tightly despite her bandages her wounds were mostly healed they were just superficial scars left.
"Mom you said a bodyguard did something to you that you suddenly turned younger right can you describe her? I have a feeling it was that magic that agitated Cassodie." Allan chimed in separating the two who now looked like sister instead of adopted mother and child.
"Well she was really tall."
"Mom you are 150cm everyone is taller than you. Be a bit more objective." Allan chided with a serious look that questioned whether it was teasing or interrogation.
"Okay she had these bright green eyes like an empirical jade symmetrical face with small lips about Cassodie's height but an inch taller long purple hair cut to her neck and this weird scar on her neck."
"That's all? "Allan looked at Cassodie asking for signs of recognition which Cassodie did not register.
"I never seen any girl who looks like that in south Korea we didn't have many E girls."
"Just don't attack her, lets go to train." Allan grabbed her by her wrist taking her away leaving Marrie contemplating before beaming.
A new lease for life was what she could never dream of getting before but now it wasn't some distant dream. Although she was weird she still had to be thanked.
That night Lily had found an apartment in a little corner in New York about six hour flight from Seattle she wanted to get as far away from her sister as physically possible.
She didn't hate her or anything it was just that she didn't want to be influenced by her in anyway she had to live her life the way she wanted.
Esmeralda left her with a generous 8.9million stock portfolio that would yield her a static fund of 694.2 grand a year of passive income with zero taxes if she played her cards right.
Still despite this she had to find some sort of formal life to enjoy the ordinary life of a New Yorker the rowdy people she had seen on too many sitcoms in a hospital bed.
With an impressive resume engineered by Look logistics she could get any job at Goldman Sacs if she wanted to but that was too stressful and not fun what she craved was comedic drama.
(If you are interested in Lily's story I'm planning another book called My Romantically confused life when I crushed on my Robotic assistant)
Devin was packing up headed to Seattle he wanted to see his brother's body if he could taking Jennie along fear of mutant attack while he was away.
Although there were little amount of beings that had gifts countless beasts had fused with metaphysical constants constantly ravaging the living beings.
This was the Council's main concern protection of Earth from intruders to the best of their abilities and prevent complete collapse of self-conscious intelligent life.
Devin himself had the illustrious title of Duke of the lonely winter a six-star Mage termed with protecting the Arctic circle, There was a king of the lonely winter but he disappeared a long time ago in a war with the other world maybe he died nobody knew not even the ninth-circle grandmaster.
Although he had no direct plans for revenge two idiot were still beating each other with inanimate objects.
In a short amount of time Allan's control of Control and transmutation had increased to a degree he could almost control every particle in the attack range he had.
Cassodie's Strength found even more ridiculous uses by the literal explosion of matter by merely overloading them with protons making them undergo forced nuclear fission.
She became a small nuke. Allan soon deprived her of everything but oxygen to prevent her from nuking the manor.
He soon discovered that Cassodie's strength had this peculiar ability to make particles obedient if they both used strength on objects rarely would he out control her.
It was something ridiculous he thought came from her merely containing the original.