Chapter Text
Witches have existed since the dawn of man. Powerful women blessed with magic tied to their greatest strength--instinct, intellect or emotions. As ancient as their female counterpart are the Warlock's, men cursed with masochistic forms of magic, preying on their own weaknesses. For centuries humans remained oblivious to the spellcaster's, both male and female, until one Witch with good intentions revealed them all.
Seraphin, was the most powerful witch in her time, and she believed in the humans, believed in love. So she cast a spell over all the earth, drawing the mark of one's soulmate to their skin. A precious gift, is it not? Yet, by stepping into the light she paved the way for the darker of her kind, the few caster's who had turned to blood sacrifice and darkness to fuel their power. And humans as they are, hungry for their survival above all else, turned on the Witches and Warlocks who were no longer just beings of legend. Now, human bounty hunter’s employed by a group known only as The Black Tomb have hunted the spellcasters nearly to extinction.
Fear coursed through his entire being, propelling him forward on dead legs. His lung constricted painfully with every desperate breath, combining with the vicious hammering of his heart and the uneven pounding of his feet against the asphalt, giving the man's terror its own personal chorus.
The almost pitch alleyways had long since lost any familiarity, but he couldn't falter. He couldn't stagger against the exhaustion and fear, or the monster hunting him would catch up. Wide eyes turned desperately behind him, searching blindly for his hunter. A deafening gunshot split through the silence, followed by the sickening impact of the bullet into the stone wall beside the man’s fleeing form.
His teeth clenched against the sudden shrill ringing in his ears. Panic drew him forward, crashing through the fear and the pain, desperate for an escape from his faceless pursuer. But he knew he wouldn’t find one, somewhere deep in his gut he could feel the futility of his attempt. And the dead end he now faced only solidified that reality.
Three towering walls surrounded him, caging him like the animal he was being hunted as. Useless fists slammed into the indestructible stone walls of his cage. The slightest sound shot fresh panic through his entire being, his form spinning around to face the shadow hiding his hunter.Nearly silent footsteps continued their approach, hardly heard over the pounding of his heart in his ear.
Helpless…. Useless... Going to die…. These thoughts ran through his mind, his back hitting the unyielding stone wall in a final attempt to retreat, to survive. His breathing halted as a gun slide into view, barreled aimed at his chest. The figure behind it, the man who would kill him blurred by the darkness clouding his vision.
I don’t want to die…
The shot sliced through the air, and reality exploded. The pain was the only thing that existed in that last moment. Burning, tearing through his chest until even that faded and his falling.