Chapter Text
Lian pulled him to a stop. Lucio panicked and tried to pull them along. “We have to go.”
Lian’s eyes already began to hollow as they reached their hand towards the ground. Fear vanished, replaced by burning resolve. Fire spilled from Lian’s hand like it had a will of its own. Lian pulled him close. Under normal circumstances, this would be the perfect time for a flirty quip, but being dropped through a portal didn't leave room for that. Bright swirls of amber and crimson crashed and mixed. The colors stung his eyes and invaded his mind. Something about this place made him feel alone. He swore he could see his mother. He looked at Lian. Their eyes were open, and tears poured down their face. “Hey, what is this place?”
Lian didn't respond and let go of him. The colors reached out and coiled around them. Lucio pulled them back as Mercedes and Melchior growled at the colors. A hole opened beneath them. The colors poured into the hole, pulling the group down to the other side.
Lian landed on top of him, and Mercedes and Melchior landed on top of Lian. He bit back a pained scream with a hiss. Lian rolled off of him with a soft thud. Mercedes began to lick their face. He breathed a sigh of relief. He still couldn't believe Lian got them out of that. “That was amazing; you are the best magician!”
He looked over at them. They made eye contact before Lian took a deep breath and closed their eyes. Melchior whimpered and nudged Lian. Thick blood poured from their nose. Mercedes pulled Lucio closer. “Calm down, girl. What am I supposed to do?”
He pressed his hand to her forehead and quickly pulled back. Burning to the touch with some kind of fever. They needed something cool. He looked around. The room was covered in fabrics and trinkets. Every color seemed brighter than the last. He noticed a painting on the wall. He stood and examined the painting. It depicted Lian and Asra. Everything was done in gentle pastels, making it stand out from the over-saturated nature of the rest of the room. The painting felt too soft. It clashes with everything. It was Lian—but not really. Too still. Too quiet. It was as if the painting tried to soften the fire within Lian. The more he looked around, the more he noticed things that seemed to belong to Asra, not Lian. Where are we ?
“Mercedes Melchior, you wanna keep looking around with me? Lian will probably be fine.”
Melchior stopped pacing and looked him in the eyes, bared his teeth, and turned, still pacing around and guarding Lian. Mercedes lifted her head from Lian's lap, looked at him, then went back to resting her head. He's never seen Mercedes so gentle with anyone. He was sure it wasn’t that big a deal. Mercedes could probably just tell that they are sick.
He went down the stairs and found himself in a shop filled with all kinds of odd things. The walls were littered with Herbs and glowing vials. The shelves had jars of glittering magic and marmalade? Somehow, the marmalade felt out of place. A sign painted with gentle blue hues and hung over the counter read. “Naza and maddi’s shop of magic.”
He caught a glimpse of a mirror. Of course, he had to make sure he was still handsome. His reflection showed his goat form, bound in chains coiled tightly around his arms, legs, and throat. They were colored in sickly greys and deep bloody crimsons. The chains weren’t there . He told himself. But he felt them, deep in his bones. The plaque under the mirror said it was the truth mirror. But he refused to accept what he saw. His mother's voice rang in his head. “ Run, Montag. ”
He did, into an alcove covered in the same bright fabrics as the room upstairs. Three cards sat faced up at him. He recognized them from Asra when Asra worked for him. Their names linger like a forgotten memory: The Devil, The Tower, and Death. The cards didn’t move, but they whispered anyway.
Fate
Fate
Fate
The word rang mercilessly in his head. Candles around the room went out in unison. He had to get out. He ran back up the stairs, his breath rushed.
Mercedes and Melchior looked up in unison. Lucio put on a brave face and gave them both pets. “Lian’s still out? Oh well, guess we stay till she wakes.”He'd have already run from this awful place if he weren't bound to Lian. He couldn't wait to escape this place; it felt like it was out to get him. He sat next to Lian, taking deep breaths and gently lifting his hand to his neck, trying to discern if what he saw in the mirror was real. Of course, he knew it wasn't. Everything was fine. It had to be. Because if it wasn’t... He stopped that train of thought. Lucio had a powerful magician working with him and had already completed one of those pesky deals. Everything was moving exactly as it should. He was going to fix this and get his throne back. He looked over at Lian. They were his key. After all, real strength comes from how you use those around you, and Lian was proving to be quite useful. He didn't notice, but Lian shifted ever so slightly closer.