Chapter 32: The Sinner's Mark

"Master, is it okay if I ask more about...Black Magic?"
            Master made an obvious disgust look when I mention Black Magic, but I knew he never reject any question I asked of him so he only made a long sigh.
            "What is it, if it's teaching you then I won't do it!"
            "It's not something that ridiculous, I just want to ask.... is it possible for a magician to use Black Magic without them realizing?"
              When I ask, it was an instant but I could see Master made a shock expression before he turned serious once more, "What makes you say that?"
             "Well, you said that Black Magic comes from the negative energy from our soul, then I wondered if it is possible when one is overcome by their own emotion, then their mana would react in correspond to their soul." Master had an amazed look on his face, one of the rare expression he would make and I was happy, even felt a little proud of myself. Master might have somehow figured my thoughts since he prick me in the forehead before he answered my question.
            "It's just as you said, there are cases when one's emotion invoked Black Magic without realizing it, that's why meditation are important. Not only will it increase your inner mana but regulates your emotion."
            "Then if you don't know you were using Black Magic, how do you know if you had used it?"
            "There are many ways to know you used Black Magic, but for definite proof you'll just need to find the mark."
            "The mark?"
            "Oh right, I haven't told you this, have I? Once you use Black Magic, a mark will appear at one part of your body, that mark will forever be engraved as a brand for those who had touched the darkness"

#

I open the door to my house abruptly, and the first thing I saw was both my parents standing with worried face. The moment they saw me, they made a relieve look then angry the next. "Claudia Robertson, where have you been! We were worried you hadn't contact us as promise, and did you get home alone? You know it's dangerous for a child to do without company!"
            I didn't took my mother much notice and ran straight toward my room. They could hear the door closed, and was left dumbfounded without understanding my action. Of course they wouldn't understand, it's not everyday your in shock after your best friend tried to kill you. I touched my neck which felt warm and turned toward the mirror where I could see the red mark coiling around it. I shuddered when I remember the event that had only happened a few hours ago.

#

In the dark damp room next to a skeleton, I felt the suffocating pain of being strangled. My mind couldn't keep up what's happening, and stupidly stayed there looking surprise. Her grip was strong, not some strength a normal child would have if it weren't for her training.

             When it comes to strength, there's no way I could win, I couldn't even chant a spell to protect myself. I almost thought that there's nothing I could do but to die at my best friend's hand. Seriously, isn't that too pathetic? There's no way I let myself done in that easily. Just when I thought of that, I felt something wet trickling on my cheeks, the room was too dark for me to see her face, but could it be....
            I tried to resist as much as I can trying to get even a little voice out of me, and with all my strength I tried saying, "Don't....cry....Lora...."
            My words might have hit her heart, because her grip became loose and I rolled away while coughing in some air. I turned to Lora who was sitting lifeless, with her hair hiding her expression. I believe in her she wouldn't truly try to hurt me and I'm glad I was right, otherwise I'd be dead. 

           "Lora" 

            She flinched when I called her name and look at me as if her world was breaking apart. "Lora look at me!" Again she flinched, but slowly and hesitantly, she lifted her head and was looking the me who looked straight at her without any fear. 

            I wonder what she saw in me from her eyes, because her jaw drop and he began gaping, reminded me of the day when we first became friends. 

            "Lora, talked! What is this about?" Before she could explain, I heard the door began to unlock along with the keys that dangles. Lora immediately gets up and drag me toward the closet of her room or should I say the corpse's room. She also rushed on bringing my bag and shove it inside along with me. 

            There were sounds of foot steps that was walking toward the room. "Stay!" she said and closed the door to this room. Did I do as she told? Sadly, no. If I just do as she told, I doubt she would explain everything. In the end, even when I was reluctant to stay in the room together with a skeleton looking at me from behind, I peep from the door that wasn't fully closed and saw her getting pushed far for her to hit the wall. Before she could stood up, that bi--I meant woman kick her in the gut, rolling her away toward the pile of trash. If I hadn't know things would turn the worse by showing myself, then I would have let her taste what living a nightmare is like.
            I clenched at the door knob, subconsciously asking it to hold me back. This time that woman waited for her to get up as she took a deep breath. "Haven't I told you not to enter my room, is your brain only using that sick ability of yours?" If my nails had been a little bit longer, they might have noticed the scratching sound against the door, but the other thing that kept disturbing me was the tingling feeling at the back of my neck.
            "I thought I should take out the trash since they were piling up, and it's not like you use this room, so I thought...."
            "Don't do anything unnecessary!" and she slap her."Now get out before I raise my temper."
            Didn't you already have you witch! Just when I was about to go back to the closet, I saw her with her menacing dark chocolate eyes, she look toward Lora's room. I had already took a step back and avoid her eye sight, but I might have instigated her suspicion because I could hear her heels getting closer. She then open the door, and saw the usual empty room. She looked around for two-three seconds and then head toward the closet. Lora was felt too much in pain for her to stop her mother, and before she could even say anything. She opened the closet.
            However, inside was dusty closet, without even a spec of clothes and webs covered the corners. She knit her eyebrows then and closed the closet without being left satisfied. I thought she would get out afterwards but instead she approached the corpse and caressed it gently, "Oh dear, why do you kept on sleeping here, you know it's not good for your health." and kissed it with a loving face I couldn't have imagined she would make and then carry it toward the bed.
            Oh Dear Lord, no matter in what era, insanity never seem to change. Once I was sure she left, I sneaked out from under the bed and took my bag while I slip out the window, and ran without a moment to lose.

#

After recalling what happened, I switched my attention from the red mark on my neck toward the back. There was another reason why I knew Lora didn't intend to hurt me.

            Those moments when I find the skeleton and meeting Lora's mother, there was a tingling feeling from the back of my neck. I pushed my hair away and resolve to find what I had suspected it was. 

            The time that I fought Jacob, I never wanted to admit the kind of magic I used on him in his last moment. However, when I found a strange mark behind my neck that gave off the shape of a six pointed shape star. It looks as if I had gotten a tattoo, but I knew without a doubt this was the Sinner's Mark, the mark of those who had used Black Magic, and proof of being a Witch.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Double chapter this week, how do you like that?

<<<PREVIOUS CHAPTER                                                                               NEXT CHAPTER>>>