"Joker thinks that the circumstances part of achieving the title doesn't necessarily need the life or death situation to be on the human side so we are going to show you how to express magic today and hopefully something replies." Kairo steps a little closer to me closer than he's been all day. I got whiffs of smoke and lavender. I didn't realize how short I was compared to him he seemed to slouch most of the time, but now he straightened his posture, and I could tell he had a full head over me.
"I'm going to let some of my magic seep out. it'll overtake the magic seeping out of you, and that may make you dizzy or feint, so I'll catch you if you lose balance." Kairo seemed to begin to radiate a heat it was warm and enjoyable.
"Nothing?" Kairo asked, seemingly exerting a little more.
"No, it's got a bit warmer, but that's about it." He seems to get a little exhausted before releasing his posture, and the heat dissipated.
"Jesus, that was almost fifty percent, and all you felt was the warmth." He seemed out of breath again, and the embarrassment from earlier poked at me again.
"Fine, a hundred it is." The heat was back, but it was unbearable, and now a new weight on my shoulders appeared, making my knees buckle. With every breath, it hurt like breathing in steam, and then it was gone.
"You stayed standing at my hundred that's insane." I barely heard what he said over the ring in my ears something wasn't right I could now feel something seeping out of my body and quickly and uncomfortably back in like I was exhaling infinitely while trying to gasp for breaths simultaneously. I hunched over, wrapping my arms around myself, trying to keep whatever was leaving in.
"Whoa, you alright?!" Kario goes to place a hand on my back when he makes contact I feel the exhaling stop and the gasp taking over and I pull all I've lost and all there is extra around us greedily holding it hostage. The boom of my heart was deafening. Kairo was screaming something, but all I could make out was, "Don't!" I couldn't take it anymore. The exhale was necessary and crucial to survival, and the gasping had grown full like a capped bottle of soda filled with mentos. I uncapped the bottle, and it burst. Making the easiest I release everything I could, this sent Kairo soaring through the air a couple of yards away from me. The force of the blast made the old treeline slightly bend and violently shake once the wave had passed.
Kairo sat on his knees, dazed but seemingly unharmed, but his focus wasn't on me but on the forest. I quickly snap my head in the same direction to catch a pair of eyes belonging to a dark figure now watching us from the shadows.
"Don't move a muscle, Willow." The golden amber eyes flicked to Kairo, slits like daggers analyzed him for a moment, then flicked back to me.
"Was that you, little one?" A voice boomed in my head, something I was growing accustomed to way too fast for my liking.
"Yes?" I thought, hoping this was how I must reply.
"Hmm I will not beat around the bush child I am hunted but I am strong and with you, we will be stronger I offer you my plight, and in exchange my power, and you will allow me to inhabit your shadow." I look to Kairo, who seems to be left out of the conversation. I wasn't sure if this was a part of being a summoner or not, but I didn't want to miss out on my chance
"Okay... you can live in my shadow." Right after my reply followed a noise that I could only compare to a large feline purring. The dark creature bounded towards me through the shadows. From the shadows, a hulking feline body nimbly broke through the treeline as its body hit the sunlight it warped and changed, taking a smaller form. A black cat with two tails sat at the edge of my shadow, licking its paws clean.
"We don't have long child, me and my pursuers are not the only ones you've caught the attention of." I sit confused. Kairo was now eyes wide at the scene and still not offering much help. A rushing noise in the distance caught all of our attention.
"Quickly child the exchange of true names and then gift me my new name hurry." An angry mew escaped the cat alongside the booming voice
"My name is Rose!" I think as loud as I can, but instead of a name, I'm given a guttural growl.
"I said your true name, girl." I felt my heart drop to the base of my gut at these words.
"This... name... is... mine..." An exhausted voice in the back of my head strained to make it clear before fading with a laugh.
"Willow..." I admit defeatedly.
"Well met Willow I am Dawa daughter of Dawon what shall my new name be." I looked over the creature in front of me two tails wagged independently of each other one had a ballish lump nearing the tip while the other was long its eyes were pools of amber with black slits like thorns. It was odd that the name I was going to give her was already on the tip of my tongue it came from the back of my head as soon as I said, Rose.
"Rugosa." A third eye appeared on Rugosas head it focused making eye contact with each of my eyes then the center of my forehead a pressure seemed to sit where it looked and after a moment images flashed over my eyes moments that weren't mine. Emotions flooded me, pain suffering fear and the need to survive gripped me tightly, and then it passed. Rugosa gave me a warm smile before diving into my shadow.