Marcus
Telling Ella was worse than
anything else so far.
Worse than the funeral. Worse
than the memories. Worse than choosing to leave.
She stood in the middle of the
living room, arms crossed tightly like she was holding herself together, her
eyes already shining with tears she refused to let fall.
"You're leaving," she said.
It wasn't a question.
I took a slow breath, trying
to keep my voice steady. "Just for a while."
"How long is 'a while'?" she
pressed.
I hesitated and that
hesitation was enough.
"I don't know."
Her expression hardened
immediately. "I'm coming with you."
"No," I said, too quickly.
Her eyes flashed. "Why not?"
"Because it's not safe."
"It's not safe here either!"
she snapped. "You said that yourself!"
I ran a hand through my hair,
already feeling the pressure building. "This is different."
"How?"
The question hit harder than
it should have. I have opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out.
And the silence broke
everything.
"You're lying," she said, her
voice trembling now.
"I'm not-"
"You are!" she shouted. "You're just leaving and expecting me to stay
like nothing's happening!"
"I'm trying to protect you!"
"From what?!"
The words slipped out before I
could stop them
"You're not even supposed to
be part of this, I'm bot your brother!"
The silence that followed was
immediate and crushing.
Ella blinked, like she hadn't
heard me properly. "… what?"
I froze.
"What do you mean?" she
whispered.
I couldn't look at her. I
didn't even try.
"You're not my brother?" she
said, her voice breaking.
The question felt like a knife
to the chest.
"I- Ella…"
She stepped back, shaking her
head as tears spilled over. "No. No, you're lying."
"I wish I was."
Her face crumpled completely.
"You've always been my brother…"
I forced myself to meet her
eyes. "You're still my sister."
"Then don't leave!" she cried.
That nearly broke me.
But I couldn't stop now. Not
after everything.
"I need you to stay with
Riley's family," I said quietly. "Just for now. Please."
She wiped her face angrily,
shaking her head. "I hate this."
"…Yeah," I said under my
breath. "Me too."
Riley opened the door before
we even knocked.
She took one look at Ella's
face, then at me, and her expression immediately sharpened.
"What happened?"
"Later," I said.
Inside, Noah was already
waiting- with bags packed.
I frowned. "Why are you
packed?"
Riley crossed her arms.
"Because we're coming with you."
"No."
"Yes."
I shook my head. "You're not
coming."
Noah stood calmly. "I'm
eighteen. You need a legal adult."
"That's doesn't make this
smart."
"it makes it my choice."
Riley stepped forward, her
gaze steady.
"Someone needs to make sure
you don't get yourself killed."
"I'm not-"
"You are," she cut in. "You're
running off with someone you barely know."
"She's my sister."
"And you don't know her
anymore."
That hit again, but I pushed
past it. "What about finals?"
"We'll write them online,"
Noah said.
"And your parents?"
"We told them we're taking a
trip for a few months, they trust us," Riley replied without hesitation.
I stared at them. " You're serious."
"Very."
Before I could argue again,
Ella spoke up from behind.
"I'm coming too."
I turned. "No."
"Yes."
"Ella-"
"I'm not staying behind
again!" she snapped. "Not when you're leaving. Not when everything's changing!"
I hesitated.
Because the truth was, I
couldn't promise she'd be safe here either.
"…Fine," I said finally.
Riley blinked. "That was
easier than expected."
"Don't get used to it."
The drive stretched on for
hours.
At first, no one talked much.
The silence wasn't uncomfortable- it was heavy. Like everyone understood that
this wasn't just a trip. Something was something, and none of us could stop it.
The closer we got, the worse
it felt.
Then I saw the road.
And everything inside me
tightened.
I knew it instantly.
Not just as Marcus.
As Rocco.
Memories came in flashes-
running through the trees, laughing, training under the sun… and then fire.
I gripped the steering wheel
harder.
"You, okay?" Noah asked
quietly.
"..Yeah," I said.
But I wasn't. not even close.
We stopped a few miles before
the house.
The moment I stepped out of
the car, I felt it.
That same presence from
before.
Watching.
Callie stepped out from the
trees like she'd been there the entire
time.
Her gaze moved over everyone
slowly- Riley, Noah, Ella- before settling on me.
"You brought them."
I stepped forward. "They're
coming."
Her expression tightened
slightly. "That wasn't the plan."
"I didn't ask for one."
"They're not part of this,
Rocco."
"They are now."
Her eyes narrowed, shifting
between all of them. She didn't like it- that much was obvious.
"This isn't safe," she said.
"I know."
"Then why bring them?"
"Because leaving them behind
isn't safe either," I replied. "And I trust them."
Riley crossed her arms,
clearly unimpressed.
Callie exhaling slowly, like
she was weighing options.
"…Fine," she said at last.
"But they stay out of the way."
"That's not happening," Riley
muttered.
I ignore that. "Lead the way."
When the house finally came
into view, something inside me shifted.
This wasn't just a place.
It was home.
Or it had been.
Memories came stronger now-
clearer, louder. Every step toward it felt like stepping deeper into something
I wasn't ready for, but couldn't avoid.
"She's waiting," Callie said
quietly.
Of course she was.
Seraphina Azzurro stood like
she had been carved into the moment.
Composed, still and watching.
Her presence alone was enough
to make the air feel heavier.
Her eyes landed on me, and I
felt it immediately- like being measured down to something deeper than
appearance.
"Rocco."
The name didn't feel foreign
anymore.
I stepped forward. "Marcus."
A faint smile touched her
lips. "Both."
That felt right.
Later, outside, she got
straight to the point.
"What is your weapon?"
The question caught me off
guard, but the answer came easily.
"Dual short swords," I said.
"But I'm better with hand-to-hand."
She tilted her head slightly.
"What style?"
"Muay Thai."
That earned a small nod.
Then she gestured to my wrist.
"Activate it."
I focused on the bracelet- the
realm.
Nothing.
I tried again.
Still nothing.
Frustration built with every
attempt. "It's not working."
"You're forcing it," she said
calmly. "Callista."
Callie stepped forward
immediately.
"Fight him."
I blinked. "What?"
She didn't wait.
Her kick came fast and
precise, forcing me to block instinctively but the impact still sent me back.
Before I could recover, she
moved again. Strike after strike, each one controlled, calculated. I tried to
counter, but I was off- too slow, too stiff.
She swept my legs out from
under me, and I hit the ground hard.
"Again," Seraphina said.
Callie pulled me up and
attacked again.
And again.
Each time, I lost.
Frustration turned into anger.
Then pressure. Then something deeper.
Why wasn't this working?
Why did I feel disconnected?
Then I felt the shift inside
me.
The hesitation disappeared.
My body moved without
thinking.
I blocked. Stepped in. drove a
knee forward, followed by an elbow strike- clean, sharp, instinctive.
Muay Thai.
Callie's eyes widened slightly
as I knocked her off balance.
Everything slowed for a
second.
My breathing steadied.
And I felt it.
The power of the bracelet.
Alive.
Flowing through me.
Seraphina nodded once. "There
it is."
Callie straightened, a small
smirk forming on her face.
"About time."
I finally didn't feel like I
was chasing something.
I felt like I had finally
stepped into it.