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There had once been a clan of entertainers who roamed the land. They were a family from a land far to the east with abilities that allowed them to create objects, seemingly out of thin air. It was that ability and their long, golden hair that made them stand out from the rest of the common folk. Everywhere the entertainers went, they would be met with crowds—from young children shouting with glee at the toy animals that sprung up in the town squares, to the adults who watched in wonder at the light shows that were performed at night. And almost as soon as they arrived, they would pack up and leave. As the ventured onward to the next town, the objects they created were left behind as the only proof they had been there.
With abilities like theirs, it was only a matter of time before someone would seek to take it as their own. So when the family of entertainers was discovered one morning, their throats slit, their long, golden tresses shorn, and the new baby of the youngest couple vanished, people were shocked at the sight, but not surprised it had occurred.
Time went on and people forgot about the family with the long, golden hair. They forgot about the magical abilities and the traveling performances. And of course they forgot about the baby who had vanished while his family lay slain. They became mere stories that parents told their children about at night.
After all, no one knew that baby was now living deep within the forest after being taken by a sorcerer who sought to use the child’s abilities for his own schemes.
“Can’t I go with you, brother?”
Kunikida stood next to the door of the cottage, holding a cloak as he waited for his brother to finish tying the laces on his boots. His brother stood up, dark hair gleaming almost purple as it caught the sunlight streaming through the window. Fyodor was a merchant, and was leaving for another trip to sell his wares. Despite all his pleading, Kunikida hadn’t been able to convince Fyodor to let him accompany him even though it had been two years since he had come of age. He stared at his older brother, hoping for a change this time.
“I’ve already told you no.”
“But-”
Fyodor leaned in close, expression unchanging as he looked straight into Kunikida’s eyes. “I said no. How many times must I explain it would be dangerous for strangers to see you?”
Kunikida’s shoulders slumped, eyes glancing at the long golden hair he was dragging behind him. “I know...you said they’d try to take advantage of my powers.”
“Exactly.” Fyodor grabbed the cloak from Kunikida and pulled out a scrap of paper from his pocket. “Now I have a list of things I’ll need for the trip, I trust you know what to do?”
Kunikida snapped to attention as he took the paper and looked over its contents. “Of course!”
The air warmed as Kunikida closed his eyes and focused. In a matter of seconds, the items on Fyodor’s list appeared on the table nearby and Kunikida let out the air he had been holding in.
“That’s a good brother.”
A hand pressed down on Kunikida before it ruffled the short tufts of hair on top of his head.
Fyodor packed up the items that Kunikida had made into his pack and pushed open the front door to the house. “Now remember….don’t-”
“I know. Don’t leave the clearing around the house. Don’t go into the forest,” Kunikida recited flatly. “If I stay here, no one we don’t want should be able to find me.”
“Good. I’ll be back in a week.”
And just like that, Fyodor left, leaving Kunikida alone in the house. He watched his brother disappear into the forest, still upset that he had to stay behind. Kunikida closed the door before turning to gather his long hair up from the floor. Kunikida sat down in a chair, dropping his hair in his lap unceremoniously before he examined the ends of his hair. He remembered the slight prickle at the back of his head when he created the items for his brother. It happened every time he used his power, and like usual, his hair had shortened again.
Kunikida let out a sigh before he picked up a hairbrush from the table beside him. He had six inches less to brush out this time.
The signs of the ashen sickness were all there. How had he been such a fool to have not seen it earlier? When Margaret had fainted one day on her way home from the market, he assumed it was because she hadn’t eaten breakfast. When she began eating less each day, Nathaniel thought his sister was just trying one of those silly diets that the other village girls had been talking about. After all, no one thought the ashen sickness would strike someone so young. The others in their village of Gable with the sickness had been in their 40s. They had the same experiences that Margaret, at only 18, had gone through recently. But just like the others in the village, Margaret was now in bed, her skin slowly turning an ashy grey as she struggled to keep her strength.
No one in their village knew where the illness came from. All they knew was that it first appeared 10 years ago and only affected those in their village. Nathaniel and Margaret’s parents had been the first victims of the illness. After several months of wasting away, they passed away, their bodies turning to ash with the slightest touch. It left a 15 year old Nathaniel all alone to take care of Margaret. The village had helped them, but Nathaniel had to grow up quickly and learned to hunt in the forests to provide for the two of them. But nothing had prepared him for seeing his sister in such a weakened state, afflicted with the same illness that had taken their parents away.
The soft rustling of bedsheets brought Nathaniel out of his thoughts and he moved to help his sister sit up in bed.
“How do you feel?”
“Like hell.” Margaret grinned weakly at him before noticing the steaming mug in her brother’s hand. “Is that…”
Nathaniel handed the mug over carefully, the sharp, peppery scent of the steam enveloping the air around them. “Firegrass tea. Freshly brewed.”
Margaret sipped at the tea before making a face of disgust. Firegrass was highly bitter and foul tasting, but it was the only thing they knew to help with the ashen sickness. It was no cure, but it kept those afflicted with the illness alive for longer. The only problem was its location deep within the forest.
“There wasn’t any honey?” Margaret asked after choking down her tea.
Taking the mug from her hands, Nathaniel stood up from his seat. “I put some in, but you know firegrass is too overpowering.”
Nathaniel watched his sister slide back down into bed, the slightest hint of color showing on her cheeks. He’d only managed to get a few days worth of the herb from the town’s herbalist since it was an emergency. If he wanted to get more, he’d have to go find it himself. It meant leaving Margaret at home, but it was the only way to keep her with him until a cure could be found.
“Marg…” he trailed off, turning his back to his sister.
“You have to go look for the herbs, don’t you?” she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “It’s okay. I understand.”
Nathaniel clenched his fist tightly. He felt horrible for having to leave his sister behind like this, but he didn’t have much choice. “The Alcotts next door said they’d keep an eye on you while I’m gone, but I’ll try to come back as soon as I can.”
Margaret sat in her bed, holding onto a little mechanical toy dog he had given to her years ago. “Come back safely, brother.”
Margaret and Nathaniel at home
The mid spring weather was mild. With his eyes closed, Kunikida could hear the whispering of the leaves and the rippling of the small river that lay below the clifftop on which their home was built. It was scenery he could paint with his eyes closed since he had seen it every day for as far as he could remember.
Kunikida couldn’t deny that it could get rather lonely, especially when his brother was gone. But the stories that Fyodor told him about the world outside were chilling: diseases spreading easily and lawlessness where people were killed for no reason. It was for his own safety that he stayed at home, his brother said. No it was best he stayed at home, as boring as it could get. And his powers could provide all the tonics and potions that his brother needed to stay safe when he was away on his trips.
He sat up, picking out the small pieces of grass that had gotten caught in his long braid. Kunikida had made it a habit of braiding his hair every morning to make it more manageable than letting it just flow and tangling up. It was something he’d been doing for many years even though his hair had stopped growing when he was ten years old. Since then it had only gotten shorter, little by little, as he used his power to make things that he and his brother needed.
Kunikida stood up, brushing the grass off the back of his pants, and walking over to the edge of the clifftop. He’d kept a fishing rod near the back of the house once he figured out to make one using the books that his brother would bring home. It was one of his favorite things to do to pass the time. Yes, this was the best way to pass the time, and if he caught dinner while he was at it, it’d be even better.
Nathaniel made his way toward the forest, passing by the merchant stalls near Gable’s entrance. The warm aroma of potions at the stalls was always inviting. He had glanced at the stalls in the off chance that one of the merchants was selling any firegrass, but there wasn’t any available. As he turned away from the stalls to leave through the village’s gate, his eyes met with one of the merchants.
He’d always thought the man was strange. Through the slight haze of the woody, herbal scented cloud emanating from a small bottle on the table, Nathaniel could see the merchant’s eyes clearly. Violet eyes were an uncommon color to see, but it was the lack of any light in his eyes that made Nathaniel feel uneasy.
“See anything you want to buy?”
The man’s voice felt hollow despite the gentle tone he was using. Nathaniel took a deep breath as he tried to square away the inviting tone of the merchant’s voice with the unsettling feeling he had. The scent of smoky herbs filled Nathaniel’s mind as he looked at the man.
“No, I don’t need anything. I was just on my way to gather firegrass for my sister.” The words spilled from his mouth before Nathaniel even had the chance to think. He hadn’t had any intention to tell the man where he was going, but as he answered the question, Nathaniel felt as if he would tell the merchant anything he wanted to know.
“Ah she has the ashen sickness, does she? Such a shame for someone to face death so young.”
The man’s voice brought a chill up Nathaniel’s spine. There was a coldness to it that he couldn’t ignore even if the man was sympathetic about his sister’s illness.
“Thank you for your kind words,” Nathaniel replied, sounding stiff and unnatural as he spoke. “But she won’t die. I will make sure to find a cure for her if it’s the last thing I do.”
He turned sharply, making his way through the village gate with more determination than ever. He had to hurry and get the firegrass for Margaret and find a way to stop the ashen sickness from taking her away from him.
The merchant watched Nathaniel leave, his dark hair falling in front of his face as he laughed quietly before sealing the bottle on his table.
“Just try and waste your time finding a cure. You’ll never find one.” The man’s lips quirked into a smirk. “After all, I have my ‘dear little brother’ and his special powers helping me cast the curse on your pitiful village.”
Fyodor remembered when the little golden brat turned ten years old and he finally became useful. He’d had ten years of investment with no returns, but it would all be worth it in the end now that the kid could churn out anything he wanted. He was playing the long game after all. The ten more years putting everything into place for the curse was worth every minute he had to spend around those wretched sinful humans. Soon he’d finally be able to make the curse spread outside the village and onward to the rest of the world. Finally he’d be able to use his sorcery to cleanse the world of the sinners and make the world as it should be.
He let out a hiss of pain as he dragged himself out of the water and squinted up toward the ridge where he’d just been standing. Nathaniel looked at the deep gash in his left leg and the pain radiating from his twisted ankle. He hadn’t expected to trip over a tree root, much less trip and fall into a small river in a deep ravine.
Nathaniel grabbed the small knife he carried with him and cut off one of his sleeves. He wrapped the material around his leg, watching the fabric turn red and hissing in pain as he tied a tight knot. He’d hurt himself while hunting before, but those trips were closer to home. He knew that he’d have to travel deeper into the forest for the firegrass, but getting injured like this was an unforeseeable event.
The side of the gully crumbled under his touch as Nathaniel pulled himself up to stand. He leaned against the side, gingerly testing his left foot against the ground. A sharp pain ran up his leg as he put pressure on it and he quickly pulled it away. If he wanted to get out of this ravine, he’d have to keep following the river’s path, but he’d have to keep his left side supported by the wall and drag himself along.
He took a deep breath in to clear his mind before taking a step forward with his good leg.
Kunikida stood up from where he had been seated under the apple tree next to the house. The setting sun made it hard to keep writing in his notebook and he’d need to go prepare supper soon. Just as he began to head inside, he heard a loud thud from the direction of the river. He tensed up, knowing that his brother wouldn’t come home from that side. Kunikida slowly made his way over to the edge of the cliff where he’d been fishing just hours before.
Peering carefully over the edge, Kunikida was surprised to see a person collapsed on the edge of the river. He could see a trail of blood coming from upstream and the source was clearly the person’s leg. If he didn’t do something, they might....
“Hey!” Kunikida shouted, his voice faltering from his nerves. “Are you alright?”
No reply.
Kunikida hesitated, his brother’s voice in his head. It would be dangerous for you to be seen by strangers. Even so, he couldn’t let someone die right in front of him. Fyodor would understand, right?
He couldn’t delay. He closed his eyes, feeling the power from his hair. The rope he wanted appeared as he felt the end of his braid fall apart. You have to hurry.
He tied one end of the rope around the trunk of the apple tree and hurried toward the edge of the cliff. Taking a deep breath, he started to rappel down, ignoring his brother’s voice in his head. When he reached the bottom, he could see the person clearly. Kunikida had never seen someone with that ashy brown color of hair, much less anyone who looked this close to his own age. There was so much he wanted to ask this man.
But he’d have to think about that later. Kunikida tied the rope around the man and himself and slowly began to climb up the edge of the cliff. The muscles he’d gained from chopping firewood were finally coming in handy.
He dreamed about an angel. Golden hair and golden light surrounded him with warmth as the angel lifted him upwards into the sky. If this was what death felt like, maybe it wasn’t so terrible.
Nathaniel woke with a start. It wasn’t his time to die, after all, he had his sister to save.
The room around him was out of focus, but he could make out the sunlight streaming through a window and shining on someone asleep on a chair beside him. The sunlight behind them was like a halo around their long golden hair and Nathaniel was almost at a loss for words.
An angel?
The person shifted and stretched their arms out as they opened their eyes.
“Ah! You’re awake. How are you feeling?”
Nathaniel stared at the person before looking down at his left leg. Even without his glasses on, he could see that the gash on his leg was gone. He flexed his foot and the pain he remembered from before was no longer there. A million questions went through his head as he looked back towards the person.
“Who….” There was no possible way an injury that big could just disappear like that. “I can’t see you clearly.”
“Oh! Hold on a second.”
It was like the air around him warmed for a moment, and then a pair of glasses was handed to him. Slipping them on, his vision became clear and Nathaniel took a good look at the person sitting before him.
The hair was the first thing he noticed. The golden hair that he could see even without his glasses on stretched downward and onto the floor. Nathaniel pushed away the thought that something about this person was familiar and looked at the person’s face. His eyes were almost sparkling with excitement behind his long eyelashes and glasses, and Nathaniel couldn’t help but stare. Maybe an angel was still the best description he could find for the younger man in front of him.
He cleared his throat and looked away. “What exactly is going on here? Who are you?”
“I’m Kunikida. As for what happened, I found you unconscious near my house last night and brought you here to get better.” He fidgeted while he spoke, as if there was more to the story.
“You’re not going to tell me how my leg healed so fast, are you?” Nathaniel stared at the other man for a moment, watching him look away and shrink in on himself defensively.
There was nothing but silence for a few seconds until Nathaniel sighed, getting out of the bed and standing up to leave.
Kunikida’s head snapped up immediately as Nathaniel began to head to the door. His eyes were wide as he stood up, the chair’s legs scraping loudly against the floor as it was pushed back. “Wait! Where are you going?”
“You helped me, and for that I thank you,” Nathaniel said, adjusting his clothes and picking up the rest of his things that had been set on the floor near the door. “But I can’t waste my time here. I have to be on my way so I can find firegrass for my sister’s illness.”
As Nathaniel reached for the door, he saw a flash of gold as the other man ran toward him and blocked the exit. He moved his hand reflexively toward the knife on his belt, watching the determination burning behind the green eyes staring directly at him.
“What if I said I could get you as much firegrass as you wanted? And all you have to do is help me out in return?”
Nathaniel’s hand dropped from his belt instantly. “Huh?”
His heart felt like it was racing as he looked at the other man, but he wasn’t surprised about that. After all, he was about to break the biggest promise to his brother and reveal his secret to someone that was essentially a complete stranger. Why else would your heart race like that?
Kunikida closed his eyes, feeling the energy flowing through him from his hair. His ability warmed the air as the power flowed outward into his hands. Bunches of deep red grass appeared in his hands, the tiny scarlet blossoms like small flames. He heard the gasp of surprise from the other man.
“How did…”
“My hair lets me create anything I can imagine,” Kunikida replied. “I used it to make medicine to heal your injuries, sir. And the firegrass too. I’ll give these to you, so please just answer some of my questions.”
“Very well,” the man said, pushing up the glasses that Kunikida had made for him. “I’ll answer your questions. But please stop calling me sir. My name is Nathaniel.”
Kunikida smiled. “Thank you, Nathaniel.”
“There’s just one thing. Come with me back to my village so I can get these herbs to my sister and I’ll answer them on the way.”
Kunikida froze, hearing his brother’s voice in his head. He’d never left his home before, but this could be his chance to see the world outside of here. Surely it’d be a quick trip to Nathaniel’s village and he’d be back home before his brother returned.
He nodded. “Alright. It’s a deal.”
As they walked toward Gable, Nathaniel started to notice that Kunikida was unusually curious about everything. Every turn had the younger man stopping to look at something and write in his notebook.
And then there were the questions. What kinds of things did you do in school? What is your village like? Are there any festivals and what do you do for them? Is it true that diseases are widespread? Do people really get killed in the streets by others?
The more Kunikida asked, the more it was clear that he didn’t have any real idea what the world was like. Nathaniel looked over at the golden braid that was barely touching the ground and followed it up to a head buried in a notebook. Something had been gnawing away at his memory for a while and something finally clicked into place. The reason why Kunikida’s hair had looked so familiar to him was obvious now.
When Nathaniel was just five years old, traveling performers had come to Gable to put on a show. It was one of his fondest memories. The performers had golden hair in fantastical braids, and they had put on a wonderful performance. Nathaniel had walked away with a little mechanical toy dog that would walk around and bark, and it was one of his treasures that he had given to his little sister when their parents had died. The performers he remembered were just like Kunikida.
“Hey, mind if I ask you a question?” he said watching Kunikida scrawl away in his notebook. “Do you have any family with the same hair you have?”
Nathaniel watched the other man’s head slowly move out of the book, a look of confusion on his face.
“No I don’t,” Kunikida replied. “It’s just my brother and I and his hair is black. Why are you asking?”
Nathaniel frowned. “Are you sure there’s no one else? I just remembered some people who had the same hair as you who visited my village when I was a kid.”
Kunikida shook his head, looking abashed. “If I’m being honest, you’re the first person I’ve met other than my brother.”
He could feel his eyes go wide as he replayed Kunikida’s words in his head. “Are you saying your brother never let you leave your home before? He sounds like a terrible brother if he’s trapping you there and not letting you see the world.”
“Fyodor’s not terrible,” Kunikida said, his voice raising slightly. “He just wants to keep me safe.”
“So is that why you’re leaving your home secretly?” Nathaniel said, watching as Kunikida went silent. He started walking again without checking to see if the other man was following him. “For the record, I’d never keep my sister trapped like that on purpose. I just want her to get better so she can go wherever she wants.”
Nathaniel’s words sat uneasily on Kunikida’s mind as they walked. Was his relationship with his brother so bad? It’s not as if he had seen any other relationships he could compare with his own, so perhaps Nathaniel’s words carried some truth in them. After all, the things that Fyodor had said about the world were untrue according to Nathaniel. And what about the people he claimed had the same strange power Kunikida carried in his hair? All the things he thought he knew were now being questioned. Kunikida was so deep in his thoughts that he ran right into Nathaniel, who had suddenly stopped.
“What’s going-”
Kunikida’s eyes widened as he took in the scene in front of him. A stag was on the ground, it’s head severed and placed in the center of what looked like a magic circle out of Kunikida’s story books. But the most shocking thing was that the normally brown fur of the stag had turned an ashy grey, as if all the life had been drained from it. As Kunikida turned toward Nathaniel, he could see a look of horror on the other man’s face. He watched the other man step forward, reaching with one hand to touch the stag’s body. As soon as Nathaniel had touched it, the stag seemed to crumble away until it was just a pile of ash on the ground.
“This is it,” Nathaniel said, his voice wavering as he fell to his knees. “It’s the ashen sickness. This is exactly what happened to my parents when they died. It’s some kind of spell.”
Kunikida stepped forward to get a closer look and felt a pit in his stomach as he looked at the magic circle. Surrounding the stag’s head were jars filled with potions that Kunikida recognized all too well from when he had placed them directly into his brother’s hands. He reached into his pocket, pulling out the scrap of paper on which Fyodor had written out a list of things he needed. It was a direct match.
“No...he wouldn’t,” Kunikida whispered, his voice breaking as he spoke. “Fyodor….my brother wouldn’t.”
“What did you say?”
Kunikida saw Nathaniel look up at him. The man’s eyes were open wide, but he was almost looking through Kunikida as if he didn’t even recognize who he was looking at.
“I made those with my ability.” His voice felt hoarse. “I gave those to my brother. I’ve been making those things for him for years.”
“Ten years?” Nathaniel’s voice was almost a monotone.
Kunikida nodded, a hint of panic in his voice. “I thought he was selling them. He’s always out selling things in town.”
Almost immediately, Nathaniel was gripping his shoulders tightly. It was like a fire was lit in his eyes as he stared at Kunikida. “We’re going to find him,” he said, almost too calmly. “And I’m going to make him pay.”
Kunikida watched the determination burn in Nathaniel’s eyes while he felt his own unease grow. He wanted to find Fyodor too, if only to confront his brother and find out the truth of what was going on.
Nathaniel finally had some kind of clue about the ashen sickness and he’d do anything to have his sister well again. He continued to hold Kunikida’s shoulders. “What does your brother look like? You said he’s supposed to be a merchant so maybe I’ve seen him.”
Kunikida stuttered before describing Fyodor: black hair that hung down to his chin, pale skin, violet eyes. As soon as Kunikida had mentioned the eye color, Nathaniel immediately knew. He remembered the lifeless purple eyes staring at him along with the scent of woody herbs. That goddamn man was toying with him and the whole time he was the one who was the reason behind Margaret’s illness.
Nathaniel grabbed Kunikida’s hand and started to run. “We need to get to town now.”
Kunikida nearly stumbled but managed to keep up with Nathaniel. “Do you know something?”
“He’s been in my town this whole time,” Nathaniel hissed. “He’s been watching us suffer all these years.”
He was angry. More angry than he’d ever been in his 25 years of life and he finally could do something about it. He continued pulling Kunikida along as they neared the village, the entrance nearly in sight. Nathaniel was so focused on his anger, he didn’t hear Kunikida say anything until the younger man yanked on his arm, forcing both of them to stop.
“Nathaniel wait,” Kunikida said, his voice soft but forceful. “I don’t know what you want to do, but please just let me talk to him first before anything happens.”
Kunikida looked resolved, even through the sadness visible on his face. Nathaniel paused for a moment, thinking about what the younger man must be feeling. To have someone you’ve known as your brother your entire life turn out to be lying to you the whole time. To confirm all of that would take a lot of bravery. Nathaniel felt his tension ease as he looked at Kunikida, his hand moving unconsciously in order to brush a loose strand of hair behind Kunikida’s ear.
“Okay,” Nathaniel said softly. His hand lingered for a moment as he looked at Kunikida before he dropped it quickly, turning away and clearing his throat slightly in embarrassment. “My village is just ahead. Let’s go.”
Nathaniel’s soft touch remained on Kunikida’s mind, but as the entrance to the village came into sight, he could feel a mix of apprehension and anxiety forming within him. With the village gates in front of them, he could see his brother standing in front of one of the merchant stalls. Kunikida steeled himself as he and Nathaniel entered town.
Fyodor turned as they walked into town, and Kunikida swore he could see the tiniest bit of shock and anger in his brother’s eyes before it disappeared into the usual calmness.
“Kunikida, what are you doing here. Explain yourself.”
There was something chilling about the way Fyodor spoke that made Kunikida want to run back home and apologize for all the rules he broke, but he could feel Nathaniel standing behind him like a comforting presence.
“You’re the one who needs to explain yourself,” Kunikida said, his voice wavering slightly before getting stronger. “Nathaniel’s told me so much that contradicts everything you’ve told me about the world. And that doesn’t even explain what we saw in the forest. What have you been doing with all the things I’ve made for you with my ability?”
It was like a switch was flipped and the face of the kind brother Kunikida knew his whole life had been replaced with some kind of demon. Fyodor’s eyes were cold as they looked at him, the thin smile on his face completely unlike what Kunikida usually saw.
“So you saw my little experiment out in the woods,” Fyodor replied mockingly. “I guess I don’t need to act anymore.”
Nathaniel stepped forward, his eyes full of anger as he glared at Fyodor. “So you admit it. You’re the one who started the ashen sickness in the first place, you sick piece of-”
“My masterpiece,” Fyodor laughed. “And all thanks to this kid making everything I needed without any question. Waiting all these years for him to be useful was worth all the hassle.”
Kunikida felt his stomach sink further. “You told me that other people would use me for my powers, but you used me. Then what Nathaniel said about other people like me?”
A grin split across Fyodor’s face. “If only their hair was useful if it was cut off, I wouldn’t have had to kill them all. But luckily for me there was another one I could use alive.”
“Me…” He barely whispered the words. Then it was all true. The things Nathaniel had told him, the truth about who he was and what Fyodor had done.
He barely paid attention as Nathaniel punched Fyodor in the face and yelled at him to stop the curse. He felt himself sink to the ground as Fyodor laughed and said it was all too late to do anything. Was it really too late?
Nathaniel punched Fyodor in the face, feeling little relief as his fist made contact. He wanted to kill the man, but for Kunikida’s sake he held back.
Kunikida. Nathaniel turned around and saw the younger man on the ground in a daze. And then Kunikida’s faced snapped upwards and he got up slowly.
“It’s not too late,” Kunikida said, his voice shaky but determined. “I can do something. If I made all the things that created the curse, I can take it away too. Nathaniel, don’t let him move.”
Nathaniel nodded and held Fyodor down. “Gladly.”
And then he watched a miracle happen.
Kunikida’s hair almost started to glow as the magic enveloped them. It must have been more powerful than anything he’d ever done before, because the magic was almost visible, like a sparkling dust spreading outward and covering the town and the forest.
“NO!” Fyodor yelled, trying to escape Nathaniel’s grasp. “You’re ruining it all!”
Inch by inch, Kunikida’s hair slowly vanished until there was only a small amount of hair hanging down from the back of his neck. The magic dissipated and Kunikida took in a deep, ragged breath.
“It’s done,” Kunikida said, gasping for air.
Nathaniel looked at the younger man in awe. To have gone through this much in such a short time must have been horrible, yet he put that all aside to save everyone.
“There’s just one more thing that I need to do,” Kunikida said quietly before using his magic again. The last bit of long hair disappeared, leaving Kunikida with short hair and a small dagger in his hand. “Please Nathaniel, let me do this myself.”
He could see the tears in Kunikida’s eyes, but he remained quiet and simply held Fyodor in place. Kunikida plunged the knife into Fyodor’s heart, tears streaming down his face as the life drained from his former brother.
It was really all over.
Kunikida’s magic had done the trick, even though he had used every last bit of it. Margaret’s health returned quickly, as well as for the others in the village. Nathaniel hugged his sister tightly when he saw her again, thankful that she was okay.
Kunikida watched them quietly for a moment and left their house. Now that he didn’t have Fyodor, he wasn’t sure what to do with himself. He stood outside, looking up at the sunset, not noticing the door open behind him.
“What will you do next?” he heard Nathaniel ask.
“I’m not really sure now.” Everything he knew had changed.
Nathaniel grabbed his hand, turning him so they were face to face. “Then stay with us,” Nathaniel said, the slightest bit of pink on his cheeks as he looked to the side. “Margaret said she wanted that.”
Kunikida felt his heart warm from Nathaniel’s words. Even if he lost all his family before, he finally had a new place he could belong.