Cloud

Cloud

Hopeless. That’s the word most use when describing his case. A word that he had learned to hate after all of the abuse he’s suffered. It isn’t his fault, how could it be? Anyone could be born with the fate that he has, it’s not like he asked for this to happen. Who would? As if on cue the boys right eye gives a painful stab. For a second the boy cannot see anything. He is just floating in the darkness around him, weightless, carefree. He feels the immense power that always accompanies spell casting but this is different. It always has been for Cloud. The darkness begins pulling him downward, dragging him further and further into its tempting power. With his good eye the boy can see the all too familiar portal opening up in front of him, the portal into the Darkness. He knows that if he goes through there he will turn into a monster, everyone knows that. But not everyone knows about Cloud. 

For so long he has tried to resist the temptation of limitless power beyond the portal. His master has instructed him over and over to never, ever, even consider journeying beyond. With all of his remaining will Cloud resists the tendrils that bind him. With a bright flash of light he appears once more in the real world. His breathing is heavy and his eye aches sickeningly, but he is alive. From downstairs he hears his master grinding potions, maybe one of the ones he concocts today will be Cloud’s miracle cure. Ignoring the pain in his head, Cloud makes his way downstairs. 

“That spell seemed quite extreme. Was anything different about it this time?” His master asks as he enters the main room. 

“Only that I nearly lost the fight this time.” Cloud mutters with resentment. 

His master stayed quiet for what seemed like an hour before saying, “I know it isn’t fair. But you have to understand that we are doing everything we can to help you, Cloud.” 

A glare makes its way from his good eye and the boy clenches his fists.

“Everything you can isn’t good enough and it never will be! Why not just kill me now and save yourselves the trouble for later?” He yells in anguish. “I’m a lost cause right? There hasn’t been a wizard before me that was targeted by the Darkness and everyone’s too afraid of me to try and slow the process!”

The old man sets down the herbs he was grinding and looks out the window. 

“People are afraid of what they cannot control, Cloud.” He said simply.

The boy could feel the tears coming.

“And do they think that I am unafraid?! My mind is slowly being stolen from me and no one knows how or why! You used to tell me I had so much promise as an ice Wizard, well where’s my promise now master? Can you see the good in me now? Or is it all Darkness?” Cloud was out the door before his master could reply. 

He found himself running. Where, he didn’t know. Why? He couldn’t say. This was not something he could run away from. Ever since the day his wizard mark had appeared his fate was sealed. Unlike the others who had seen their powers grow immensely after being marked, Cloud found that his were being taken away. The complex spells he had been able to cast months before were now way out of reach to him. He even had trouble chilling the air around him, something he had been able to do effortlessly before. His anger was growing in him now. This mark. The mark that had ended his life, this stupid wizard mark that had taken the sight from his right eye. It was all the marks fault. It was all the wizards fault. If he had never studied magic he wouldn’t be dying right now. If he had just stayed away from all of this he wouldn’t be so miserable. 

His thoughts were interrupted quite rudely by an underlying tree branch. Pathetically he hit the ground with a loud thud. White hot pain shot up his leg but he didn’t care. He didn’t know how long he laid in the dirt. People were snickering at him in all of his sadness but he didn’t care. All that he could think of was the ever looming face of the Darkness that is always over his shoulder. Always watching him. Always waiting for a day when he won’t be strong enough to fight back against it’s power. And that scared him. 

“Excuse me. Are you alright?” He heard from in front of him.

He sat up straight but was greeted only with Darkness. Panic flooded through his body as he tried to blink away the temptation, but this time was different. It was too strong this time, and he was much too weak. This would be the time that the Darkness finally claimed him. He tried to make a sound but nothing would come out, all he could do was watch as the smiling face got closer and closer to him. He felt his body go numb and the world around him began to blur. In an effort to distract himself he wondered what it would feel like to lose his mind. Would he die immediately? Or would someone have to put him down like the monster he is? 

Suddenly he felt a warm touch on his arm. Puzzled, he looked down only to find a soft light growing from the area of the touch. The light climbed over all of his body until he was enveloped in it completely. It felt good. So warm and comforting. The boy couldn’t remember why he was so upset earlier, nor did he care. The world stopped spinning and some of the pain eased away from his eye. Dying wasn’t so bad, Cloud decided mentally. He definitely thought there would be more pain involved. More fear. Maybe he wasn’t dead? Maybe he was just waiting in line for the next time the Darkness needed a pawn. Either way he didn’t care. As long as this feeling of security stayed with him he didn’t care what else happened to him. For the first time in a while he felt calm. For the first time in a while he felt safe. And that was all that mattered to him now.