[???? For You – Liam Payne ft. Rita Ora.]
Corazón Mortimer picked the Goth [Raven Arc] in her Manifest. Rafel was perplexed beyond measure. Exclusive content from m,v lem|p,yr
He would've gambled a high stakes roulette on Cora winding up with Pegasus Blue. She had lived with him for two years, dammit! He knew her. She knew him. [Water] and [Spirit] were her most powerful mystics—or was at least. Something had changed that.
Maybe the same thing that had wiped her mind clean of every memory of him. Her eyes were blue. Her magic was blue. She was born a Pegasus. Why then had the Arc Crystal given her Raven: a totem for darkness and the arcane?
His Cora had never once cast a dark magic spell. . .until the end.
Rafel was determined to find out what went awry.
He had seen the [S Rank] god of deception crack her neck and watch her fall from his choking grip to her death, while he bled out in the terror of fire and burning logs. No one could've survived such destruction of her axis bone.
Cora's head had rotated like a fucking swivel; that nightmare still haunted him, watching her struggling one second, and the next going limp in Mephistopheles' hands; which was why Rafel was certain something had happened to Cora.
Something. . .like resurrection.
And he damn well knew only a few of the Fallen Ones could manage an [Eighth Infernal Ring] feat like that.
Rafel woke up in his dorm with a revived vigor.
"Morning, bro!" Percival groggily called from his bedside. "I thought main study activities aren't starting until next week; the school board trying to give us time to adapt and all that?"
"Yep!" Rafel called from his corner. "—but I'm looking to hit the gym. I have to see about an old friend and make up on my physical therapy."
"Go easy on your body, bro. You're already ripped enough as it is," Percival muttered before clumping his head back into his fat pillow. He was out before Rafel could look away.
The dorm room had enough space for comfort, the magic lighting kept purposely dim for the sake of the vampire teens among, and while Rafel was in the hot shower, he caught a silhouette rip into the room, shadow-walking through the white walls. He emerged steaming in a waist towel, and caught Aya sitting in his bed. She had a [Cool Eel] spirit balm and fresh swaddlers for his injury in her hands.
Her violet eyes lit on his pecs and she beamed at his entry.
"Good morning, my lord."
"Naamah, you have to quit the formality here. That's an order! Did you just walk in my room's walls?"
Aya grinned. "I did knock if it makes a difference. No one answered. Before you get dressed, come." She patted the area of the bed beside her. Rafel sat, and she got to wiping and massaging the spirit balm into his side where the [Dark Spectre] dagger had pierced in. His wound had healed nicely into a sexy battle scar, and the scab was the shape of a raggedy lightning bolt.
Aya covered the balm, finishing, "I have to head back to my dorm, but please feel free to visit anytime. Copenhagen Hall is just a few blocks away.
He couldn't help it. His water bottle was dropped and forgotten. Cora still had that calm swagger that many males in the room still tried to learn. They respected her for it—though it didn't stop them from staring at her tight butt. Rafel noticed she was alone. The black gold sigil of Raven Arc was blazoned on her gym bag.
She should've been Pegasus, Rafel still thought.
He moved for her as began her exercise with a treadmill. The way her athletic legs moved. . .
"Fuck!"
When had his chamberlain become sexy?
Many boys ogled but were too afraid of Cora to approach, and so, Rafel found himself the only bastard brave—or stupid—enough to walk up to her treadmill. He hadn't practiced what he was going to say. He wasn't one to do that, so he just kinda went with the flow.
Hands in his pockets, Rafel said in his best baritone, "since when do you dye your hair blue?"
The tall platinum blonde pressed pause on her treadmill and slowed to a jog, before finally stopping to glance at Rafel. Just like last time in the Assembly Hall, there was no recognition there.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?"
Rafel was lost.
"Uh. . ." He decided to go all in. "Fuck it! Corazón, it's me, Israfel. YOUR GRACE?
You were my loyal chamberlain in Emberfall, don't you remember?"
Rafel was appalled when her blue eyes turned to peek around at the rest of the gym; those who had left their barbells and giant rolling balls to stare at them. He almost felt sorry for himself when her iris turned back to meet his; her gaze was a frozen lake. So beautiful. . .Rafel almost teared up.
'I thought I lost her.'
Cora leaned in.
"I'm sorry, I don't know you, and you are making a scene."
"Yikes!" someone muttered behind as people covered their mouths. Rafel's gold pupils did mist up. . .for the very first time. Apparently, Corazón was his empathy blindspot.
"Yeah, I'm sorry to have disturbed you. I thought you were someone else." Rafel lowered his head and walked away. He grabbed his gym bag and silently left.
Alone in the gym about an hour later, Corazón Mortimer did find herself staring in the direction where the handsome redhead had once stood. She recalled their conversation in between squats, rubbing perspiration off her brow. She whispered out her thoughts;
"Pity! He looked like he really knew me."