ASHES

Note ; To Ella. Thank you for connecting Sybilla to my muse and giving my smug son of a witch a companion that he certainly needed. With love and Helheimr. Inspired by the Pen and Paper Game Hexxen that we used to play.
Note 2 ; Mercury Bates is a character of the Oleander Chronicles but in this setting of Hexxen a demon hunter.
Note 3 ; Another story might follow

“Sybilla”

Anger. Flames. Screams.

“Sybilla!”

Green Eyes, asking for help.

“Sybilla wake up!”

With a loud gasp, Sybilla woke up and looked around. Cold sweat was running down her back and forehead. Darkness was surrounding her and the feeling of moss and leaves underneath, brought her back to reality.

“You've been dreaming”

A slight mockery underlined the snarky voice of Mercury. Only the moon was showing the pale outline of her companion, his hair almost one with the blackness of the woods.

“It's Paris again.”

Mercury's gaze softened and for that exact reason Sybilla had the urge to punch him.

Don't go there with me. Not tonight.

“We need to be prepared for tomorrow. It's going to be fine and-”

“Cut the bullshit, Syb. It's been over three hundred days since I've picked you up. You're nervous because there might be a chance that we stumble into your family in the city. I've been listening to your conversation with the guard.”

Silence.

Sybilla gulped and looked into the night sky.

“We don't have to go through the city, we can just bypass it and go through the woods”

“We are running low on supplies and our weapons need a smithery soon. If we don't go to Dresden, we might as well be eaten alive by whatever demons are hiding in the woods. Rumour has it that this is Kains area, remember?”

“And? Remember that time when I managed to kill a handful of Crawlers with stones and my bare hands? Or the fact that I was completely on my own before I picked you up?”

“Don't be an ass, your ego won't hold against a demon king, if he is actually around”

“Dare me-”

“MERCURY!”

The hunter with the black hair chuckled. He knew exactly what buttons he had to press to make Sybilla furious. But at least she wasn't thinking about that dream any more.

“You wouldn't actually make a deal with someone like Kain would you?”

The moment Sybilla asked, she immediately regretted it. Mercury was still a mystery when it came to his past. He barely opened up, but when he did, Sybilla understood even more why. There was a darkness surrounding him that wasn't common for hunters she had met before. It was like he was drawn to demons, almost like he was walking amongst them.

“Are you sure you want to go there with me tonight?”, Mercury asked, his voice calm and clear.

It had become an unspoken oath between the two of them only to talk about their past at night, never during the daylight.

“We might die any day, so why not now?”, Sybilla asked.

Merucry nodded.

“I am looking for answers regarding my family, and rumour has it that Kain was in connection to my sister last. Kain wouldn't be the first demon I've ever made a deal with to get what I need.”

Sybilla nodded.

“Is that why the knights aren't in favour of you any more? Because you break the rules?”

Mercury chuckled.

“The knights are fools. Too strict for my taste of hunting. Almost like the alchemist. Crazy and obsessed with their chemistry to burn down everything they see. Should be interesting to see if we ever meet one”, Mercury mused.

“How come you and your siblings aren't hunting together?”

“Because Jupiter is an alchemist”, Mercury chuckled, and so did Sybilla.

A breeze of Melancholy stood between them, before Mercury continued.

“If it's true, I need to find Mars before Jupiter does. He would kill her. And I can't let that happen. The place where I come from is a haunted place, but Mars is one of the few good memories I have left. It's rare to have golden moments up here that keep you sane”, he pointed at his head.

Sybilla just looked at him. Moments like this with Mercury were rare. To see him so calm and vulnerable, yet so true to his nature.

“Careful if you keep staring, you might be falling in love with me”

The smug smile was vanished by a pile of moss that Sybilla had thrown at him. Mercury fell back on to the ground and laughed. A gentle and honest laugh.

“You're a bastard”

“But the best one of my kind”, Mercury said, and moved closer to Sybilla. “May I?”, he asked, face close enough to Sybillas that one could actually think he might kiss her. Sybilla rolled her eyes before she nodded and made herself comfortable again. Shortly after, Mercury laid down next to her, head on her lap and eyes closed.

Another unspoken oath and deep down so much more worth than any of Mercurys senseless flirting to Sybilla. She could soon hear that he had fallen asleep, leaving her with a new question haunting her mind.

Would you kill for me, Mercury?