I thought I had him beat. By all accounts, at every angle that you look at it, that should have really been the case here. Jay himself certainly made it seem like that was so.

What else could have been the reason for that infuriated stare of his? That so-close-yet-so-far expression on his face couldn't have been just a figment of my imagination nor could you tell me that his aggravated groan funneling through gritted teeth was simply just the ventilation system in the building acting all funky.

To affirm that, I spoke some more, giving every reason there was that'll dissuade him further.

"And even if I do die 'accidentally', then they'll be no one left to relinquish to you that honorable of Master. Yeah, you need me to give you that… and I'm guessing you can't just take it by force, otherwise you would have done it by now. The only way you'll get what you want is through my own free will."

"You can stop talking now."

I didn't stop talking to now. "All-powerful Magus. Why even bargain? You could just magic all your problems away. Unless you can't. Then I see why you have to resort to cutting pointless deals."

"Pointless?"

"Isn't it?" I nudged my head. "You still think I'm about to give her to you?"

"You will."

"Then you're gonna have start thinking of an even better deal for the both of us. Because as it stands now, you're current offer just sucks."

He and the entire world can say what they will, but I knew deep down in the shriveled cold dark messed-up heart of his, that he knew that he got outplayed. I knew it, he knew it.

The threat of death wasn't something he could hold against me anymore. The cut on my cheek still bled, still stung… but I could rest at ease now, knowing that was it'll stay as. Just a small cut on the cheek. He could point fingers at me all his want, I knew no beam of light would ever come beelining my way any longer.

He just kept on staring, hands bracing, and standing still, like some kind of rugged cowboy at high noon facing his greatest adversary right before him.

If he wasn't gonna say anything, if he just wanted to play showdown, then it was my turn to be to play the accommodating, amicable diplomat… with my first decree of the day being -

"Let us go, Jay," I said, blanking my tone of any hint of emotion. "Just let us go for now. Don't make this any worse than it already is."

He frowned, furrowing harshly. "Excuse you?"

"It's hard to love back someone you hate," I looked to the right of me, where a frozen scowl remained a permanent fixture on Ash's expression. "And she already dislikes you plenty."

"Yes, that's why you aren't dead yet," He curled a hand into a fist. "Just… you know… I'll let you go, I promise I will, just give her back to me first."

"I'm afraid she's not leaving without me, Jay."

That fist started to shake. "Then you're not leaving either."

So, there we were, exchanging sharp glances at one another, waiting for the other to make their next big move - an eternal stalemate.

If only someone had told me that eternity only lasted for about a moment or two. Maybe if they did, I'd have been better prepared for the next time he raised his hand.

It was quiet when it happened, it was instantaneous, I couldn't even tell that something had happened at all.

Not until a stream of dark red came splattering across my face, like a wet, sharp slap to the senses. The warmth, the thickness, I stumbled back again, sputtering out red from my lips, feeling more than just small drops leave them.

I panicking, I was blinded, my eyes coated - before I could think it, my hands were already wiping my face, feeling the dampness, the wetness, everywhere my fingers touched.

It more than just a cut, the blood I mopped from my eyes alone, the sight of it, the crimson red coating every square inch of my palms… I could feel myself growing faint.

He did it again, arm outstretched again, a finger pointing again… but he can't kill me - he can't! Why was there so much blood? Why was I bleeding so much? Why? Why?

Was I?

There wasn't any pain, the excruciating sear of a bleeding wound… I couldn't feel any. There was blood everywhere, but the agony was nowhere to be found. That didn't make any sense - it had to be somewhere.

And it was. It just wasn't from me. The blood on my hands, my face… the pain it'd elicit - none of it belonged to me.

On the floor was a river of red, with patches of fabric drifting atop, steadily growing in depth in size, above it, falling in streams, I found the source, and what I saw left me breathless, the panic surging through me couldn't have come any faster than it had.

Irene's arm, its entirety, the entire sleeve was shredded into tatters, and the skin that showed through had all been slice into ribbons - gashes and slashes, the entirety of her right side… the blood just wouldn't stop falling.

But Irene did not move, did not flinch - she couldn't. Still very still, unable to do anything.

"I think you forget," Jay's voice pounded hard in my head. "I'm only in love with one other person in this room," So condescending, aggravating. "And it certainly isn't her."

Couldn't give two shits on what he was saying - I had to do something, I had to stop the bleeding, somehow, someway. If it hadn't been for the human condition and the way the heart pumps pure adrenaline through the veins - I think I would have stayed as frozen stiff as she.

I went spurring her way, hastily yet carefully removing her ruined blazer, then I crouched down, wrapping the blazer in thicks rolls around the gashes on her arm, watching it continue to tinge and dampened with the color of blood.

"You act fast," Jay said, slowly veering his raised arm elsewhere. "But what are you gonna do with the other arm?"

"Okay, wait, wait - STOP!" I stretched a hand towards him so fast, spun my head his way so fast, I felt a crackling pop in my neck. "Alright, you made your point! Just don't, don't please!"

Bloodied hands, and face, pleading on bent knees… It was a desperate visage, certainly desperate enough to have him lowering his hand again, the light from his fingertips fading into nothingness.

"Not so confident now, are you?" He said, shaking his head. "I didn't want to do that, you know? You made me do that. It's your fault, your doing, you didn't want to stop fucking talking, did you?!"

"Okay!" My hand trembled. "I'll stop! I won't talk anymore! You won't hear a word!"

"See, now you won't, because now you're scared! Scared of what I'll do next. Did you really think you could use my love for her against me? Use Eshwlyn against me?! Now you see what happens, now you'll see what I'll do! Take advantage of my kindness, I'll take advantage of yours."

He looked demented, there was a crazed look in his eyes - his glasses crooked… and when he adjusted them back upright, the crazy in them did not go away.

"So, here's what I wanna know," He took a step forward. "Now what will you do?"

That wasn't an easy question to answer. Not because it was hard, but because there was only one answer - the answer he wanted to hear, the answer I didn't want to give.

But more and more, as the blood continued to soak, continued to drip, it didn't seem like an answer I can withhold for any longer.

I slowly stood back up, feeling weightless in my knees, heavy on my shoulders. My eyes kept blurring - whether it was from the blood or from how fast my heart was beating, I didn't know.

"Well?" Jay pressed on, his tone more than just impatient. "What are you gonna do?"

Focus. Just focus… that's what I needed to do. You look at him in dead in the eye… no looking away, don't let your determination falter, you musn't, no matter what. You stare into that face, into that show of insanity, and you let your intent be known loud and clear.

Took a single breath.

I darted my hand forward.

There was a blinding flash. Mine? A surge of wind? I stumbled again, I felt nothing against my feet - flying, drifting.

The light dissipated.

The pain exploded.

My head throbbed, my back ached… I saw my hands, felt my arms… pulsating with pain, buried in debris… my feet were hovering inches off the ground. It took a few seconds, a few heavings of lost breath before I realized what had happened.

Couldn't move without scraping myself because I was pressed against a wall, a wall that erupted fissures all stemming from an impact, my impact. Standing before in blurred vision were the backs of two unmoving figures… one unharmed, the other continued to drip a pool of red.

And between them, with an arm outstretched, silvers wisps on fingertips, Jay stood, his lips gaping wide open in disbelief.

"I don't believe it," His voice rang out sharply. "Was that you? Did you just try to use magic against me? You moved your arm, I thought that's what you were trying to do. Did you really?

He chuckled, his expression still in awe.

"Well, you were fast. Not fast enough. I can't believe it, the fucking audacity… fine. Still so stubborn, I ask one thing... you know what - fine! You want to fight magic, do you? You still play the hero, okay, alright… you want a fight, you'll get a fight."