Chapter Text
The shadow of the moon shined down in the large oak forest. It didn't produce much light, and the trees were blocking much of the light. Of course this meant Illumina could hide much better in the shadows.
He was crouched in a tree, only a few feet above the ground though, but he won't judge. It was hard enough to climb it with a sprained ankle, cuts and bruises in several places, and a deep wound in his left arm, and it had bleed out so much he was certain it was going to be infected.
He just needed some rest. He had been running all night from hunters. He could kill them, he trained for this, but they found him at a really awful time. He had already felt weakend from some recent events.
A rustle of bushes sent him back to realality. He cradled his injured arm tworad his chest . He tried slowing his breathing and looked to the sound. Out came a tall, scarred and armed man. He had a pitch back hood around his face, obscuring Illuminas vision from properly seeing it. He wielded an iron sword in his right hand, a crossbow at his waist, and a potion to the side of the belt. Illumina could bet that was for him, probably weakness.
The man gently stepped more tworad his tree, Illumina knew that his hiding spot was still kept secret though. The man would have gone back to shoot him in the leaves, or would at least peaked up quickly to make sure he was still there. The man stopped below a large branch, and looked around. Illumina saw this as the perfect chance to make his escape. He quietly crouched walked his way to the branch. He only had one moment to do this, and the noise from the man will surely bring the other hunters. So this was going to have to be quick. Illumina's specialty.
With his uninjured hand, he quickly got one of his daggers from his belt. It really was a beaty. It contained some powerful enchantments. The hilt was a dark gray with a black strap circling it, it was double eged, straight, and glowed a deep purple in the air around it, with a language written on it, a language few had learned, but he knows it since forever. The daggers were a gift from his mother, and he would rather die than let anyone destroy or harm them.
He was now inches from the branch, his body was in pain from the cuts and bruises, begging him to rest, and his stance wasn't helping, but he told his body to fuck off because it was now or something much worse later. His body didn't really care about his colorful language. Instead, he focused on the man, his hand gripped hard on his sword but not too tight. His shoulders were stiff a few seconds ago, ready to fight, but now he was calming down, what a fool.
Illumina jumped from the tree on to the man's back. He drove his blade right in the man's heart, or what he thought was, he was really starting to get dizzy. The man screamed and rolled to the side trying to shake Illumina off. Illumina predicted this, so he held the dagger down with his left hand, pinned the man's right shoulder with his other hand, planted his right leg in the ground by his waist, and used his remaining limb's back to pin his lower left back. Which made his body ache more.
"Let me fucking go you Damm bitch or I'll hack off your arm and make you eat it!" he yelled. Illumina couldn't help but smile. Humans were weird, some beg to not die or others yell all their problems in your face, but you could always feel the pure fear they try to hide. He knew he could be cruel, but that is how he grew up, no one would ever show him kindness, evan if he had anyone in his life. He noticed the man's pursuit of escaping was growing weak, his insults starting to slur together, and started to choke, probably on his own blood. Illumina leaned down to his his face which now was was have looking up to him while the other was pushed in the ground. Illumina knew the man couldn't see much of his face, he had a hood to hide his ears, hair, and upper part of his face, and a mask to hide his lower face. They were both dark grey with black outlines.
"We both know you won't live much longer for any of your pathetic excuce for threats" Illumina started, his deep force lackeemotions, the man tried to speak but Illumina interrupted before, "If you think your little friends will find me your wrong, I'll be gone, and if they follow me their die like you, slow, alone, and helpless." Illumina slightly tilted his head tworad the end. He tried to believe his own words, which helped a little but he would need a lot of luck to get away from them for good, they were persistent, he'll give them that. The man under him stared at him with dark blue eyes, they showed a lot of anger, but Illumina could see the fear in them.
It wouldn't take long for him to die, so he got up, took the daggers, and started making his way behind the man. Walking would be an understatement, his body ached so much, and the headache from earlier grew worse. He stumbled forward, trying to lean against trees and catch his breath. He was so tired. Everything hurt so much. But he kept going.
After five minutes he could hear yelling. That indicated the other hunters had found their fellow brotherren. Part of him wanted to stay and watch the man die, or cause more pain till he begged to die. But another part of him told him that what he did was wrong, that more bad poeple were coming, that he need to run, to be free. He obviously listened to the more logical part of him. He hated those sides, but he was born like this, and they always hated each other.
Illumina started to sprint onwards, soon he started descending a hill. It helped him to run faster. He only stopped at the bottom, looking forward, and he wanted to fucking die right there right then.
It was a fast, churning, Damm river. He looked at the dark blue water, it lit up with the moonlight, glossing it in a beautiful glow. The scenery was actually very beautiful, but he didn't care. Dread leaked up his body, tiredness almost forgotten, almost, he scowled at the thick rushing waves. Illumina didn't fear drowning, evan though he couldn't swim, he didn't particularly fear it. Water was more of an instinctual fear, and he didn't have the patience or hold on to realality to try to wade across. Mabey there was another way, or a bridge, or literally any other option than put up with this shit. He started turning around, hoping to have time time to go around, but stopped at the sound of an arrow flying in the air.
He speedily jumped to his right, barely missing the arrow. He got up quick and ran along the river. He shot a quick peak back and saw about four men racing tworad him, raising very sharp swords, glittering with moonlight, and he spotted another two behind them withe raised crossbows, probably loaded. Illumina didn't want to find out. He kept running, dogging arrows, and almost tripping over rocks. He soon saw a bridge in distance, and ran to it like his life depended on it, cuase it did.
He made it halfway, but his knees decided now was a good time to give out. Fuck you. He caught himself on the railing, thankfully with his right hand. He sarted to pull himself up, but he heard the arrow before he had the chance to evan straighten tu full height. He screeched a non human noise, flailing in pain. It embedded in his right shoulder, it stung so much, he crumpled to ground. The hunters started treading the bridge to him. They had their hands out like he was some kind of animal, which is something close to him. He placed his left palm on the injured shoulder. He slowly got up, leaning on the railing. He was breathing hard, and his vision started blacking out. There was no way out, was there.
One of the hunters stepped in front of the others, he was only a few feet away now. He had black hair that went down past his shoulders, dark green eyes, and a jagged scar from his left temple to his right lower jawbone. Precisely three scars. It looked like an animal had created it, but Illumina knew that these weren't animal hunters. He had a black cloak with the hood down, and matching boots, but with a silver lining. Fucking rich people. Other than that, he just looked the regular hunters, brown shirt with long sleeves, dark green gloves, black tight pants, and a belt with daggers, a rope, chains, a sheath, and some potions.
He sheathed his sword and put his hands on his hips. He wore a smug grin on his face.
"So this is the pesky little brat," the man started, "that seems to stop my hunters." So he's the leader, it's not as if he couldn't tell.
Illumina stared dead in his eyes, if they think he isn't going down with a fight, their wrong, "It seems like your friends are just fucking terrible at their job."
The man laughed a little, but Illumina could hear the anger hidden it.
"You only prolone the inevitable, we were going to lessen the pain, but after your little stunt, I'm going to make you feel so much pain you'll beg for mercy" He chuckled darkly at the end.
The man got a potion from his belt and started heading tworads Illumina.
"Wait," Illumina said.
The man, who surprisingly stopped, tilted his head. "Nothing you say or promise will make me let you go."
"I know, but that's not what I was going to ask. If you don't mind, what's your name?" He expression was emotionless. He was always good at putting up faces.
The scared man looked at him skeptically for a second, but it soon turned into amusement. "It is beautiful to see my prey lose all hope, yet you stand here not scared or angry, while bleeding with horrendous wounds and all you ask is my name."
He stepped more into Illuminas personal space. Illumin growled lowly, but nether leaving the man's hazel eyes.
"Simetra" he said.
"That name suits you very well," Illumina said with a scowl.
"Well, we'll be getting to know each other very well soon, little brat." The ma- Simetra stepped closer, soon Illumina will be trapped, and the freedom he craves will be gone forever.
The part of him that calls for violence screams to feel all their blood on his hands, even the part of righteousness calls to fight, it sings to give these horrible people what they deserve. He pushes them to the back of his mind. He looks at all the hunters, and he knows he has to do something now.
He stands up, and leans all his weight on the railing. He has a plan, it's stupid, and probably will get him killed, but he rather die on his own acords.
"Well, Simetra, if you and me were bound to meet by fate, than you must know that there is no such thing as fairness in this life!" With that, Illumina used the rest of his strength to toss him over the bridge and into the waiting dethps below.
He hit the surface in a few seconds. The water engulfed him whole. Soon he started to writeth in pain. Everything was cold, there was no were to go. It was darkening, and he quickly tried to resurface. The pain in his left arm and right shoulder were the worst, and the churning water wasn't helping. He made to the top, barely holding on to reality, and writhing in unbearable pain, he couldn't think, couldn't breathe. He distantly heard screams, but the fast current pushed him away.
He screamed for help, he screamed for a family he never had, he screamed to feel love, to live, to have had a better childhood, if you could call it that, he screamed because he has had nothing nor will he ever have anything. No one heard him. If anyone had heard him they would only hear screeches, and sounds that were too unhuman like, and in a language so ancient no one can fully understand it, unless you were born into it or taught it by experts.
Darkness was closing in fast, and it called him to sleep, to finally rest. What did he have left. He was never going to live long. His people hated him for being born something he couldn't control. No one was there when he needed them the most. And now they took the only thing that mattered to him. His magic, the hybrid part of his half human side. So he closed his eyes and let the river take, or kill, him as they think best. He just wished he had a better life.