This is a work of fiction, any similarities in characters, locations, and situations is unintended and coincidental. This work will contain coarse language, sex scenes between gay men and boys, and references and depictions of supernatural phenomena. Some characters will be under age and sexually active. Please don't read if you are offended by this kind of content or if it is illegal for you to do so in your country.Support gay literature by donating to Nifty.
Chapter 3 - Kayl's Gift
Tom and Seb waited anxiously, expecting to feel the explosion that would kill them and all their neighbours, anticipating the split second of excruciating pain and subsequent death that would come from the blast. When that didn't happen, they stayed where they were, fearing their movement might cause the mysterious agents that arrested Tom during their shared vision to appear and apprehend him again. By about 5 o'clock, they both realised they were safe on both counts, and began to relax slowly. Seb sighed and pulled Tom close to his chest, drawing circles over his lover's belly.
"Do you think we're in the clear?" Seb asked, trepidation dripping from his words, "I mean, nothing happened after the earthquake, and there's no sign of your kidnappers. Is it over?"
Tom sat in thought for a moment, contemplating the likelihood of their terrifying vision being a one off. In his experience, these kinds of things don't just go away. He was worried that the underlying objective of whatever was behind the bizarre events of the vision was not avoided by his and Seb's efforts, and that another such attempt to capture Tom might occur.
At that moment, as if in response to his fears, a sinister voice echoed around the room, practically hissing as it spoke to Tom.
You will never be safe Tomas Daryk, we will never stop. We will have you, Witch, and your soul's mortal equal. We will stop at nothing to possess your power, it is futile to resist us. You are one of the last wielders of Magic, one of the last to possess Kayl's Gift. Today was your final day of freedom, your final chance to know peace. Tomorrow our pursuit truly begins. Tomorrow we will claim our prize. Enjoy these final hours with your soulmate, for tomorrow will be the end of both of you.
"What the fuck was that!?" Tom exclaimed, panic swiftly taking over him as he noticed Sebastyn's puzzled expression. "You heard that, right?"
"Heard what? I didn't hear anything." Sebastyn replied.
"That voice! It said it will never stop until it gets me, that today is my last day of freedom and it will get me tomorrow. It sounded like it knew about my vision, about my powers." Seb paled, the reality of Tom's revelation dawning on him.
"What!? So, it's not over yet? What are we going to do?" Seb cried. "What if we just stay here, wait it out and hope everything just blows over?"
"I don't think that will work. It managed to contact me here, it must know where I am." Tom paused, trying to decide whether or not to share just how much the voice seemed to know. Making up his mind, he continued, "Also, it mentioned you, called you my soulmate and said it will come for you too. I'm so sorry I brought you into this Seb, maybe if I leave now and try to get out of town, you'll be sa-"
"No. I knew what I was getting into when I went looking for you this morning. I won't let you do this alone, we're in this together. Besides, how can you possibly stand against the magical Mafia without your soulmate?" Seb grinned, stopping Tom's plea in its tracks. Tom gave Seb a tight smile, mind already focussing on another important detail.
"The voice said something about me being one of the last people that has magic, one of the few that have 'Kayl's Gift'. What could that mean?"
Seb looked pensively at the wall for a moment before bursting out, "Do you think it has something to do with Axyl and Zayk Kayl? They were Witches, weren't they?"
"Of course! That makes a lot of sense, but then again, they had full blown magic, they could conjure things and manipulate matter. And their power was transferrable. Toby Drake and Dylin Malfoy became Witches too, after they bonded with the Kayl twins. I don't see you conjuring anything or blasting holes in walls..." Tom trailed off, a bemused grimace on his face.
"Yeah, but I shared your vision, maybe you imprinted on me when you saw me before the gas tank exploded. Or maybe your gift is different, more mental than physical, and it's transferred in a more subtle way..." Seb argued, "Because Toby and Axyl were obviously soulmates, and apparently the disembodied voice you just heard thinks we're soulmates too. Maybe in our case the magic is transferred less obviously because of the mental nature of your powers.
"I mean, there's so little we actually know about what happened with the whole Toby Drake incident, so we're really just running blind with all this." Seb visibly deflated, having run out of steam. What he was referring to was quite true, though.
After Toby Drake and his adopted family unceremoniously vanished, evading being captured by a large number of government and law enforcement agencies, any information on the identities and abilities of the 'anomalies', as they were officially designated, was heavily suppressed and classified. The events that precipitated the inevitable exodus were quietly denied to have ever occurred, and were conveniently explained as natural disasters where denial failed.
As is the nature of top secret information, regardless of the level of protection guarding its release, a comprehensive account of the Toby Drake saga was leaked onto the internet, and everybody that wished to know what actually happened could access it where and whenever they wanted, if they knew where to look. So while Toby's story wasn't well known or widespread, a large number of people had knowledge the governments of the world most certainly did not want them to have. And the nature of forbidden knowledge is that, once known, it becomes like a virus and allows to be spread.
News travels fast in Hogwarts, after all, and when magic is involved there tends to be a significant amount of supernatural influence in said news being spread.
"I've got to call Jake and see if he's ok, then I think we should get some sleep. There's no use delaying the inevitable. Let's not borrow drama. Worrying about something before it happens just means you suffer twice." Tom hoped he could heed his own words, bringing up Jake's number on his phone. Pressing dial, he waited for the phone to connect.
"Sorry, the number you have called has been disconnected. Please check the number and try again." Tom's stomach sank.
"Umm, Jake's phone is disconnected. Maybe I should go back to my unit and check on him..."
"Dude, are you sure? It could be a trap, or he might have just run out of battery..." said Seb, trying not to panic at the idea of Tom leaving his apartment. "It's 12:30 anyway, he's probably asleep.. and the voice did say it's coming 'tomorrow', technically it's tomorrow now."
At that moment Tom's phone rang, startling them. "It's Jake! But how? I only called, like, 30 seconds ago.."
"Answer it, there's only one way to find out what's happening!" cried Seb. When Tom pressed the button to answer the call, a screeching sound filled the room, bringing both boys to their knees.
"Hey Tommy, it's a shame you didn't make it home tonight, I've got some friends here that are really looking forward to meeting you." Jake's voice boomed out of the speaker, mixing with the screeching to give the feeling of nails on a chalkboard. Seb and Tom grit their teeth while trying to block out the grating sounds. "After all these years Tommy, you'd think you'd know when I need you to come home, but apparently you're too busy with your new Witch slut. That's why I'm glad I met these friends of mine. Together we're going to eradicate you freaks and save the world from your evil. I'm just sorry I couldn't do it myself, but my job was to make sure you didn't meet that Black cunt. Aww well, at least now we can kill two birds with one stone. Now don't you boys move, we'll be there very soon." And with that Jake hung up. Seb looked at Tom, concerned for his lover. Tom looked ready to collapse in on himself, tears just barely being held back.
"But... How, when? I've known Jake for most of my life, how could he..."
Sebastyn tried to calm Tom down, get his mind on the urgency of the situation. It wasn't an easy job, and Seb wanted to scream and rage, himself, but logic won out. He calmly soothed, "Ok love, we've got to go, they're not far away and they're coming now. I know he was your friend bu-"
"HE WAS MY BEST FRIEND! FOR 15 YEARS I'VE HELPED HIM THROUGH WHATEVER HE NEEDED, NEVER ASKING FOR ANYTHING IN RETURN, AND THIS IS WHAT HE FUCKING DOES TO ME!!" Tom screamed, and bright tendrils of power crackled off of him, smashing glasses and windows. The shockwave from his outburst reverberated around the room, only stopping it's destructive path when it hit Seb. Seb could feel the potent magical force sink into his body, pulse through his veins like a drug. He quickly and instinctively went to Tom and hugged him close, feeling Tom's uncontrolled despair and raw power balancing with his own, a raging tempest meeting a calm ocean. When their errant magic was contained, their heads were clear enough to register the immediate problem of getting as far away from Jake and, presumably, the agents from their shared vision.
Their problem was solved quickly, albeit in an unusual way. Tom's magical tantrum had blown part of the front wall out, giving them direct access to the front of the building. As Seb only lived on the 3rd floor, they easily made it onto the street. Tom turned back to check that they weren't being followed, and not seeing anyone tailing them, breathed a sigh of relief. His relief was short lived, however, as he remembered the scale of their predicament.
"No, I know that look. We're free and safe right now, and that's the main thing. What was it you said? Don't borrow drama? Your energy is better spent finding a place to hide, then fucking me deep and hard until you're cumming dry." Seb quipped, the shit eating grin on his face plainly visible even in the darkness of the street.
"How dare you use my own spells against me, Black! You'll pay for that!" Tom shot back, trying in vain to stifle his own smirk.
"Bring it on Daryk. I can take you, easy."
Their banter continued on into the early morning, the only signs of the immense danger they were in being the furtive glances into the shifting shadows around them.
At approximately 5:30am they were met with what would be a significant advantage in their fight. Well, it met with them. At great speed...