Everyone Wants Something
Fate didn't laugh. It watched—cruel and silent—as I pulled the strings.
What choice did Elis have?
I wanted something.
He wanted something.
Everyone did.
Gerlyn Dawnbringer—the Light Guardian—was the girl scout who once saved Elis, that stubborn Kitsune. And now, because of his relentless longing to reunite with a past that clung to him like a second skin, I had the perfect opportunity to tie them together again.
I've always been wary of the Light Guardian's power. Her light magic could harm me in ways few things could. But fear is only dangerous if you let it dictate your moves. I wasn't afraid. Not when I knew she could be controlled—by proxy.
Through him.
Elis would be bound to Gerlyn. He wouldn't be able to help himself.
And Gerlyn? She was already entangled with the Elimination Company—the very group Andrea led with her annoyingly upright moral code. Sooner or later, all three of them would be tangled in the same net.
A Kitsune.
A Light Guardian.
And a Banshee.
My red fox.
My little light bug.
And my white nightingale.
Elis and Andrea—two of the most capable minds in their respective realms—could become my buffers. A wall between me and the only person who could truly destroy me.
So no—I would not confront Gerlyn.
I would wrap her in strings.
Through them.
It was perfect.
I love my brilliance.
Morning cracked through a veil of fog—my fog. Damp, clinging, laced with the scent of ashwood and secrets. From the mist, I watched.
Elis sat outside Ashwood Café, golden eyes sharp, scanning the waking city. People drifted past, groggy and unaware—some clutching coffee like lifelines, others moving like ghosts in grey routines.
Then, a cab.
Not summoned by me, not influenced—just fate being agreeable for once. And in it?
Gerlyn Dawnbringer.
She leaned forward in a rush, anxiety flaring in every frantic movement. One boot hit the curb with a thud as she scrambled out, tossing a breathless "thanks" at the driver. She darted toward the café, unaware of how closely she brushed the snare I'd laid.
More cabs filtered into the streets, but I had no need for an audience.
With a thought, I summoned thicker fog. It flowed like velvet, veiling the roads and fraying direction. Horns blared. Drivers hesitated. Visibility folded into a whisper.
No death.
No screams.
Just chaos in silence.
Elis noticed. Of course he did.
He rose, moving with that deliberate, watchful grace—like something halfway between a man and a myth. He crossed to Gerlyn's cab driver, the fog swirling around him like a cloak.
"No, sir. We can't leave. I'm waiting for someone in that café."
The cab driver insisted, stubborn.
"Not enough?" Elis's voice was calm—but a blade rested beneath.
"I can pay you more. I need to get to the city."
The richest man in the region, wielding money like a key. Predictable. Effective.
The cab hesitated, inching forward.
But I wasn't done.
A strand of fog slipped under the door, weaving around the pedals—just enough to delay. Gerlyn would have to fight for this.
And fight she did.
She screamed, her voice slicing through the morning like light. The cab jolted to a stop.
She caught up.
Aggressive. Sharp. Light humming faintly around her like a warning.
She yanked the door open—
And froze.
Her eyes met his.
Time held its breath.
"It's her. I kept my word," I whispered into Elis's mind, my voice seeping from the fog curling behind the cab.
Elis stared, speechless. His golden eyes wide, unreadable. Gerlyn looked away, uncertain—recognition clashing with unease.
The girl who once fed him cold spaghetti.
Who shielded him when he was nothing more than a wounded red fox.
Who pulled him back from the edge—not once, but twice.
Now stood before him.
I had done it.
The Kitsune had found his savior.
By his own promise, he was bound.
And Gerlyn?
She had just stepped into my web.
Everyone wants something.
And now I had what I wanted.
Everyone wins.