The Magician of Miracles

I tried to attack him again, throwing myself forward with all the strength I had, but the man blocked my strike with a single motion of his hand. I was thrown backward and crashed into the wall, feeling my ribs crack. Meanwhile, he walked past me and headed inside the house, where Iris was sleeping peacefully.

I realized what he intended to do, so I screamed and tried to get up and crawl toward him, but my body refused to move. Somehow, I forced myself to stand and staggered forward, plunging my dagger into his neck with all my might. But the man didn't even flinch. He simply turned his head toward me, as if I were an annoying insect. Then he grabbed my wrist and threw me so hard I slammed into the wall of the neighboring building. This time, I felt my whole body shatter.

I saw the man continue walking inside, pushing the door until it broke and stepping in without hesitation. My heart nearly stopped. I couldn't bear the thought of what he might do to Iris. I tried crawling after him, dragging myself across the floor despite the pain, but I was completely helpless. The only thing I could do was watch.

Several seconds passed though they felt like hours before he came out of the house. He was holding Iris in his arms. The little girl was still asleep, her small head resting against his shoulder.

I reached out and grabbed his foot as he passed by me.

"Leave her..."

He stopped. I looked up at his face and noticed that the smile that had never left his lips was gone. In its place was an expression I couldn't understand because of the strange structure of his face. Then he bent down, raised his hand, and struck me lightly on the head. The world around me faded into darkness.

...

I woke up to a blinding sunlight streaming through the window opposite the bed I was lying on. I looked around the room. It was small, with a metal table beside me covered in needles, IV bags, and some medical tools. My body was wrapped in white bandages, and I was wearing a loose white gown.

When I tried to sit up, a man's voice came from in front of me.

"Rest. Your body is in terrible shape."

I turned toward the source of the voice it was Adam. His messy hair was just as I remembered it, though he looked older now. For a moment, I couldn't speak. I just stared at him.

"Adam...?"

He smiled.

"It's been a long time, Diana."

"Where... where exactly am I?"

"In the hospital."

"The hospital? What am I doing here?"

He sat down on the chair beside the bed.

"When I was walking, I found you lying on the ground, covered in blood. You were barely breathing, so I brought you here."

I held my head as a sharp pain stabbed through it. I pressed a hand to my temple, and Adam immediately moved toward me.

"Should I call the nurse?"

I raised my hand slightly.

"No need, I'm just... a bit tired."

He stepped back when I said that, then I asked,

"How could you afford a private room in a hospital? It's extremely expensive."

"Don't worry about that. Since the last time we met, things have changed a lot. I've come into some money. All you need to do now is rest."

He turned as if to leave, but I stopped him.

"Wait, Adam. You must have a lot of questions, right? I'll be glad to answer them. It's the least I can do."

"Alright then, tell me. What were you doing outside the wall? And why did I find you in such a horrible state in the middle of the street?"

I told him everything from our exile beyond the wall, to my mother's death, to Iris's abduction. Adam remained silent the entire time, his face darkening as I spoke. When I finished, he didn't say anything at first, then raised his hand when I tried to get up.

"Stay where you are, Diana. What do you think you're doing?"

"I have to find that man. He took Iris. I can't just sit here!"

"I'll help you find him. I have contacts and connections. But you have to stay here your body is still far too weak."

I wanted to get up immediately, but I could barely move. Unfortunately, I knew he was right.

Days passed, then weeks, which turned into months as I recovered. Adam visited regularly, always bringing bits of news. He told me he had searched everywhere for that man but found nothing about him.

When I finally recovered and left the hospital, I needed money. Adam didn't leave me on my own; he found me a job in a small restaurant on the outskirts of the Lower District. Simple work, but good enough.

When I tried to thank him for everything he had done, he smiled faintly.

"Do you remember the food you and... used to give me when we were kids? Without you two, I would've starved to death a long time ago. Think of this as me returning the favor."

After that, I continued searching alone in the Lower District. Despite all the time that passed, I still woke up every night from the same nightmare I saw Iris crying and screaming in a place that looked like a laboratory, her skin being burned.

Every time I had that nightmare, I couldn't sleep for the rest of the night.

...

While searching for any clue about that man, I noticed a strange book in one of the markets. It was a thick leather bound volume. When I asked the seller about it, he said a homeless boy had sold it to him a few days ago.

I didn't know why, but something about it drew me in. I bought it and took it back to the room where I was living at the time.

At first, I tossed it into the corner. I was too consumed by the search for Iris and that man, getting nowhere. Years went by with me chasing the smallest fragments of information about him. By the time I was around twenty four, I was beginning to lose hope. Then I noticed the book, still lying in the corner, and for some reason, I decided to open it.

I wasn't expecting anything special, but as soon as I opened the cover, the letters on the first page began glowing red. They lifted off the page and gathered in the air, forming the shape of a man with indistinct features. He wore a black suit and a blood red tie.

I stumbled back.

"Who... who are you?"

"You may call me the Sixth."

After saying that, he straightened his tie and continued,

"I know what you're looking for. Your sister, isn't it? I can help you find her. I can even guarantee her safety. But in exchange, you must pay a very small price. Do we have a deal?"

"And what is this price?"

"I'll take something from you in return... not much. Just that someone close to you will forget you completely, and I'll take the name of someone dear to you from your memory. You'll also take part in my little play, and in the end, you must promise never to approach your sister again no matter what happens."

At first, I refused completely. I closed the book and threw it under the bed. I had no intention of making a deal with... whatever that thing was.

But the following months were even harsher than the years before. I couldn't sleep from the constant nightmares about Iris. I saw her suffering in the same laboratory, only this time it was far worse. She screamed as that bastard who had kidnapped her burned her alive.

In the end, I couldn't take it anymore. I opened the book again and accepted the deal with the Sixth.

The moment I agreed, he smiled and raised his hand. Then, in the mirror across the room, I saw Iris. She looked older than when I last saw her. She was speaking with a boy wearing a white mask that completely covered his face. She looked happy truly happy.

That's when I realized I had been deceived by the Sixth. But it was too late the deal had already been sealed. From that moment on, I became a servant to that being, a puppet in his twisted play. Adam forgot my existence entirely.

Years passed. I never saw Adam again. I worked with the cook in the Bloody Fang gang, which Iris was part of, though I could never approach her.

Life went on like that, until I stole some files from the Night Wolves gang under the Sixth's orders. Naturally, I completed the mission successfully. I thought that was the end of it.

Then one day, while I was working at the restaurant as usual, I noticed Adam standing there smiling at me, watching from one of the tables in the distance.