Obedience smiled as she dragged the boy behind her, ignoring his attempts to break free of her hold. The path they were taking was long and winding, and Aahva swore that they had to have been walking in a big circle. "We should be almost there now, I think." The tiefling said calmly, jerking Aahva's arm hard enough that it almost felt like it would snap off. "Or maybe not. I swear, I always forget the way to this place..." Finally she stopped in front of a large stone door. With some effort she pushed it open and pulled the boy inside, smirking. "Check it out, dude! Cool, huh?
Aahva's eyes widened. Inside the room was an ornate fountain, large enough to take up the entire school courtyard. At the center was a statue depicting a braying stallion, a wild mane of glittering stars flowing behind it. The water seemed to glow on it's own, filling the room with a dancing blue light. "It was a gift from some rich guy in Moonspear." Obedience explained as she led the boy to the shallow pool. "It's supposed to be blessed with protective wards, but we saw to that pretty quickly. Anyways..."
Aahva's head was suddenly pushed towards the pool, stopping just short of the water. The boy let out a frightened squeak as he saw his reflection. Blood was still oozing from his lips and down his chin, and the flower keeping his mouth shut was stained red. A single crimson droplet fell from one of the petals, creating a ripple in the pool below. "Now! What do you see when I do... this." Obedience dipped her wand into the pool, and the boy's reflection began to churn unnaturally...
Aahva blinked. The image in the water had distorted, and was now showing the town of Jin'ta back home. It was so clear that the boy could practically smell it- the fish hanging from the merchant stalls, the seagulls fighting over scraps, a silver-haired boy racing a redheaded girl down the docks. He blinked again, heart pounding. It was him, and he was back home! Was this... the future?
Obedience laughed quietly. "Aw, that's cute. So that's why you were trying to leave?" Her grip on the boy's neck softened, and she leaned in closer. "I'm sorry dude, really. But..." She was even closer now, and Aahva could feel the girl's breath on his ear. "...If you try to leave again, I'll make sure you have nothing to return to."
The water rippled again, and suddenly Jin'ta was on fire. Plumes of smoke rose high in the air, and charred corpses lined the burning docks. The image rippled again, and now Aahva was looking at the redhead's lifeless body. Her neck was covered in bloody yellow flowers, face locked into a terrified expression...
It was too much. Aahva shut his eyes tightly, desperately trying to scream through his improvised gag. Tears rolled down his cheeks, and he desperately struggled to shake free of Obedience's grasp. The girl resisted for a moment before abruptly letting go, causing the boy to fall face-first into the water. "That's only if you try to run away again, though." she said cheerily as Aahva pushed himself out of the fountain, sputtering for air. "Until then, we're cool."
"They're in here Professor!"
Obedience spun around, looking very much like a child who'd been caught tracking mud through the house. The door swung open as a posh looking man in his early thirties stepped through- Æthelred Veilhart, Junior Professor of Astrology. The man eyed the tiefling, then the boy. "Dare I ask just what is going on here?" he snarled. "It is far, far past curfew. Why is Mr. Chatterjee covered in blood?"
Obedience gave Professor Veilhart a sheepish grin, twirling her already tangled hair in her fingers. "Ah, well, it's... uh... school business."
The teacher raised an eyebrow. "I see." he said pointedly. He drew his wand from his pocket, pointing it at his feet. There was a flash of light, and a dark shape was expelled from his shadow. He pocketed his wand once more, crossing his arms. "Well, I'm sure you'll understand if I take over from here, then.
The girl swallowed anxiously, glancing at the man's shadow before looking back at him. "Of course!" she exclaimed, nodding quickly. "I'll, ah... be on my way, then..."
"You will." Vielhart replied curtly. "You will also see me after class tomorrow. Now, back to your room."
Obedience grimaced, and she shot one last look at Aahva before walking past the teacher and out the door. "Now then, as for you..." Veilhart said as soon as the girl was out of earshot. "I daresay you've learned your lesson already, haven't you?"
Aahva took a step back, still unable to open his mouth. He nodded his head blankly, mind still reeling from what'd seen in his reflection. "Good." the professor said. He drew his wand once more. "Now, back to bed with you." There was a bright light, and then everything went dark...
