15 Stranger Danger

As my eyes flickered open, the pain that had previously consumed me had dissipated. In its place, an unsettling network of black veins crept across my skin like a sinister web.

"Feeling better?" A calm voice inquired, interrupting my disorientation.

Alarms rang in my mind, as I reached for my wand.

Only to find it missing.

Again.

Panic gripped me as I realised that I was defenceless against this stranger. 

"Don't worry. I won't hurt you. In fact, I saved you, actually. Here, have some tea," a woman emerged from the shadows, bearing a tray with two delicate cups.

Her skin glowed with a warm olive tone, and her obsidian eyes gleamed with mystery. Straight locks of hair cascaded down her shoulders, framing her striking features. It was difficult to gauge her age, but she seemed to be in her twenties, her curves accentuated by a stunning black corset and an elegant skirt that trailed to the ground. 

As much as I was captivated by her beauty, I couldn't ignore the fact that she might pose a threat. And I had learned the hard way that looks could be deceiving.

Accepting the tea, I watched her warily as she settled into a wooden chair and took a sip from her own cup.

"What? Are you afraid I poisoned it?" she asked, catching my wary gaze.

"Maybe," I replied, unable to suppress my suspicions.

"If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already. By letting you die on the side of the road. Besides, you have a Horcrux. You won't die that easily." A cheeky smile adorned her face like she knew something she wasn't supposed to.

A sense of dread crept over me as I realised the extent of her knowledge. 

How could she have known? 

The thought of it made my blood run cold, and I felt a surge of anger and fear rise within me.

Without a second thought, I hurled the tea cup across the room, shattering it into a million pieces. Grabbing a jagged shard from the debris, I held it against her throat, my heart racing in my chest.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" I demanded. My patience was wearing thin.

"I have been trying to be polite, but I think it's time you knew who you are dealing with before threatening someone," she replied, her tone serious as she motioned me to look down.

Looking down, I saw a white and azure blue wand pointed between my legs. It was as if I was looking at the sky on a clear day, with its pristine white and azure blue colour. The wand had a sense of calmness about it, and I felt drawn to it like a moth to a flame. However, now was not the time to be struck by its beauty.

(A/N: Her Wand)

"Woah. Woah. Woah. Hang on," I said, dropping the shard and backing away.

"What's the matter? Where did the bravery just now go?" she taunted, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Hang on. You don't have to do this," I panicked, trying to talk her down.

"I don't have to. I want to. You see, I don't like being threatened," she said, turning serious and preparing to utter a spell.

Closing my eyes, I silently hoped the pain wouldn't be too much for me.

Instead of firing her spell, the light from her wand dimmed as she exclaimed,

"BOO!"

Startled by her sudden shout, I jumped up in fright, my heart racing in my chest. Despite my efforts to play it cool, a piercing scream escaped my lips, betraying my fear. It was the kind of sound that only a person who had been pushed to the brink of terror could make - a sound that belonged to a little girl who had just experienced her first haunted house. I felt embarrassed and vulnerable.

"Pfttt...HAHAHAHAHAHA."

It wasn't long before she broke out in an unexpected fit of laughter, the sound filling the room and echoing off the walls. It was a sound that made me feel even more self-conscious, as if I was a small child caught doing something foolish.

As she laughed, I tried to regain my composure and not let my embarrassment show. But it was difficult to ignore the fact that I was standing awkwardly with a stranger who found my fear amusing.

"All right, all right," I said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Get it out of your system."

She continued to laugh, her eyes bright with amusement. 

"Your expression," she said, between bouts of laughter.

"That was priceless."

After what felt like an eternity of her laughter, she finally composed herself and extended a hand towards me, introducing herself.

"Karina Lovegood but you can call me Kara. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

As I took her hand, I couldn't help but feel a little relieved that she didn't have any ill intentions towards me. I returned the gesture with a kiss to her knuckles and introduced myself.

"I'm Cassius Nightshade. Can't say I'm pleased to meet you."

She looked at me with a playful twinkle in her eye, almost daring me to admit that what she had done wasn't funny.

"Come on, it was hilarious," she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. But I wasn't so sure. Being frightened out of my mind wasn't exactly my idea of a good time, and I struggled to find humour in it. However, there was something about her infectious enthusiasm that made me want to play along.

"Funny? You almost castrated me," I retorted, shaking my head in disbelief.

"Unbelievable."

"Here. Your wand. Happy?" Throwing my precious wand back at me she said, annoyed.

"Hey. You could have dropped it." I shot her an annoyed look.

"Well, it's not my problem." Shrugging her shoulders, she pointed her wand at the mess around us and started using her magic to clean up.

"Are you ever going to tell me how you know about my Horcrux?" I asked, hoping she might answer now since she had had her fun.

"Would you believe me if I said it was simply a gut feeling?" Her smile was so radiant that it illuminated everything around her, casting a warm and inviting aura. For a moment, I found myself lost in her charm, forgetting everything else around me.

But as quickly as it came, the feeling was replaced by a surge of self-disgust.

I am a married man, and here I was, distracted by another woman's smile. Rebekah deserves better than that.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts, with a 'Really?' look, I said,

"No."

"Well, technically it's true. I was born with mage sight." She revealed.

Like a light bulb, a memory from my old life suddenly resurfaced. As I recall from a Harry Potter fanfic, there are some selected people who are born with mage sight. They are able to see the Mana around the air and in other beings.

"So, you see what's insid-" Before I finished, she cut me off.

"Yes. I see an Obscurial forming inside you. It's really disturbing." She scrunched up her nose in disgust.

Slapping my forehead in realisation, I finally understood the gravity of my situation. The realisation hit me like a ton of bricks.

Of course it's an Obscurial. It must have been growing inside me like a parasite, feeding on my very being. The trauma I had suffered in my mental prison must have spurred its growth, and it was now consuming me. My Mana was going haywire, trying to fight off the parasite, but it was a losing battle. The black veins spreading across my skin were a sure sign of my impending doom.

I was dying, and this time, there was no escaping it. My Horcrux, the only thing that could save me, was useless against this new foe.

Shit.

I cursed under my breath, feeling a sense of helplessness and despair wash over me. This was not how I had expected my story to end, but it seemed that fate had other plans for me.

A/N:

So to explain how the Obscurial works and how it was formed. The Obscurial was born due to all the trauma inflicted by Dahlia and it will keep growing bigger and bigger as it feeds on Cassius's magic. The moment it consumes every last bit of magic in Cassius's body, the Obscurial will start to take over his mind and he will truly become an Obscurial. A beast made of magic and trauma who lives to destroy and inflict pain on others.

By the way, the Horcrux cannot save Cash because when the Obscurial side of him takes over, his soul and body will remain intact. Just that he will become a mindless beast. So essentially, he is as good as dead.