The Numbers That Brought Our Fates Together - 328 Connected Fates Part 2 .

“Lucia! Lucia!” Marcus screamed the woman’s name, but his voice was drowned in smoke, as in a viscous slush. The air around was heavy, as if the man was in thick mud, enveloping him and preventing him from moving.

Fear fettered his heart, but fear was not for himself, but for the fact that he could not fulfill the promise made to the girl. He was confident in his abilities from the moment of rebirth and did not assume that they would fail him at the right time.

The skin on his hands almost peeled off, his clothes were burned, exposing his chest covered with red ulcers. “Lucia!” the man was desperately calling the woman, making his way through the flames to the end of the corridor.

He was making each step with incredible difficulty as if space around did not want to let him go forward.

Marcus heard strangled moans, the woman was lying on the floor, cringing in pain, her face was gray, like the smoke surrounding them, her lips turned blue, her breathing became intermittent.

“My girl, hold on. I’ll get you out now,” Marcus breathed a sigh of relief, she was alive. He knelt down and pressed the woman to his chest.

“Ka… tha…”

“What?”

Marcus heard an incomprehensible set of sounds similar to the words of a language that he had never heard.

Lucia closed her lips, and the air around them froze.

Marcus felt as if every cell of his body froze in time, he wanted to move his hand, but could not move it a single inch.

“W-what’s going on?” the man whispered, his voice was barely audible.

“I stopped time,” the woman answered and smiled. The first time she saw her friend so confused. “I wanted to be with you a little longer.”

“Lucia, I don’t understand why you did this, but we need to get out of here. I cannot teleport us, so we need to hurry.”

“You won’t be able to do it, and that no longer makes sense, Marcus. The time has come,” the woman squeezed his palm and looked into the man’s eyes, “Each member of the Teser family has one partner, destined for him by fate. Near this person, all abilities fade so that you can live an ordinary life, like an ordinary person. This freedom has a price – you can live while that person is alive. A partner gains strength and prosperity; Teser gains the opportunity to be free from his destiny.”

Lucia closed her eyes, her face was calm and peaceful, “I didn’t have any bright abilities, but I lived a happy life with Martin and you. I’m very happy.”

“What are you saying? But what about Amelia?” the man’s voice broke at the mention of the girl.

Lucia turned her head and buried herself in Marcus’s chest like a child. This man was her family, father, brother, friend.

“I knew that I couldn’t be with her for long, but I feel calm because she has you. Marcus, did you notice that she is not like everyone else? I immediately realized this as soon as I saw you together. You are connected. I’m glad that you are her partner. And I’m sorry. Forgive my family for such selfishness. I’m really sorry,” a tear rolled down the woman’s cheek.

If not for her father, Marcus would not have been subjected to that cruel experiment. She and Amelia would live at different times and their fates would not intersect. Lucia now knew what it was like to lose her partner. At that moment, when Martin was gone, life seemed to have gone from her body.

But Marcus… Marcus, unlike her daughter, could not die.

She raised her hand and laid it on the man’s heart.

Marcus felt something hot fill his chest. “What are you doing?” he looked at the woman in a panic, Marcus absorbed other people’s energy more than once, but it was something else.

“You helped me come to this world, your hands gave me life. I am happy that I give you its last moments. When you will be lonely, remember that a piece of my soul will forever remain warming your heart. Don’t blame yourself and try to be happy. I love you.”

Lucia’s fingers slid over his molten skin, and her hand fell down. The light that Marcus observed in her chest, the light that was her name, went out forever.

The fire went out as if it were not there, and only the disfigured black walls were confirmation of what had happened.

When the firefighters reached the floor, they saw a man who was sobbing and screaming like a wounded beast, holding tight a woman’s lifeless body.

. . .

The sky was gray that day, and the rain, which began even at night, only intensified in the morning. The girl with an empty expression was looking as the cover of the coffin was covered with earth layer by layer. The sound when each time the earth fell on a wooden surface, echoed through the silent cemetery.

She nodded silently in response to numerous condolences from all who came to say goodbye to her parents. No one dared to hug her and comfort her as if a child had turned into an adult in a few days, who did not need empty regrets. Words could not return those who left irrevocably.

The farewell ceremony was over; two girls remained standing near the burial place. Polina spread her umbrella over Amelia’s head, to which the latter only waved her hand and walked away.

After a few steps, the girl stopped, not far from her, under a tree, a man was standing and looking at her with the same empty look, just like hers. Marcus walked forward and stopped opposite Amelia, his clothes were wet from the rain, drops of water were dripping from the ends of his hair and face.

“Accept my condolences.”

“Condolences?” Amelia smirked, and the corners of her lips fell back into a straight line, “Do you still have the conscience to tell me about this?”

The girl raised her head and looked the man in the eye, her look was no longer that of a child. Marcus knew that she saw him through. After the death of Lucia, Amelia’s abilities were revealed in full force. The girl now realized what for all the strange sensations she had all this time, why she had those dreams, and why next to this man she felt like another person.

Fate truly knew how to play a cruel joke. Who would have thought that he would be her only partner?

“Almighty Marcus Taubert, who can see the future, did not know about such an important event?”

“It’s not what you think, Amelia, I don’t see it-”

“I do not care how you see it, is it clear to you?! I also see a lot of things now!”

“Amelia!” Polina pulled the girl back, they were all heartbroken from such a terrible and unexpected loss, and Polina did not want to heat the situation even more.

“Don’t you get into this!” Amelia shouted back, in her eyes pain, resentment and anger could be read, “He knew about it! And you also knew! Everyone knew about this prediction, but no one told me! If I knew, I wouldn’t even come close to him a meter, do you understand?! I would be able to see the future, I would be able to save my family!”

Marcus looked down, the girl’s words were piercing his heart like a sharp knife. He knew that she was right. It’s all his fault and his damn curse. All who were dear to him were doomed to death if they remained next to him.

“For decades, you have been avoiding your brother so as not to endanger him, but you have so easily connected yourself with my family? What right did you have?!” Amelia hit Marcus on the chest and immediately pulled her hand away. These damn sparks knocked her mind as soon as she touched him.

“I see that you are not ready to discuss something now. We will discuss it later,” the man’s voice sounded with not a single emotion in it.

The girl cringed for a second, he always addressed her with tenderness, but now he was like a stranger. Well, let it be, it was even better.

“I will not discuss anything with you. I want you to disappear from my life forever!”

A silent chuckle flew from the man’s lips, each of them knew that this was impossible.

“It’s not for you to decide, little girl. Our fates ar brought together, whether you want it or not,” Marcus clutched a bouquet of flowers in his hands, which he brought to put on the grave. Part of the petals fell to the ground. Even the flowers in his hands could not live long. What can he say about people whose life was no less fragile and fleeting?

He played a happy life for too long. As he suggested, this path was impossible for a monster like him. It is time to return to the original plan.

The man took two steps forward, Amelia looked at his usually straight back, but today his shoulders were lowered, “Eight years. I give you eight years. After which, I will return, and demand everything that you and your family owe me. I hope that by that time you will be grown enough to satisfy my desire. Since you are able to see the future, there’s no more reason to pretend to each other,” he threw flowers on the ground and turned his head to the girl, on his face was his hallmark smile, but his eyes were cold like ice,

“Well, see you later, Amelia Lucia Teser.”

The man disappeared, a bouquet of wilted flowers remained lying on a dirty ground in the rain.