Rise of the Arcane Heir

Rain hammered against the windshield of Danielle's car in a grief-ridden melody as Callum stared at the grey skies from the passenger seat. His eyes searched his right hand from time to time, checking for the presence of the golden ring set with pitch-black onyx. Danielle coughed as she brushed her light brown hair behind her ear and looked at him with her deep green eyes.

"Are you going to be okay?"

Her voice was low, barely louder than a whisper, but Callum heard her. A frown appeared on Callum's face as he tousled his black hair before taking a deep breath.

"Honestly, I don't know."

Callum's icy blue eyes scanned Danielle's face, noticing the concern in her expression as the feeling of emptiness ravaged his heart. His grandfather's funeral had passed in a blur. It felt so unreal at the time, but the weight of the ring on his finger told him otherwise.

"Do you want me to come in? I can keep you company until Amy comes back."

A long sigh escaped Callum's lips as he shook his head. He saw how Danielle chewed her lower lip and didn't want to worry her more than he already did.

"No, but thanks, Dani," he said as a forced smile tugged at his cheeks. "You know what Amy's like. She'd kill me if I had another woman in our flat."

Danielle slowly nodded her head. She remembered clearly all the times Amy had accused them of being up to things behind her back. Amy is an insecure wreck. Danielle frowned as she clenched her fist. She knew Amy's attitude towards Callum's friends was behind the reason he barely hung out with them anymore.

The sound of the car door opening snapped her out of her thoughts as she watched Callum's broad shoulders slump as he climbed out into the rain. A chill wind carried his farewell as he closed the door behind him.

Take care, Cal. She waved through the window as she turned the ignition and drove away. A silent tear rolled down her cheek for her friend, who seemed more alone than ever as she watched his figure disappear in the rear-view mirror.

With a heavy heart, Callum let himself into the common halls of the flats. The dull stone of the building and the deep grey concrete floor were a seemingly perfect reflection of his mood. The hollow echo of his footsteps followed him as he climbed the stairs while searching his pockets for his keys.

Their cold metal pressed against his palm as voices, muffled by the painted red door of his home, reached his ears. That's weird. I'm sure I turned the TV off before leaving.

Metal rubbed on metal before the lock clicked, and the door opened smoothly under his hand. Callum froze in the doorway, his mind reeling to make sense of the situation. The flowery smell of Amy's perfume lingered in the hall, and her black heels were by the door. Right beside a pair of men's black shoes that Callum knew didn't belong to him.

Without the door distorting the voices, Callum could now tell they came from the bedroom rather than the living room. One foot moved in front of the other, drawing him to the closed door before he could stop himself.

The noises within became frantic the closer he got. Callum's palms ached from his closed fists as the bedroom door opened before he could touch it. Amy's face, glistening from sweat, peeked into the hallway. Her rosy complexion visibly paled as she noticed Callum right in front of her.

"Babe! I thought you'd be staying at your parents tonight."

Amy's hand pressed against his chest as she tried to push him toward the living room while closing the door behind her. She could feel Callum's breathing become heavier and his heart beating like a war drum through his shirt.

Callum, on the other hand, barely registered her touch. His eyes ignored her blonde hair and clear blue eyes as they fixated themselves on the image in the mirror. There, on the edge of their bed, sat a barechested man Callum was all too familiar with pulling on his trousers. A triumphant smirk on his rat-like features.

The bedroom door blasted open, dragging Amy with it as she held onto the handle. James, Amy's boss, looked up to realise everything had gone sideways. His brain rattled in his skull from Callum's blow to his left temple. A second blow left him dazed, and the third broke his nose as he fell off the bed with his trousers still around his knees.

Pain assaulted Callum's right forearm as Amy screamed like a banshee. The broken glass lamp in her hands aimed at Callum's face as he jumped back. 

Several seconds passed as they stared at each other, anger and hatred painted their expressions while James' shallow breathing told them he was alive but unconscious.

"How could you do this? To me? To us?" Callum snarled as his knuckles turned white. 

"How?" Amy screamed as her lungs burned as she took a deep breath. "Because you're useless! You're worthless! An absolute nobody!"

Callum grimaced as the pain from those words crossed his face.

"Five years! Still no engagement ring, no progress at your job, no holidays abroad. What did you expect? That I'd stay with a loser like you?"

Callum's anger collapsed like a house of cards. She was right. However, three of those years were their final years at the academy. Both of them quit after the fifth year, and while Amy went to college, he had chosen to get a job and support their life together.

James was the boss at her part-time job between her studies. Callum knew he had been after Amy ever since she started working there. While they were both nineteen, James was twenty-four. The unfairness of being compared to someone older who had more time to work his way up the ladder just made Callum angrier.

"Get out!"

Amy screamed before Callum could say or do anything else. He could only dodge the wild swings of the lamp as she drove him toward the front door and outside.

"Don't ever come back! I never want to see your pathetic ass again!"