I preferred confinement over the glass fishbowl they put me in instead. Workers walked around the outside and monitored my movements and energy levels. However, all I had done was lie around or try to sleep. I scratched the back of my hand at the area where the tattoo was slowly breaking apart. It would take a couple more days before it completely disappeared. It was weird to see the majority of the skin on my hand. The seals on them and my feet were some of my oldest tattoos.

The doors parted, and Astrid and the main healer entered.

“He broke them.” He tapped one of the bands in his palm. “The possessions on them are barely holding together. I don’t advise putting them back on. They might malfunction and trigger his own magic to respond. His body is starting to target them.” He waved for me. “It’s learning.”

“Learning,” Astrid scoffed. “For fuck sake, it’s always bad news with you. Eiko, stand up.”

I climbed to my feet.

“You can see the discoloration of the skin.” He lifted my arm and showed Astrid.

“It’s scar tissue. So, what?” she stated with a shrug. She reached into her pocket to find her cigar case.

The man chuckled. “He doesn't scar. A destructive body isn’t made to show weakness. The bands are designed to be a reminder and a suppressant when Eiko’s emotions start to rise. He broke the possession, and his body is setting up barriers against the enchantment used to create the bands. During his evaluation, I started to notice the color shift in his skin, and with this recent outburst, it has confirmed my suspicion. I’m going to work with the possessors on a new object, but it might not be any better than the bands.” He gave it to Astrid. “I’ll keep you updated, but there’s not much we can do. His body keeps adapting, and we’re running out of options.” He nodded to her and left.

Astrid rubbed her forehead as the doors opened and closed behind her. “Every day brings new obstacles with you,” she said, hurling the band across the room.

I flinched when it hit the glass.

“Damn it!” She lit a cigar and took a puff. “And, of course, it’ll be my fault. It’s always my fucking fault the brat can’t get his shit together. I’m a goddam manipulator, not some fucking miracle worker.”

I leaned away as she let out thick streams of smoke.

“I’ll be back later to redo your tattoos.” She blew it toward me. “Fucking hell, I need a drink.” She headed to the exit. The door slid shut behind her.

Dropping to my knees, I hugged my arms around me. “Fuck,” I whispered.

The bands were gone. I fell forward and pressed my forehead to the cold floor. I didn’t have to wear them anymore. I felt like crying at the sense of relief. They were making something else, though, and it would probably be worse. But for now, they were gone. I examined my forearm and noticed the skin had a darker tint to it. I pressed my thumb across the area, and it seemed to take on a dark hue of blue rather than turning red. One day, the power they so desperately were trying to suppress was going to break free.

And that was the last thing I wanted. I didn’t want to become the weapon they were desperate to obtain. All I wanted was to be left alone. To live on the beach, away from everyone and everything, that was the life I wanted.

Not this.

***

The guards carried a metal desk and two chairs into the chamber.

Astrid snapped her fingers at me. “Come on, let’s go. All of you better get out. If his magic gets out of hand, it’ll kill you.”

They hurried out of the room, and the doors sealed shut.

Astrid took a seat at the table and hit the top. “Let’s go, Eiko, I’m busy.”

I climbed off the sleeping mat on the floor and went to the desk. I slumped into the chair across from her.

She reached for me. “Let me see your hands.”

“I’ve done fine without the seal,” I muttered.

“You have been in a fucking glass bowl for the past week that is designed to contain your kind of energy. Let me see your hands.”

“We could try—”

“Now!”

I placed my arms on the table, and she snatched my wrists.

“We’re going to try a new seal I’ve been working on.”

“The old ones—”

“Enough, Eiko. Do you want to go back to your room, or would you rather stay here with everyone watching you?” She waved her hand around at the walls of glass. “Living as a lab rat doesn’t sound very pleasant.”

I breathed out through my nose and felt the prickling sensation as the black ink was drawn out of my skin. It turned into the sensation of thousands of little needles poking me. I rolled my head from side to side.

“It doesn’t hurt that bad.”

“You don’t have tattoos,” I stated.

“I did.” She slapped my hand flat onto the table. “But when you start working with your government instead of against it, you get to have them removed. Something to look forward to if you ever change your attitude.”

I glared at her.

That was easy for her to say. Her job wasn’t to blow up a city.

She put all of her weight onto my hands, and the burning spread through my fingers. My arms started to shake as the black ink traveled from her touch and into my skin. It looked like snakes that slithered their way up past my wrist and settled into strange patterns. The moment she lessened the pressure, I yanked my hands away and rose from the table. My skin burned as the marks flickered blue.

“What the hell, you know not to move. I’ll have to do it again if the seals haven't completely formed.”

I kept my back to her.

“Eiko, let me see.”

“Not now,” I muttered.

“Eiko!”

“Not now!” My hands glowed blue, but the seal kept the electricity inside. The pressure in my arms only made the pain worse. So much energy was fighting to escape.

“Looks like they’re holding.” She leaned back in her chair. “Sit down, and I’ll do your feet.”

I shook my head. “Give me a second.”

“Fucking hell, you whine so much. High pain tolerance, my ass. I have lower-level healers who can handle more than you.”

“It’s not that.” I turned sharply to face her.

She stared at me. “Do you need to take a nap?”

“No.”

“Then sit down.”

I went to my mat and sat, resting my head on my knees. With a groan, she stood and followed me over. She knelt, and once again, Astrid withdrew the ink before pressing a fresh seal into my skin. I grunted and flexed my feet as she finished the process.

“Look at me.” She lifted my chin up. “What’s going on with your eyes?”

I peered back at her, confused.

“You are getting stronger,” she breathed. “The generals are going to have a meltdown if they find out.”

An ache pulsed in my chest. Those were words that were never good to hear.

“I’ll have to fix this.” She moved my hair away from my face and leaned in close. “You can see it flickering in your iris. “I’ll have to seal it in before it finds a new exit point.”

She let my head fall forward as she stood. “Lie down. I want to check the seal on your back.”

Gathering up my hair, I did so.

“It seems to be holding.” Astrid traced the design. “Put your arms out the side.”

“Why?”

“Why do you think? The bands didn’t work.”

I tried to sit up. “I don’t want—”

“Put your arms out! It was an order, Eiko. You don’t get to leave this chamber until I deem that it is safe to let you out.”

Clenching my jaw, I shoved my face into the mat and extended my arms. She grabbed just below my shoulders and placed a new tattoo over the discolored skin. I dug my fingernails into the pad and felt it tear. Astrid proceeded to do the same thing just above my knees on the back of my legs. Once she was done, I lay there, taking deep breaths. My chest ached. I felt so much tension and pressure filling my body.

“Your room is almost done with the repairs.” She walked around to my head. “Eiko, look at me.”

I lifted my head and pressed her finger to my forehead.

“Rest. I’ll come and check on you later.”

My mind didn’t shut down as easily this time. I wanted to sleep, though, so I didn’t fight the effects. My skin was aching, and taking a long nap sounded really good at the moment.