MARIA-chpt 1

Inspiration-the song Maria by Green Day

Magicians against Russia invading America. Those were the words scrawled in bright, bold print across nearly every poster Mathew passed in the street, aside from the usual ale and other liquor advertisements for various pubs heavily sprinkled through the city of London.

He wasn't too sure what his own opinion was of the one hand, he valued his healing magic abilities the most over his fighting skills, and as such he felt almost pathologically incapable of both fighting and of ever saying no to helping others. So, he didn't know what to think about MARIA. Mathew didn't rightly know if it was his problem to worry about either. Some might argue yes, some might argue no. Most would say that as a witch, it was his responsibility to protect the land he lived in. Only fellow witches and few others would protest that it need be no concern of his.

It is about 1841 in this particular world compared to our world. Mathew had come from Canada to study as an apprentice under the famous wizard Arthur Kirkland, at the elder wizard's request, after he saw Mathew's marks in a magic tournament Mathew's twin brother, Alfred, had bullied him into joining, and after hearing about his talent from the High Council (the top 15 most powerful Magicians, Wizards, and Witches joined together as a group).

On the council himself, and with no apprentice, Arthur Kirkland had been curious about the young boy (who hadn't even passed his first century!) that the witches in the Council had been excitedly talking about. Two there had even started discussing firing their own apprentices in favour of training the apparently ultra-powerful Mathew Williams, the orphan with outstanding ability that no one knew the parents or magical lineage of as neither he nor his brother could remember, and they could find no one who had known their parents either.

To put it simply, Mathew is very special, in that he has a lot of power for one so young and inexperienced. The norm is that the older one gets and the more one practices their magic, the stronger one gets. Not so with Mathew, he was born a strong witch and the rate at which his power continues to grow is outstanding now that he has actually started using it regularly upon winning first place worldwide in the High Council Millennial Competition.

A year after studying under him, Arthur tells Mathew that he is part of the MARIA movement. Mathew immediately wants to join in, tells his master this, and sets off, eventually going head to head with the son of the leader of the Russian invasion, Ivan Braginsky and his monstrous and deadly father: the fearsome and dangerous General Winter when he tries to use his invisibility skills to get close and essentially sniper the General down.

Unfortunately, he just had to get caught and captured from behind by his son just as he was sneaking up to snipe the General. Well, he assumed it must have been his son that got him as the General never went anywhere without the Blood Bather, and who else could have taken Mathew out when he couldn't even be seen? Normally unnoticed, he had trained himself in the art of long distance magic, becoming proficient at it, always taking out his targets. And now? Now, apparently, he had failed for the first time.

And Mathew didn't know what he could even do, because this wasn't a small mistake to make. Oh no, from the surroundings he saw as he woke up, he was in the Braginsky mansion, in a rather lavish bedroom. Goodness no, this hadn't been just a simple mistake. He could actually die. Especially since, as he soon discovered upon waking, this room was anti-magic and slowly suffocating him with every minute he stayed tied to the bed.

And now, he almost wished his captors would come, because if there was something a wicth such as himself really didn't want, it was to be caught in a place that drained away magic. Without their magic, most magic-users were helpless. Without their magic, witches, in particular, got sick. And with time, without their magic, witches like himself could die.

Mathew gasped as he remembered this piece of information and the tears he hadn't noticed before running down his face redoubled in their haste to escape from him as the room made his stomach turn and he noticed how damp his forehead was from the sweat that had broken out feverishly on his forehead who knows how long ago.

How long had he been in this room already for him to feel so bad? Mathew thought to himself, and nearly groaned in pain, but cut it back. No, he would not seem weak when someone came in. He couldn't control his tears; they ran down his face despite his best efforts. But, everything else? Well, there wasn't much he could do now to not make himself seem weak. He had grown up small and thin. But at least he could refuse to draw attention to himself by staying quiet.

Apparently though, him making a sound wasn't necessary to draw attention to his room as the doorknob twisted and the door opened.

And Mathew started to sweat from a reason other than his excruciating pain. Ivan Braginsky, the Blood Bather. That must be who they sent to interrogate him. That must be why it's taken so long for someone to come in.

Oh no...

And then the figure peeked around the corner, and Mathew didn't know what to think.

"Vanya?" He asked weekly, and the figure startled, then gave a childish smile and a wave before abruptly changing expression and looking away, his face clouded.

"That isn't what I'm called anymore, Matvey, or what even you should call me. At least not anymore. I'm too dirty for that name now."

Vanya looked straight at him.

"I'm Ivan Braginsky, or the Blood Monster, I've even heard myself called the Blood Bather. Matvey..."

Ivan stepped into the room and approached the bed Mathew was tied to.

"Please tell me you're not the rebel I'm supposed to torture..."

A single tear slipped from Mathew's lavender eyes.

Oh God, and here he was having told himself for years on end now that the rumours of Ivan the Terrible wearing a scarf and having a thick and tall build and everything else he had heard must be a coincidence because the boy who had pledged his love to him years ago at the adoption centre, before Mathew's brother found him using his own weaker magic and they'd run away together, couldn't possibly be the same monster that everyone he knew and trusted nowadays told him to hate and who everyone around him hated terribly themselves.

"Oh Vanya..."

Doubt clouded the man's face, and he swiftly undid Mathew's ties. Bending down close, he whispered in Mathew's ear, "Don't worry. I'll get you out of here."

Mathew felt a kiss placed on his forehead, then a tingling sensation return to his wrists and fingers as the restricted blood flow there was liberated from its ties.

Mathew tried to push away the arms that scooped under his legs and chest to lift him; he could walk on his own, maybe. Plus, he had left the man behind when he left with Alfred. Sure, Ivan had wanted to stay as he'd heard rumours that he was going to be adopted soon, but he had left him and who knows what he went through as the General's son?

But the well-muscled Ivan Braginsky gave no indication he even noticed the struggling, and lifted the smaller figure off the bed without any trouble at all.

"...I still love you, Matvey. You won't die and I won't let anyone have you."

Mathew involuntarily gasped as Ivan moved back toward the door, the room was making his head spin, then blacked out as a particularly painful shudder of anti-magic swept through the room from the doorway they were so close to, hit him, and carried him into unconsciousness as Ivan tightened his hold around the smaller man and carried him out of the room.

Well? What do you guys think? Yay? Nay? Oh my good golly gosh, continue?

The choice is yours.

Please please please review! I love it all, questions, "I don't understand what's going on", parts you like, whatevs.

Have a great day! You guys are amazing!

-North 'u'

Quick note: I am so so so extremely grateful to Tyto11, again. They, again, helped me with this new story, taking the time out of their busy life when they really didn't need to. Thanks you, sweet pea! You are superbly splendiferous and splendorous!