Zahir's Arc

Chapter 1 of 3

Zahir pressed his thumb against the pulsing birthmark on his arm. The sensation had started again this morning, faint but steady. He pulled out his hidden journal and added another sketch to the dozens already there. Each page showed a different demon he'd seen, a different pattern of throbs and tingles. Somewhere in these records was the answer he needed. One of these demons knew something about his missing parent. His hand moved to trace patterns in the sand at his feet while he studied the drawings. The birthmark quieted. He snapped the journal shut and tucked it back into his shirt. The old theater rose ahead, half-buried in drifted sand. Zahir had discovered it three weeks ago while following a demon that made his birthmark burn cold. The Desert Mirage Cinema still had its faded sign hanging crooked over the entrance. Inside, the seats were gone but the projection booth remained intact. He'd claimed it as his own, stashing his journals in the locked cabinet behind the torn screen. No one else came here. The building gave him space to study his records without questions. He climbed through the broken window and headed straight for his hiding spot. Tonight he would compare the last month of sketches. The patterns had to mean something. His demon parent's identity was buried in these pages somewhere, and he would find it.