I beamed, turning my head slightly to face him. His droopy gold eyes met mine with a weak smile, his glasses missing.
I pulled his face down to mine and pressed my lips against his, there was only a moment of hesitation before he responded. It was my first time kissing him, but I knew it wouldn’t be my last, as warmth bloomed inside of me.
I felt his hand tangle in my hair and gasped as he pulled it, forcing our lips to part, causing my neck to stretch. I felt his lips as they pressed against the side of my throat, the sensuality had me gasping.
“Morning Princess.” The words whispered across my skin. He released my hair and when I found those golden eyes, there was a wicked, little look dancing across those shining irises.”
“A little nagging birdie, who wouldn’t shut the fuck up, told me you made us breakfast.” He pointed out, glancing at Elias who was sipping on his tea, playing with Nighty.
There was a stunned look of satisfaction on all three of the guy’s faces. I couldn’t help but feel stunned myself by Daniel’s actions. There was something playfully devious there; something, I hadn’t noticed before.
“I don’t know what you're referring to.” Elias replied.
I grinned, understanding Elias’ true intentions.
He must have noticed the numerous side glances at the empty yellow stool during dinner time in the last couple of days; Daniel is usually asleep, resulting in him missing dinner time with us. I was glad he was here with us now. All my men were present.
“Let’s eat. We have a big night ahead.” I announced, heading to the counter to grab the plates.
They all agreed, helping me spread the plates as we joked and laughed, Nightmare bouncing around the kitchen. This was how life should be, the fun gathering before the exam. The calm before the storm.
***
Only an hour ago, we had arrived at the practical exam check point. Matthew had wished us good luck as we exited the car. He approached me, sprinkling some orange dust around me, the little specs of glitter made my body shiver as the mark on my chest warmed up slightly.
When I tried to inquire into what he’d just casted, he shrugged his shoulders, insisting it was some good luck dust he wanted to sprinkle on me. He’d already done the same routine for the others at previous exams, or so he explained. As much as I wanted to investigate his action of luck sharing, time was of the essence and I wanted this exam to be over with.
Leonardo, our final member of the group, had already left five minutes prior, stating that we weren’t going to come.
To Professor Sepherant’s surprise, we arrived in comfortable workout gear, ready to face whatever plans he had for us. I already prepared myself mentally, for anything that would come our way. Whether it was poisonous snakes or falling boulders, I was ready to face them head on. I ignored the gnawing feeling deep within my gut as I stared at Professor Sepherant’s figure, those haunting, mysterious eyes always reminding me of something, but I could never quite put my finger on it.
Going through the portal was nothing special. I imagined a swirling flow of power blaring to life through a circular gate with flashy colours and my hair lashing everywhere due to the intense winds, as we struggled not to get sucked in. Nope, nothing like that at all. It was a plain door.
With the press of a button it would flicker to a mirror like reflection, showing our appearances in a wavering image, as if we were staring into a lake.
Once we were approved to start our exam, Ryder and Marcus insisted they would go in first. They were highly skilled in direct combat, so they wanted to make sure everything was safe and clear. Nightmare was perched on my shoulder, ready to come to my aid if I needed her assistance.
It took five minutes and ten times of me asking if they were okay, before Daniel gave the approval, reaching out to offer his hand. I beamed at his generosity, still concerned about our lack of time together, my hand slid into his. I vowed to make sure we’d hang out a lot more after this exam was over.
Elias automatically reached out to grasp my other hand, not even glancing for approval. His little display made me roll my eyes, smirking. Hand holding was his thing. He always wanted first dibs but Daniel beat him to it. With each of my hands in their secured grasps, we stepped forward into the portal.
Walking into the portal felt like walking through water, the pressure suffocating as your mind becomes disorientated from the sudden lack of air. Elias had explained that it would be better if I held my breath during the process; though, I would feel dizzy once we emerged on the other side.
He wasn’t joking about that one. The moment my foot stepped on the rough surface everything was spinning. It was as if I’d stepped into a shifter size washing machine, tumbling around in circles at a high speed.
Elias caught me before I took two steps; my first step testing if I could stand and the second confirming my plummet to oblivion.
He ended up carrying me to the starting place; Daniel helped ease my body in adapting to the different environment. He reassured me that my reaction was completely normal, most people usually passing out or throwing up the first few times of portal transportation. Elias continued to hold my hand just in case I had anymore coordination issues.
Once I gathered my bearings and could steadily walk, we set out to find our examination requirements; a clear light orb which was located somewhere in the designated area.
We would have to use our magic to locate its presence. Whatever monsters or hardships arose, we would have to face and survive. Even though it was a group exam, we had the option to leave separately, our scores based on our individual performances and contributions to the team. That in itself was reassuring, seeing as Leonardo was long gone. He was probably looking for the orb on his own.
The downside was he would pass automatically if we found it first. I couldn’t help but express my thoughts to the boys as we walked. They reassured me that the professors based the final scoring on skills performed, magic usage and group cooperation. Leonardo was already losing major points for venturing off on his own instead of waiting for us.
Realm One lived up to its reputation, a complete wasteland. The sky was pitch black, not a star in sight. The ground was charcoal grey, cracks littering it, small rocks brushed against our feet as we walked, crumbling to dust. The remaining trees that lingered around us appeared withered and sickly, their lifeless black leaves littering the ground beneath them.
The air was thick, the oxygen at a bare minimum for anyone to survive for long outside. It took a few minutes for my body to adjust, changing my breathing pattern to inhales less and adapt to the lack of oxygen. The surrounding areas was covered in thick black fog, limiting visibility to only a few feet in front of us.
The most noticeable characteristic was the frigid cold. My black tights and navy-blue tank top wasn’t doing much justice in stopping me from shivering. Lily had offered a hint of her power to warm up my internal temperature, relieving such a problem. The boys were used to it, having come to this realm on multiple occasions, during their quest to find me.
We decided to walk around the exam area once, before doing a more detailed search. On our way back, we reached the edge of a cliff, hot burning lava flowing at the bottom. It was the only heat source in the entire examination area.
Marcus insisted it wasn’t there the last time they had arrived here, which was the day they rescued me from the facility. The professors must have added it by breaking the terrain with magic and getting a phoenix or dragon spirit to assist in the creation of the lava for added effect. With the way the environment was, it wouldn’t last very long before freezing over and becoming a part of the surrounding nothingness.
We were ready to head back to the portal, only a few feet ahead when I noticed a glimmer between two large boulders. I tugged on Elias as I made my way to it, ignoring the others furrowed eyebrows as I walked towards my new target.
Nightmare jumped off my shoulder, sprinting to the glittering object before circling around it as she mewed
happily.
I let go of Elias’ hand to kneel, brushing off the generous amount of dust that attempted to hide the little jewel underneath. Behold, the clear sparkling orb that we were sent here to retrieve.
I picked it up, examining its simple outlook as I glanced over my shoulder to ask if this was what we were looking for. They all nodded, their looks of disappointment triggering my sudden confusion. There’s no way this exam, proven to create almighty knights to protect all the realms, was over. It had been way too easy. Something must be off.
“This can’t be right! You guys think, we travelled ALL the way out here to Realm One for the object of interest to be right here! Nope, this is a trap. Where’s the evil vines, or avalanche or even a bloody fire breathing dragon to fight us! You cannot justify this act of negligence!” I accused, shaking the clear orb in my hand as I tried to figure out what the catch was.
I could feel a wave of anxiety hit me as a million possibilities entered my mind. I figured us coming back to Realm One had some type of underlying meaning, courtesy of Professor Sepherant but what was he possibly planning that had to do with me?”
Ryder frowned as Daniel pulled off his glasses to pinch at his nose as he sighed. Marcus walked over to me, pulling me into a hug.
“Alright Firefly, we get it. Something isn’t adding up. I agree that this is WAY to easy. Our private knight training in Heila was ten times harder than this. Also, as much as Leonardo struggles in school, I don’t think he would be that blind and not notice the orb. We’ve yet to see him either.” Marcus confessed as he glanced around us, his eyes landing on the pit of lava not too far behind.
Elias glanced around us, his emerald eyes glowing slightly in concentration.
“We have what we’re assigned to retrieve for the exam. Let’s get out of here. I don’t sense any natural essence. That raging pit of shifter created lava is the only thing close to living in this desolated place. Everything else is dead, from the trees to the soil underneath the ground.”
The others nodded, turning to walk back to the portal. I stared down at the orb, realizing I didn’t have pockets. Nightmare jumped back on my shoulder, her grey markings glowing a light purple. The orb shrank in size, small enough to fit comfortably in my bra. I smiled wickedly at her as I petted her head in glee.
“I love you. I hope you know that.” I whispered, quickly tucking the object in my bra.
I looked up to see the boys already half way to the portal. I was ready to jog my way to them when a shiver coursed down my spine, my chest beginning to burn. I clutched at the loyalty mark, gasping for air.
I groaned, gritting my teeth as I clenched at my chest, pain radiating throughout my body. Nightmare jumped down as I fell to my knees, my breathing escalating to rapid breaths as I tried to withhold the scream that wanted to escape my throat. Nighty started hissing loudly as her body started to double in size. Her grey markings blared to a bright red. What’s happening?
“Mako! Shield now!” Rose’s frantic voice yelled in my mind, causing me to open my eyes.
I turned my head in time to see the ball of red energy inches away from me. SHIT!
I raised my hand, conjuring a shield right when the ball of energy crashed into me, the impact strong enough to send me flying.
I crashed a few yards away, Nightmare racing towards me at a blurring speed. I groaned, trying to push myself up, but the pain was crippling, my head pounding to life. My eyes widened as I realized what was causing such a reaction. No, he can’t be here. Not now, how was he able to hide without anyone noticing him! The boys!
I forced myself to lift my head, ignoring the agonizing pain that roared through me as my chest still burned, my loyalty marking glowing brightly. Nightmare was by my side in seconds, mewing in the hollow air as a magic circle formed beneath me, a pink barrier taking shape. Before my eyes could pinpoint where the boys were, another ball of red light crashed into the newly formed barrier, its pink like surface cracking immediately.
I bit my lips hard as I pushed myself up. I knew Nightmare was powerful, even in her familiar form which could only withhold a limited amount of her magic, but for such a simple attack to crack her barrier only indicated the caster was extremely powerful. Powerful and dangerous.
I noticed the two, red balls of light heading my way. I cursed, lunging out and grabbing Nightmare protectively in my arms. The balls of energy hit right on the barrier, shattering as the impact crashed into us. I screamed as we skid across the ground, rolling to a stop.
I kept Nightmare securely in my arms as I took a deep breathe. Now I was angry, the flood of emotion crashing through my body for revenge. My spiritual energy emerged, summoning Rose’s magic, the dark flames hearing my calling.
“NIGHTMARE! WEAPON!” I commanded, opening my arms to allow Nighty to jump to the ground, her body already in the process of modification.
She was in scythe form in a flash, my right hand grasping the long staff as the chain wrapped around my left hand. I readied myself for combat, widening my stance on shaky legs. Where are you?
“I’m right here, little fox.” A low whisper replied next to me.
I dropped down into a side lunge, kicking my leg out as I twisted my body to trip the shadow behind me. I pushed myself off the ground, flipping in the air to land a few feet away, clenching my scythe in my hands.
There he was, my Owner: Blair Aspen.
He had jumped back, avoiding my attack with ease. He wore his usual white attire, his white dress shirt and pants perfectly intact. His red tie hung neatly in place, his black dress shoes landing lightly on the ground.
The only evidence of his presence was the foot prints that remained from our “friendly” exchange. He had a wide sinister smile on his face, his eyes filled with delight as he stared at me. His hands were relaxed in his pant pockets. It was the first time I’d seen him without his usual white coat.
“Makoto, my little fox. What have those shifters done to you? Didn’t you miss your Owner? I’ve been searching all over for you!” He gleamed, his face filled with excitement.
“They haven’t done anything! Where are they? What did you do?” I shouted.
“They? You mean those pesky knights? Ah, yes. They’re currently occupied fighting some shifters I brought with me. I got a little tip from a brown-haired shifter that my blue-eyed daughter was with a group of boys and a mutant. Hah, you should have seen him beg for mercy. Finally, someone who acknowledged my power. Don’t worry, I let him go. He would be a waste of my precious time and I didn’t want to dirty my appearance for you. This is a special occasion!” He explained as he began to roll his sleeves up.
“Special occasion? I’m NOT coming back to you! I’m not your daughter. I know who you are! I know what you’ve been plotting my entire sixteen cycles, which you stole from me! YOU kidnapped me and lied to me! Why would I come back to you?” I snarled, my eyes began to burn as my power bashed within me, pleading for an exit.
“Sweet Mako, did you forget all that I’ve taught you? Do what your told and nothing bad will happen to you. Yet, I have come all the way out here and you’re defying me. Why are you listening to such made up nonsense? Won’t you listen to my side of the story? I’m disappointed little fox.” He admitted, frowning as he wiggled his finger in disapproval while shaking his head.
“I’m not going back. I don’t belong in that hellhole. I belong to my family, my REAL family and around shifters who care about me. People who don’t punish me for not following their orders or force me to kill the people I care about! I’ll die for them if I must!” I proclaimed, lifting my scythe up, pink electric currents coming to life, circling my weapon as Rose’s dark flame magic circled around my feet.
He stared at me for a moment, his red eyes locked on my enraged ones. I wouldn’t back down, wanting him to see the determination in my eyes as we stared at each other. I wasn’t a child anymore. I could make my own decisions and write the path I wanted to walk in this life. I was done with being a lost sou
l. I would claim my rightful position in this world or I would die trying.
“I haven’t seen such determination in your eyes before. If only you would be so serious in our trials. If you were just any other shifter, I would rid of you for such disobedience, but being so valuable and precious to me and our plans, I have to simply punish you for your actions. Hmm…now what would be a better punishment: cutting off those wrists of yours so you can't hold that despicable being or your legs so you can’t escape from me again?” He pondered, a smirk forming on his red lips.
Rose pushed into my mind, taking full control before I even registered what was happening. She pushed off the ground, lifting the large scythe as if it weighed nothing as she charged towards Aspen.
“NEITHER! I’ll rid you before you even try!” She snarled swinging at him.
He frowned, raising his hand as a cane materialized, clashing against the scythe. Waves of dark energy flared around us, the power cracking the ground underneath us as we fought to stay in place.
I could see the hint of shock that registered on his face, taken back by my defiance with my royalty mark still present. His expression morphed into eagerness. He pushed against us slowly, barely expelling any energy to push us back, our feet digging into the ground.
Lily surged to life, taking Rose’s place as the dark flames burst into amber golden flames, the heat blasting around us.
“Ugh, it’s the phoenix. You should have ascended to those bloody gods when your pathetic excuse of an owner failed to listen to me!” He yelled, using his other hand to blast us with a red orb, sending us flying backwards.
I allowed Lily to take over, sitting in the back of my mind to watch. I felt her pain, the reminder of how Lily was stolen from us. How dare he speak about Lily like that.
“The gods have a purpose for everything that happens! I won’t stand still and allow you to talk about them or my previous host.” She raged, a bright red magic circle forming behind our back, followed by the burst of flames, changing to a form of wings. She let me take over, retreating to allow me to use more of her magic.
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