Legacy of Dolyn

by Amelia Guillem

  “No!!! Glen!!!” Gwen leaps out of Moros to head back to the stadium. My friends try to rush after her, but Gwen throws her psychic energy because she assumes they will stop her. “DON’T STOP ME!!!!” The door of Maury’s van opened, and the blast flew my friends directly there. Gwen teleports right away.

  “You haven’t changed at all, Gwendolyn,” Moros thought. “Good luck.”

  Despite her limited strength, Gwen teleports from roof to roof. “I know my powers are exhausted, but I AM going to save you, Glen. Hold on!!”

  ***

  Where am I? It’s pitch black in here...

  I can’t see myself, honestly. It’s like I died. Maybe it is death. It’s kind of comforting. I don’t feel my clothes. Am I naked? It doesn’t matter. Perhaps I’ll stay like this, and fall asleep... forever.

  “Glen! Glen!!”

  I hear something. Hmm...

  It’s faint, but I can hear a voice. Someone is calling my name.

  Someone is disturbing my sleep...

  “Glen!! Glen!!!”

  The voice gets louder as it approaches me. Wait! I’ve heard the voice before. It’s a familiar female one. Her voice is like mines with the deeper pitch.

  “Glen, what are you doing? Come back!!”

  Gwen? Is that you? What are you doing here?

  “To take you back! You don’t belong here!”

  What are you talking about? It’s cozy.

  “No! No, it’s not! You’re dead. Dead for real. Nyx has taken complete control over you. Over your body. Nyx is returning to the moon. You can never return to Earth once she’s there. You, a soul, must fight against this!!!”

  But why? This is what I should’ve done in the beginning. I should’ve taken my own life before. But you told me no. Now, I can finally do this. I will get to be with grandma.

  “Fine, but your friends will be sad when they no longer see you. Your friends who sacrificed their lives for you... twice.”

  Twice?

  “They did this because they care. They’re doing it again right now as we speak. Come back, Glen. Take my hand. They need you.”

  Suddenly, my head feels like it’s going to split. It’s like I’m starting to gain conscious again. Me, a soul, wrestles inside the dark abyss known as Nyx.

  “Nyx is destroying the world right now because of her rage. Your friends will be killed soon. You need to hurry and come back to us.”

  Stop it, Nyx! Stop!! You can’t use my body anymore like this! I know we can work together as one. What good would it do to destroy the world?!!

  A complete silence echoes in the abyss.

  “You did it, Glen. Nyx responded to your plea. She ceased the destruction.” I extend my hand towards Gwen, grabbing it. But I can’t see her because of the darkness and my blurry vision. Regardless, it was a success.

  “Glen, I must warn you something. You’re going to fall.”

  What do you mean?

  “Since Nyx returned your consciousness, she doesn’t have to continue ascending. Unless your friends save you, you’re going to hit the ground and die.”

  Is this for real?

  .........

  Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

  I didn’t even ask Gwen why she came for me in the first place. I know it was to rescue me but how did she get here anyway. Didn’t she...? Never mind because I’m falling in the real world right now!

  ***

  Meanwhile, my friends wake from the knockout Gwen did earlier.

  “What happened?” Aster groaned.

  “Why did Kitty attack us like that?” Agnes asked.

  They rouse to find the back door of the van open.

  “Guys, come here! Look!” Maury urged as he was already out of the van. Aster and Agnes rush to see the ruin outside. The buildings near them were destroyed. The circle expansion was close to destroying the factory and killing them too.

  They also look up to see the pillar of light gone. “The pillar of light disappeared...” Agnes murmured.

  “But where’s Glen?” Maury asked.

  “Drive right now!!” Moros hastily demanded. My friends look at him dumbfounded. “Miss Glendolyn is falling from the sky!! We have to save her!!!”

  Without a word, my friends rush back to the van. Moros accompanies them by sitting in the front seat.

  Maury drives furiously at Moros’ command. Most people remain in their houses with the windows shut, but some can be seen running around. Some appear lying on the ground. The van bumps up and down. They don’t know if they’d run over someone. They could’ve, but they must keep their focus.

  Though falling, I’m still unconscious. My eyes won’t open no matter what. My soul is conscious, but my physical body isn’t. Definitely not my lucky day.

  “What if I use a wind spell on her? Would it work?” Aster asked.

  “She’s too far up for a wind spell to be effective,” Moros replied.

  “What are we supposed to do?!” Agnes asked with worry.

  “The GPS shows us a river nearby,” Maury said.

  “A river, huh? I know what to do.” And with those words, Moros teleports out of the van.

  “What the hell is he—” Maury shouted.

  “Never mind! Keep driving!” Aster urged.

  Moros appears on the top of a tall building. My body is falling far too fast, almost at Mach speed. When I fall within the range, Moros cites an unfamiliar spell to knock me off west to the river using his staff. It’s like he batted me a home run.

  The van makes a sharp turn at a dead end. The reason is because my friends can see the buildings on the other side, meaning they are at the river. The problem is the river is frozen solid. Unless they break a hole, I’ll splat into a bloodbath.

  The van stops close to a bridge. My friends nervously decide who will jump to the ice to break a hole.

  “I’ll go,” Maury said. He is the first to volunteer.

  “You can’t, Mr. Maury. You need to drive us back.”

  “Then I’ll go,” Aster volunteered.

  “No, Aster, your weight will break the ice. I’ll go.”

  “But you don’t have any magic!” Maury cried.

  “Liz will help me.” Agnes steps out of the van. Maury and Aster follow suit. After taking a deep breath, Agnes jumps into the frozen river. Maury and Aster watch in horror.

  Agnes lands with a slam. She gets up on her knees and walks to the middle, waiting for me patiently after stopping. The knockout Moros did push me to the river, but the gravity forces my body to drop.

  “She’s within range. I must break a hole now. Liz, help me!!” Making a prayer position, Liz takes over right away. She breaks the hole by channeling magic in her fist. Liz steps back the moment the ice starts to crack wide. A large hole with the size of a pond breaks open.

  SPLASH!

  My body plunges into the freezing waters below. The tip of my shoes reaches the bottom. Seems this river is quite deep.

  I open my eyes, thinking it might be a dream. Next, I look at my surroundings. It’s all dark, spacey, and wet. Suddenly, I can’t breathe. I float with my eyes wide open and notice my loose sleeves. I’m in deep underwater for real!

  Realizing this, I swim upwards to the surface. And I end up hitting a wall. What wall? There shouldn’t be any wall! I move my hands, hoping to find surface as I press the wall above. No matter what I do, the wall won’t budge.

  I can’t get out!!!!!

  Meanwhile, Agnes stands on the ice as she waits for me to surface. Maury and Aster wait restlessly on the top.

  “Any luck?!” Maury yelled.

  “I can’t find her!” Agnes responded. She starts walking around the area.

  “Maury, do you have a rope?” Aster asked.

  “Not exactly a rope but a 30 feet extension cord I used for auto repairs. Let me get it ready.” Maury hurries to the van to get the cord. He brings it with him to the edge. “This cord is heavy.”

  Agnes stops underneath the light of a street post on the oppos
ite end. Since I’m at the top, I can see the lights through the icy wall. I swim directly there.

  I take note of Agnes standing above me. I know it’s her because I recognize her black shoes. I bang the wall as hard as I can to get her attention. I could shout underwater, but it would make things worse. And I don’t have the energy to cast a spell so I can break a hole.

  Agnes! Agnes, look down!!

  “Where could she be? If we wait for longer, she’ll drown,” Agnes thought loudly.

  After a pause, Agnes looks down. She kneels in shock upon seeing me under the ice. “Mr. Maury! Aster! A rope! NOW!!!” she barked out.

  Maury ties the cord to the closest street post. Both begin to lower the cord. Agnes kneels to tap the ice. “Glen, hold on! I have to get the rope.” Agnes rush to get the rope. I didn’t panic since I know she’ll return.

  She rushes back to the same hole she did as Liz earlier. It’s still open. She lowers the cord into the icy waters. She comes back to the spot, urging me to start swimming to the hole. I follow her. I can see the surface light clearly. This means I arrive at the hole. I reach the cord and hold it with a firm grasp.

  “She grabbed it! Let’s pull!!” Agnes barked to start pulling. She pulls from between the hole and the upper wall where Maury and Aster are, whom both are assisting with the pull.

  I finally emerge out of the water while still holding the cord. Agnes starts to walk backward and pull at the same time. The guys continue assisting with the pull.

  But I fall unconscious again after coughing the water out. My eyelids droop to a close. Thankfully, I keep my grip on the cord until they pull me to the upper wall. Noticing this, Agnes lifts me and ties the cable to my waist.

  “You’ll be okay, Glen. We’re almost there,” she murmured. Maury and Aster pull me up. Afterward, they untie the cord from my waist. Aster carries me to the van for healing.

  “It’s your turn, Agnes.” Maury grins as he lowers the cord to her.

  “Yes, I’m on it,” she said.

  But something terrible happens. The ice underneath Agnes breaks. The weight of us together was cracking the ice. Agnes reacts fast by grabbing the cord with one hand. Her lower body submerged.

  “Aaah!! Mr. Maury!!! Help me!!!!!” Agnes screamed. Her high screech reaches Aster who is providing me a healing spell. As tempted he is to rescue her, Aster must remain to heal me. He knows Agnes risked her life, so he does not want to discount her sacrifice.

  “Agnes, hang on!!” Maury musters his strength to pull Agnes up. She is grabbing the cord now with two hands.

  As she approaches the top, one of her hands slips off. Maury extends his arm, urging Agnes to grab his hand. She does so by footing the wall as a base and swings with vigor. After catching her forearm, Maury finishes by pulling her up.

  Agnes collapses to the ground as soon as she landed. “My legs!! I can’t feel them!!” she gritted as she is paralyzed by the bitter cold. Maury lifts her up and carries her to his van.

  “Agnes, you’re okay!” Aster cried, still healing me with his spell. Aster had removed my wet clothes and tossed them to the side. He took off his black cloak to cover me. And yes, I’m still unconscious.

  “Yes, but my legs are frozen,” she said, wincing in pain.

  “Please be patient. I’ll cast a Healing spell on you after I’m done with her.”

  “Yes, please do. Finish her first,” Agnes said, tapping his shoulder. She tries to sound cheerful despite the frozen pain in her legs.

  After recovering his cord, Maury hurries back to the van. “Hold on tight,” he said. He fires up the engines and presses the pedal, ready to take us back home.

  I’m glad this is over, all over. The world didn’t end. My friends rescued me and they’re perfectly safe. The road to our destination is long, but we’ll get there.

  Things are still messed up, but the streetlights will always remain calm. The moon in the sky will shine forever bright. And finally, we’re going home. Back to our beloved warmth.

  END

  Epilogue - February

  Date: February 7; Time: Evening, Half-Moon

  So there I was, performing ballet. The studio lights highlighting my lithe figure. I wore a pink unitard and a tutu that is the size of an open umbrella. My hair was tied in a bun, and my fringes pulled back. The spotlight made my skin unusually lighter.

  I stretched to the limits of my body, pulling splits with ease. The music I danced to was a classical nostalgic charged with emotion. I jumped all over the stage, flapping my arms again and again. After my performance ended, I stood in the center with my legs together and feet crossed. My arms spread wide as the crowd roared an enthusiastic cheer.

  “Thank you! Thank you, all! I’m grateful for the performance! I want to give a shout-out to someone here tonight. It’s because of her I made it this far!”

  A mysterious stuffed animal jumped into my arms. It was Gwen. The crowd gave out a sound of awe as they see her small living figure.

  “That’s right! I can talk!” Gwen boasted.

  I held Gwen close to me. We both hugged.

  “You did great!” she whispered.

  The two of us had tears in our eyes.

  “Thank you,” I whispered back.

  The crowd cheered and threw flowers at us. We looked at each other and chuckled. We were grateful. It was our moment.

  Suddenly, the studio lights were flashing me blind. I doubt it was a technical malfunction but studio lights shouldn’t shine too bright.

  “Gwen, is it just me or the lights are too bright?”

  “Yeah, I notice. It’s too bright.”

  “What should we do?”

  We began to panic, but we couldn’t run. Gwen and I froze as the lights engulfed us like a tidal wave. Wait? What’s going on? This can’t be real, right?

  ...................

  I opened my eyes, staring at the ceiling of my room.

  Turns out it was a dream.

  I sit on my bed with a tired look. I’m so confused. There is no doubt that this is my room. But why am I here? Shouldn’t I be somewhere? Where are my friends? And why am I wearing this long T-shirt? Shit! I feel like my head is about to split.

  I get off my bed, but I wobble to my drawers. Even in the dark, I notice my hair is a complete mess. Looks like I was asleep for a long time. But how can this be? Well, no matter. I should see my friends and have them explain.

  ...................

  “Good morning, everyone!” I greeted as loud as I can. I see my friends sitting on the sofa, but none of them are happy. It’s like they’re sad.

  “Thank goodness you’re awake,” Agnes said.

  “It’s evening, Glen,” Maury clarified.

  “Oh! So we made it back here after the party ended? You know, the New Year’s hotel party? This is the day after, right?”

  “Well about that...” Aster said.

  “Wait! We’re missing someone. Where’s Gwen? Have you guys seen her?” They give me a stare as a sign they haven’t, so I look for her myself.

  “Gwen! Where are you?” I asked out loud. I search around the apartment, inspecting every cabin and small corners for her. My friends remain seated on the sofa. But why? Shouldn’t they be helping me out? Well, no matter because I’m still searching.

  I search everywhere: the living room, kitchen, my bedroom, bathroom, and storage closet. I still can’t find her. My heart begins to panic a little.

  “Okay, guys! This isn’t funny! Where’s Gwen?” Then I remember she often met with Moros. If I call him, he should come to tell me the truth.

  “You called?”

  Speak of the devil!

  “Moros! Thank goodness, you’re here! Where’s Gwen? I haven’t seen her.” Moros gives out a serious look. “Hey, how come you’re by yourself? Wasn’t Gwen with you?”

  “Here. This belongs to you.” Moros hands over an item. Huh? That’s my purse! I open it to check. All my things remain intact, including my smartphone. Its batter
ies are below average but still usable. I notice there are over 500 missed calls and texts. Okay, I’m freaked out. I never had this many missed calls before. But worse is today’s date: February 7.

  “It’s been a month? No, it can’t be! Today has to be January 2nd! This has to be a lie!!”

  “It’s not a lie. When you were kidnapped by the cultists, that fell to the floor. I kept it for safekeeping.”

  “I was kidnapped?” I shiver. My friends stand to join me.

  “Yes, and they drugged you to sleep every day.”

  “But why? How come I was kidnapped?”

  “You were kidnapped by cultists who knew you were a reincarnate of Nyx from the beginning. You were used as a medium to bring forth the god to destroy the world. It didn’t happen. Nyx took over, and you ascended to the moon. Because of this, Mrs. Gwendolyn went back to save you.”

  “Gwen saved my life? But she’s not here...” I frowned as I shed a tear. To be honest, I don’t remember a thing at all. The only thing I remember is me at the hotel with my friends. Gwen was there! The drug use Moros mentioned must’ve screwed up my memories.

  “How did this happen? Tell me!”

  “As you were ascending, Gwen went back to rescue you. Of course, we couldn’t tell what happened since Gwen knocked us out. She didn’t want us to interfere.” Aster explained. “It was over when we woke up, but you fell from the sky. So we had to think of a way to land you safely. That’s when we landed you on the river.”

  “But the river was frozen, and I had to break a hole. Rather, Liz broke the hole,” Agnes said, emphasizing her fist. “You plunged right into it.”

  “The sensation of floating... It wasn’t a dream?”

  “None at all. You were in deep underwater. That’s why you’re wearing my t-shirt. Your clothes were soaked, so we had to change them,” Maury said.

  “In the end, I came back alone. And Gwen...” I wobble backward. My vision gets blurry as if everything is going blank. My mind begins to shut down the moment I collapse to the floor. Seeing this, my friends lift and carry me back to my room. They lay me on my bed and pulled the duvet up. Tears flow into my pillow despite closed eyes.

  This was the feeling I had when grandma died.