Kilamin’s POV

The night was restless today, I tossed and turned but couldn’t sleep. Earlier I had dropped Serene at her room but something felt off. I wanted to go and check on her. Just then I heard Suri growling and it began to grow louder.

I got out of bed and opened the door and Suri came barging in, growling and looking distressed. It came at me with full force and seized my shirt in its jaws, it began to tug at it. I guessed it wanted to take me somewhere.

Grabbing my sword I followed it. It thumped forward and took me outside on the ground. Shumal was there, kneeling beside Ayrden who appeared to be unconscious. I rushed forward and inquired: "What happened?" trying to access the situation as I glanced all around me.

All the colour seemed to have drained from Shumal’s face and she was finding it difficult to speak: "Umm... Serene and Ayrden came down to have a walk on the grounds. I came to check on them when they hadn’t returned and found Ayrden like this but.....can’t find Serene." Her face fell at these words and I felt a chill in my bones. Knowing something had happened to Serene.

"What? Call Artins." I almost yelled at her and she got up and whooshed past me, taking Ayrden with her. I knew I should have kept her in my sight at all times. I spread my wings and flew up trying to get an aerial view, my eyes searched frantically for her, any trace of her.

I searched the woods, hoping she was around somewhere and had only lost her way. But it was in vain, I decided to return to the grounds. Suri was whimpering, his head facing in the direction of the Dark Realm. My heart sank at what he was trying to indicate.

Descending to the grounds I found Artins, Lavaria, Sarim and Shumal had gathered. Artins held a grim expression his lips forming a thin line as he spoke to me: "Any luck?"

"No," I replied feeling frustrated, how could I let this happen on my watch? I was supposed to protect her, and failed in the one task I was assigned.

"I have a barrier around the place and no one can intrude in without me knowing and I haven’t felt anyone or anything trying to enter," Artins emphasized.

"What if something or someone from inside took her away? That’s a possibility." Lavaria added while pushing his hair back in frustration.

"But who would do that?" Sarim inquired, his eyes drifting between us all.

"I don’t know but I am going after her. She is in danger and whatever grabbed her will surely take her to Dark Realm. I think Suri can sniff her so I will follow him." I declared while unfolding my wings.

"Take Lavaria with you too, he can sniff out her scent. I will call Rizar, we will need Slayers in case the worst happens." Artins gestured to Lavaria as he got ready to shift.

"I have been trying but I can’t get her scent, it’s only present on the ground and seems like it disappears after that as if she had vanished in thin air." Lavaria seemed apprehensive at the situation as he was unable to get her scent.

"Stay here, I will take Suri. I think it saw what happened and knows what direction they went to. Follow behind after forming a team." I instructed them and gestured to Suri who seemed to understand what I was saying. It sprinted toward the woods and I flew behind it. My mind was in turmoil, what if something happens to her?

Suri came out of the woods and I followed. It stopped and glanced in different directions, indicating her scent was lost. It howled once and began to head in the direction leading toward the Dark Realm and I knew in my heart that was the right direction.

I flew for a while before the barrier of the Dark Realm came into view. Suri stopped and hissed at it from a distance, clearly frightened at whatever lurked inside. I descended behind it and stroked its fur, trying to calm it down. It began to whimper, pointing with its head toward the Dark Realm.

"Is she here?" I asked Suri slowly and it pointed with its head toward the barrier again.

I began to walk toward it, where was she? I couldn’t see her anywhere. "Serene," I called out to her but heard no response. Stealthily I approached the boundary as it pulsated with an energy of its own. I glanced all around but there was no sign of her.

Just then I heard a faint scream, and my whole body shook. It was her and the scream had emanated from inside the Dark Realm. I felt dizzy at the prospect of supposing she was inside. How was that even possible? No one could cross the boundary spell without getting torched. She couldn’t have entered without injuring herself.

Another scream followed and then another. Her screams pierced my heart and I felt utterly helpless at that instant. There was nothing I could do as I frantically ran around the boundary of the Dark Realm. Trying to find the nearest spot from where her screams were originating. What was happening to her? Were they hurting her? If I could I would switch places with her in the blink of an eye.

All my life I had tried to keep her safe and yet I failed when she needed me the most. The guilt made me scream in frustration and I wanted to step inside the barrier and rescue her. But I knew I won’t be of any help to her, dead. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

The nightmares had just turned real and she was trapped in there with thousands of unknown dangerous creatures. Alone and who knew in what condition, it was a miracle that she was still alive. Suri yelped behind me every time we heard her faint screams. Prancing around he seemed as agitated as I was.

Then her screams stopped and my heart sank. Maybe she had fallen unconscious, I hoped with everything in my heart that she was just unconscious. I couldn’t bring myself to believe the worst.

I tried to peer inside but the darkness made it difficult to see past a few feet. Just needed some kind of assurance, any kind to know she was still alive and then I heard her soft voice calling my name:

"Kilamin..." and I ran in that direction. I could see someone heaped on the ground. Suri ran ahead of me and reached the spot. It began to sniff and then stepped back snarling. With teeth bare, it growled when I reached there and almost gasped.

Serene was laying on the ground and there was a pool of blood all around her legs. Her clothes were torn and bloodied, and her neck was severely bruised and had turned purplish red. There were countless bruises on her entire body.

What had they done to her? I shook with rage at her condition, removing my cape I wrapped it around her broken, semi-naked body.

"Serene, you alright," I whispered to her my eyes brimming with tears at her condition. Bending down I took her in my arms and she finally opened her eyes. They were pitch black instead of her regular indigo and I understood she had been possessed.

Before I knew what was happening, she stabbed me in the back with something sharp. Excruciating pain resonated through my body and my grip on her loosened. Instantly she slipped from my grasp and taking a few steps back, jumped inside the barrier.

I shouted at her action and moved forward to grab her but she was already gone through and I was left clutching air. Suri was howling loudly behind me and I understood why it had stepped back from her. She wasn’t herself, she was being controlled. But why stab me and disappear? What was the enemy planning? They were using her as a puppet, but the barrier was still standing. Did they have an ulterior motive?

Blood trickled down my back and I knew I had to formulate a plan on how to deal with the situation. I got up and peered inside the barrier to see where she had gone. Suri nuzzled my back, realizing I was hurt but my focus was on finding her again.

A few minutes passed and I heard rumbling, the whole place seemed to shake as if being hit by thunder and lightning. My eyes grew twice the size in shock as the barrier in front of me split open and gradually began to disappear and fade away before my eyes. The magic holding it together dispersed in thin air and the jelly-like structure was almost gone.

I could hear snarls and screeches of monsters lurking inside the darkness of this wretched Realm and they were coming for our world.

I couldn’t help but wonder: "Serene, what have they made you do?"