

Witch Trials:

Crimson Necrosis

By: A.R Sarker

Chapter One: 3009786

I raced into my house with my back soaking in sweat. I broke the sound barrier as I darted to the table and flung my newly bought groceries onto it. Saber, my roommate, had noticed my panicked face and asked what was wrong. I completely ignored it and flew to the top of the stairs and slid underneath my bed, awaiting my impending fate. Those iconic sirens rang from the outside, and it was then I knew that these were my final moments of freedom. The policed rammed right into the front door with their unbreakable car. My puzzled roommate had not the slightest idea of what was going on. They tasered him down the minute he got up off of his comfortable couch. They tore the grocery bags apart, collecting everything within it. Then a smoke scream suffused through the entire house. What seemed to be an army of police stampeded through every inch of the house, not leaving a single square foot unchecked. From under the bed I could see the ebony boots that they wore, every furniture, table, and vase was turned upside down. It was only a matter of time that they found me. One of them dragged me from under the bed by my ankle. Repeatedly, they plunged their fist into my gut till I was roughly unconscious. At least four of them held me down like I was a rabid animal ready to be put down. They had on their distinctive police armor, adorned in a shiny metal. A helmet which had the eternal knot symbol on it. They wrenched my arm like it was some kind of toy, not caring if they had broken my bone or tore a muscle. The captain of the police took out some kind of machine that resembled a stamper. They stabbed it into my arm, I cried in agony as the torrid metal branded my skin with the numbers 3009786.

"Freaking heretics! It's your fault! It's your fault so many people died! My friends, my family... my wife!" The captain cried. "I hope you burn in the deepest parts of hell with all your heretic buddies!"

Promptly I was tugged by the roots of my hair all the way to their white, blue, and red designed Lincoln. I took steady deep breaths and took my last good look around my neighborhood. This was the last thing I witnessed before they knocked me out cold were the twirling blue sirens, mocking me as everything faded into blackness.

"Let's see, full name is Adamis Katil. Let me guess, you go by Adam? Hmm... your documents say your mother was from south Asia and your father was from here, occupation a... nurse. I'm assuming your mother wasn't proud that you haven't become a doctor yet?" A maniacal voice said.

I gradually lift my eyelids as if it were hundreds of pounds heavier. My vision adjusts to the bright light, everything seemed hazy. Ropes were tightly wrapped around my ankles and wrist as I laid on top of a gurney. Slowly I was able to make out a pale man standing next to me. Black wavy hair slept on top of his head as it curled passed his ears. He wore a white lab coat, the symbol of an eternal knot imprinted on his chest pocket. He obnoxiously reads off a clipboard and then scratches words onto it with his black inked pen. A black curtain surrounded me so I was confused as to where I was. The symbol that was printed on his coat was also on the curtain. Multiple tubes carrying my blood traveled from my body to a mysterious machine.

"It says here you have a sister, don't worry about her she's out there too!" A sinister grin traveled from ear to ear. It felts as if his piercing amber eyes were impaling my soul. Even though I wanted to move my body it wasn't compiling. "Oh don't try to talk or move, we tranquilized you." He paused and recollected his thoughts "Hmm I feel kind of bad for you even though you're a witch and a cute one at that." The computer screen behind him started flashing. My eyes jolted to the computer monitor as the man turned the screen. He was typing something, it was titled "Witch Trials Profiles." "I see, you're one of those type of people. But you're special. But we don't require special people, we require ordinary people."

It listed the names of different people, including mine. A sequence of numbers followed each of the names. He shifted his body towards the table, letting out a faint giggle as he flicked a lengthy needle. That needle was injected into my right arm, everything white slowly turned black. My vision was deteriorating, consciousness slowly fading away every second. Instantly I arose, confused as to what's actually happening. Was that a dream or was it reality, my head hurt just from thinking about it. Rays from the moonlight illuminated the pitch black welkin. The crescent moon bled red as it leaned onto the radiating stars, while it slept. Chilling howls shattered the tranquil silence. The frigid zephyr crept onto my spine, my bones shivered in terror. From then on I was alone to travel the foreign woods. For almost two days I didn't talk to anyone or even to myself, I had no food, water, and barely any sleep. I began turning to my memories instead of reality. I couldn't believe that I was going to die a dog's death. But it was in the pool of misery that I noticed that there was a slim chance of survival. I reminisced to the time my older sister and I were searching things about the Witch Trials on the internet. It said that once exiled, the only other place for them to be accepted was to journey to Liberatai City. People that were accused of being a witch were allowed to dwell there but practicing magic was banned. Which was no problem for me since I wasn't a real witch. I've never seen a true witch but from what I heard they were hideous, with warts popping from their green skin. Then again I saw that in a movie so I guess that didn't count. I heard a voice, but I wasn't sure if I was just hallucinating from the malnourishment.

"Hello, is anyone there!?" my voice echoed as it latched onto wind only to be greeted by whispers of an unfamiliar creature. The ground vibrated with sounds of a monstrous creature. A dark beast prowled in my direction hidden behind the towering trees. Countless amounts of legs extended from its body covered in dark hair. Its jaw separated revealing several rows of red teeth, one behind the other. Hunger manifested in its black spider like eyes. Every cell in my body told me to run, but fear had devoured my senses. After being dazed with terror for a few crucial seconds, I gathered my wits and darted the opposite direction. Though I didn't dare to look back I knew it was trailing me because of its thunderous steps. One of its legs lacerated my left arm causing me to tumble to the floor. I thought all hope was lost and only a miracle could save me. A trap sprung from beneath the beast, wooden logs penetrated its abdomen. The surrounding trees drenched in gallons of the beasts' blood. Its final roar deafened my ears. A sensation of relief circulated throughout my veins knowing that it was dead. A stranger leaped from a tree branch chuckling at me, I could barely tell what he was saying. "Hey you, are you alright?" Time slowed down as I collapse to my knees, all I could hear were the beats of my heart decreasing with every second.

The aching from my left arm awoke me from my slumber. I realized that I was in a beige tent wrapped in a brown blanket. The injury on my left arm had been encased in bandages. Several voices could be heard from outside of the tent. Power had yet to return to my knees, I forced myself to get up as I limped out of the tent. It felt as if I were walking on ground made of nails.

"Oh you're awake, come sit, eat! Do you feel better?" her French like accent slipped past her tongue. A strawberry blonde hair girl extended her arms beneath my pits, taking the pressure off my knees. Tomatoes couldn't compare to how red my face had become. It was apparent that she was from eastern Asia because of her soft features, and her almond shaped eyes. It was bright blue with specks of green and yellow circling the pupil. He eyes were very noticeable as it was surrounded by her tan complexion. I couldn't believe this angelic being was assisting me. Her warmth reached into my soul, as I was seduced by her glance. People were scattered around sitting on wooden table, eating their breakfast. The crowds of men were eyeing me as if I had taken something from them. "You must be hungry, no? Bring this poor man some food, he looks starved!" I quickly gobbled up the food within seconds of them serving me, almost forgetting to breath. Then a young man sauntered to the girl's side, brushing into her shoulder.

"So this is Saral, he's the one that saved you." She motioned her right hand towards the tall man with brown spikey hair next to her. His smile illuminated as his azure freckled eyes glittered with sun rays. Staring fixedly at my eyes, gesturing for a handshake

"You're welcome for saving your ass back there." His baritone pitch along with his Aussie accent made the sound of my voice sound girlish. His brows knitted into bumps as his mouth beamed.

"Thanks, I-I wouldn't have made it back there if you weren't there."

"I guess I was destined to help you, or maybe you're just lucky"

"Maybe... oh I forgot to introduce myself my name is Adamis but I go by Adam!"

Viola interrupts as she steps in front of Saral. "Alright enough small talk, since you're new around here Saral will show you around and tell you how things run around here."

"Well I mean we live in a cave what's more for there to see?" Saral said as he rolled in head.

"Shut it, you know what I mean. Now show him around and be nice!" Viola commanded.

He turns around and squats down, "I'll piggy back you around, think of it as a taxi ride!" Even though we had just met he treated me as if we were friends for several lifetimes. Since I was crippled I had no choice but to accept his offer. Embracing his wide back reminded me of my father. He always use to give me piggy back rides as a child, I use to think of it as a rollercoaster. Saral carries me into a cave with a dark pathway lit by faint flames. Drops of water splashed onto the ground, the noise echoed throughout the underground pathway. The calming melody of water splattering were soon overshadowed by my nettlesome wheezing.

"You okay, it seems like you're having trouble breathing." My hold on Sarals neck had tighten almost choking him. "You're giving me breathing problems too!" A slight giggle pushed through.

"I'm fine, I'm just a little claustrophobic that's all."

Several voices could be heard from the end of the tunnel. The noises bounced off the dirty walls, it was as if it were coming from every direction. A ray of light lustered ahead, homes made of cracked wooden logs and dry rocks stretched for as far the eye can see. Who knew there was a mini town within these secluded mountain caves?

"See all these people? Most of them were accused of being a witch, others were kicked out for breaking laws. All these people were helpless. We all had to combine our abilities to create this shelter. Viola was chosen as our leader because of her leader type nature."

"But how do you get all these people food and water?" I questioned.

"That's where people like you and me volunteer, we're strong enough to provide for those who can't. Think of it as a good deed."

We walked down rows of stairs leading into the village. There were shops and houses, everything a normal village would have. Logs were burned as a source of light. I couldn't help notice the smiles on the town's people's faces.

"How are these people so optimistic, what's driving them? I mean look at them, what's actually keeping them alive." I could feel vibrations from Sarals chest, his heart was racing. It seemed as though he had no answer. As we went deeper into the village, people were huddled around a large tent. Sprawled across the ground, the moans of torment were very distinct. Some had red spots all around their body while others were bathed in crimson. The ones coated in crimson had strange deformed features, almost devilish. Their nails were grown, teeth rotted black, coughing up blood. Some tried to speak but it was frightening just listening to their unusual tone. One specifically looked like something that crawled out of hell itself. Finally the rhythm of anguish was replaced by Sarals words.

"Hope would be a cliché answer wouldn't it, but that's not what's driving them. Maybe it's that feeling in their gut that's yearning for life, or maybe it's the fear of death." He paused as if he were done talking. We could see a child running towards the strangest looking one, it was clear now that it was his mother. He didn't care if he would get infected, he only cared for his mother. "They know there's no hope but even when life seems forlorn there's always a reason to live."

"Why not just end it? If I were them I would just kill myself. It seems that in this case... death is a bliss."

We shouldn't commit suicide just because life isn't in our favor, that's selfish. Sometimes you need to live. Not for yourself, but for another." The child laid over his mother, weeping uncontrollably. Despite her fiendish features, the smile that arose onto her face was angelic. His tears met with hers as they embraced each other.

"But what happens when that person dies, what's left then?" Two men dragged her away but the child refused to let go. Forcibly they ripped his hold from his mother. A man whispered to the boy saying that he'll see her soon again. The boy's tears ceased, believing in the man's lies. Was he comforting him or insulting him? On one hand he was lying to him so that he may calm down, but on the other what if he's telling the truth. What if he's referring that the boy will soon become diseased too?

"Well you find a different reason to live. But that's for you to find out yourself when the time comes."

"Wait where are they taking her? That boy's mother..."

"She's reached the final phase of the transition."

"How many phases are there?"

"The first is when crimson spots appear on your skin, soon you are greeted with flu like symptoms. The second phase you begin to develop insomnia. The third phase many claim they hear voices and see demonic like creatures around them, we diagnose them with schizophrenia. The fourth phase involves their skin transforming into a coat of dark crimson, many start to babble in gibberish. In the final phase they begin to grow devilish features, and in that phase we execute them or they turn into a full blown Asebis."

"Crimson Necrosis... that's what we studied back in nursing school, those are the exact symptoms that appear for it. But we were never told that the outcome was transforming into an Asebis, they told us people just die from it. We were taught it spreads through physical contact but it's strange because not everyone can get infected. How long do you think this process takes... for them to turn into an Asebis. "

Saral searched for an answer as he tapped his chin. "It's hard to say, many take weeks to transform but others may transform within 24 hours. But back to what you were saying earlier... what do you call it? Crimson Necrosis? Out here it's either called Crimson Death or The Crimson Plague."

The young boy who was torn from his mother scurried at us. "Hey you... I've seen you before." He sniffled his nose and generously wiped it. "Aren't you one of the men who protect us?" He pointed at Saral, he looked to be about 10 years of age.

"Why yes I am."

"Can you tell me when my mom is going to come back?" Such an obvious question, but the answer is too difficult to answer. How can you tell a child his mother is never coming back? "That man over there told me that I'll meet her again."

The puzzled look on Sarals face was understandable. He didn't know how to answer it. Adults would lie to children just so they don't hurt them, but rather it'll damage them more if you don't tell them the truth. I knelt down so that my eye met his, as my hand laid on his shoulder. "What's your name boy?"

"Sid."

"How old are you...Sid?"

"I'm 9."

"Wow you look very young for your age!"

"I might look like a kid but I'm old!" He shook his hips confidently.

"Since your old then I think that you want to know the truth."

Saral signaled with his eyes, trying to make me avoid telling him the truth.

"I want to know the truth." The boy inquired with wide eyes.

"Well unfortunately your mom was affected by a disease known as Crimson Necrosis. It's incurable and..."

"So she's not coming back...I knew that man was lying." My heart broke as I told him that his mother is dead. But he didn't look surprised. He seemed very mature for his age.

"But even though she's gone... she's in a better place! She's with the Creator."

"The Creator? What's that?" He looked at me like I was talking rubbish. These people were never taught religion or even the concept of a higher being. Perhaps their parents lost faith and they chose never to teach their children. Or maybe the children refused to believe in something that they couldn't see.

"The Creator is the one who created the entire universe! Now your mom is with him, she's always going to watch over you and protect you."

"Oh that's what the Creator is... I have a question then. Why did the Creator take my mom...?"

"Sometimes the Creator takes things away from us. We may not understand at the moment, but there's always a greater purpose."

Sid's gloomy visage brightened up a little. "I think I kind of understand...it's still not clear but I understand. Thank you...for not lying to me like the other adults."

"No problem. Sid, do you have any other family members."

"Yeah I have an older sister and a dad."

"Hey you're just like me! Here's a word of advice, cherish the moments with your family. No matter how much they hurt you, in the end they still care for you!"

"Hehe thanks for the advice! I think I should be going, my dad and sister are probably looking for me and I should tell them what happened. But before I go...tell me your name, your full name!"

"My full name? It's Adam... Adam Katil."

"It was nice seeing you Adam. I guess I'll see you around!" Sid ran off deeper into the town.

"You actually believe in that the Creator BS?" Saral negatively remarked, glaring at me with disapproval.

"It's not BS its real!" I stomped my foot hard onto the dirt, crossing my arms over.

"It's not like I have anything against people who believe in the Creator, it's just that I don't believe in that rubbish." Saral quickly tried to change the subject. "Anyways moving forward... this place was united by none other than Viola. We call it eclipse, the name has a nice ring to it."

"Why is it called eclipse?"

"The day Viola unified everyone was the same day as a solar eclipse."

"That's pretty cool!"

"Yeah I guess it is pretty cool. Well now, show and tell is over so it's time to return to the main chambers. We're going to be put into new groups.

Saral and I headed to the main chambers. There was a single immense chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The cave looked less like a cave and more like a house, and a nice one at that. "Was it always this nice in here?" I asked.

"That chandelier thingy has hung up there since I've been here." Viola stood at the top of the stairs with her chin held high. Her hand waved back and forth, signally everyone to gather. Everyone hasten into straight rows, their hands glued to their sides. It seemed they had a considerable amount of respect and fear for Viola. I wonder what she did... to obtain such respect.  
"Saral, Adam, Will, Oan, Kayden, and I will be group number three. We will be eliminators." As Viola lists the rest of the groups, I lean over to Saral. "What's an eliminator?" I knew we were supposed to be silent, but I had to ask.

"Eliminators are people who defend against the Asebises! You know like those people we saw earlier! So far there's no cure for it, so we have no choice but to eliminate them."

"Like that boy's mother from earlier?"

"Yes! Exactly!"

"What, I don't want to be the one that kills that boys mom. I mean I was the one that calmed him down!"

"Don't worry you'll most likely never even see her!"

What's baffling is his calmness to the situation. On the other hand I'm frantic about what's coming up. Luckily we start out assignments tomorrow, maybe I'll finally get some well needed rest. Saral nudges my shoulder "you aren't scared of a few Asebises are you?" It was clear he wasn't worried rather he was tantalizing. Of course, I couldn't show fear not even a hint of it. Even though in reality I was shitting bricks.

"Psh no, I'm ready to kick some ass-see-bis." He let out a weak chuckle, "Okay, if you say so!" Viola had dismissed us, we were directed towards a tunnel that led to a dining room. I tried not relying on Saral to get there, instead I limped myself the entire way. There were sheets spread across the rocky ground, food had already been prepared for us. There were plates made from a wooden material. Chicken, peas, and potatoes were on each plate, right beside cups of water. Saral fetched two plates of food and water.  
"There's a place I want to take you, the scenery is beautiful!" He took me through another pathway. A breeze brushed my face as we walked, stairs leading upwards emerged. With each step the gust of wind had gotten stronger. As we reached the top, I paused, taking in the beautiful scenery. We were so high up that it felt as if I could grab the stars with my hands. In the distance clusters of lenticular clouds could be seen, one had captured the attention of the red moonlight. Miles and miles of forests reached towards the horizon. The trees rustled from the gust of the wind.

"I told you it would be beautiful, I thought this scenery would go perfect with our meal." The clouds intercepted the moonlight leaving us in the shadows.

"Saral if I may be frank, can I ask you something?" I didn't bother waiting for his response. "Why are you being so nice to me, I'm sure there are many people you would rather hang out with." He turned away avoiding eye contact with me.

"You remind me of my brother." He softly spoke, turning his head away in shyness.

Emotions circulated throughout my mind, forcefully extracting a smile onto my face. I didn't dare to ask him about his brother because I was sure it would be an awkward depressing tale.  
"Oh so that's why you're so nice to me! But thanks... for welcoming me with a warm heart. I guess I'm lucky to have a friend like you." I leaned closer to him, "We are friends aren't we?" I raised an eyebrow in question.

"Of course. Sure we've only known each for a good minute but you just have a welcoming vibe about you Adam." Light from the moon gradually peaked from behind the clouds. Crimson rays had met with the ocean waves of Sarals iris. Reflecting off of it as if it had transformed into an enchanting bird. His stare was intense, almost piercing.

I was at a loss of words, searching for what to say next. "Uh our food is going to get cold. We should probably eat it soon!"

"I completely forgot, we should quickly eat so we can get a lot of rest for tomorrow." He asserted. "We don't want to fight Asebises while we're half asleep now would we?

We returned to our tents. Bands of people just sat around like they were family. People traded kind words with each other. I guess it's because they knew that they may never see the person next to them. Anyone could die, whether it's from the disease or from an attack. Tents were shared because they lacked enough for everyone. Thankfully we still had blankets but we had to share it too. My roomie was Saral so I didn't mind. He slept in weird positions and tossed and turned like he was rolling. He also stole a majority of the blanket, leaving me half expose. That night I was restless, the thought of battling Asebises suffused through my thoughts. But I also kept thinking about Scarlett, my sister. Whether if she was okay or even if she's alive. The sclera of my eye burned red, a maze had been created with my veins.

"You still awake?" a voice whispered, I stayed quiet.

He tapped my back, "I know you're awake, I can feel you squirming around." I turned around, Saral leaned onto his hand as bags dangled from his eyes. The aroma of sweat and heat came from his muscular body crying from the excessive warmth. The numbers "3067830" were hidden beneath the hairs on his arms. Black snake patterns of tattoos coated his chest as it reached down onto his legs.

"I'm assuming you're nervous for tomorrow, am I right?" he murmured

"Yeah, but I'm also worried about other stuff. You see I have a sister an—."

Saral quickly cut me off "and she's persecuted like the rest of us, and you're worried about her."

"Exactly, she's the only family I have left. She's strong and can kick some major ass b-but... I just don't know."

"She could be dead." Saral sarcastically retorts.

"No, she's not."

"How do you know?"

"I don't!" I became irritated with his comment. It showed in my face even though I was trying to keep it hidden.

"Then let that be your motivation! If you want to find out if she's alive or dead then you need to survive."

Who knew Saral could be so motivational, his words had returned hope into my being. Maybe one day I'll see my sister, but I need to be alive for that to happen.

"Okay, now why are you up, huh?" I retorted

"Well I was up and I decided to watch you as you slept, but that never happened" He jested then exposing a creepy smirk.

"You're so funny...anyways I was wondering, how long have you been persecuted?"

"About one year, it went by pretty quick."

"So what happe—"

Saral refused to answer by cutting me off again. "Anyways I think we should go to sleep so we have energy tomorrow. Night!"

He obviously was trying to hide something, I'm sure he went through a lot in a year of this hell. I turned to my right side and tried to go to sleep. Suddenly I was in a hospital bed. My arms and legs were strapped down, the ceiling had the eternal knot symbol painted on it. My mouth was stuffed with a rag, it was difficult to breath. There were many doctors, circling me. Voices echoed into my ear "His blood... it's a 3, he is definitely going to the witch trials soon." I woke up to Saral spooning me, he drooled on my right cheek. I shoved him off, whipping the slobber off in the process. I decided to do a little exploring of my own, I grabbed one of the candles the hung on the cave walls. No one was in sight, I wasn't sure what time it was. Continuing forward I realized that I had no idea where I was going. The only thing I could hear were my own steps, until I heard a young girls giggle. It was like something out of a horror movie. I could faintly see her auburn hair, it was about should length. Her short dress had was partial shredded revealing part of her arm. Skin pale as the moon's surface, multiple scars were on her body. I tried going closer to her, "Hi creepy little girl, I'm not going to hurt you." She ran off. It seemed like she wanted me to follow her. So I decided that I would do what all the main characters of horror movies would do, follow her. Rats scurried on the floor, bugs covered the wall. She stood in front of a red door, she motioned her hands for me to follow her. A key had fallen from her hand. Strange symbols were marked on the door. Clearly the symbols had to do with black magic. I grabbed the key, a slow creaking sound followed as I creeped passed the door. A narrow hallway curving upwards was behind the door. Curiosity had overpowered my fear, there was certainly a reason why that little girl wants me to follow her. The twisting hallway led me inside a gigantic castle. Dozens of stained glass windows looped to the center of the ceiling, the one in the center was cracked. The sunlight beamed through it, the rays brushed onto my face. The little girl stood glaring at me. Both her head and right hand pointed towards a broken-down elevator. I didn't dare step closer to her, the atmosphere had drastically changed. Something tugged me back, "Shh it's just us." A thuggish voice whispered. Viola and Saral had followed the entire time.  
"What the hell do you think you're doing coming here alone?" Saral started to sound like a worried mother. "I saw you walking so I followed you, Viola was following me. So why are you up here?"

"That girl over there," she vanished. "There was a little girl and I started to follow her."

"Why the hell would you follow a creepy girl, I thought you were smarter than that!" Saral insisted we go back, I felt uneasy and inquisitive. I wasn't going to turn back, I have to know why that girl wanted me here.

"Maybe we should explore the place further." Viola tugged my arm, leading me the same way that the girl pointed towards. Her touch was that of icicles. Clanking noises accompanied us after Viola yanked the lever. We convulsed as the elevator trembled, pulling us upward to the abyss. The elevator halts one floor above, each step we took forward the wooden floor rasped. Our candles shimmered the dusking hallway, perplexing paintings were suspended on the walls. It felts as if their eyes followed us, watching our every move. We would turn to look back every few seconds as if we were being stalked. The wails of an inhumane being traveled from the end of the hall. Viola had vanished, a distinct rattling increased in volume. A vile fiend crawled on the ceiling, its bones cracked with each movement. Grey rusted nails extended from its fingers, face darker than the night. Its mouth ripped open several meters letting out a horrific yowl. There was no way to escape except to run back to the elevator. We sprinted back, quickly pulling the lever. The elevator cranked but there was no movement. It seemed like the demon would teleport closer every few meters. The neck lengthen, the head of the fiend twisted as it neared. Instantaneously the elevator hoisted several floors higher. We fell to the floor as if gravity had multiplied by ten. Our limps were bolted to the ground, suddenly we're flung to the ceiling. My face was smashed by the wooden ceiling.

"Where are we now?" I struggled getting up, it felt like I was wearing a two ton bag on my back. Stairs led to a higher floor, it divided into two separate directions. Satanic stars and unfamiliar writing were carved onto the floor, walls, and ceiling. Heavy breathing sounds engulfed the room; the light from the stained glass windows reflected onto the stairs. The icon of the Virgin Revekah had a blackened face. Two satanic statues stood at each side of the stairs, the sign of the Baphomet craved onto them. Footprints made of blood, gingerly sauntered up the stairs, leading leftwards.

Naturally, we trailed the mystifying prints. Each step we took let out an eldritch cry. Taking a closer look at the footprints I noticed it belonged to a child. I leaned in closer only for my foot to penetrate through the delicate wood.

"Shit!" Dozens of splinters cut through the souls of my feet. Again, Saral tries to carry me like before. "Ah, it hurts don't touch it!"

"Stop, being a wuss!" Forcefully he coveys me onto his back, even though I didn't want his help, I was compelled into it. He was like human crutches. We reached the top of the stairs, the prints leads us into a corridor, a dark ambience was lurking as we set foot into the chamber. The little girl that I previously saw stood next to a ligneous stand, it held an oversized book. Decorated with symbols of all sorts, there was one in particular, it looked like the eternal knot but instead of being more diamond shaped it was circular. Pages flew, flipping uncontrollably, it stopped on a page. The door behind us slammed shut, the child facial expression indicated that it wanted us to read. Normally I'd refuse but it seemed we had no choice. I read from behind Sarals head as I relaxed my chin onto his deltoids. It was written in Ancient Elvish, which I studied back in Oaktown. I assumed Saral wasn't practiced in this dialect, but surprisingly he started to read it out loud, translating it.

They're coming after my daughter, I don't know how they found me. I had thought that the crimson spots on their skins were just a rash. But I was wrong. They're no more my friends, now they have lost all their humanity. They want her, because of her special gift. The gift that the Goddess had originally placed within me, but now it is also within her. No matter what they will not be able to harm her, I will protect her, even if it means that I must die in the process.

It seemed like it was a journal entry, but how is this relevant? We weren't yet sure exactly what to make of it. Further and further we progressed through the book, searching for texts that we would be able to understand. He stopped on a peculiar page, it had two eyes on the top. One was pitch black and the other was completely white without a pupil. Circling it were scratched up letters from a foreign language. The actual text beneath was written in cuneiform, but there was an arrow pointing to the translation.

An absconder from a primordial coven will bare twain offspring. One will infect the globe, causing the world to weep in despair while the other will solely possess the cure. Three plaques will suffuse the earth antecedently to the arrival of the prophetic children. One will stain the east in black, another will drench the west in silver, and the last will compel the north to bleed in red. Subsequently, two maniacal clans once sealed within the earth's bosoms will be unleashed, free to shed chaos once more. The earth will plunge into centuries of anarchy as a result, true faith will be abandoned. The natural balance will seize to exist. As they grow, the children of the absconder will quarrel between ideologies. Ideologies that will either heal the wounds of the past or blind the construction of the future. This in turn will divorce the world in two, but only one will utter truth and ultimately only one will prevail.

"Hm, if you think about it. Part of this prophecy has already happened. Specifically the part where it says, the north will bleed in red. I think that part might be referring to the Crimson plague. It turned people's body into red shade and we are located in Europe, it's kind of north. I mean it's above Africa." I said as I disturbingly shuffled my eyes around the page.

We both turned to each other in astonishment. "Pshh nah we're just over thinking it!" Saral claimed.

I looked towards my right and the young girl looked unsettled, her already freaky eyes looked freakier. Saral scrutinizes through the book, there were loads of ancient text written throughout the book, and in many languages. He read another text in a hushed tone. It was scribed in what seemed to be similar to Egyptian hieroglyphics. But next to it, was the translation in English. It was smudged and barely legible but Saral read it with ease.

'Twas the time of the Ancient Indus, rivers flowed with strength and the wind blew soft. The sun rays brushed the Empresses palace, as she laid on her death bed. Soon, the angel of death would come to claim her soul. She feared her inevitable future, so she called upon an ancient being. One that was worshiped as a Goddess throughout the Lands of Indus, Vesta. She came to her as the Empresses death neared. The Empress struck a deal, if she offered her eldest daughter to Vesta then she in return will be given immortality. Vesta agreed, she turned the Empress into a dragon. An she will return to her human form once her eldest is dead and only then will she be given immortality.

Before Saral could finish reading the text, a chilling knock echoed from afar.

"Hey guys open the door!" Knocks turned into bangs and it came from the locked door, it was... Viola's voice. "Guys come on its freaky out here, just open up." She restlessly turns the door knob, unable to enter. Saral turns arounds, motioning his hand as if he were about to open it. The little girl grips his wrist and warns "Don't open it. It's not her." Monstrous bellows came from outside of the door. It wasn't Viola, it never was. Bang after bang the door started to breakdown, we had nowhere to escape, not this time. The little girl signals towards another door, it looked like the same one we entered from before.

"That wasn't there before!" I accidently yelled into Sarals ears.

"Who the hell cares?" He rushes to the door while handing the book to me. I held it between my chest and his back, it became even more difficult to hold onto him. The fiend shatters the doorway, its head twists in our direction. The only way out was locked, but then I remembered, the key. Hastening to pull the key from my pocket, I hand it Saral, unlocking the door. Rushing through, not even looking back, not even for a split second. The winding hallway felt like it had no end, the shadows of the creature stretched as if it were traveling through the walls. Prehistoric pictures were drawn onto the hallway walls. The demon scratches my back with an invisible force. Propelling both of us several meters forward. The key spun from Sarals grasp. We were too afraid to go back for it. Only a few more feet till we were home free, both of us uncontrollably bled from our backs. Saral had lost consciousness, I didn't care about my injuries, and all I cared about was making it out alive. It hovered over me, unnaturally hunching towards me. It spoke a language that I've never heard, but one thing it said, I understood immediately.

"Vesta..." It whispered in its sinister tone. Miraculously an unmatched strength had embodied me, pain in my body had become nonexistent. Kicking the beast away, I grabbed the Saral beneath his armpits along with the book, and bolted out the door, slamming it behind me. Saral awoke, "We made it?"

"Yeah, we made it."

"What the hell are you two boys doing?" We jumped in fear, embracing each other firmly. It was Viola or at least we thought it was. Saral stepped forward, "How do we know you're the real Viola?" He narrowed his eyes as he held up his fists.

"What? Why are you guys acting weird?"

"How do we know you're not that demon behind this door?" He directed her attention behind us.

"What are you talking about, there's no door behind you!"

We couldn't believe it, it was gone, our injuries gone, and our clothes were restored. "Th-there was a door, we just ran from a demon, in a big castle like thing!" I searched for words to describe what had just happened, but to no avail.

"Are you guys on drugs or something? Maybe you're just sleep deprived, you should return back to your tent!"

Maybe we were just sleep deprived, but what we had just witnessed couldn't have been fake. What was that girl trying to tell us? Returning to our tents was the highlight of our night. I leaped onto my sleeping area, forgetting there were no cushions. But I didn't care, as long as we weren't back in that place. Ripping off my clothes, instantly I knocked out, falling asleep on my stomach. I was told as a child not to sleep on our stomachs because then the devil would rape you, or something along the lines of that.

"Leave this place... Leave... before it's too late." Sadistic whispers awoke me from my sleep. But I couldn't move or even speak for that matter. It was difficult to breathe and even more, trying to open my eyes. I tried calling out to Saral, I felt the sheets rustling, hoping it was him. I could hear an uncanny noise, as if it were ice... breaking. Pitch black claws wrapped around me, caressing my side. A scratching sensation could be felt on my back. Air wasn't reaching my lungs, like I was being choked.

"Adam!" Saral nudged me, I gasped for air as if I returned from the dead. This was the first time I was actually happy that Saral woke me up. He smacked my butt repeatedly, forcing me to get up.

"Okay, okay I'm up!" I acted as if nothing happened, I didn't want to remember.  
"Hey, you have a mark on your back." He drew it in the air, it seemed like it was in Elvish. "I think it says, the healer in Elvish. That's weird..." So that wasn't just some kind of bad dream, it was real. He rubbed his fingers on the letters, "It looks fresh, and do you know how you got this?"

I described to him what happened, but it was interrupted by a loud horn, "Attention, attention, this is not a drill I repeat this is not a drill." It was Violas voice over the intercom. "All members of eclipse, report to the front lines, Asebises have been spotted coming this way." Everyone woke up and Saral led all the rookies to the front lines. Was this what the little girl tried to warn me about? There, Viola stood with her arms crossed behind her back holding a worried expression. Swords were distributed along with grenades. "Odd number groups you will go onto the battle field, even numbers, you will stay back and protect the civilians and evacuate them. Dismissed!" I noticed that there were fewer even number groups then there were odd. We all rush onto the field, there were hundreds of them. Many of the Asebises looked like they came straight out of a horror movie. Stabbing their heart is the only way to make sure they are dead. The skyline was infested with swarms of creepy crawling Asebises. Though I was about to retreat, everyone else led onward for battle. They planted a sense of bravery into me, compelling me to abandon my fear. A mountain of dead Asebises began piling to the sky but there were still plenty to slaughter. I stood face to ugly face with one. My fear attempted to creep back into my thoughts but now there was no going back. I nervously held me sword with no prior knowledge on how to properly use it. It launched its claws at me like a wild animal thirsting for its prey's blood. Instead of retaliating I kept dodging, walking carefully in reverse. I pulled back, but its claw tore the end of my sleeve, I heard a slight rasp of the material slitting. It was then I remembered those terrifying memories. I was just a child, when I first encountered an Asebis. Rather it was the first time I killed one, it was that fear that never left me. My head wasn't in the battle, the Asebis caught me off guard as it pounced onto me, leaving my sword to lay on its own. I fought desperately for a way out for this mess. Its head thrusted at me, desiring for a small taste.

"Stupid Asebis! I hate all of you and I will kill each and every one of you!" Rage personified into my hands. I dug my nails deep into its eyes, pushing the creature off of me. Then grabbing my sword to connect the final blow. There after I lifelessly rested on the ground, catching my breath. I haven't actually fought a real Asebis head to head before like that. I pressed my hand against my side, attempting to slow down the bleeding. It wasn't that deep but it was definitely painful. But it was too soon to rest comfortably. Like maniacs the Asebises galloped mindlessly at us. But for an unknown reason they all stopped, dazing at the sky. Then mysteriously they retreated without a reason.

"Well that was weird" Saral remarked. He grabbed my body, carrying it off the ground. "You okay though, right?"

"Uh I think so. It's just a flesh wound."

"So are you sure you're okay? Like you're not going to die or anything, right?" Saral questioned repeatedly

"Yes I'm fine! Why'd the Asebises retreat?"

"Don't know. Do you think... shit! This was a diversion!" Fear entered into Saral's eyes while it widened into enormous balls. He yells on the top of his lungs, commanding everyone. "Everyone back to the base, this was a distraction!"

They had already infiltrated our base, they outsmarted us. We were never the targets, the civilians were! This is what the girl was warning me about, these Asebises were the people that had transformed here, long ago. Even though we had sprinted back as fast as we could, we were too late. Every child, mother, father, were all dead. Our team members that were there to protect them were buried in their own blood. Severed limbs of children floated in the endless pool of their protectors guts. Heads of our comrades were disfigured, the permanent expression of terror imprinted on their face. I couldn't bear to look. The stench of death scattered, everyone's faces were in shock, not a single one made a sound. Trampling steps came from ahead, a stampede of Asebises materialized across us.

"Run!" Saral shouted.

Crowds of people screamed trying to escape their wrath. The Asebises came from every direction. People who were once comrades pushed each other away. At this moment there were no allies, there were no friends. It was every man and women for themselves. Viola tried uniting everyone, but no one listened. Someone rammed me from behind, knocking me down. Saral caught me before I slammed to the ground.

"We're leaving, I know a way out!" Saral exclaimed.

We positioned ourselves back to back. The sweat on our shirts made it sticky, almost like we were glued together. I panicked, not knowing what to do. All I did as stand there and watched my comrades torn piece by piece. Saral bombarded the heart of the battle. Clearing a way for both of us to escape. I sprinted behind him, trailing closer than his own shadow. Ducking and dodging from the waves of violence. At times, I would glance over and feel remorse because of the helpless people. Everyone had turned their backs on their comrades. Some pushed each other into the Asebis so that they could get away. Others would abandon their injured friends' mid-battle. Saral rushed into a passage that was away from the battle. The structure inside looked different from the other ones. Jagged crystals reached to us from the top of the cave, shimmering a deep blue color, even though there was no light to reflect off of it. It was a breathtaking sight.

"It looks like a dead end!" I obliviously said. Saral places his hand onto the wall, pressing down on a rock that stuck out from it.

"Does it look like a dead end now?" The stone wall raised, hundreds of crystals illuminated with different colors. They surrounded a river that flowed through the cave.  
"We need to follow this river, it'll lead us outside." The clarity of the water made it to look like the crystal grew from beneath the river, but it was actually a reflection. The elegance of the crystal couldn't change the fact that we pretty much abandoned everyone. Helplessness was an understatement, I felt like maybe I could have done something, even if it were insignificant. Guilt heavily weighed on my conscious.

"You think everyone will be alright?" I looked to Saral for comfort.

"No, they won't be fine. Majority of them will die, maybe a few of them will escape with injuries." Saral was too blunt for my taste, but it didn't change the fact that he was right. "Don't give me that look Adam, if we had brought everyone with us the Asebises would have surely killed us all! I think the only ones that are going to survive is Viola, and whoever else she decides to save."

Sun rays cradled the prepossessing green bushes ahead. Fishes swam down the stream of pellucid water, leading us to a brighter end.

"See those vines over there, we need to climb up them to get out. They're strong so don't worry about them snapping." Saral assured.

There was faint movement coming from the river. A sudden sensation sparked through my spine after the realization that we were being stalked. I pulled the vines anxiety, trying to climb to the top as fast as possible. I twisted my head to see who was following us. Two Asebises freakishly slithered out of the river. Terrorizing us with their blackened eyes and snake like tongues.

"Don't pay any attention to them Adam! Focus on climbing or you might fall!" Saral warned.

It was like doing a pull up each time I tried grabbing a vine. I swung carefully, making sure I had a firm grip. I struggled at first but knowing that my life was on the line helped with the climbing. The top was only a few meters away, I could almost taste the freedom. Saral was a bit ahead of me because of his superior strength but I didn't lag much behind. Just as I held onto the edge of solid ground an Asebis tugged at my foot. My worse fear came to life. I was already exhausted from the climb up and my hand began to slip from my sweat palms. Frantically I fidgeted my leg, trying any way possible to release its hold on me. Luckily Saral already made it to the top and held onto my hand. I found a tiny rock the stuck out from the wall to balance my footing. I used it to increase the force of my strike then fiercely wacked it in the face with the sole of my foot, sending it crashing down, smashing into the other one that led behind it. Before moving on, Saral slit the vines with his sword so that they wouldn't be able to follow. There was a bridge leading across a dangerous canyon. The winds brutal strength swung the bridge constantly, making it barely stable enough to use. Viola ran from a different path with three other people at her side. It was Oan, Kayden, and Will with her. They were worn out with sweat soaked up to their necks.

"You guys made it out too?" She wraps her arms around both of us, "I'm glad it was you two!" I couldn't help but blush, Saral had given me that stare, you know that one where you see your friends crush.

"Adam... you feel warm, are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, yeah just fine!"

Will fidgets his hands back and forth "So what exactly are we going to do?"

"We need to cross that bridge, and from there we'll decided where we're going next!"

Dozens of Asebises had caught up, even though the bridge looked rugged and hazardous we had no choice but to rush through it. As we cross the bridge I look down to see the view, it was mesmerizing yet frightening. Miles above the water, if we fell I'm sure we wouldn't survive. Viola led us on, each step felt uneasy, it could break any second.

Kayden loudly remarked "it would suck if one of us fell down!" The wooden board broke, Kayden legs skid through the wood. Oan yanked Kayden arm back saving him from near death.

"Maybe next you should be careful about what you say!" Oan joked, there was little time to laugh. Asebises had started to cross the bridge, Viola stopped in her tracks, I bumped her from behind. "Why'd you stop?"

"This is no time for sightseeing Viola, get a move on or we're dead!" Saral remarked. We were all oblivious, Asebises were at both ends of the bridge and we were trapped. "Shit, what do we do now? Is this really the end?"

"This bridge will break any second from all the weight," she slanted over the rope. "We have no choice but to jump..." there was no time to argue, only to listen. We looked at her as if she were crazy, but it was the only answer.

"Is this a bad time to mention I have a fear of heights?" The four of them jumped first, leaving Saral and I on the bridge. Hesitation was an understatement, I wasn't going to jump.  
"Look at me," Saral held both of my arms trying to comfort me. "Do you trust me?"

"Uh Hell no I don't!"

"Good!" He manhandled me over the bridge, with no warning, jumping right after. I could feel my soul leaving my body as I helplessly fell for miles. "I hate you Saral, you shit!" he only responded with an obnoxious laugh. Wind rapidly shredded through our clothes and hair. Visibly the water could be seen in the distance. I looked up to the moonstone blue sky as we approached potential death. My back slammed into the water letting out a wave of water, soaring into the sky. My conciseness fading as my body sunk in to the water. Water overflowed into my lungs, everything blurred into darkness.

Chapter Two: Eisheth

"Hey wake up, this is no time to sleep!" I felt two hands pressing against my chest, air started to flow to my lungs. Water spewed from my mouth as I hunched over searching for oxygen. Looking up I noticed that I couldn't see the sky anymore instead the fog had blinded the view.

"Thank the Creator, I thought we lost you." I look to my right, Saral and Viola faces were worried over me. All three of us were drenched, my eyes shifted around looking for the others.  
"We couldn't find everyone else, they disappeared. It's possible they floated further down the stream leading into that forest." Viola points to trees in the distance, they towered hundreds of feet above us. Multitude of colors popped from the leaves, red, orange, and brown. Some of them were green, unaffected by the weather change. The music of the wind blew and the vivid leaves danced to its tunes. It felt serene for a short time.

We were clearly far from the mountains, the horizon was filled with endless miles of trees. The sky dipped into warm pink shades, the clouds whisked to perfection as they glided, almost as if it were cotton candy. We decided to go look for the rest of our team mates deep within the depths of the mysterious woods. Minutes turned into hours as we searched with no results. The vivid pinks present up above had soon been replaced by the everlasting night sky. Viola had brought supplies before we escaped from our base, we were forced to make camp despite our strength completely sapped. There were only two tents, meaning that Saral and I had to share. We circled the fire as we sat on the ground, our hands hovered over the brilliant red flames.

"You think we'll ever find them?" I nervously questioned.

"Well it hasn't been too long but I think they should be alive." Viola played with strands of her hair, twirling it in a circular motion, intensely staring into the blaze. The luster from the campfire had sat onto Violas face, her eyes radiated greater than the light from the fire.

"Why don't we take this time to get to know each other." Saral suggested curiously but we remained silent. "

I decided to begin. "So Saral, why'd you get kicked out? Were you accused of being a witch?" my eyes widened, I became curious about his past.

Saral crossed his arms together, arching his back forward with a serious expression. "Actually I wasn't accused of being a witch, rather I willingly left."

"Willingly? Why?" Viola interrogated.

"I'd rather not say. It's a touchy subject."

"Come one! You were the one that started the conversation! Spill!" I prodded him, almost forcing him to tell us more.

"Shh do you here that?" Saral placed his finger between his lips, focusing on the silence.

"Stop trying to change the subject!"

"No seriously! Listen."

It sounded like the grass shuffling through the wind. Branches cracked and leaves rustled but we were blinded by the darkness. We could only see as far as the camp fires light illuminated, which wasn't very far. All three of us huddled together in terror of what was to come. It darted from side to side, getting closer each time.

"It's coming from the right!" I yelled in terror.

"No it's from the left!" Viola nervously squealed.

Then out of nowhere a squirrel scampered by the fire. It nibbled on a hazelnut while wiggling its bushy tail. Our nerves cooled down ten degrees, we all took a sigh of relief. But then a pale hand squashed the innocent squirrel. Squealing as it took its last breath. It hunched over the flame with its wart filled face, only wearing a bearskin skirt and holding an axe in its hand. It towered almost as tall as the trees, more foots steps encompassed us. They let out a horrific howl, and began speaking to each other in a chilling language.

"Shit we're surrounded, draw your weapons!" Viola shouted.

I quivered in my shoes, holding up my sword but not knowing what to do with it. They were disfigured with silver hair and deformed faces. My eyes raced around, analyzing anything that was visible. A few were skinny but most of them had humongous beer bellies. They had crocked mouths and markings all over their skin. One whipped an enormous chain, completely shattering the ground beneath it. The shockwave propelled us away. My head thumped a tree branch but I landed onto another branch. I hung on for my life, kicking the air to help me up. I climbed further up the tree and the creatures didn't take notice. They definitely didn't look like Asebises, and they were much bigger than anything I've ever seen. I was worried for Saral and Viola but even if I went back down I wouldn't do any good. Especially if I was dead, I just hoped they were able to find a hiding place like me. It was hard seeing what the monsters were doing with all the leaves and branches in the way of my vision. At one point all the grunting and heavy steps stopped and I shimmied down the tree to find out what happened. Our camp had been turned upside down, all that was left were their foot prints deep in the ground.

"Saral? Viola? Is anyone here?" I whispered softly.

Saral crawled from behind bushes, panting from exhaustion. I quickly assisted him up, placing my arm underneath his armpits from his pained leg. He was barely able to conjure words. "They... they took her! Viola..."

"We have to go after her." My heart dropped to my stomach, what if they killed her already. Why would they take her? Why would they even keep her alive? So many questions, and yet so few answers. Both of us ran hurdling rocks and juking trees. Noises came from the east, our legs tiered from the endless trailing. We had endlessly been following the abyssal footprints left behind. Finally we spotted two creatures past the woods. Two demonic figures walked into a pitch black cave. We followed them inside, Saral turns on his solar powered flashlight that he found from the supplies Viola previously brought.

"Where'd they go?" growls accompanied with cold air traveled down our spines. Compelling the hairs on our necks to stand on an end. Saral quickly turns, cutting off one of their heads with his handy sword. The other wails, almost deafening our ears. Its roars traveled deep through the caverns. We bolted through the caverns not knowing the directions. I glanced back to find out that I had lost Saral.

"Saral...Saral where'd you do!" I continued by using the walls as my guide. I heard a scream from the right, it sounded familiar. Curiously I followed the noise to the best of my ability, water flowed from small holes on the walls. Each step I took let out a faint splash. My eyes had somewhat adjusted to the darkness, revealing two pathways, I wasn't sure which one was the right one, again, louder voices calling for help traveled from the end of the left cave. I followed them, the path led to a room. Crystals hung from the top reflecting the light. As the path sloped down, I halted, staring down. Oan, Kayden, and Will were trapped in some kind of strange cage. I slid down stealthily.

"How'd you guys end up here?" I asked in a hushed tone. I could see Kayden on the ground, overflowing purging blood from his abdomen.

"Those things..." Oan could barely speak, "those things tortured us, and we couldn't understand what they were saying. It was like they wanted answers to something... I don't know, I just don't understand what's happening."

"Okay well we'll talk about this later, right now I have to get you out!"

"Behind you!" Will warned.

There, stood tall with pride were two of those creatures. Heavily cladded with muscles, aching to break from their skin. A blade was wrapped tightly in both of their hands, thirsting for a fight. One lugged it's sword on to its shoulder, then wind milling it at me. Successfully I ducked and the sword cracked the cage.

"Guys! Run now while you can!"

"What about you? We're not leaving you behind!" Oan refused to move an inch.

"I promise I'll meet you guys up. Kayden bleeding to death, get him out of here!"

I distracted the colossal creature's attention away from them by racing between them. They hunted after me like I was a piece of bacon. I was stopped dead in my tracks as the path ended. Now, I was cornered, staring death in the eye. My sword shattered from their metal skin along with any hope of survival. They fiercely swung at me, crushing my footing. Their movements had gradually slowed down, giving me an ample amount of time to brain storm while dodging. Their strikes were powerful but sloppy. If I can't harm them then I'll make them harm each other.

"Hey bone head!" I threw a stone at one of its head while I swerved between the others legs. It fell for the bait and sliced its comrade right in half, while I barely jumped out of the way. It had realized what it had done and in a fit of rage began throwing its swords aimlessly. The cave started to crumbled from the pressure of the sword. I bolted to another opening, though I wasn't sure where it led. There were multiple other trails, I took a random tunnel, hoping it wouldn't figure out which way I went. Ice grew on the top of the cave, the temperature had drop to the point of where I could see my own breath. A red light illuminated at the end of the tunnel, as I got closer I noticed it was a light from a flame. It looked to be some kind of cult prayer area. I saw Viola tied to the ground, with a large star drawn onto the dirt, candles stood at the end of each corner of the star. Mysterious writing spread across the walls, encircling the entire cave. I sneaked onwards making sure no one was around. A closer look revealed that there were drawings along with the writing.

Her body was motionless, skin ice cold and pale. Are these things doing some kind of demonic ritual? It's almost as if it's witch craft or something. Why would these things even do such things, they aren't intelligent enough, or are they. I carried her on my back, her eyes struggle to open. "A-Adam what's happening" her voice softens.

"Those things took you, Saral and I came looking for you. We weren't going to leave you behind. I found the others too, they should have escaped by now!"

"Thank you" her eyes become watery as she tenses her arms around Adam. His cheeks flushed with shyness, "Now we just have to find Saral."

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit." Saral yells running behind them. "Those things are behind me, run faster!"

Without even turning back I darted, a horde of demonic creatures pursued us. Saral pointed towards the left, "take the left tunnel, it's a shortcut out!" We hopped from rock to rock across a stream, Saral slips dropping a hand grenade.  
"Go ahead, the exit should be straight that way. We need that grenade if we're going to stop those things. He rushed back, as the creatures rushed forward. One of them throws a chain with some kind of hook at the end wrapping it around the grenade. Simultaneously Saral unsheathes his sword severing its hold on the grenade. He seizes the grenade, turning back to follow his friends. Wind presses against our skin indicating that we're heading in the right direction. Saral unzips his bags, he releases the rest of the grenades. They scatter onto the ground as he sprints ahead, he jerks the pin off the grenade in his hand. It hurls into the air, exploding in a matter of seconds. Viola and I make it out of the cave, I could see the others ahead. We turn to see no one behind us, I could hear piles of rocks crumbling. I put Viola down as I get ready to go back into the cave. Saral leaps out the cave, rocks crumble as they block the entrance to the cave.

"Are they dead?" Violas visage expressed doubt, her eye brows slanted towards the center. Teeth clenched rigidly, terror reflected onto her eyes.

"I hope so, they were a pain in the ass!" Saral looked as if he was applauding, a cloud of dirt released from his hands.

"Where do we go now Saral?"

"I think right now we need to find a safe place to rest, we should try to look for some food on the way."

"Wait, Kayden is bleeding to death! We have to do something!" Kayden laid on the ground, looking up towards the foggy sky.

"You're right..." Saral pulls out his sword, aiming it at Kayden. "He'll only slow us down."

"STOP!" I moved in front of Kayden protecting him from Saral.

"Move out of the way!"

"No, I can't watch you kill someone!"

"Then close your eyes!"

I feel a hand pulling my wrist, I turn my head to see that it's Kayden "No, Sarals right. I'm suffering and I'm only going to slow you guys down." Saral moved me aside, "It'll only hurt for a second, I promise." I couldn't believe what I was about to witness, it was nothing less than murder, or maybe assisted suicide. "Don't you have something to live for?" I quoted Sarals words, "How could you just give up, don't you have someone out there... that's worth living for?"

Kayden looked at me and smiled "Everyone I care for is dead..."

"Then find a different reason to live, this can't be the only way!

"Thank you for caring for me, even though we're basically strangers to each other." He closed his eyes, readying himself for death. Saral receded his weapon readying it for the strike, I looked away, I refuse to watch someone get killed. I could hear a grunt for a second, and his body slamming onto the ground. Looking back, I could see that the sword pierced his heart, blood rapidly gushing from his left pectoral. He was in the hands of the Creator now, I sat next to his body, whispering "Sezeah illah semah fimir teyena illah ." Thereafter closing his eyes.

Viola placed her soft hands onto my shoulder, "The words that you just said, what does it mean?" A tear leaked from my left eye, I turned my head, unable to make eye contact. "It means to the Creator we belong and to him we will return." I remember my dad said those words, when my mom died. That's why I remembered.

"Such a deep meaning in a few words, it's beautiful."

"Yeah... it is, isn't it?"  
Her eyes started to get watery, "Thank you, for coming back for me... for us. If you hadn't come when you did, we might have been in the same position as Kayden was. It's a debt to you that we'll never be able to pay back."

"I hope when the time comes you'll be able to do the same for me."

"I would within a heartbeat."

Even though I was overwhelmed with sadness, I couldn't help but smile as I placed my hand over hers. It felt cold... but the heat from my hand made it warmer. Viola kept sobbing wiping off more tears. I noticed her arm, it had the numbers 3053701 written across her forearm.

"Do you guys know why we have these numbers on our arms?"

"I always thought it was just some kind of way to keep track of us. Or maybe some kind of identification code." She stared at the numbers elongated on her forearm. Will and Oan both rolled up their sleeves, Wills arms had the numbers "2039153," while Oan had "1098625."

"I don't think it's that simple, we were thrown from our homes with no warning. Why would they need to identify us if they just wanted us dead? I noticed back in the mountains that all the villagers had numbers on their arms too. They all started with the number 2 or 1, but why is it that only three of us have a 3 in the beginning. There has to be a reason, it's not random. It's not just that but did you guys ever wonder, what caused this so called disease. It seems more demonic rather than medical."

I faced Saral, he kept quiet as if he knew something we didn't.

"Hey would do you think about it Saral?"

"Well it's believed that some kind of witch started this disease. They think that anyone accused of being a witch can potentially spread the disease. I don't think that's the real reason, I think that the government is covering up the truth."

It's clear to me that Saral knows more than meets the eye. I wanted to interrogate him more but I didn't. I didn't want to do anything that would cause arguments amongst us. We each need each other, or rather I need them. Saral glanced down, his eyes didn't look as hopeful as it normally would. It looked like he wanted to tell us more but couldn't. Our stomachs started growling like wild animals. We started searching for anything we could consume. A few apples were hanging from a tree, it hunched over as if it were handing it to us. Saral mounted the tree grabbing as many apples as he could. Six apples were found, an uneven amount for us to distribute. It would mean that one of us would have two apples to eat. We could simply cut the apple into smaller pieces but I felt like that one that did the most should get the entire apple. Saral handed us each one but he gave me two, his kind gesture spoke to me.

"Why didn't you just take two of the apples yourself, we wouldn't know that you took one, why give it to me?"

"We're a team aren't we? We need everyone to have strength, I'm not even that hungry anyways."

Who knew behind all that "survival over kindness", that he had a heart? I couldn't stop myself from smiling. I placed one of my apples into his empty hand.

"I think you deserve it, you did the most work. Without you those things would have surely killed us when we tried to escape the cave. Personally I think that you're strongest out of us, and you need the most energy."

"You praise me too much" He takes a knife out of his bag and cuts it into two pieces. "I don't think I'm the strongest here. Honestly you carried Viola all the way out the cave, you put your life at risk carrying her on your back. They could have killed you. If anything you're the strongest here." He places a piece of the apple in the palm of my head. I blushed, my face turned redder then the apple he handed me.

"Hey what about me, I'm strong too!" Viola and the others had already guzzled down their apples only leaving a few seeds and stems behind. We all bursted out into laughter. I forgot what it felt like to laugh, to feel a sense of calmness.

"So when I was in the caverns I found a little something." Saral grabs a map from his pocket, "it's a little burnt but we should be able to use it."

Viola index finger points to a spot on the map. "Correct me if I'm wrong but I remember them saying we have to make it to Liberatai City. In order to prove that we're not witches, but it's nowhere on the map."

Saral points at a position of the map, covered in forests. "We're by the Zimmerz Caverns right now. See these arrows, I think whoever had this map last was going in this direction." He stared into the map as if he was reading something. He looked lost in his thoughts.

"Maybe these lines represent the safest way to getting to Liberatai City, looks like we'll be going to...." Oan presses his finger against the map, "There, the Gardens of Israh. Maybe we can get some food or supplies there."

Will rubs his chin, scanning the map thoroughly. "See where the map is burned, it seems like it burned off the ocean. The lines also stop just before that, so it's possible that Liberatai City is actually across the ocean."

Viola scratches her head as if she was searching for a thought, "So then we'll need a boat by the time we make it that far. Let's hope we find one." She rolls up the map as she hands it to Saral, "So I guess we'll be going north."

"How do we know which way is north?" I question. Viola looks up to the sky, pointing to the stars. "At night, you can locate north by finding the North Star. First, you need to find the Big Dipper." She moves her hand, pointing towards several stars shaped like the Big Dipper. "The last two stars in the cup points directly at Polaris, so that means its right there! North is that way, let's move onward!"

As we traveled north, we came across a narrow river. We haven't drank water for over two whole days, the last time was when we were by the caverns and Viola had a jug of water, which we all shared. I stuck both of my hands into the water curving my fingers as I carried the fresh water to my lips. I whispered the words "bismillah" under my breath. The chilly water brought life into us again. A cold sensation had dispersed through my veins, energy had surged into me again. We followed the path of the river, it led to several larger rivers. The sound of loud splashes were present nearby. Tons of crystal clear water were falling over a cliff.

"What a beautiful waterfall, I've never seen such a beautiful site." A frigid breeze caused Viola to fold her arms seeking for warmth. My gaze shifted towards her, her long wavy hair brushed up against my face as the wind picked up. Even though we hadn't showered in days, the fragrance of her hair allured me.

" I have..." I mumbled under my breath as her unmatched beauty paralyzed my speech, I was at a loss of words.

"What did you say?"

"Oh nothing!" The pitch of my voice had increased as I tried to change the subject.

"Do you have any kind of container that we could keep water in?" Oan suggested.

"Uh Viola should have one in her bag."

Viola takes out the container, filling it with ice-cold water. As we continued forward, we discovered a hot spring up ahead. "We should make camp here! Viola you can take a bath while us boys go look for some food and set up camp."

"We can finally cool down for a little while, I'm really going to enjoy this bath!"

We divided into two groups, Saral and I were one group while Will and Oan we're another. We went different directions, hoping to scavenge for food. We thought maybe all the wild life had already exhausted all the available fruits in the area. We realized we were lost, I cupped my hands together calling out to Oan and Will, but no one answered.  
"We only split up a few minutes ago, they shouldn't be that far." Saral and I tried walking back to camp, but it seemed as if we were walking in circles. Every tree looked the same, so we had no way to tell if we we're going in the right direction.

"Adam, see the horizon. We traveled from those mountains there, but I realized it seems like we're not getting any closer or further from them. I'm going to a little experiment." Saral grabs a rock on the ground and marks a particular tree, it was the tallest compared to the others. Most of the leaves glued on the tree were bright green. But a patch of black flowers hung from its right side. Saral draws a thick line on the center of the trunk. "If we really are walking in circles then we'll be able to tell." We continued to walk as if it were an eternity, hours and hours later we realized we came across the same marked tree. But something was different about it, the mark we drew was different. The thick line was changed into an arrow pointing up.

"That's strange, do you think there's someone else in this forest, other than Oan and Will?"

"Maybe, but why did it turn into an arrow? Maybe it's directing us somewhere."

"We have been just going straight on this path, let's follow it!" Saral suggested. We strayed off the straight path, going deeper into the unknown woods. He took out the map he had in his pocket, "What's strange is that this forest isn't supposed to be here, look!"

"That's unusual, it's supposed to be a barren wasteland, maybe this map is outdated or something."

A small stream stretched throughout the entire forest, we weren't sure where to go so we decided to follow the stream. "We're getting nowhere!" Bizarre owls flew above us, a single pale feather glided down landing onto the water. The unique patterns on the feather formed an arrow, relentlessly it gyrated similar to a compass. A mystical breeze propelled it further down the stream. It didn't seem random, in fact it seemed a little magical. We had no choice but to follow it, it's not like we knew where to go anyways. I felt like I was going crazy, I mean I'm following a feather for the Creators' sake.

But something in me, in my heart, was telling me that I had to follow it, I didn't understand why. I ran and ran as Saral was following closely behind me, it was as if I had lost something and I was just about to find it. A house perched behind a crowd of hunched back trees, its leaves dyed an purpuras shade. It was built on wood, colored an odd shade of red, crimson to be exact. Windows were cracked, the door knob twisted off as we entered the adobe. I could feel a sudden pressure in my ribs. The house seemed deserted but there were candles lit around the walls.  
Saral nudged me ahead, "Let's go in!"

"Hell no, haven't you seen those movies where the dumb blonde girl goes into an abandoned house, even though there are obvious signs that she shouldn't go in? Right now, you are that dumb blonde!"

"Not if you go in first!" He forcibly propels me into the house, falling flat onto my face. "Now that we're inside, let's do a little exploring. It'll be fun, think of it was a Halloween death trail, except we might actually die!"

"You just made it a hundred times worse, I'm not going in any further!" It was like my comment went into one ear and exited through the other as he dragged me further in. Each step wailed from the old rickety wooden floor. Paintings were glued to the walls, they stood elegantly crafted. The owner of the house had quite a unique taste in art. Soon we approached the kitchen, water boiled within a pot.

"Wait if something is cooking then it means that..." Tiny strides slithered inches behind. "It means that I'm preparing tea... hoodlums." A young women veiled in a lengthy dark skirt leaned against the counter. "What say you hmm? Burglar? I can assure you there is nothing of value within this house! Or are you an art patron, spectating the crude artwork my mother relishes?"

Saral sheltered behind me, "Witch! She-devil! Heretic! Spawn of the devil!"

"'Tis not wise to make such claims, especially not to someone who you would call a witch. Is that not why you are here in this morass in the first place, what do they call it... the witch trials?"

"How do you know that Heretic!"

"I think I should be the one insulting you with colorful names, you are the ones intruding my house, monkey."

"She has a point Saral..."

"You, the handsome lad. Let's be diplomatic and exchange names." Her ebony hair waved ever so slightly, it was braided into a bun. She sipped a burgundy juice from the glass in her hand, she tapped it with the golden ring on her finger. The petals of sunflowers were embodied within her eyes, emphasizing her soft caramel skin. Her lips were full of body sitting beneath her sharp pointed nose. Her manners were charming, almost as much as her bitter sweet old English accent.

"Katil, Adamis Katil but I go by Adam... and may I know yours?"

"Ah such refreshing courtesy. You may call me Eve."

"Such a beautiful name to match such an alluring face."

"Handsome and a tease? I would allow you to go on but I suspect you didn't come to flirt."

"My friend... Saral and I." I shifted my body away, revealing him. "We're kind of lost...and hungry... and filthy... did I mention hungry?"

"Well... if you please to have your stomach filled than you require patience. My mother will return shortly. For now I can only offer you tea, Adamis. Would your pet dog enjoy a treat?" She dawdle facing the kitchen. We sat on the chairs that surround a round table, her home seemed dark, only being lit by candles. But it wasn't dark because of the lack of lights, rather it was the atmosphere. It felt a bit lonely.

"Damn I didn't know you were so smooth with your words Adam!" He pestered me with his continuous nudging. "I didn't know either, it kind of just came out of me, without warning."

Saral gave me perverted look, awkwardly winking. "Hehe came out of!"

"What are you 13? That's not even funny."

"Why so serious," He twisted his head clockwise. "Lighten up a little, yeah?"

"You're right, I have been a little tense."

Eve positioned a tray in the middle of the table. Crystal clear teapots and tea cups were on top. Crimson in color, I was a little tiered of that color, it made me sick just by looking at it. I didn't want to be rude so I drank regardless.

"Crimson tea. This will have to suffice for now."

"Thank you!" Both of us said.

"So... are you potty trained, dog?"

Saral's lips primed, "I take it that's directed at me."

"Do you see any others about that resemble a mongrel? I'm just curious, I don't want to see any droppings on the carpet afterall!"

"I do not look like a dog!"

"Sorry, did I hurt your manly feelings? Shall I rub your tummy until you are pleased?" She rested on the chair crosswise. Delicately sipping her tea as she watched us for a critique. Firstly, I sampled a taste only to be frozen in awe. The gnarled strain within my stomach had faded. It was exquisite, steadily savoring every zest that caressed my tongue.

"My condolences to the chef, I've never tasted anything like it."

"It's fashioned from the herbs found in the gardens nearby. They are... rare."

A perspicuous sign of distrust was displayed on Sarals face. "And how do we know you're not poisoning us?" His eye lids narrowed while his eyebrows raised in question. "Perhaps you're readying two handsome men for a soup in the cauldron?"

"One. And with a face like yours... it makes me desire permanent blindness! An to answer your ridiculous accusation, I'm consuming the same tea. It would be foolish to consume my own poison." She resumed the consumption of her tea, pouring even more in her cup. "If I so pleased I would've eliminated you in the light of day. 'Tis no point to do it within the shadows, there are no authorities to apprehend me after all..."

"But what if you only poisoned our cups..."

"I would sooner decapitate your head from your body before I poison you! I've no motivation for killing you or your friend... cretin."

"Point taken... heretic!" Before they chop each other's heads off I decided to intervene.

"So Eve, tell us about your mother."

"She's an imperious old crone." There was an awkward silence, it was interrupted by the songs of crickets. "Oh you meant positive comments. There's not much to say... nonetheless she's still my mother. I do apologize in advance, provided that she misbehaves. She's not one to welcome guests with open arms." Her arms crossed as her legs laid on top of the other.

"As long as she has a better demeanor than you then I'm sure we'll be fine."

"She also has a deathly allergy against animals, you'll have to leave your pet outside, Adamis."

Saral's lips pursed like he's been chewing on a lemon rind, "Isn't that where you sleep?"

The door creaked open, "Mother, you've finally returned. We have guests, so do try to be polite."

"I've astigmatism not blindness girl... ah two guests, delightful." Her wise voice creaked more than the door, she seemed surprised, raising her eyebrows revealing deep dents on her forehead. A sack drooped from her arm, filled with fruits and vegetables. A black cloak embraced her body, she removed her hood revealing her wavy silver hair.

Saral stood up and sought a chance to insult Eve, "you're Eve's mother, are you sure it's not the other way around? You're much prettier than her."

"Haha such a gentlemen, its pleasant meet a well-mannered man again."

Eves hands clenched into balls as she gagged at the compliment. "I hate you..." she mumbled under her breath.

"I'm assuming two young men don't just enter strange houses without reason?" Eve's mother said.

"Actually we were hoping to pack some supplies, then we could be on our way."

"Nonsense you must stay the night! You must be weary from you're travels. Eve, be a dear and set the guest rooms."

"No, they must be on their way." Eve seemed suspicious.

"That's no way to treat your guest child! I've taught you better than that, girl. But in return I must ask you fine gentlemen for a favor."

"Of course, anything you need." Saral responded.

"There are a few hooligans that keep taking the fruits from a nearby garden, they don't leave any for us. If you would be so kind and get rid of them, I would forever be in your debt."

"Mother..." Eve groaned.

"Hush child... but of course that will have to wait until tomorrow. For now you boys should take a shower, there's a bathhouse out back. By the time you're done, supper should be ready. Eve, fetch them some new clothes, you'll wash their dirty clothes, won't you child."

Eve rolled her eyes to the back of her head in frustration, "Ugh fine. I'll return soon."

"Take your time... please." Saral teased. He turned back to Eve's mother, "So I'm guessing she got the heretic gene from you?"

"Haha! Polite and a comedian. You've changed."

"I've chan—."

"Heretic? Is that what they call us nowadays?" She held her nose in the air. "Such ignorance. They will always demean what they don't understand."

"Yeah... so how long have you and your daughter lived in these woods?"

"Ah! Too long in my opinion. But I have a feeling that we'll be leaving soon." I analyzed the paintings around the house.

"You fancy art I suspect?"

"Yes. I enjoy the aspect of its everlasting beauty. Especially preserved beauty. Something that is untouched since its creation. That's something very difficult to encounter in this day and age. Man loves to adjust. Anything they do not like they will change."

"But change isn't always bad. Sometimes change is needed."

"You are correct. But striving to change something that was already faultless will only tarnish its true beauty. Do you not agree?"

"You have a point there..."

Eve's hips rolled and undulated as she reentered the room. "Here. Clean clothes for you to borrow. Though 'twas from the bodies of dead men."

"Uh thanks I guess..."

After Eve handed us new clothes Saral and I headed to the bathhouse out back, it was colored a light tan shade. I could see spirals on the wooden logs used to make it. Inside, it looked much larger than it did outside. Stars with unique spiraling patterns spreaded across the floors. Four columns surrounded the main bath with one in the middle, shooting out warm water into it, steam flew to the top. Hundreds of candles were watching us as they encompassed the bath and ceiling. There were four steps circling the center, leading into the water. It was kind of romantic, but weird for two men to take a bath together. Speedily I mumbled words trying to avoid taking a bath together. "So I guess you can take a bath first, so I'll wait outside." He grasps my shoulders, forcing me back.

"What you've never taken a bath with another person before? It's not like I'm going to rape you...unless of course you're into that." Saral factiously said.

"Oh well that makes everything better." Sarcastically I rolled my toungue.

"Come on. Stop being a little shy girl!" He wrapped his arm around my neck, trapping me in a tight choke hold as he dragged me towards the bath. He was too strong for me to resist, I could actually taste the hair from his arms, which was gross!  
"You better get naked or else you're going to be drowning in your own clothes. Or I could just strip your body for you..."

"Okay, now it's starting to sound like rape..." After giving it a few seconds of thought as Saral bicep started to make it difficult to breath, I finally came to a conclusion. "Fine, fine I'll do it! Just get your hands off me!"

We both undressed, exposing our bare skin, it felt shameful. But I couldn't help notice Sarals tattoos, I've never seen the entire thing until now. It covered his entire back, it looked like a cobra of some sort, but more artistic. Part of it was on the right side of his chest, it slithered down to his right leg, warping around everything in-between. His body was no less than a Greek god, bulging muscles ripping from underneath his skin. Veins protruding from beneath his arm hair, entangling him as if it we're a snake suffocating its prey. I couldn't help but envy every inch of him, inside and out. He's everything that I wanted to be and more, and to make it worse, he had a perfect stubble. Something that I can barely grow even if I tried. He even had a bigger... um.... feet.

"Well after you're done drooling over my good looks we should probably take a bath. You could drool over me while we bathe, yeah?"

"I wasn't drooling!" I rub the unexpected drool from the bottom of my lip.

Toe by toe I dip into the bone relaxing waters. It felt refreshing, being able to soak my soul in a nice warm bath after ages.

"So Adamis... are you popular with the ladies? You seem the type that would be an undercover freak, eh!"

"Um I guess... I've never been with one. As in dating wise."

"What? How could an adorable teddy bear like you not date a women?"

"I've never seen the point in it. I mean you invest so much time and emotional energy in to it, but you might not even end up with that person."

"That's why you date them. To see if you are compatible."

"Well you can be friends and if you're compatible then you can get married."

"Point taken. I like your views, it's... unique. I for one have been many women. Never in a relationship, just for fun if you know what I mean."

"Why have you never been in a relationship?"

"Women are all the same. Just in different packages. There hasn't been a women that's been able to stimulate... my mind"

"Maybe cause their too busy stimulating your... second mind."

"They're terrible at that too. Maybe... you'd—."

"Nope, nope, nope! Did I mention nope!"

"It's just a suggestion." He stretched his arms to the ceiling and then rested them behind his head. He sat in an angel so his feet laid on the side of the bath, crossed over. "You were the one who was... molesting me with your eyes after all..."

My head drooped into the water a few times. "I wasn't molesting... I was spectating."

"Oh spectating. Well you were being very thorough about it."

After a few diverse conversations and awkward moments we decided to return to the house. Two plates of food were set on the wooden table. Baked chicken, mashed potatoes, peas, and carrots, along with a giant glass of water to drink. Our eyes ate before out empty stomachs did, the appetizing smell made me frolic internally, and Saral was no different. No one was in sight so we decided to dive in.

"Wait. What if the heretic poisoned it?" Saral questioned with a fearsome glare.

"Then I'll die a happy man."

"You've got a point!" In agreement we devoured to our heart's content.

"Was the food to your liking?" Eve lurked behind Saral, purposely being stealthy without alerting us.

"Ahh!" Saral let out a girlish shriek, his chest quivered. He took exaggerated deep breaths while placing his hand over his bosom. "For God's sake women! Can't you be a little more... apparent with your presence?"

"If I was, then I wouldn't have gotten this uproarious reaction from you. You've successfully downgraded from a mongrel to a female puppy. Oh and this time I did poison your food."

"What?" Saral raced out of the house and attempted to force himself to vomit. Eve cackled at the sight.

"Is it really poisoned?" I worriedly inquired.

"Of course not! It just gives me great pleasure in torturing the poor puppy."

"Oh that's good because it was fantastic. I've never tasted anything this exquisite," I said as I took my last bite. "Who made it?"

"You're looking at her," her smile made the surrounding candles appear faint. "I'm glad that it was to your liking." Saral hobbled back into the room.

"I think I threw up everything."

"Then I'll be pleased to let you know that there was no such poison within the meal."

"What? You...you damn heretic playing tricks on me!"

"Yes, 'twas quite amusing. Shall I lead you boys to your resting chamber?"

"Chamber? Is it a torture chamber? With various painful metal trinkets and such?" A frightening expression danced on Saral's face. He again hid behind me in horror.

"Why yes. Perchance, you'd rather prefer a more... particular environment. A dog house perhaps?"

"Wouldn't want to intervene in your space, now would I?

She led us upstairs, holding a candle in her hand. The shadows of the unknown reached to us closely, "We only have one guest room, so you'll have to share a bed."

Sharing a bed with Saral was probably the best thing to do, since I'm afraid of the dark, or at least the darkness in this house. "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite." Grinning as she left, shutting the door behind her. Gently, I tried to shut my eyes, but I guess it was foolish of me to think I could sleep right away. Saral attempted to snuggle with me, which I quickly denied.

"Uh I can't breathe with you all over me!"

"Don't lie, you're enjoying it!"

I twisted and turned, there just wasn't enough room on the bed for the both of us. The multiple attempts of slumber was futile, no matter what, I couldn't lay to rest.

"Hey, Adamis! Wanna do a little exploring around the wicked witches house?" It took me a second to think about it, but since I couldn't go to sleep I had thought it would've been a good choice.

"Why not!" I said.

Softly we tip toed to the door and gently cracked it open. We carefully traveled downstairs to where we were eating earlier. There was an obscure door that I took notice of earlier but didn't pay any attention too.

"Oh it probably leads to a dungeon. So exciting..." Saral clenched his jaw while pushing me forward towards the door.

"Why do you always make me go first? This was your idea in the first place!" I slid back.

"Because I'm so much prettier, you don't want this handsome face to get damaged if some kind of monster pops up, now do you?" My eyes whirled around searching for logic in his statement.

"Whatever. Let's just do this." As I open the door I could see candles lit on the wall. The stairs were descending and every step bursted into annoying squeaks. We got to the bottom. It was dark, cramped, and damp. There was a light trail of puddles elongated across the narrow hall. Dirty walls and cobwebs were all around. We each grabbed a candle so we could illuminate the dark abyss. Further and further we went and the light shinned onto a long row of paintings on the wall. There were on both sides, they seemed to be ancient.

"Snooping around, I see..." Eve snuck behind us, causing us to leap in terror. She held a torch in her hand, the flames casted an intimidating shadow over her face.

"Holy shit! Again, heretic?" Saral used me as a human shield. "Is this going to an everyday thing?"

"Perhaps. So shall we proceed further into the ominous corridor?"

Her comment baffled us, "You're okay with us snooping around?"

"No. But strangely the door was open. 'Twas always locked till now. I've never been able delve into this part of the house."

"Then onwards! Um Eve you can go first." I shoved her from her back, pushing her ahead of us.

She pushed onwards, "Strange paintings. I've never seen them before. It looks like the further we travel, the older the paintings become."

The paintings started to look increasingly demonic. It felt like the tunnel started closing in. It seemed like it was twisting, actually it appeared like the walls were alive. I placed my hands on the wall and I could feel vibrations. Like a heartbeat, pulsating. We were so deep that the entrance couldn't even be seen.

"Adamis..." Saral shook me from the back.

"What?"

"Do you hear that? Those sounds. Are they... people?"

"Twould be sensible to turn back. I don't think this... cave, is welcoming us."

There were footsteps coming from the darkness ahead. They were wet and mushy. Sinister hums bounced off the walls. I wanted to see what it was, but Eve insisted that we turned back. Saral had no objections.

"We are leaving... now!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.

She escorted us back to our rooms, we didn't discuss what we saw. Probably because we didn't know what it was? Or even what it was doing there. But by the time I laid on the bed, I actually felt exhausted to the point that my legs were shaking, or maybe it was from fear. Within a blink of an eye I was transported somewhere else. Nine coffins laid in front of me, four stood at each of my sides while one was right in the center. Each of them had a symbol, it was familiar for some reason. I wasn't even sure how I knew that, but I just knew it. The Eternal knot, the Winged Solar Disk, the Ankh, the Black Sun, the Ouroboros, the Eight Edged Star, the Triskele, and the Twirled Rays. There was one symbol in particular on the center coffin, The Udjat symbol was surrounded by a triangle. The Eternal Knot was the same symbol that was on the doctors' coat, and that curtain from before I was persecuted. A man appeared from the shadows, in a dark cloak, chanting in demonic tongue. The coffins to my sides trembled, the tops slid off. The coffin in the center seemed unaffected. The man's face appeared from the darkness of his hood. I awoke from my slumber, inhaling a deep breath. Saral slept next to me, uncomfortably spooning me. Golden rays phased through the windows kissing my forehead.

"It's already morning?" Hours of sleep felt like seconds, that dream gave me an unusual weariness upon waking up. Two toothbrushes, one green and the other blue were at my side.

There was a clock hanging above the bed, "9:45 AM" it read. I shook Saral hoping that he'd wake up. "Wha... what's happening, ARE WE UNDER ATTACK?" He leaped from the bed as if he'd seen a spider in it.

"Calm down, I woke you up because breakfast is being served in about 14 minutes, we should wash up first!"

After thoroughly brushing our teeth, we climbed down stairs, following the aroma of fresh food. Eve carried a tray of blue berry pancakes, drenched with maple syrup and ghee.  
"I can help you with that!"

"Oh no, it's fine."

"I insist!" The tray was heavier then it seemed, I had to carry it with both of my hands. "I thank you for your assistance, I'll return with milk and fruits." After we set up everything, the three of us started to converse as we begun eating. Desperately I begun the conversation in order to avoid an awkward silence.

"So how you are able to make all these food, isn't it hard to find all he supplies in this forest?"

"We manage, you'll be surprised with what you can find here."

She eyed her pancakes, ripping a piece off with her fork. "'Twould be smart if you proceeded with caution, 'Tis not wise to trust her hospitality..."

"I mean all she's asking is for us to get rid of a few guys because they're taking her fruits, I don't see any harm in that."

"Nothing is simple, there's more to it than meets the eyes."

Eve's mother opened the door, "Oh you're awake, did you have a good meal."

"Yes we did." Saral responded, "So when do you want us to go get the job done?"

"Whenever you guys are ready."

"Then we should go now." Saral pushed back his chairs, standing in front of the table with his hands on it.

"Eve child, won't you go with them."

"Strange, why would you want me to go with them?"

"To show them where the garden is of course."

"B-but."

"It was not a suggestion child. You two should change into your clean clothes, Eve go fetch it for them."

She sighed with a coarse look in her eyes, "Yes mother."

Eve gave her mother a suspicious stare as we left her home. Eve strapped a long wooden stick to her back while holding a book close to her heart. Crows perched on top of the roof, observing us as we left. There was one in particular, it wasn't a crow. It was bright yet shady. It was a bearded vulture, its beard was an electrical blue bleeding into a deep red. It had six horns on its temple, two curved to its pale, red spotted face. Two stuck out straight, and the last two were the largest curved to the top. It soared to the sky stretching its pitch black wings, stalking our movements.

"'Tis not far, we should be there shortly."

The gardens extended for miles, plentiful amounts of fruits and vegetation we're available. Saral and I gathered as much as we could into our bags.  
"I'm not sure what my mother was talking about, there seems to be plentiful amounts."

We searched and waited for the thieves to come. Countless hours passed by, with no results. Saral suggested we head back to Eve's house, but I continued to look. Growls from my stomach roared, I spotted trees and bushes a few meters ahead. Bright yellow bananas hung from the top of the tree, each ripe enough to eat. Berries of many different colors extended from the thin branches of the bushes. It was like the Creator had led us to the Gardens of Eden. I grabbed a few berries in my palm, admiring its rich colors.

"Hands off of our fruits." Four men approached with weapons attached to their sides and back. The leader wore a black t-shirt, his hair was combed backed and he had a scar on his nose. The other men behind wore black masks, concealing their identity. Each of them wore a loose jacket with ripped bags hanging from their shoulders.

"We can share, you can take half of them and we'll take the other half. You shouldn't be so selfish."

"Pshh I'm not negotiating, were taking all of them."

Saral didn't even show the slightest sign of mercy, slashing his blade like it was a toy. He manically laughed as the leader squirmed bloodily away. Subsequently, He punted his severed head at the terrified subordinates like he was in a soccer game.

"Lighten up! Let's play a little game of soccer with your leaders head. If you lose then you die and if you win then I might consider sparing you." Saral sauntered at the subordinates, holding the head in his arms.

"Wait, we give up! Have mercy on us... we were just following orders!" They held each other

"You threaten to kill my friends and that heretic! I mean you can take the heretic but not my friend. Now you're going to pay.

Saral plodded in the direction of the men. He drops the head then unsheathes his sword, it scrapes the floor as he steps over the leaders headless body.

"Be honest." He crouched down to eye level and twirled his sword. "You wouldn't have given us mercy if the situation was the other way around." His mischievous expressed flipped into a humorless one. They coward in silence. "I'll take that answer as a no." The men looked in horror as Saral raised his blade.

"Oh god, oh god!" They squealed horridly.

"God? Say hi to him for me."

Severed heads fell to the ground, rolling away from their bodies, one by one, blood gushed out forming a small pool. Saral turned to me, his eyes weren't the same. His face stained red, his clothes discolored from the blood. The odor of dead bodies emanated from his body.

"Why didn't you spare them? They were defenseless, they gave up!"

"Do you think they would've let you go free or something? No, they wouldn't have hesitated to cut you down. I'll cut down anyone who threatens any of us."  
"How could you be so heartless? What if they became our allies if you spared them?"

"How could I be so heartless? I don't know what world you live in but this isn't some kind of game. You either kill or get killed no other way around it. You wouldn't understand, you've never witnessed someone killing someone you love. It changes you, this is reality and you need to accept it before it's too late."

I've never witness this side of Saral, he was cold it felt like there was nothing inside him. Then again could you blame him, he was right after all. Those men would have killed us if we hadn't killed them. It doesn't mean it was morally right! I refuse to lose my humanity, I won't kill people. Surprisingly, Applauds came from behind us, a senile croak praised us. "Well done."

"Mother? You were following us?"

"Why yes, I came to make sure the job was done. I can see you did an excellent job!"

She scavenged the corpse's belongings. As she tugs her hand from one of the bags, a black fruit was locked in her palms. Her sinister gaze sent chills down my spine, her wrinkled fingers encased it as she devoured it whole. Leaving the residues of the red juices splattered on her cheeks like it was blood. She dragged her gaze till we met eye to eye. She slid her two fingers across her lips, smearing the blood-like juice onto her nails. Her crow's feet vanished, youth had returned to her face. Strands of her grizzled dead hair started to breath, transforming into the shade of the night sky.

"Ah it's been so long since I've felt alive!" The surrounding land fearfully shuddered, the once everlasting gardens turned into ashes, a barren wasteland replaced the serenity of the bed of greenness. The three of us stepped back, positioning ourselves for a battle.

"There will be no need for that, I am no threat to you, at least not yet. In fact I will reward you with answers for freeing me. Come, ask me anything you wish."

"What happened to the gardens, why is everything dead now?" Saral questioned, pointing his sword at her as it quivered in his palms.

"Nothing died, we merely shifted dimensions. Previously, we were in a special garden. A garden that our common ancestor once dwelled within, presently we've returned to earth. Now, for your reward I will answer questions, any question to your liking. Go on, ask."

"Why were we persecuted? Why us?" Saral lowered his blade, assuming that he was in no danger.

"Simply they presume witches are the cause of this plague, yet they do not know in reality it was man's greed the led to this."

"Man's greed? What do you mean?"

"Some things are better understood through... experience." A light grin crept from her face, partially revealing some of her teeth.

"Is there any way that we can avoid this plague. Maybe somewhere that the plague hasn't reached?"

"Saral is it? Is that the name you use now? Haha! You've no need to worry about it infecting you. But there is land, a kingdom not far off. The Crimson Plague has yet to penetrate its great walls. There you will find serenity within its corruption."

"Why hasn't the disease penetrated the kingdom yet?"

"On the contrary a disease does dwell within the kingdom, but it is one quite common to man. The disease that lurks within their hearts. Greed. But that was not what you were referring to, no? It is said that the kingdom is settle around a sacred mausoleum, within it lies the Goddess Revekah's body. Specifically it is located in the capital, Liberatai City."

Eve cuts off the conversation, "Revekah? You mean that women belonging to that rubbish religion?"

She started cackling uncontrollably, "Ah my dear daughter. Insulting a person that you know nothing about. You should hold your tongue girl, we have a strong connection to her." She looked over to me, making direct eye contact. "You, boy. Your friend asked me questions, do you have any that you would like answered."

I swallowed my fear, gathering my courage that hid at the bottom of my feet, "Yes, I had a dream last night about 9 coffins, each having a symbol. I would explain it, but I have a feeling I don't need to. Tell me, what does it mean?"

Her eyes shut tight, her lungs expanded while her breathing darkened. Faint voices hissed in the surrounding winds "Metheva gheem colliw nose hteyen ihtiwd nilb." We all heard them, the voices. Were they human? Or were they demons? "That was not just a dream child, but a vision from the Creator himself. Those symbols represent the coming of the Enlightened Age. Beware, a new era is approaching. One that will unite the world in malfeasance. A malfeasance that even I would not want to witness. "

"How do we stop it?"

The amber within her iris met with mine. Releasing a villainous smirk through her expression. "Iqra."

"Iqra?"

"Iqra... read. Read and you will realize the answer has always been at your fingertips."

Eve's head quivers in disagreement, she unsheathes her wooden staff and threatens her mother with it, aiming it at her head. "Read? What type of crazy poetic advice is that? What do we read? What is there to read? Why not just tell us what to do?"

"Sometimes those who sound insane speak the truth, and it is those who sound sane that utter lies. Why should I tell you an answer that is in your possession?"

"Wait, you didn't even say your name."

She twisted her head, her hair flopped onto her back, and half of her face was only visible, one of her eyes made contact with mines. "I have many names in many languages, I've lived before the times men were even able to crawl on this world." A sensation of needles pricking my body overcame me, I was facing fear itself.

"So then what is your name?" Saral questioned.

Eve interrupted, "Eisheth... that's what she calls herself."

"Always with the interruptions girl... you're just like her...Revekah."

"And you know her mother? Was she one of your friends? Did you kill her with your humdrum tales?"

"Haha, always hold on to your wits girl you'll need it."

"And why is she so highly regarded hmm? Is she some kind of prophetic women? Did she wave her wand, and poof the world became peaceful?"

"Precisely... some say she was a Goddess, others say she was just a pious women. She came to this world, to send a message from the Creator. To bring peace to this savage world. But also in her possession were unique abilities. Abilities that many sought to steal!" She waved her hand just as much as her head, it was apparent in her eyes that Revekah was someone she did not like. "Dare I say, she was one of the most powerful humans that ever came into existence. That staff and book that you're holding also belonged to her, guard it with your life child... many people would do anything to get their hands on it, even I."

Eve treaded closer, "Then why didn't you?"

"I didn't want to take your toy away from you... and its brawn is no use to me, for now."

"Enough! I don't want to hear your ridiculous folklore. Now tell me if you're not my real mother then who is."

She scowled from Eve's statement, grinding her teeth so fiercely that it could be heard from the outside. "How could you say such things about the one who raised you, I am your real mother."

"So I was born from you? Lies! I don't believe it, not even for a second!"

"Believe what you want girl. Do you think I would plot against my own daughter?"

"Hah such a fabricated word, does it have any meaning to you? You call me a daughter but what you did... to Freya and Aamirah. Did you consider them to be your daughters, tell me what you did to them! I sat by quiet for years and never asked questions, but no more. Tell me, you... you... demon!"

"Silence child, enough of your whining. All I did to them was give them... freedom."

"Freedom? Such a broad term. And how exactly did you give it to them? Or do you consider death to be the same? Answer me!"

"Well that part is a secret, it would be no fun if I told you everything now would it, dear? But let's just say they were... Enlightened. Just as Revekah had become enlightened."

"Revekah, Revekah, Revekah... that's all you keep saying. I could care less about her! Why mention such as religious name, if you do not believe in any religion?"

"Do not speak of her name in an adverse tone girl, you after all resemble her in character and features. And to answer your question, there is currently no authentic religion on the earth. Everything has been twisted and spun in the favor of man, so there is no point in believing in it."

She looked over to me, making direct eye contact. "It is time for me to depart, but we will meet again... Da'am." The ground cracks shuffled in terror as black fire blazed from below her. It slithered in circles around her body, her entire body shrunk. Bird like features replaces her once human face. A thunderous caw rings as raven wings stretch , flapping her dark wings into the distance, scattered black feathers we're left behind. One fell onto Eve's hand, she gazed at the crow as it approached the sun, dipping into the horizon.

Chapter Three: Gardens of Israh

"So let me get this straight, you have special abilities?" Saral pressed both of his hands onto his head, unable to believe a single word. "Prove it."

"Don't say I didn't warn you," her eyes concentrated on Saral. "Insginia Abses!" Simultaneously she waved her arm with great might, Saral forcefully levitated back into a tree. "I apologize, 'twas not my fault, I did not realize my own strength."

Saral looked down as if he were out cold, "That... was awesome!" A beam of satisfaction was covered by her hand, "Swell, I'm glad you think I am, what you call it...awesome!

"But it doesn't mean I trust you, you are a witch after all. Witches are the spawn of the devil!"

"Do you fear that I will magically poof you into a toad?"

"Yes...poofing is bad..."

"Since you are stuck with me, 'twould be wise if I teach you the weakness of a witch. We will counter several on our journey."

"And the weaknesses are?" I inquired.

"The power of numbers, if you can outnumber a witch then you have a chance in beating her. Most witches can only focus their abilities on one object, at most two. 'Twould be foolish if you fought one alone, the chances of victory would be considerably slim."

"Then train us, we should practice fighting a witch, I'm sure you would be a good opponent." Viola suggested.

"Very well if I must, now all of you come at me!"

Vigorously we combined all our strength but failed. Eve handed our asses to us, leaving a few bruises here and there.

"Well wasn't that a pleasant warm up." She held her hands, stretching it over her head. "Normally I wouldn't rely on my abilities until I have no other choice, but I just wanted to give you all an idea of how it feels to battle a true witch."

"Clearly we would lose!" I commented.

"Stealth is your friend, 'tis impossible without it. You must never charge in without a clear strategy and an understanding of a witch's capabilities. Many witches are actually pathetic, all you require is a bit more brain power then a monkey."

"What about the ones that are not, as you say, pathetic?" Viola mimicked her accent.

"Simple, you must exploit her weaknesses, everyone has a weak point."

"What's yours?" We all huddled around with curiosity, expanding our ears so that we may hear every word.

"Here's a tip, never reveal your weakness, not even to your dearest friends. Chances are, one day 'twill bite you in the backside."

Saral pulled his map from his pocket, unfolding it in his hands. "Thanks for the advice Shakespeare, but now we have more important business to take care of." He placed it in the middle as we huddled into a circle. "We should be around this forest area, the closest place is the Gardens of Israh. Currently we are low on supplies so we'll need to head there. Though I'm not sure how to get there since it's separated by a body of water"

"It seems this skinny line going through it is some kind of pathway, it's written in a weird dialect. The arrows are pointing to go through that path." Will adds.

Eve brushes her fingers against the letters, she concentrates as she closes her eyes. "It says Ophidian's Trail, beware of the Sea Witch." No one question how she deciphered the foreign language.

"Oh god not a witch, I'd rather fight Asebises!" Oan worried. Saral patted him on the back, comforting him, "Don't worry we have a witch of our own, and a strong one at that!"

"Well before we even think about fighting a witch, we should probably find better equipment." I suggested. I don't want to rely on Eve, if anything she should be our last resort.

"Ah this is the part where I grant your wish." She waves her staff, pointing it at the endless sky. "Tylíxte mase se néa roúcha, tylíxte mase se néa roúcha, tylíxte mase se néa roúcha!" Within a blink of an eye, our raggedy clothes transform into various armors. Saral's had a breastplate, dyed in a black and silver combo with elegant dragon designs all over it. He had gray sleeves over both of his arms and pants to match. His boots matched his armor, extending just below the knees. A sword and shield stuck onto his back. Viola had an archer's wardrobe, stained crimson on every inch. A hood laid behind her head with arrows and a bow sticking out from behind. To her sides laid two katanas for her liking. Her chest plate was made from a special metal, it sat above a black and red skirt created from leather. A bandana surrounded her neck so that she may use it to cover her face. Oan and Will had a matching set of full body armor and weapons constructed of pure gold, their breast plates mimicked that of the ancient Greeks.

Eve was showered in an indigo and black patterned cape and hood. Beneath it was a high low skirt, from the top the indigo color led to the bottom slowly fading to a light beige. A ravishing crop top resembled that of flowers covered her torso. She wore black tights covering her arms, legs, and torso along with brownish red boots. A golden necklace meant for a bride was displayed below the neck, pearls were decorated on it, sparkling, rivaling her eyes. A golden ring wrapped her finger, a snake tangled around the center of the burgundy diamond ring. A burgundy shade graced her lips complementing her eye makeup.

"You look like you're going to a party Eve." Viola commented.

"I assure you that I will be able to fight in this attire!"

Mesmerized by both Violas and Eve's impeccable beauty, I almost forgot to look at what I was wearing. My armor was the same as Saral's but instead it was shaded black and purple, it also included a hood. A light blade was glued to my side. Eve and I were color coordinated, it's as if she did it on purpose.

"I don't think purple is really my color Eve."

"Nonsense!" She placed her palm on my breastplate, "Did you know in ancient history purple was only worn by royalty. 'Tis because... 'twas the rarest of dyes to create. Besides... you look extremely dashing in it." Diverting eye contact with her, I tried believing she was just being nice and not flirting, shades of red overlapped my cheeks. She clasped my left wrist, "See this circular object on your wrist, if you tighten your fist it will turn into a grand shield and protect you from all evil."

Instantaneously, as I tighten my fist numerous metal sticks extended from it, smaller ones horizontally hooked on to each other forming a gold and violet shield designed with a special characters. Of course I didn't dare to question it, one should not look a gift horse in the mouth.

"I will lead the way, but be vigilant... we may encounter Asebises on the journey there!" We followed Eve under the starry night, howls of wolves swamped the area. The forest around us were a perfect cover for them, beams of light traveled from their eyes in the darkness. They stalked in the night but had no intention of harming us.

"So Eve, may I call you that?" I sparked a conversation.

"No I'd rather be called your highness" she joked. Yes you may."

"Is this your first time traveling in the outside world."

"Yes but most of the time I would travel to dimensions far and wide."

"Dimensions? That's pretty neat! What was it like? Describe if for me!"

"It's complicated, you can't imagine the unimaginable."

"Okay then. Well that conversation is dead. Then can you tell me more about your mother."

"A decrepit women no less, or at least I thought. Whether she bore me or not, she did raise me. Not kindly, but I grew discipline."

"So I've heard old tales of Eisheth, a witch that lived long ago."

"Yes and a powerful one at that. But there are two accounts in legend of a person named Eisheth. The first account was an empress who ruled over an ancient land. She was killed in cold blood by her own people. I am not very familiar with the tale but I know about the second account. Eisheth was a young beautiful women who fell deeply in love with a king. He was not just any king but a high king. It meant that he ruled over all the lands that existed at the time. The two married but it was short lived. He was killed by the other kings that ruled under him. She witnessed his death with her own eyes. In rage she called upon the most powerful spirits to give her power. They granted her a tremendous amount of magic and with it she bore a grudge against all the kingdoms. She swore that she would have her revenge and she did exactly that. That is how she acquired the name the Wicked Witch of the Fallen Seven."

"What a pleasant tale, who knew a spawn of Satan could love." Saral was being facetious.

"Are you satisfied, or shall you ask more unpleasant questions?" Annoying Eve narrowed her eyes.

"Okay one last question!" Giggles overflowed in my mouth, "have you ever been in love?"

"Never thought you'd be the one to pry, but if you must know... yes I have."

"Oh goody another stodgy tale, let me guess. In the end when he breaks your heart. You cooked him in a cauldron and gobbled him up." Saral's witty comments never ceased.

"I hope your intellect 'tisn't as miniscule as your manhood. Oh wait... I'm afraid neither exists!" Eve retaliated.

"Okay enough dissing, on with the story!" I persisted.

"I'm sorry. It's a tale I'd rather not relive. But I will say one thing, he died in war or so it seemed."

"Do you miss him, I mean maybe he never died. Maybe his death was concluded to soon?"

"At times, but I believe everything happens for a reason. There's no reason to linger in what could have been, rather it's best to look to what could be. All you need is patience and a hint of faith and some time for healing."

"But how far will patience and faith feed you? Don't you get tired of not getting what you want?"

"I'm not suggesting that you wait an eternity, you still need to put effort into whatever you want. Now, enough questions about me, I would like to ask you a few if you don't mind."

"Shoot."

"Hmm let see... do you have any siblings?" Eve asked the one questioned that I hated answering. The glow from my face had vanished, with only the pallor left.

"Nice job heretic, you hit a soft spot." Saral attempted to ease my dejected mood by partially embracing me.

"Why you look so glum, cheer up kid. You don't have to answer if you don't want to." Oan said.

"No, it's fine." Deeply I sighed, preparing to answer. "I have a sister, I-I don't know where she is...actually I don't even know if she's alive. All I know is...that she's also in this god-forsaken witch trials shit! I just hope she's in one piece."

"So... how far will hope fuel you, until you've given up?" Eve just regurgitated my previous question, but I remain silent. I had no answer. "Humans are fueled by the same substance, hope. Hope, patience, faith.... these are all one in the same. No one can tell you to give up unless you've already accepted it yourself." She continued.

"Can you tell us then... why do people give up?" Will asked.

"'Tis because they fear that they will not produce results to their liking. Impatience, hopelessness, faithlessness, these are poisons to our hearts, poisons that we intoxicate ourselves with. Likewise, we solely possess the cure, but... 'tis your choice to take it."

"Too bad that poison hasn't killed you yet." Saral retorted.

"'Tis a shame your stupidity was present since your birth, there are no cures for that!"

Our amusing conversation had overshadowed the numerous hours of traveling. It was more about jokes but I wanted to actually learn more about them. They are practically strangers to me so naturally I desired to pry into their business. Even though they refused to share any juicy details I could tell from their faces that they went through a lot. It's not like any of us really wanted to live out in the wilds and escape death at every corner. I could tell people like Will and Oan would cover up their sad tales with comedy. Always laughing at their own misery. But people like Saral or Eve would insult others to avoid getting serious. Viola was silent most of them time, I wasn't sure if she was deep in thought or if she was shy. Once in a while she would spark a conversation between us. She would always ask me about my life but wouldn't reveal anything about hers. She was easy to talk to but hard to relate. The soothing sounds of waves crashing rang into my ear. We finally arrived in front of the entrance to Ophidian's Trail. There were birds circling the angry clouds. It was a dangerous path, one wrong move and we could be swimming with the fishes.

"We have arrived children, do try to be cautious, 'tis a dangerous pathway not a museum."

"Your boring voice says otherwise, I feel like we're taking a tour of a cemetery." Saral said as he sauntered ahead.

"We'll soon need to visit one if you don't stop bickering, cretin!"

It resembled a mountain way, a ridged pathway hung from the side. Below was the unknown depths of the sea, the waves warred. The pathway hovered above thousands of feet. Each step we took was a foot closer to death.

"Did I ever mention I have a fear of height?" Oan said as his voice trembled. He cradled onto Wills body.

"Aren't you afraid of everything?" Will responded. He tried pushing him off but Oan's grip was too firm.

"No! Maybe... I know you're afraid of something!"

"No I'm not.... HOLY SHIT A SPIDER!" Will leapt onto Oan's arms, "KILL IT...KILL IT WITH FIRE!" He screeched.

"Calm down Shaggy and Scooby!" I squashed the spider with my boot, though I have to admit I hate spiders too.

Eve hushed the group with her hand gestures, "Listen well, 'tis the songs of harpies."

"Harpies? Oh god those mythical things exist?" Oan worried as usual with Will trying to comfort him.

"Surprised? You should also know creatures like dragons also exist. Just because they were myths to us, does not mean they are not real." Eve lifted her staff from her back. The lullabies of harpies approached closer, "Draw your weapons, 'tis time to fight! Be wary, if you listen to their voice for too long you will fall into a deep slumber!"

Flocks of countless vultures with the faces of dastardly women swooped down for an assault. Saral struck first, severing their heads from their bodies, he blocked their talons with his fierce shield. Viola drew her bow, readying an arrow with red feathers. It pierced a harpy, stalking in the wind, exploding upon impact. "What it exploded?" She yelled, surprised from the outcome. She swiped two more red arrows from her quiver.

"Oh did I forget to mention your weapons are laced with magic. Each of them contain a unique ability, do not over use them, 'twill drain your energy...go on now, play with your new trinkets." Eve said.

Saral slashed his blade through a harpy, the air sliced in the direction of his attack, slicing even more harpies. They retreated confused as to how their fellow birds got sliced in two. Upon drawing his blade, Oan's sword transformed into a hybrid sword/whip. It extended several meters as he whipped his weapon, taking down tens of harpies. He had to be careful not to cut any of us but it he insisted that he had it handled. Will's sword had the strength of gravity, harpies were forcefully pulled towards his sword as he split them in two. We had to keep our distance from him so that we wouldn't gravitate towards him. Pestering caws were replaced by the seductive lullabies. A drowsiness came upon Oan, intensifying his need for rest. Viola pulled a blue arrow from her pouch, as it flew through the air the arrow multiplied into 10 and it trailed each of her targets. "Wake up Oan, this is no time for lollygagging!" She ordered,

"Damn those harpies, why aren't they around when I can't go to sleep at night!" Will joked as waved his swords, cutting the harpies into two.

Eve whispered into my ear, "Throw your blade at your enemy."

With all my strength I propelled it at the sky, it boomeranged through the center of the harpies and returned back to my hand with their blood dressed on to it. "Wow that was cool!"

"That's not all, if you concentrate you can teleport beside your blade. But that takes practice!" She increased the volume of her voice, "Everyone, I can take all of them out at once, if you will so kindly defend me."

In unison we replied "Alright!"

The harpies encircle us, trapping us from any means of escape. Eve's arms stretch to each of her sides as her face aims at the sky. "O eleímon éna ziti tin prostasía sass, tin exáleipsi ton echthrón mas!" Repetitively the words echo from her, veins in her neck pulsate from the energy surging though them. Harpies intensified their attacks, descending from the heavens at max speed. We defended Eve, it was like someone had increased the difficulty from easy to hard in a video game. They weren't targeting us anymore, they were after Eve.

"Shit, can't you do your hocus pocus a little faster witch?" Saral quickened his strikes as he was bombarded with harpies. Viola unsheathed her katanas, dancing to the tunes of the birds. Elegantly she spun like a ballerina, slicing her foes. She displayed signs of exhaustion, "I'm beginning to get a little tired over here!" Her movements began to slow just as her reaction time.

It seems like the harpies could sense the power coming from Eve. Her hands raised up to the sky and all the harpies froze in midair, then she dropped her hands to her hips. Lifeless bodies of harpies poured from the skies, "I assume we are done here." We pressed onwards through the trail, further and further we went. We walked in a single file line because the width of the dangerous trail had decreased. Our backs pressed up against the rocks and we carefully balance ourselves across. I took a peak down and almost fell over. The tides splashed us, making the tiny route slippery.

"Maybe we should have made fried chicken from the harpies." Facetiously Will snickered as rumbling emanated from his stomach. "I could eat a whale right now." Up ahead there was flat ground, it was wide and steady. All of us were almost dead to the bone but none of us wanted to admit it. We just had to be cautious about any unwanted critters attacking us while we rest.

"Perhaps we should make camp over there, any objections?" Eve suggested. "No!" Harmonically everyone replied.  
"I shall set up camp in a jiff." Eve raised her finger, a red diamond sat in the center of a golden snake, coiled around her finger. "Emfanízomoa." A glint of white light respired from the diamond, next thing we knew the camp had been set up and there were plates of food prepared.

"Oh my god...FRIED CHICKEN?" Will ecstatic attitude was not alone, we all buried out faces onto the plates as if we've never seen food. "I am so glad we have you on our team!"

"Eve how are you even able to do this?" Viola inquired. "Were you always able to do magic, I mean."

"Mother had taught me, I acquire all my spells from this book." A book magically materialized onto her hand, its cover was gold and had a black stone in the center. The middle was decorated in a fancy font, the language was unrecognizable. There were four empty spaces on each corner of the cover, as if something was supposed to be placed there. "This book belonged to one of my ancestors, it's called the Tome of Swarias. Swarias in this ancient language means seeker of truth. As you can see this black diamond in the center is called Gem of Eternal Torment. The pages of this book appear blank but for unknown causes only I can see what's written, but only a fraction. I require the remaining jewels to unlock the secrets that lie within it."

"I mean it's just a book. What's inside? Maybe bed time stories or perhaps it tells us how many licks it takes get to the tootsie rolls center to a tootsie pop? " Saral jested as he threw his hands in mockery.

"About 252 licks, more or less. But that is not in the book. But what lies within 'tis power, knowledge, and much more. For some odd reason my mother desired this book but she couldn't even lay a finger on it. It was like it pained her to just touch it."

"What's so great about this power?" I questioned with a full mouth of scrumptious chicken bits.

"I would like to know myself. But if my mother desired it then surely 'tis valuable indeed."

"You know... I have a book too! Saral take it out!" Saral continued chowing down, ignoring my request. Instead I just scurry to his belongings, hunting for the book. "Ah here it is!" Eve took two glances, she mouthed the words she was reading off of the cover of the book.

"That book! May I see it?" She politely requested.

"Here." I tossed the book like a boomerang to her lap. "You can keep it. I couldn't ready half the crap inside anyways."

"Do you realize what this is?" She brushes the symbol in the middle, it look like a normal five edged star but the bottom two edges were curved rather then pointed. "This book originated from the Severo coven of witches. They are the first coven ever in existence, but they are long extinct. How exactly did you acquire this?"

"I kind of just stumbled onto it."

"Well you're very lucky. This book is basically like a history book but it also foretells the future." She licks her finger as she flips each page, skimming each part of it. "But it seems like someone here attempted to translate the text. A horrible job, but it's better than nothing."

After everyone demolished every crumb on their plates, they all began to yawn indicating that it was the time to sleep. Even Eve snuggled with her book completely out cold. My fatigued eyes bolted shut as I drifted into a dream world. There I saw my sister, Scarlett, scratching hellish symbols onto the living room wall with her finger nails as a straitjacket laid undone next to her. Blood was painted onto the white wall like her fingers were the brush. Her blood spelled out a barely legible word, "Sinclair." Words of nonsense began spitting from her mouth.

"The sky ripped in two. Chains dragging those of clay and smokeless fire into its blazing depths. They deny but they had a chance. Forgotten and never forgiven. The end isn't near but the end is here." She rambled in her twisted tone.

I tried to go towards her but was complete frozen like I was in a coma.

"The savior for the false and the foe to the true. Both eyes open but both eyes blind. One is crippled and the other is broken. Lies are true but the truth are lies." She rubbed her blood onto the end of her red hijab. Twirling the loose end in a circle as she twisted her body around. One by one her leg inched at me, until she was of smelling distance. I wanted to cover my nose because of her awful corpse like smell. "They took me. But you left me... brother."

I sprung from the ground, exiting that horrid nightmare. It was a little too real for my taste. My hands were shaking as the pulsating of my heart drummed fiercely. There was a sharp needle like pain piercing my hands and feet, then I quickly bolted off the ground in realization. There were black leeches all over my body, I spun excessively flinging the leeches off of my skin. Everyone else also had them on, I first launched myself at Eve attempting to help her. I grabbed her back but then I was instantly transported to a cloudy like world. The sky shimmied with a rainbow shaded aurora. It was snowing, but I strangely didn't feel a hint of coldness. There was a gigantic wall that made up the horizon. It was scratched up and broken down to the point that every centimeter had a fissure in it. There was a single door in the center, I went inside and there were shit ton more. Each led to a different pathway and I was afraid to go in the wrong direction. Then a magnificent light, shaped as what seemed to be a women, began walking through the labyrinth. I stalked her as she phased through each door, following closely to her every move. At last I entered a room, it was dank, misty, and tad creepy. There were stairs that led to a torture chamber. There, in a prison cell, was Eve, curled into a ball. I ran to the cell, banging on the bars.

"Eve! What's happening? What are you doing here?" I shook the bars like a mad man.

"Adamis? What are you doing here?"

"I don't know. I kind of just showed up, ya know? Is there some way I can help you escape." I scanned the room and crawled on the ground as I dug around for a key.

"Look harder! For some reason my powers don't work here and I've been trying to kick this open for hours!" At that moment Eve leaned onto the barred door, plunging to the floor as the door slid opened. "What? It wasn't open before I swear!"

I kneeled in front of her, extending my hand to help her up. Just as our skin meet we both were transported back to reality. She squirmed excessively, fidgeting the tiny dream sucking leeches off of her skin. Just as the leech detached from her, she smashed them with her feet like she was playing Whac-A-Mole.

"Die, you repulsive creatures!" With a wave of her hand, every leech vanished into thin air. The rest of the group exploded from their sleep, muddled about the situation. The sea tides strengthen as it overflowed with the blood of the harpies, the rage from the water splashed up to the peak of the trail. Eve commanded the team to walk through the trail. We all dragged ourselves with blood shot eyes and dark circles drooping beneath it. Our lethargic legs mopped the endless rocky trail.

"I wonder why it's called Ophidian's trail... and on top of that there are no signs of the sea witch." Oan asserted. The earth trembled in terror, the clouds wept as they huddled, shrouded in a cloak of blackness.  
"You killed them..." a sinister women appeared behind us, her voice deepened "My babies... you will pay for this." She was robed in a ebony cloak, he cowl hid her identity. Only her auburn hair was visible, curling down to her chest.

"Stand back, 'tis the sea witch." Eve stood in front, guarding us from the witch. The sea witch lifted her hand, the remaining path had been swallowed by the waters grasp. "Thálassaiya arpagísimos!" The hands of the waves almost harmed us if it were not for Eve, the counter force of her magic protected us. "You seem strong. But no matter, I will still rid of you pesky vermin. But before that I will be taking that book." The gales picked up, it was difficult to keep our stance from it's strength.

"Over Saral's dead body you old crone!" Eve jested.

"Well that wasn't very polite, I guess your mother didn't bother teaching you manners!" Saral's blade was aimed at the witch, thirsting for battle.

"Did you suspect me to be courteous, search elsewhere! Now let's focus at the task at hand, shall we?"

The witch hissed foreign chants. "Écho kalései eh Ýdra, érchontai tórama kai na skotósoun tous echthroús sas." Blood-curdling hisses sprang from the sea as the six heads of a serpent surfaced.

"She summoned a hydra? What is this some kind of mythical story?" Will couldn't sound more surprised. "What's next, will the queen of Sheba descend from the heavens, or maybe Santa Claus will fly above with his pet reindeers?

"Ah thank the Creator, for a second I feared 'twas a dragon, otherwise we'd have a problem on our hands. 'Tis just a miniscule hydra." She sounded so melodramatic like she's dealt with this type of thing before.

The hydras scales were dipped in coal-black, each of its heads hissed a different tone. Its screams sent shivers down my spine. Six heads sprouted from its glossy skin, fire peaked from the center ones mouth. We scattered, avoiding the fireballs, making sure it didn't even skim us. The heat accelerated our exhaustion. Our armor was flooded in sweat. We had to time our attacks just right but the combination of blazing flames and energy wasting weapons made it very difficult. Our blades clanged against its almost impenetrable skin. Saral was able to pierce through it but it drastically regenerated to its original state.

"Shit we've been at this forever, when is this thing going to die." Saral tiredly moaned. He swept the dribbles of water off of his forehead as he exhaled thoroughly. "It's time to do something drastic." He jumped onto one of the heads as it tried to snack on him. The heads cautiously tried snapping him off but Saral was prepared. They dove into the sea but Saral dug his sword into their skin to keep his footing. It roared louder than the thunders in the skies, its heads ferociously swung around but it didn't faze Saral. One of the snake heads lurched right into trail, breaking it into jagged rocks. The rumbling caught me off balance and I plunged into the sea. Quickly I grabbed onto the hydras head, I dug my nails into the section of its scales. I was in a critical situation but I managed to crawl to the top. I propelled my sword to a safe spot on the hydras body, then miraculously I teleported there. Saral casts a glance at me and together we attempted to sabotage the hydras mobility. Stabbing it in uncomfortable places. Meanwhile the rest of the group had to conceive a real plan. The hydra was preoccupied with Saral and I pestering it like a mosquito. Unfortunately, there was no way to beat it at least not now. Every cut we previously had done had been regenerated, it was almost indestructible. Its heads also had multiplied, almost doubling in numbers. The trail ahead had been over flooded, leaving no room for an escape. Eve used her magic to teleport Saral and I back to safe ground. She wore a concerned look as she gathered our group.

"Listen and listen carefully. We cannot beat it, but there is a slim chance. But it will put you all in danger."

"Okay then what's the plan?" I asked.

"There's no time to elucidate on the matter, you must all flee!"

"Why are you talking like you're going to stay behind?"

"Because I am."

"You can't..."

"I am the only that is capable of subduing it, think about your friends! Don't be concerned with me!" She faced her flattened palm at us, whispering a spell. A circle made of light surrounded our group. "I'm teleporting you guys to safety!"

"No wait!" I tried to run past the circle but bumped into an invisible wall. Eve was on the other side, focusing on the spell. "I promise we'll meet again Eve! All those walls you put up between us... I promise I'll break it down! We will meet again you hear me!"

Though she remained silent, I knew she was suppressing her smile. The spell was complete and we vanished to the end of the trail. I couldn't believe how selfless she was because of how mean she normally is. We all were in a daze, and surprised with her brave decision. We were so far ahead that we couldn't even see the hydra or Eve. We just sat there, waiting for her return but we couldn't wait forever. It had only been 30 minutes but I already had second thoughts, I wanted to go back for her. But on the bright side we were not too far off from the Gardens of Israh.

"Maybe we should go back!" Just as I was about to turn back Saral imprisoned my arm with his grasp, tightly gripping it like handcuffs.

"Calm down lover boy, if you go back her sacrifice was meant for nothing. For all we know she's still fighting that snake."

"But..." Thus I added to my list of woes, I realized he was correct yet continued to deny. So easily they've abandoned our comrades, what's to say they won't do the same with me? I glared at them like they were crazy people, slowly walking in reverse. They had no hearts. I mean I know some of them didn't like Eve her but they showed no remorse. Not even a little appreciation. I began to question everything, they broke my trust.

"I hate to admit it but he's right Adam... the harsh reality is sacrifice is an aspect of survival. The weak perish alone and the strong only survive, but the strong only die by protecting the weak." Viola rubbed her hand on my shoulder, it felt chilly but it wasn't from her hand but from the depths of her heart. I brushed her off, releasing my vexation.

"Perhaps then we are the weak, yes? She was the strongest amongst us and yet she was the one sacrificed! I can't believe it... you've all lost your humanity, your sanity! Where's the compassion, the emotions? First we gave up on Kayden and now Eve? Who's next? What's to say you won't leave me behind?"

"Adam it's just..." She reached to comfort me, but I swatted it away.

"Screw your survival!" I sharply spat onto the earth and gave a grimace of pain. "I would rather die selfless amid the weak... then live selfish amongst the strong!" My arm bumped them as I stormed away with outrage. I should've known, we are the same as Asebises, but we're worse... we can hide behind our skin. The rain from earlier had left behind a muddy trail for us to travel on. Our footsteps permanently left a print onto the mire. Above, the clouds still ached from sorrow, its cries thunderously resonated. My companions continued to follow me as I maintained a distance, perhaps it's because I veered towards the Gardens of Israh. They didn't care for me or for anyone, they just cared about surviving. The grass grew vividly green, plants sprouted from the soil. Viola had caught up to me, she behaved as if nothing occurred. Possibly she realized that I was right, even though she never admitted it.

"The Gardens of Israh should be close by, I heard there are miles of stunning flowers there. Roses, Dahlias, Tulips, you name it. It'll be nice to enjoy a calm scenery especially since we haven't been able to enjoy anything. I hope there are some Sunflower seeds to chew on!" My anger had yet to subside but Viola's brightness compelled me to simper. Her expression illuminate feverishly, almost contagiously. I can't blame her we haven't seen anything alluring for a few days now. She grabs my wrist "Come on slow poke, we're almost there. It should be just over that hill over there." She yanks my arm as I try balancing myself. We saunter up, the tall green grass crunches as the dew brushes my boots lightly, leaving droplets of water. Viola rushes ahead to the top, she stands there as she stared at the scenery.

"W-What... happened? Are we in the right place?"

We catch up to her, "Wow, where are all the flowers?" The ground was dry as the yellow dead grass rest over it. The sky dusked, inky clouds suffuse across the horizon playing the instruments of thunder. As we got closer we noticed silvery blue buildings that would graze the dark clouds above it. Aircrafts encircled the vicinity. A hoard approached us from behind bombarding us with bullets and bombs. As we tried to escape, people cladded with polished metals jumped out of the aircraft. They wore silvery blue armor that covered their torso, arms, and legs. Helmets disguised their identities, only their eyes were visible.

"Freeze!" they commanded as they continued pursuing us. Sounds of booming gunshots stalked from behind. An electric shock paralyzed each of us, as we laid lifelessly on the ground, they dragged us into the aircraft. They took out clear syringes, needles filled with a liquid were injected into our jugular vein. Next thing I knew I was being hauled through a blinding hallway. Our armor were stripped of us, replaces by ragged black and white stripped prison jumpsuits. I thought I was in some kind of hospital, people were robed in white lab coats and blue surgical masks. They handcuffed us to chairs bolted onto the black and white checkered floor.

"Don't try to struggle, you won't escape from those handcuffs."

A women ambled with even steps as the door slid open. She held a clipboard against her chest, a pen sat above her earlobe.

"Who are you, what do you want with us?" Saral intensely questioned her, striving to break free from the handcuffs.

"Well don't you have a lot of energy? Let me introduce myself, my name is Eveline Rummage. I am the head scientist here," strands of her brown hair curled, drooping in front of her forehead. The rest of her hair was in a tight bun behind her head. Her lips were dark burgundy matching with her ear piercings. Those eyes of hers were clearly of a psychopath complimented by her tanned skin.

"You guys are in the headquarters of the Rebels also known as Zone 1. Don't worry we're completely against the current regime. Here we train those who were thrown into the wilderness. I welcome you here, and I hope that you will also take part in our community."

"What kind of sick welcome party is this, handcuffing us against our will? This is a little too kinky for my personal taste. We will not listen to clowns who are adorned in lab coats!" He spat onto the marble floor. As always Saral was able to make light of the situation with his snarky remark.

"It's just part of our procedure just in case ill-mannered children like yourself do anything violent. But as kind as I am I will like you go, guards take those handcuffs off these fine people."

My wrist felt loose as the tight clutches of the handcuffs were unlocked. "Come this way, I'll show you around." We followed behind her, like we were touring a museum, we passed by many rooms that were labeled "Restricted Area" on front. I wonder what's behind those doors, what are they hiding? A feeling of uneasiness permeated within my core. She took us across a bridge that connected to another building. Red flags with the symbol of the Triskele stood on the sides, twirling. I cautiously tiptoed to Saral, "Those flags have the symbol of the Triskele on them, the same symbol from my dream. Remember what Eisheth said?"

He shrugged his shoulders as he thought hard, almost hurting himself. "Um something about them being witches?"

"Yes! That means this place isn't safe. They must have ulterior motives!"

"Well we can't do much about it for now!"

"Excuse me, I have a question!" I had to relieve my curiosity. "That symbol on those flags, what is it supposed to mean?"

"Darling, even I don't know why. Our founder is fond of it, it must have some special meaning to him."

"Okay, I have another question, what's behind those restricted doors that we passed by earlier?"

"Aren't you just full of wondrous questions? Well it's a restricted for a reason, not many people know what happens behind there. Well except me for me of course," she turned her head as she kept leading us pass the automatic doors. He hips swayed side to side exaggerating evey move. She scanned a blue and white card that hung from her neck. A sudden beep allowed the doors to open, hundreds of people scattered around area. "This is Zone 2, this is where you will be most of the time." She guided us down some crooked stairs revealing a gigantic room, L.E.D lights brightened the ceiling, punching bags and several kinds of training equipment were aligned. Dried stains of red liquid were scattered around the floor, clearly this place hasn't been cleaned in a while.

"Okay I have another question, if you have all these aircrafts to your disposal. Why don't you just fly to Liberatai City, you guys would be safe there."

"Why travel to a city when you can make your own. Besides not many people fancy their laws, actually there are barely any. Anyways tomorrow you will be training here with many other people. Today I will take you to your resting quarters. You must be worn out from your journey." The halls were decorated in tan hue, fancy vases, tables, mirrors were all present. The ceiling had the Triskele tattooed, it seemed to be a little too nice. Though I don't mind it, but it's not what I expected.

"I wasn't aware prisons had hotel rooms now." Saral sarcastically remarked. Viola analyzed her surroundings, searching for a flaw. "People wouldn't mind being sent to prison if it looked this nice!"

"Ah I just hope I don't have to worry about dropping the soap." Oan added as he whispered to Saral. Will nudged his elbow into Oan, "I'm sure people would turn the other way if you dropped it." Our clothes contained blotches of filth, mud prints trailed us alongside nasty squish discords. "I just hope there's soap, we reek of filth."

We were coerce to a chamber, wood fashioned into a 9 draped onto the slammer. Within, beds cocked on the sides, endless rows of them. Men and women uniformed in a black shirt and gray athletic pants. Muscles protruded from their skin tight apparel, the women all had their hair tied. Some men wandered shirtless, exposing chiseled abs and pecs stapled with hair. They sneered, eyeing the new fresh meat. "Here, these will be your uniforms," Eveline bestowed folded clothes. "We will have Dinner in about 2 hours, please feel free to socialize. You guys will bunk in sections 3." The doors split opened as she departed, "What the hell, they took our armor and weapons that Eve gave us! Will raged from being confined in this prison like place. Quivering pipes within the walls screeched throughout the vicinity.

"God I wish she were here, then we could easily break out of here."

"Sounds like you miss her, Viola?" Saral asked. "Of course I do, I'm sure everyone does. I mean she basically was the scape goat when we escaped. I hope she's okay, I worry for her. Aren't you worried Adam?"

"Have faith in your teammate, she's the most resourceful one amongst us. Besides, she made us a promise didn't she? I'm confident she will return." To be honest, I clung onto her promise despite being faithless.

"I couldn't get enough of her archaic speech... should've savored the moments." All of us turned, disoriented. "WHAT? Are you admitting to missing her?"

"Just her vexatious tone and snide opinions, analogous to quarrelling with a mutt!" Viola patted him on the back, "A dog is a man's best friend after all, Haha!"

"Alright guys, let's not be glum. Maybe we should explore this place... I hope we find some alluring women, hehe." Oan eyes wavered in curiosity, eagerly frisking his fingers. Will and Saral heads nodded in agreement, "yeah! Now you're speaking my language." Viola arms folded unpleasantly as she was exposed to the presence of perversion. The guys scurried ahead, forcibly taking me with them. Resistance was futile, yet deep within I wanted to go. Soon exploration had begun, bodies huddled in a circle, chanting like there was a quarrel of some sort.

"Fight, don't give him any mercy Cara!" The unorganized mob of ruckus was difficult to peek through. A small glimpse revealed a young women, fair in complexion, was battling three built men with her bare fists, and she was winning. Her gray eyes were glued to her opponent's every gesture. The texture of her skin suggested she was in her late twenties. The guys ringed her, repeatedly trying to hit her to no avail. Her evasions were perfectly executed, strands of golden wheat hair grazed their fists. Her vision even extended to her blind spots, being wary of oncoming attacks. No signs of scars or bruises were apparent; to her boredom she retaliated, punting their faces. Dropping them senseless.  
"I thought you boys were going to teach me a lesson?" she made a statement to the crowds around her. "Does anyone desire to at least attempt to beat me? I warn you, I will not go easy!"

Viola trekked across the suffocating cluster, "I'll beat you!" It's astonishing that she challenged that lady even after she demolished those three guys. I wasn't sure if they were going to fight or bicker each other to death.

"I just hope you're more of challenge then those boys." She caressed her hair of golden silk. Unfazed from the challenge, obnoxiously sniggering as if someone made a joke.

"Oh please... they we're just a warm up."

There crowd became dense, people making shoving me around. Since I wasn't very tall I couldn't see the fight. Heck, it felt like I was in the fight because of everyone jostling and squeezing me to death. I wiggled my way to the back, getting past the body heat and bad breath. People here didn't know what personal space was, I was sure someone groped me on the way out. All I could hear were groans and screams and a mixture of blood and sweat twirling in the air. Saral, Oan, and Will had a front row seat to the cat fight. I tried to barge into the crowd but couldn't penetrate its walls. Finally, they dispersed. Saral aided Viola by holding her at her side.

"Are you okay Viola? Did you win? Are you okay" I panically asked while trying to also assist her. Her arm tensed as she rested it behind my neck. I knew she was strong but I didn't know she'd be reckless enough to get into a fight. I thought only Saral would've been that heedless.

"Well other than my black eye, a few deep scratches, and maybe a cracked rib caged I should be fine. It was all worth it since I won!" She suppressed her laughter because of the pain that surged through her body. Usually sweat would stink but weirdly she smelled kind of nice. It drenched me but it gave me flowery smell. Oan and Will were chatting it up with other people.

"That was so hot, I think a little blood splashed onto me." Oan intensely said to Will. They both had nose bleeds and I wasn't sure if that was from the fight or not.

"I wouldn't mind if they beat me." Will winked as they nudged each other, giggling to the perverted reference.

"What made you want to fight?" Saral asked Viola. "You don't strike me as the type to get into needless fights."

"Allies. We don't know anyone here so the only way to get known was to fight. Especially fighting and winning. They'll look at us with respect from now on."

"Wouldn't it also make enemies?" I responded.

"That's true, but I think we make enemies regardless."

"That was good thinking Viola!" Oan patted her sweaty back. His hand slimed as he pulled it away.

"Oh sorry, I'm soaked in sweat."

"I don't mind..."

We headed to our bunks, relaxing for a few hours. A voice over the intercom idly repeated "dinner is ready, everyone please report to Sector C." I was so excited about the food, it was nothing new. Jumbles of people crammed us in the center, personal space was nonexistent. Saral wraps his arms around me and Viola protecting us from the hordes of people. Will and Oan had already scurried passed the masses, when it came to food, there were no allies. As we stepped into Sector C we noticed there were many guards surrounding the perimeter. To me it felt like we were criminals that need to be watched. Hundreds of tables were stretched across the room, trays of food were placed in front of each seat. Despite it appearing like a pile of shit, we were still thankful that we even had something to fill our stomachs. We seated adjoining to each other, "I'm going to enjoy this!" Saral devoured the food without even taking a whiff. I watched as he almost ingested the plate. The cup of water was entirely empty, he hadn't wasted a second.

"You know I kind of like this place!" He happily announced, rubbing his inflated tummy. Bits of food stained the corners of his mouth, I offered him a napkin but he didn't bother using it. Instead his arm thoroughly scrubbed his mouth until the splotch was nonexistent.

"This is no home to us, we need to figure out a way to break out of here." Evenly I stroke my knife against my chicken, juices oozed from its gut. The table vibrated as Saral banged the cup onto the table, "Why are you in a rush? We've been in the wild for days on end. I think it's time we just relaxed a bit!"

"We have a comrade out there who could possibly still be alive. There is no leisure time!" We exchanged scowls, fiercely maintaining eye contact. Chitter chatters of inmates indicated that we were the center of attention. "You're too loud Saral!" Forcibly his mug is confiscated by Viola. The heated aroma simmered down after some time. Though I sought to appreciate the serene environment, I sensed a disturbance. Were these people really trying to help us or are they doing it for their own best interest? My attention was stolen by a perplexing sight. Visibly a person in a gas mask shaped into a beak peered through a small window on the entrance door. Never have a seen a mask of that outlandish form. Within a bat of an eye it vanished, strangely I felt like its eye were on me. No one, but me.

That night it was difficult to go to bed, restlessly, I tossed and turned. The presence of that mask was pinned onto my mind. Struggling to think about something else, I had remembered Eve. Her essence had refused to leave me alone, reminiscing how much I missed her Shakespeare dialect. Similarly I recalled how mad I am for abandoning her, more so at myself than my comrades. It was solely in my deep slumber that caught sight of her, she laid on the tender meadows while animals of all sorts circled her. Angelic melodies from her mouth sang hushed lyrics, "I will return to you." Abruptly the trance had seized with Saral on top of me.

"Hey Adam you want to explore the place? No one has to know." It's risky but there's nothing else to do. My response had to be thought with vigilance. "Hell yeah!"

From the top bunk Viola propped on the rail, hanging from it like a bat. "Wow where's my invite, Saral how could you?"

"I suspected you required beauty sleep, I didn't want to awaken you, princess. Should we also bother Oan and Will?" Just as Saral attempted to disrupt them, I held his arm, tugging him away.

"No need, in fact it's better if they don't come. It'll present more of a challenge to snoop around with a larger group!" The sensation of adrenaline pumped through my body, this always occurs when I'm not supposed to do something. Not a single sound was made while we tiptoed across the halls. Guards were on alert, strolling back and forth around the entire Vicinity. We stealthily navigated by them, by luck we were able to pass the guards, not alerting them of our where about. The exit from Zone 2 were but inches away, the pressure of fingers tapped my back. It was Cara, she was also sneaking around.

"Cara why are you here?" Viola grabbed Cara's shoulders, shaking her comically.

"It's because I'm just as curious as you guys. People have actually been disappearing for a while, and I know these people are up to no good." She withdrew a card from her pocket, "I snatched this from the warden... we should have access to the restricted areas with this." She scans the card, opening the entrance to the bridge that leads to Zone 1.

"Cara, see that symbol? Do you even have the slightest idea of why it's there or what it means?" Denial wasn't just a river in Egypt, I still thought that possibly it was just a coincidence that it matched one of the symbols of the witches, the one from my dream.

"To be frank it looks like a symbol related to the dark arts. I presume it was called the Triskele. The founder wears that symbol on his coat, I saw him once. His identity was concealed by a strange gas mask with a protracted beak in the center. He constantly wears a wide brimmed hat... pitch black in color!"

"It can't be... I saw him outside of the cafeteria this morning."

"That's impossible..."

"Why?"

"Because he died several months prior to your arrival."

Saral saw an opening for a comical utter, "Hurray Adam! It seems you have a sixth sense. Maybe know we can form a group, I'll call it...Ghostbusters!"

"This isn't the time for joke! How was I able to see him if he's dead... perhaps he faked his own death?"

"Well we had a funeral for him a few months ago, but anything is possible." It gives me chills down my spine knowing that I witnessed something that wasn't supposed to happen. Why did it have to be me, why couldn't someone else see it? We entered Zone 1, Cara points towards an air duct. "We need to go in there, this place is crawling with guards and cameras." One by one we climb into the air duct. "Follow me, I think I know the way." I felt suffocated, with each breath I started to breathe harder. But I couldn't but help be a little suspicious of Cara. How did she know so much about this place, or maybe I'm just over thinking it? Saral was crawling in front of me but behind Cara. His ass was a little too close for my liking, he turned his head "You okay? If you don't feel good then you and me can go back." It seemed like he was using me as an excuse to go back, but I wasn't going to go back!

"We came this far, I'm not turning back!"

I saw him smile as he continued to crawl. "This is it." Cara checked to make sure there weren't any guards around, she jumped down in front of the restricted door. She scanned the card, it beeped once then opened. We went inside, the hallway looked like an abyss. Cara turned on the flashlight she had and we followed her. She flashed it left and right revealing glass walls. Viola grabbed my hand out of fear, little did she know I was just as scared. Then I grabbed Sarals arm, being in his presence always made me feel a little easy. Promptly, we heard noise. It was weird, I couldn't describe it. Creatures banged on the glass walls, we all jumped, startled by the bangs.  
"What the hell, why are these things here?" Cara fearfully questioned, she takes a few steps back hesitating to move any further.

"We should keep moving, guards can show up any second." Saral takes Caras flashlight as he pulled us forward, leading us. Another door was at the end of the hall, Cara swipes the card opening it. Saral slowly twists the knob, creaks cover the bangs. The room blinded me for a second because of the bright lights and white walls. We entered, there was something sitting. Its back was turned to us as it sat on a white leather seat, it looked like the ones you would see in a dentist room. A closer look reveals that it was an Asebis, strapped down. It had countless amounts of tubes attached to it. Its eye lids were closed shut by stitches. Why are they here? Are they doing some kind of experiment? There was a gray computer sitting next a file cabinet. Cara tried using the computer but it was locked. Saral opened the file cabinet, there were numerous amounts of folder each with different titles. Restlessly shuffling through the files, searching for something interesting. He grabbed a file titled "SuperH1." We read through the files, it revealed that these creatures were test subjects. The ones in the glass walls were failed attempts. They would inject the blood of the creature named "E12h37H". It says that this creature is thought to one of the oldest Asebises, it originated in the north. Supposedly that is the location of the origin of the Crimson Necrosis. It was also describing about something unfamiliar, something about channeling.

"I've heard of channeling." Cara snatches the paper from Sarals grasp. "It has to do with magic. Channeling is when you use energy from somewhere else and not from within your own body. It makes it easier to cast difficult spells. But this is not normal magic, its black magic. This file is describing channeling humans. But humans don't have enough energy to do it without dying in the process. But Asebises do... strangely."

"But aren't Asebises just diseased people?" I questioned.

"It says here that they are actually super humans, to an extent. All of their physical abilities are heightened once they are affected but in return are transformed into vile creatures. So if a witch channels them then they'll have more than enough power. It's somewhat genius if you ask me." Saral yanks the paper back from Cara's hands. "Enough power to do what?" She vehemently rips it back, in the process tearing it. "Shit! Um let's see, it doesn't say anything about it in this file, maybe there's another one that does!" The torn paper sways to the ground, entering the vicinity of my vision. I gather the two sheets and start to skim through it. Names were listed on the bottom, and across them were the results of their experiment. Whether they were successful or not.

I read down the list to quench my curiosity. "I can't believe this."

"What, what did you read." Saral looked puzzled.

"One of the test subjects was named Scarlett Katil, that's my sister." I froze in awe, I wasn't sure what to feel. My eyes traveled across Scarletts name from the left to the right side of the paper, it read "Successful."

"She's alive?" I speedily flipped the page to see if there was anything on the back about her where she is. There was nothing, I rushed to open the other cabinets and looked through the files. A paper fell from one of the files, by chance, it had Scarletts name and information. As I skimmed through the words I came across her location. It read "Unknown." Maybe she escaped from this place long ago that would mean she has some sort of abilities. I promised myself that I would find her now that I know she's alive.

"She's pretty cute, I would definitely get with her." Saral said as he leaned over staring at her picture. "But don't worry Adam, you're still cuter." I laughed, I felt like a weight lifted off my chest. Cara continues scavenging through the files, searching for something. The room was filled with boundless amounts of cabinets and computers, many were larger than us. The hall was decorated with them, but alas many were locked.  
"Imagine the vast amounts of information within this room. Secrets that have been tucked away from the public." Viola attempted to force open the cabinets with no results. "Damn it. Who knows how beneficial it would be to know the information that these things hold." Saral and I just stood there, uninterested in this pointless search. "We don't even know what we're looking for! We were just supposed to explore!" Thumps of ambulating arrived from outside of the room. Our group scattered in circles seeking a place to hide. Each hiding spot behind the cabinets were occupied, I had no choice but to run further down the hall. At the end of the infinite rows of storage there was a single door. Even though I had no clue as to where it led I continued to pursue it. Rattling the door knob restlessly for seconds, I ripped the door open. I assumed I was in some kind of garbage room from the peculiar odor. Blindly I hunted for a switch to illuminate the darkness, only to wish I remained in it. Bodies rested lifelessly, tucked into gurneys. What I hoped to be humans underneath the blankets had turned out to be Asebises. But each of the bodies had something in common, their forehead had a symbol etched on it. The Triskele... but why? I was afraid these things weren't dead, they seemed to be breathing... faintly. Footsteps could be heard from outside, I almost forgot I was supposed to hide. There were several curtains in the rooms like the ones you'd see in a hospital, it was the only place to hide. I would've reminisced the cheerful peace I had received from being a nurse back in Oaktown, but I was too busy with fear. Only the shadows of a man with a beak could be seen from beyond the drapes. Could it be... the man with the beaked shape gas mask? Blankets were flung off the stiff dead bodies, one by one, closer and closer he approached. The center of my heart palpitated so heavily that each thump could be seen from the outside of my skin. The uncontrollable throbbing from my bosom was even more apparent than the threatening steps. As his shadows heightened I rethought every choice I made in life. I even remembered leaving my sink on at home, but I guess I don't have to worry about that anymore. Sweat cried from my pours more so than the waterfalls within my eyes. The curtains were fiercely tugged off, the metal rings that held it whined as it rubbed from one end to another. My nerves pulsated but it ceased after I noticed who it was... Saral.

"Are you whimpering? Hah! You are whimpering!"

"I'm not whimpering! I thought you were that beaked nose gas mask guy!"

"Beaked nose gas mask guy... is he yay high, with a cloak?"

"Yeah I think so!"

"He was here earlier, but he left."

"Thank the lord, I almost shat in my pants!"

Viola and Cara rushed in, "What's going on? I heard a child crying!"

"For the Creator's sake I wasn't whimpering!" Rolled sheets of papers were sticking out of Cara's pocket. She tugged her shirt down, concealing it. "We should get out of here before that guy comes back!"

"Wait! You guys need to look at what these things." I directed their attention to one of the Asebises, "see this mark on their head? It's the Triskele, the same sign on the flags outside."

"Okay and?"

"And... why do you suppose it's on their foreheads. Cara said herself that this mark was part of some dark type of magic. Why would they perform black magic on Asebises when they themselves are a product of it? Isn't that a little strange?"

Viola brushes her chin in astonishment, "That is a tad unusual, but we have no explanation for it, there's no point in discussing something we have little knowledge of. For now all we can do is just go with the flow."

"Actually..." Cara presses her finger onto the marked forehead while she sighs. "The only time a person would use black magic on a product of black magic is if they are trying to counteract its affects, or maybe use it as some kind of beacon of energy."

"Energy? What do you mean by that?" I knew curiosity killed the cat but I was willing to take a risk. Cara knows a lot about magic, so naturally. I was suspicious of her. She doesn't seem hostile but she's been acting weird since we've come into this room.

"When someone cast a spell they leave energy on the object they cast it on. Perhaps the beaked man is trying to channel this energy... for unknown reasons."

"You seem to know an awful lot about witchcraft..."

"We are suffering from an international plaque because of witches. People should be better informed about it rather than blaming it on everyday citizens."

"And exactly where did you find this info—"

"Enough! This is no place to play 20 questions! Adam stop scrutinizing her, we need to trust each other. Right now we should return back to our chamber before anyone realizes we're gone!" Saral forces me back while conveying a stern stare. "But!"

"No buts! Cara's the one that brought us here, you should be grateful. Without her you wouldn't know that your sister is possibly alive!" He was right but I still don't trust her. It just doesn't sit right with me, my stomach gnarled from her vibes. How would she obtain this my information? There's no internet, no books, no documentaries about this. But I had no choice... I had to deal with her even if I didn't trust her. I guess this is how Saral felt about Eve being a witch, but she...she had a light coming from her. A light that you'd only see on the face of a full moon. Eve also was upfront about her identity, she even told us about the book she always carries, but Cara... she's different, she's much darker. She's obsessive... deceitful, especially since she found a document that she's not telling us about. I'll find out what it is... eventually.

The next morning a loud trumpet like sound exploded from the intercom. "Breakfast will be served in an hour, everyone must report to Section D for a shower. Men will go into Section D-1 and Women will go into Section D-2." We all woke up and headed to the showers, it was a public shower. Everyone saw everyone's naked body. I was really shy, I don't like to show my body to people. It's wrong, people should have shame. I can only imagine all these people with their gazes full of lust. I caught a glimpse of a man, we was staring at me. I felt uncomfortable, it was like his eyes craved what I had. I made awkward eye contact for a split second, like when your crush catches you staring at them. Actually it wasn't just him but a group of men. Maybe they were looking at us, or should I say me, because I was new. It was just strange that they were staring as we took of our off clothes to take a shower.

"What's wrong Adam, there's no need to be shy just take off your clothes." Saral teased me as I underdressed. "See you have a nice body too, I'm sure all the ladies would love those rock hard abs. I know I love them." Saral continuously harassed me, but in a brotherly type of way.

"Um I dunno I feel..." He notice how I tried to hide my uneasiness behind my fake expressions. He heard it within my words.

"Look at me. Something is wrong isn't it?" He trailed my eyes as it paced at those guys. His body repositioned in front of me, blocking their stalking glares. "If any of them mess with you, I'll break their necks." At that moment I realized how glad I am that Saral's potential man crush on me would probably save my ass one day... no pun intended. Though I was a little worried that he might end up breaking my neck. He's like an overly protective boyfriend who doesn't let anyone even look at his girl without picking a fight. But we all know how those relationships ends up... "Burn their bodies to ashes and then roll it up and smoke a fat blunt."

"Wait what?" I was too preoccupied with my inner thoughts to realize that he was talking. He repeated, "If they mess with you then I'll break their necks, but before that I'll gouge out their eyes. Then I'll burn their ashes."

"Ashes. That's very... specific. I hope you're joking, cause if you're not then you should probably meet some kind of psychiatrist or something." Though I was just be facetious it seems he took my comment a little seriously.

"Yeah probably. It's weird, that was also the last thing my three ex-girlfriends told me... after I killed them."

"... WHAT?" I partially ended up pissing... on him, but he didn't notice because we were still showering.

"Chillax I was just kidding, God! You looked like you were about to piss on yourself."

"I did on you..."

"What."

"What! I was just joking too haha." I tried so hard faking an awkward laugh. My acting was never my strong suit.

"Anyways, speaking of girlfriends... Viola is pretty fine don't you think?"

"You know... now that you mention it she is good looking. I probably didn't notice since the smell of animal shit punctured into my eyelids out there."

"I'm sure she has a thang for you, I mean woman must be turned on by your chiseled jaw and your mesmerizing hazel eyes, and let's not forget all three of your facial hairs."

"Actually it's four, if you're going to insult me with a fact than do it right. But anyways, what are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to say that you should definitely get with that, if you know what I mean... hitting the piñata for candy, let her take a ride on the rollercoaster, give her a taste of that sweet cinnamon glaze." A barrage of awkward winks followed in succession.

"Look I respect women too much to do that kind of stuff... but if a fat turkey is served on a silver platter, then imma pour some gravy on it if you know what I mean." I reciprocated the awkward winks, and soon we exploded into laughter harmoniously. "No but on a serious note, I would never do that kind of stuff. Unless I'm married of course, than it's an all you can eat buffet!"

"Wow, that's a rare way of thinking in this day and age." In the distance I could see Will and Oan taking a shower, "Hey look over there!" Will was scrubbing his body with soap very thoroughly. Until his slipped from his slippery palms.

"Crap, Oan pick it up for me."

"Hell no, don't you know what happens in a room full of men when one guy drops the soap."

"Come one, no one is going to ra—"

"I am not trying to have my asshole be the size of the great canyon, for all I know I'll try grabbing the soap but then a group of men will jump me, and then you'll have the soap all to yourself!"

"Your overthinking it, ugh I'll just shower without the soap."

After we finished taking a shower he headed to Section C to eat breakfast. I couldn't stop thinking about my sister. I remembered how when I was little and we all use to say prayer before eating, as a family. It was like I could still hear my dad cracking subpar jokes, and my mom faking her laughs. I remember I use to hate how my sister would take a plate of food meant for three people and my mom would let her. "She's older than you so she needs more food than you!" she would say. "Scar dear, fill a plate up for your brother." But something was strange, Scar handed the plate to her left, but I was across her. It was an empty chair, no one sat there, but it felt like someone did or was, I wasn't quite sure. Everything was slightly hazy. As I was lost in my thoughts several people dressed in black coats and black shades marched into Section C. A man stepped forward, one that wasn't wearing shades. He was the tallest of them, his hair wavy hair stretched to his ears. The blackness within his eye mirrored his coarse hair. Each person had a bandanna strapped to their foreheads, the people that stood behind them were colorful, well at least their hair was. Blue, green, pink... it was like looking at a gothic batch of crayons. Their colorful hair stuck out like a sore thumb, but something was off, who would have the time dye their hair in a time of chaos? "Alright mongrels, you will address me as Captain Daevas and no other name. These people behind me are also Captains, we will be your leaders. You will be divided into groups and will be assigned to one of us. If you look underneath your seats there will be a posted note with a number on it. It will be numbered 1 to 9, corresponding with a color on the stick note. The number represents which one of us you will be assigned to, the color represents who your team members will be."

Viola tears he sticky note from beneath her chair and shows it to us. "Black three... that's what I got!" We're all in the same group. I think our groups were determined by who we sat next to, I guess it's unlucky for those who sat by someone they hated. Sadly, I was one of them. Only a few seats down were those men that were sadistically glaring at me earlier.

"Now that all of you rookies know your groups, you will now be escorted to separate cabins. Now, you probably think it's all going to be fun and games... but when I'm done with you, you'll grow muscles from your balls! These cabins are war-zones, the forest surrounding them are infested with Asebises. You'll have to learn how to sleep with your eyes open! And we'll be out there as long as we need to be, well at least until you start bleeding from your feet!" Saral swayed onto his side, pressing his hand until it squished his face and slowly started to tap on the table with his other hand. He let out a weeping sigh as his eye drooped to the floor. "I knew this was going to be fun...hooray..."

Chapter Four: Hundred days of hell

The cabin was cradled within the bosoms of the woods, the branches barricaded us from viewing the appearance of the brilliant heavens above. Rainbow jeweled lanterns illuminated the trail leading to the cabins. The hand crafted designs curled around the center of the glass, the mahogany flames glistened in the center, cognate to an eye. They glared at us, as they squat upon the tree arms. Despite it being morning time we were still unable glimpse at the sun's features because of the densely bundled trees with an exception of a few rays that peaked from behind them. The cabin was miniscule from the outside, the wood looked older than Captain Daevas. It was like they were twins because of all the dents and scratched in the woods. There were about twenty of us but it seemed like we would be cramped inside. Posterior to the cabin laid a pond, a dock extended a few feet into it. It look almost tainted, it was filthy but even dirty water doesn't look that black. It just screamed bad news, but it's not like we had any other choice. Captain Daevas handed out water bottles on the way there, he insisted that we all drink them to keep our energy up. The captain had his own specially made water bottle, it was clear and had a filter in it.

I assumed that the frosty water that traveled through my throat was going to replenish my spirit, but instead it made me slightly dizzy and gave me a headache. Everyone else seemed fine, but my body was reacting strangely, but I didn't pay any attention to it. By the time we had entered the cabin all of our bottles had already been empty, only to be littered onto the grassy floor. One of my main worries was that I had to stay under the same roof as the weird men from earlier. They didn't make eye contact with me the entire way but I knew their attention was directed at me, call me paranoid but I knew there was something strange about them. Likewise Cara was also in our group, another person I didn't trust. She seemed harmless at first and slightly helpful but her action suggest she has hidden motives. Captain Daevas rattled the door knob a few times until it opened. The interior of the cabin was much more modern than I expected. There were long clear windows in the back so that we can view the pond. Soft rosewood sofas were in front of an indoor fire place. An organized kitchen with all the tools you'd need to whip something up. There even was a refrigerator that had been previously stocked with foods of all sorts. The entire place just seemed to glow, perhaps this won't be as bad as I thought it would be. But, one thing stuck out. The checkered floor. It didn't go with the setting, it looked like an oversized chess board, without the chess pieces. There was also one shattered mirror on the wall, a bird cage, and statue of the Goddess Revekah in the center. Her right arm was pointing upwards holding a staff and her other hand held a book which was directing towards the floor. On her right shoulder was the holy phoenix, it was said to be her pet. It had healing capabilities and other fancy tricks. When I took a closer look I tried to imagine Eve, I didn't really see a resemblance. Eve was much prettier than Revekah in my opinion. But in portraits Revekah was always displayed as a women of fair skin, rosy cheeks and merlot lips. Which makes no sense since she originated within Ancient Indus, the people were much tanner then the way she was displayed.

"Wow Revekah was such a babe, don't you think Adam?" Saral examined the statue a little closer, "I hope she wasn't as tall as his huge statue cause then that would be a turn off." Viola roughly slaps Saral on the back of his head.

"You're really going to judge an ancient statue of a Goddess in a inappropriate manner? You should respect her or maybe you'll regret it in the future!"

"People are too quick to worship. Have you ever seen her? Has anyone ever seen her? If no one ever saw her then how are you so sure that you're worshipping a goddess and not just a shitty piece of metal?"

"We have books of her, written by her apostles."

"Apostles or apostates? And how do you know that they didn't just decided to add their own ideas to the religion, to suit their own beliefs. If anything it would make more sense if she wrote it herself."

"She was too busy traveling and spreading the message orally. People who were close to her would scribe her message. In fact there were seven books from the ancient times that documented her message. "

"Yeah, whatever, it still doesn't add up."

Captain Daevas marches into the main room and grabs everyone attention. He leads us into another room within the cabin, it looked like an oversize closet. He lifts the wooden wall covered in random clothes and boxes. A staircase was behind it, it led downwards deep beneath the ground. I hopped on each square all the way down on the checkered stairs. At the bottom there was a long hallway that had several doors on each side. There was no electricity at all, just candles that illuminated the halls. Creepiness was an understatement for what I felt about this place. "This is where you kids will be sleeping. It's dangerous to sleep above ground because of the Asebises infestation in this forest. You can choose who you bunk with. There are 3 bunkbeds in each room. So knock yourself out!"

We all scattered around trying to claim whichever room we wanted. Saral, Will, Oan, Viola, Cara and I bunked in one room. There was one bathroom in each room, so we all had to share. Saral ran into it first because he claimed that he had to take a massive dump.

"So Cara, we never really got to know each other. So tell us a little about yourself." Viola asked.

She cleared her throat, "well I'm 22 years old, 5 feet 7 inches, I like to drink tea specifically the crimson colored one. My hobbies are studying the arcane magic." Saral comes out of the bathroom, "Whew you don't wanna know how big of a dump I just took, I kinda feel bad for the toilet." We all just stared at him, "Look blondie, she didn't ask for your Match.com profile." We all continued to stare him. "What? I could hear you guys from inside."

"Oh um... alright." Her midnight moon eyes paced, like a man searching for clues. The veins in her neck budged, revealing hints of green lines. "Several months ago I left home, I was searching...for something. Something that would greatly benefit me. And my search had led me here."

"And what exactly were you searching for blondie?"

"A way out." Everyone exchanged bewildered glances. She exhaled in frustration while tying her hair in a bun, her eyes rested for a moment. "I have a complicated life. One full of things I wish never existed. Simply put, I was born into a prison type lifestyle. I was birthed solely to be harvested like some kind of plant. They consider being harvested a type of escape, a freedom. An enlightenment. But recently I found a loophole, an alternative route." She pulls a paper from her back pocket, "This." Saral tries to snatch it from her hands but fails. "It's a secret I'd rather not share. No offense. Enough about me, I want to know about you guys. We should be open with each other. Let's start with you, start with your name."

"Oh um, my name is Will. I've been traveling with these folks since we met back in eclipse. I have... or should I say I had a younger brother and a mother. They both... we're unable to make it through the plague." He got cotton mouth so he sips water from his bottle while gulping hysterically. "It's been 6 years since. But who's counting right? Life moves on, even if you aren't ready for it."

"Thanks for the depressing backstory, now I have to go to sleep crying." Saral wasn't sympathizing, it was just his normal apathetic responses. Cara cocked a brow in sass, her salmon pink lips puckered with attitude. "Then why don't you go next Saral, I'm sure we'll all enjoy your sob tale."

"Don't got any, or at least any that I remember." I elbowed his shoulder, persuading him to tell us one. One of his heavy brows slanted in displeasure. "Come on! It's your turn. You have to tell us a story!" I began to poke him, in order to further annoy him, only to receive a squinted glare. His eye rolled skywards and sighed in annoyance.

"Ugh, fine! Um, basically from what I could remember... I had a younger brother. As children we lost our parents and were adopted by another family. She was a... kind women and she had two children of her own, together we became a family... the end." His hand itched his brain while his head drooped. A lackluster smile etched onto his face, muscles in his face tightened. Cara cocked her head to the right and spun her eyes to the left end of the ceiling. "That was... anticlimactic. Next person!" Captain Daevas barged through the door, ramming his boot onto the floor,

"Enough lollygagging! It's time for your first step of training... history class!"

There we sat in rows of five, across the glowing class room. A white board posed in the fore, raised above the iconic checkered floors. Pitter-patters of trainees soon congested the remaining empty desks. Captain Daevas strut onto the center of the whiteboard, his tall erect posture was intimidating. "Hello gremlins, today we'll be learning a little bit about our world's history." He yanked a large map from the top of the whiteboard, it rolled down unwrapping from the horizontal pole attached to it. Saral melted in his chair and paid languid attention to him. Will and Oan sat vy each other, joking and gossiping about random things. Viola attentively jotted down notes onto a composition notebook that was on our desks in the beginning. "Excuse me, sir! Are we going to have exams in this class?"

"No, unless you want them of course! Just say the word." The entire class stiffed at the remark. "Um. No..." She sank into her seat as everyone's attention gradually returned back to the front.

"The Crimson Necrosis... who here doesn't know about it. If you don't know about it, then well you must be in some other world. It began somewhere in the northern regions within Europa. We are located here!" He held an oversized ruler and slammed it on a spot on the map. "Vitalia. So we're not too far off from the supposed spot where it the plague was ignited. It's said that it began within the Elvish people, and of course through contact with them it became widespread. That's also why you don't see Elvish people around our area. They've all been exiled from our great nation of Alazarana." I inhaled a sharp breath. Such a perplexing choice, it's ironic really, since Europa was originally founded by the elves. I decided to raise my hand, "Yes, um Adamis right?'

"Yes. I have a question. Isn't it a bit extreme? I mean to exile a certain group of people just because they assume the disease started from them. Dare I say, it's a tad racist isn't it? Especially since so many people also have it, I mean it's possible that we—humans may have started it."

"Extremes are necessary in order to secure our great nation of Alazarana."

"That's the thing, Alazarana is named after the first emperor, Alaza Rana the first. An elvish man. And Europa belong to the elvish long before us humans arrived here."

"Like I've said before extremes are necessary in order to secure our great nation of Alazarana. And there is scientific proof that the first person to transform into an Asebis is descended from the elves." I managed to display a deadpan expression but inside I was crimson with fury. They teach the same crap back from where I come from. It's obscene to blame a peculiar race for a pestilence.

"Back to what I was saying... it began in the north and slowly bled southwards. And because our great nation of Alazarana has some territories in Afrikanus the disease spread there too." Viola sat, thigh over thigh while raising her hand in interest. "I have a question. If the Crimson Necrosis reached all the way to Afrikanus then did it spread any further? Like to Avalon, or the Ameriks?"

The Captain swung his ruler onto the other continents, "Well after the unfortunate event that plagued the great nation of Alazarana, many other nations kept a state of isolation. So we have no contact with them or their situation. Africa is the only other continent we have some kind of contact with because of our territorial connections. Anyways moving forward. Many places in Europe and Africa have various means to protect their people from this epidemic. The Witch Trials, it should ring a bell to most of you. Anyone suspected of carrying the disease is thrown out to the wilds and labeled a witch, some prefer the more political correct version, a heretic. But those banished into the wilds are not all witches, because many nations are overpopulated anyone who misbehaves and breaks the law are thrown out too. So thieves, rapist, and murders are also... inhabiting the wilds, maybe even some in this class are one of them. But that's none of my business." He choked his bottle of water, leisurely sipping. "But there is a glimmer of hope, a place called Liberatai City, the great nation of Alazarana's capital. It's considered holy ground because it is the supposed burial ground of the great Goddess Revekah. The ground is apparently blessed and no type of disease or unholy creature is able to penetrate its holy barrier, or at least that's what the hype is about. But the city has limited entrance, it takes months, maybe years to get a pass to get in. That's why we are creating our own city so that we may be able to take in those who have been exiled in the name of false justice." Somehow I doubt that, this place is less of a refugee camp and more of a military training site. From what I've seen of this place so far there is not a single person who has not been put under some kind of physical training. I drummed my fingers on the desk, I was aching to ask a question but I knew he wouldn't answer it. Will swings his hand into the air, "Can you tell us more about Revekah?"

"She lived millenniums ago, traveling around the seven kingdoms and spread the message of peace. It is believed the Creator, who is the god of the gods, sent his children to guide the humans. He sent three of his children to separate parts of the world. Each God had a different idea of peace. Revekah was the goddess belonging to the humans. Swara is the goddess belonging to the elves and Ishwar is the God belonging to the dwarves. This does not necessarily mean that one God will not listen to the people outside of their race, but rather they prefer the people who live on the land that they descended on to. But were not going in depth about them today. Revekah had apostles, people who were very close to her, they would record her actions for future use. An Elf known as Xara, a human known as Tejas, and two dwarven brothers Saint and Da'am. The five would travel the seven kingdoms in order to end corruption. She also had a bird as a holy companion, the holy phoenix. But just as there are three gods of peace there are also the opposites, the polar gods, Eisheth, Lamia, and Shemal. These were the other three children of the Creator, they were jealous of their achievements. They opposed the workings of the peaceful Gods, so they fought to destroy them. Shemal tried to corrupt the dwarven people, Lamia went after the elves. The last polar god was the wicked one, many of you should have heard of her tales, the ones that your mother would tell you so that you wouldn't do anything naughty. Eisheth, the wicked witch of the fallen seven. She was the last polar god to ascend to the earth to cause corruption. At the time of her arrival, the previous polar gods failed. The seven kingdoms included humans, elves, and dwarves. So it was her plan on corrupting them all. Long story short it was said the Revekah and Eisheth had a grand battle, but both died in a draw." Saral brandished his fist on the desk and murmured under his breath. "Death is ruled by time and time was created by God. So then how can a God die when he created the concept of both? Why should it apply to God?"

Several hours of listening to the antagonizing tales of Revekah and friends had finally ended. Daevas escorted us to a training ground, finally the sun had caressed my skin. We all need some D... vitamin D of course. But even the heat from the sun's rays weren't warm enough to conceal the shivering winds. It was almost winter after all. Daevas spent several hours teaching us different hand to hand combat techniques. They were mixed fighting styles, everything from Jiujutsu to Taekwondo to even Kung Fu. Of course we were all still novices, and it was going to take more than one session to learn everything. Saral on the other hand was a natural, if anything it seemed like he was holding back. Actually he was even assisting the teacher, which kind of peeved him off. The Captain was also going to teach us how to battle with swords but he told us, "Before you learn to unsheathe your blade you must learn to unsheathe your fists." I've no idea to what that's supposed to mean but I just nodded and agreed with him. At the end of the session the captain suggested that we play a game, or rather he forced us. He called it "Last Man Standing." The Captain drew a huge circle into the dirt around us, the objective of the game was to push out opponents out of the circle, using any means necessary. The last person in the circle is declared the winner. Whoever wins get to choose him and five other people to eat the food of their choice during our next 5 meals. They also can get as much as they want and they get to go first. Everyone was fired up especially since there was food on the line. We all huddled in the circle waiting for the captains signal to begin.

"Now it's time to fight to the death hoodlums... begin!"

Everyone had their game faces on. People threw other people around, tackling and turning. There were a bunch of thumps and groans, and plenty of sweat and blood. I wasn't sure if they were fighting or just having a massive orgy. Some would play dirty by throwing dirt into their opponent's eyes then kicking them out of the circle. Others would just rely on their fists and fight their way though. There were even people making alliances, which would increase their chance of victory. While everyone battled like it was World War 3 I decided to avoid confrontation. Instead of needlessly wasting energy, I dodged and evaded any type of physical contact. So when everyone's exhausted then I'll be full of vigor and ready to kick some ass. Unfortunately my plan didn't do so well when the monster from Frankenstein decided to chase me. This bone head had his eyes set on me, and I knew I was at a severe disadvantage. He was at least three times my size but what I lacked in physical strength I made up with my mental capabilities. He was hot on my trail so I had to find a way to lose him. I bolted through the heart of the war zone, ducking and dodging through the violent crowd. A quick glance back revealed him crushing his way through the congested violence. He ran other people over like a bulldozer, so I was forced to resort to plan B. I stopped in place and waited for him to get close enough. Then, when he pounced I slammed my body to the ground, avoiding his tackle as he flew over me. He rolled into place then sunk his eyes to the ground in shock. Plan B was a success, he had passed the line so I was save from his wrath. Now, the once jam-packed circle had become surrounded by people waiting for the game to end. I joined my friends in an alliance which made winning ten times easier. After fending off other people for what felt like days, a few remained. Including myself there were only eight people left, Saral, Oan, Viola, and four other people.

Will unluckily was thrown out of the line, so he was cheering us from afar. The weary sun was close to setting underneath the sky, Daevas had wanted to end the game before nightfall. He didn't expect it to go on so long.

"Listen up little rascals." Daevas alerted. "We have to end this activity before the sun sets. This area will become dangerous soon, so we need to wrap this up. Now I know you guys are in an alliance with each other so choose one person from each side, and whoever is the last man standing wins." We chose Viola from our team. They started to giggle at our choice, "you'd rely on a girl? We'll wreck you!" They chose Eric, he was a ginormous tall brunette guy, and he looked even more intimidating then Saral. Viola didn't waver, we had faith in her... she had faith in her. They stood eye to eye... well eye to nipple since he was so tall.

"You have so much confidence for such a tiny girl."

Viola gritted her teeth while her nose flared, "I'm sure your height... is the only thing big about you." Our group bursted out into laughter, we all cheered her on.

"Well it's still bigger than your eyes!"

Will bounced in place and cupped his hands around his mouth, "Come on Viola, stick your foot so far up his ass so that he could taste it!"

"Tell your mascot to shut up!" Eric angrily groaned.

"What are you jealous that I have friends?" She crossed her hands while leaning more on her right leg.

"You must have been born on the highway because that's where most accidents happen!"

"Shut up, you'll never be the man your mother was!" Even though Daevas had already started the match they kept smack talking. "For the love of Revekah! Fight already!"

"Alright...but I warn you I'm going to take him out in one shot." She gave a cocky wink and a confident smile. He leapt into the air, forming the position for an axe kick. Viola paused, waiting for the perfect time. His kick was inches away, until she dodged the kick and intercepted with a speedily blow to his crotch. He hunched over as he fell to his knees, her foot then met with his face as she successfully attempted the flying side kick. Blood flew from his nose, his body fell unconscious on the ground causing a mini earthquake. One of his teammates yelled, "Hey that's cheating!"

"No it's not, he never said it's against the rules." Our heads turned to the captain. "It's fair, I never said anything against that. Viola you are the winner! You and whoever you chose will be the first to chow down on whatever you choose!"

Happily that night, and a few nights after we were able to chow down on whatever we wanted. Or rather whatever was available. A week after we'd started training I noticed those men who were staring at me in the showers earlier began to act stranger. That night I tried to rest but I worried and scared. It was a full moon tonight, the air chills were cold enough to give frost bite. I snuggled warmly within my blanket as my head squished the soft pillow. I sealed my heavy eye lids as I focused on the lullaby of silence. But there was a hushed beeping sound. I looked around, searching for anything that would emit the sound but to no avail. Abruptly, the liquids in my stomach started to churn. It shimmied to the edge of my throat and without a second thought I scampered to the bathroom, almost tripping in the process. I leaned over the alabaster sink, my stomach crunched, beating itself up till I vomited. With misery, I held onto the corners of the sink because I felt like I couldn't stand the pain without grabbing something. As the vile liquids of my stomach exploded from my mouth, the action of breathing became more challenging. After the uncontrollable regurgitating seized, the beeps I had heard earlier became more apparent. I fixated on the triple beeping rhythm. It was soon that I realized where it was coming from, the sink. A faint red light continuously flashed from within the vomit. It was a tiny silver chip, barely a centimeter wide. I don't remember eating a chip of any kind. I washed the nasty vomit down the drain by turning on the sink. Honestly, I thought I was hallucinating from the painful vomiting so I decided to just return to bed. I just needed some rest, soon I drifted into a deep slumber. By the time I had woken up I was tied to a chair and circled by the same men I'd seen earlier.

"What the hell! Let me go!" I struggled around, but it was no good. The ropes were too tight and I was outnumbered.

"You have Curantis, are you not?" One of the men said in a thick Middle Eastern accent. They were all strangely bald along with a decorative tattoo, their eyes were piercing silver. They had abnormally pointy ears and were lanky. They looked different from before. One choked me with one hand, I spotted a silvery ring on his finger. "You have Curantis! Answer me!" His grip tightened, leaving red imprints on my neck.

"My name is Adam! I'm not Curantis!"

"Stupid boy, Curantis is not a name. It is a weapon. From the looks of you might know where it is." He slid a knife from his back pocket. "I guess we'll have to force it out of you." Just before he motioned the knife to my neck, I returned to my bed. It was a dream. I think. But for some reason I wasn't in my bed. Strangely I was positioned in an obtuse angle, the ceiling kept moving. But I realized that it was not moving, I was. I looked forward and realized I was being pushed through the hall on a gurney. My body was paralyzed but I could still slightly move my head if I tried. I was taken in a room. The room look just like the main room in our cabin, with the exception of the furniture. Everyone was strapped down, tubes filled with a clear liquid was flowing into them. Each person was stuck in their own little cubicle, they were naked but had sheets over them. A television was placed in front of each of them, different scenes would flash back and forth. Someone pushed my gurney into a cubicle, they stuck tubes into me and syringes filled with the same clear liquid everyone else was being injected with. They took off my clothes, and uncomfortably touched me in places. They switched on the T.V and multiple symbols and strange things started appearing. Instantly everything changed, possibly from the injection. I felt like I was in some other world, everything was rainbow. There was a strong euphoric sense that circulated throughout my veins and everything in the television felt so real. It felt like everything that was popping up in the screen was being absorbed into my brain, or rather my subconscious, without my permission. There were moments when an eye would just appear in the middle of a glass like pyramid. It was surrounded by colorful lights and butterflies. What felt like years were only a few seconds that passed by. And just like that I woke up in my bed, the one I fell asleep in earlier. Everyone was in their beds, asleep. It was a dream within a dream, and it was just too lifelike. That day we were notified that some of our fellow recruits have met with a fatal accident. It was the same men from my dream, the same men from the showers, and they were dead. They didn't disclose any details surrounding their deaths, but for some reason I knew it wasn't from an accident.

For the next hundred days or so I kept having similar dreams. It was always about the cabin, except it wasn't beautiful like in real life, but rather a torture chamber. At random times in the day the cabin would look tarnished, dirty, and creepy, but then it would return back to normal. I had assumed it was a result from the strange dreams that caused me to hallucinate. Finally, after many months of tedious training, Daevas had announced that we would be having a test that would determine whether we passed or failed. He specifically said "This test will display whether or not you are of use."

The day had finally arrived and all of us were sweating in our clothes. We had confidence in ourselves, but everyone was on equal ground. We each had trained just as hard as the next person. People from other groups outside our cabins were gathered too. There were about a hundred people, maybe even more. We stood in front a huge circular building, it was tremendous. The dome ceiling at the top glowed a bright indigo color, reflecting off of the sun's light while the walls were a darker shade of indigo. We were told to get into groups of three, and then they would give each group a number and a flag. It was Viola, Saral, and I as one group. Will, Oan, and Cara in another. The only people I knew were them, everyone else were strangers so it'd be easier to beat them. Daevas and the other captains walked around handing numbers and a flag. We got number three and a red flag, and Oan's group got number 6 and a purple flag. The crowds of recruits began to intermingle with each other, discussing what number they got. After the captains finished passing out the numbers, they commanded everyone to be silent.

"Listen up mongrels!" Daevas seemed sterner than usual, and a slight hint of sadness. "Today is exam day, but it's not a normal test. Why? Because if you fail then you die. Each group has been given a flag, it's either red, blue, yellow, green, purple, orange, black, white, pink, beige, brown, gray, gold, or burgundy. To win, you must find the corresponding colored flags, red to blue, yellow to green, purple to orange, black to white, pink to beige, brown to gray, and gold to burgundy. But there's a twist... each member of your group will be separated into different parts of the maze, the maze is within this building behind me. In order to win you and your entire group must find the corresponding flag colors and you must make it to the safe zone, it's a room within that is entirely white. There are no rules other than the exact words that I've just said. Now, if you are numbers 3 and 2 then you will be going first. The captains beside me lead you to the starting points."

A pink haired man led me and people from other groups around the building. There were many doors spread out from each other, each of us separated and stood in front of individual doors. Tears drizzled from each of my pores, almost drowning in it. The moment the doors opened I took long-legged strides inside. Before noticing my surroundings the door shut behind me, my nystagmus eyes missed nothing. Mirrors were planted in every angle, at first I had thought there were just clones of me but they were my reflections. Multi colored lights flashed corresponding colors of red, blue, green, and orange. I stepped forward and bumped right into a mirror. I felt like I was trapped in my own reflection, but I recalled a trick. My hand pressed up against the glass wall and I proceeded forward. I remembered reading somewhere if you place your hand on the wall in a maze, then you'll reach the end. I had been walking for several minutes and I still had no idea where I was. At one point I couldn't stand the silence, I started talking to my reflection. I wasn't even sure if I had moved from the place I began. On the spur of the moment a quick shadow slithered by. The mirrors made it difficult to pinpoint where it came from. My eyes are playing tricks on me, I told myself. A firm pressure from my back pushed me into the mirror.

"What flag do you have?" It was a squeaky feminine voice. I turned around in a fighting stance. She shot her fists in succession, then pulled part of the flag from my pocket revealing the blue color. For a second she receded after realizing her green flag didn't correspond to my blue one. But then, she spun and kicked me back, cracking the mirror behind me. A piece of cracked glass pierced my lower back but I had no time to pay attention to it. She was much stronger than normal girls but I wasn't going to lose to her. From then on I dodged every hit, and ended it after I parried with a kick to the face. She laid unconscious and I was left with a choice. I could kill her now so she'd be out of my hair or I could spare her. But If I get rid of her then her teammates automatically forfeit from the test. But I lacked the ambition to do it, her life was literally in my hands. I knew if I didn't do it then I would regret it, but this was something I was willing to regret. Instead I took those precious moments to snatch her green flag and swerve my way through the maze. Ahead, the mirrors began shifting up and down, changing the direction of the pathway. I hoped through them, barely eluding the mirrors. I heard the girl behind, she was very persistent in trailing me. Her heavy stumps echoed through the hall compelling me to run even faster. Then as I shuffled through the changing mirrors, a man unexpectedly tackled me to the ground. He pinned me down, but I quickly shoved him off. We jumped into a fighting stance ready to battle. Then the girl from earlier caught up. Instead of a three way they ganged up on me, pushing and punching me like they were playing volleyball. Finally I took advantage of the mirrors, using it as a third eye to track their movements. Every move I countered, but I had become exhausted quicker than they did. But there was no room for a break so I kept fighting. But then I caught a glimpse of the man's flag, it was yellow.

"Wait!" I screamed as I yanked the green flag out of my pocket. I waved it in his face like he was dog wanting a piece of meat. "I see you have a yellow flag, here take my green flag." I throw it on the ground then leap past the shifting mirrors, partially cutting my leg in the process. Now those two can fight over the flag instead of fighting me. I proceeded for what had felt like hours, lost in the maze. It seemed like I had been traveling in circles and I grew tired of seeing myself. While barely making it past the winding mirrors. At one point it felt like the mirrors were leading me out, finally I spotted a pathway up ahead with no mirrors. I had to be swift or the shifting mirrors would block the way. There were only seconds before the next shift, I ran faster than I've ever ran in my life, then hardly making it because of my last second dive roll. I laid lifelessly on the ground just searching for energy to move on. I lifted up my shirt to see any bruises that I may have received. There were a few cuts and purple spots but nothing serious. I rubbed my lower back and the wound was gone. And to my amazement the other wounds started disappearing, the purple discoloration had steadily began to camouflage into my tan skin. The cuts began to stitch themselves together, becoming nonexistent. At that moment there was no doubt that I was beginning to go insane, I didn't think it could get any weirder. A narrow hallway lit by damp dangling lights was in front. The lights freakishly flickered giving off a slight buzzing noise. A tender voice was calling to me, a familiar one. I knew I had hit the peak of insanity after I rubbed my eyes in awe. A women stood in front of me, in an olive green head covering and a ebony dress, leaking in beautiful designs.

"Brother..." her supple voice spoke.

"Scar? What... why are you here?" She ignored me a continued walking, her alluring hums echoed throughout the hall, it was the same rhythm of the lullaby my mother would sing. The one that would put us to sleep when we were children. But no matter how much I called out to Scarlett she refused to look back. I chased after her, itching to figure out why she's here. My foot had suddenly tripped a wire, springing a trap of knives propelling in my direction. I flattened onto the ground hardly escaping from its clutches, one had cut into my shoulder forcing it to weep in blood. Again, the ends of my wounds had slowly reached out to each other. Hugging as if they've missed one another. It healed once more. My attention retreated from my skin, back to Scar. She had vanished into thin air. I scanned the walls hunting for an explanation. To my discovery, there were air vents, possibly emitting a hallucinogenic substance. It explained why I saw Scar but it failed to clarify my self-healing scars. There was no choice but to strive further into the dim maze. Random flashes from the past would materialize before me. One second I was lost in a ghoulish maze and then in the next I was in a house. What had stunned me were the familiar ivory board walls, the matching beryl carpet and sofas that encircled the 60 inch television. I recognized the stairway, we would always skip the third step because it was broken. A stench had caressed my nose, it was the aroma of a corpse. The shrieks of a young boy came from upstairs. I hurried up the stairs, not realizing that I was about to relive one of the most horrible moments of my life. I slammed open the second door from the left, there

I witnessed a young boy. He was repeatedly jabbing a bloody corpse of an Asebis, overflowing with tears in his eyes as his sister hid, peeking from the closet. It was me, when I was about ten years old. Our mom unknowingly had caught the plague and had transformed into an Asebis. She had no control, and moments before her transformation I remember her asking me to stab her with a knife. How did she expect her ten year old son to stab her? Upon transforming, my sister and I had attempted to sprint upstairs but not before grabbing a kitchen knife. As we got to the stairs, Scar had forgotten that the third step was broken from fear, her leg got caught into it. My mother, now an Asebis, rapidly crawled inching towards her. I yanked her by her arm regardless if her leg would be hurt. We finally made it into the room and hid inside the closet. But I knew if she found us both then there would be no point, so I hid somewhere else. She slithered into the room and ripped open the closet door. I had already been prepared and stuck the knife into the back of her neck. Repeatedly, as if I couldn't stop. It was too much for me, reliving this moment. Somehow I snapped out of it. Perhaps my body was fighting the hallucinogenic toxins in my body. Nonetheless I swayed wall to wall, limping from the effects of the toxins. No matter where I turned there would be something lingering from my past in every corner, trying to force me into another illusion. I practically collapse from the mind damage, barely able to claw myself forward. My face laid flat on the ground, I just needed a little rest.

"I guess I have to save your ass again, huh?" Two shoes stood adjacent to me, dressed in red muck. The sensation of a hands pressed around my ribs. Just as I was lifted I came to recognize that it was Saral. He dug his arm underneath and around my armpits, allowing me to use him as a human crutch. It was as if he was carrying me through the maze. I had doubts if anything that was happening was part of reality.

"Are you... real?" The words had ached, listlessly sliding from my mouth.

"Of course I am."

"That's what a hallucination would say..." My weary eyes reeled at him. The sweat from the edge of my forehead had slid down past my cheeks, almost like a tear.

"Ah. You look like you had your merry attitude squeezed out of you. This particular toxin that we've inhaled targets a peculiar emotion... fear. Hidden... undesirable memories that are tucked away in a chest deep within the seas of our thoughts."

"Then what did you see, if I may ask?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? How? That makes no sense!"

"Well I don't recall any memories from the past and I have no fears... so it's not implausible that it didn't affect me."

"What? We all have something that we're afraid of, Saral."

"You are very right. But it utilizes unresolved fears, certain events or aspects of yourself that you've yet to come to terms with. I've achieved such a feat ages ago."

"Bravo..." He provided a concerned look. "Oh don't mind me. Just enjoying the suffering over here. I noticed there is... blood on your shoes, or am I just hallucinating?"

"Ah very perceptive. I had a... encounter previously. No worries, one group has been permanently eliminated. On the downside they did not possess the flag that we desired. You still have the red flag, correct?"

"Yeah I do. I just hope Viola is okay."

"Cause if she's dead then we're disqualified."

"And she's our friend..."

We both struggled to move forward but somehow we managed. If Saral hadn't been there I don't think I would've survive. Usually he swoops in when he's needed the most. Deep within myself I was really glad I met him, but I would never admit that out loud considering it would give him an ego boost. There were echoes of pitter patters from the darkened hallway. Saral had left me against the wall to further investigate the sounds. The flames from the torches that hung from the deep burgundy walls had dimmed. Making it difficult to observe Saral, he traveled beyond the never-ending halls disappearing in the abyss. There I leaned against the wall awaiting his arrival. About 15 minutes had passed and he hadn't returned. I began to worry, thankfully since then I hadn't seen any hallucinations and my strength had recovered. It was time for me to undertake the mission to find Saral. As I trekked through the maze I noticed the abnormally spiders crawling on the ceiling. Entangling their prey into webs, feasting on their bodies. Oh how I detested spiders, their disgusting furry legs and multiple ebony eyes. I would rather have to deal with snakes then spiders. My traveling thoughts had instantly been interrupted by sinister cackles. My attention had darted to the edge of the hallway. The dim glow from the flaming torch shadowed over a merlot overly lengthy shoe. A face of pale complexion popped up from behind the corner, red stained lips matched his nose. Hill shaped eyebrows curved over its sunken beady eyes. He let out a hushed snicker, covering his mouth with his jumbo white glove. A knife peaked from his yellow polka dotted get up. He licked the knife slowly, almost enjoying the metal taste. The second he nudged, my body natural reaction activated, to run. The one thing that terrorized me as much as spiders were clowns. I held all the countless horror movies I use to watch in my high school years liable for this moment. There was a hall to the left and one leading to the right, whichever one I chose was a life or death decision. The clown pursued closely and I had no time to think about which one to take. I chose the right one, but it wasn't the right choice. Another clown tip toes from the end of the hall, dragging a long blade on the red bricked floor. Its laugh was just like the one I saw before but it dressed differently. Its hair curled blue and flashed denim lips, its eyes electrified the room as his rusted blue shoes stomped with each step. I always knew the one day my fears would eventually kill me. Hastily I twisted myself the other way, but the other clown had caught up. There was no means of escape, I was confined in their clutches. It was then I realized it was either die or try. There I stood with my fist protecting my face ready to fight. My clenched hands paused with fear but were aching to rid of these clowns. I ran at the clown in front like the floor were hot coals, he swung his sword cutting the air as I evaded. He curved the trajectory, reversing the sword into my hip. Then I snatched it, using his own weapon against him. Slicing his head from his body, I retreated my awareness to the rear. The clown had a terrified expression as the torn skin where the blade penetrated had gradually reconnected. My fear had grown to fear me. Realizing his attacks would be futile. He began walking in reverse, tumbling backwards onto the ground while I inched towards him with the sword in my hand. Without remorse I stabbed it in the heart, enjoying every second of conquering my fear. The final moments of my triumph had initiated a barrage of hysteric roars from my mouth. It was then the illusion had cracked, they weren't clowns. There were never clowns chasing me, it as other people from the other groups. One had a golden flag and the other had a burgundy flag. I took both of them, thought I felt bad. This was my first kill, I never thought it would come to this. But what's done is done, on the bright side, two teams are now eliminated. There was no point to linger over deaths that could have been mine if I didn't take action. There was no time, I had to continue on with my journey, for all I know Saral could be in trouble. Again, I decided to try the same trick twice, I placed my hand on the wall and started traveling around the maze. Constantly calling out to Saral.

"Hey! Where are you?" His Aussie voice had given me a tingle of relief.

"Over here! Follow my voice." From the shadows there emerged Saral. "Where have you been?" I shuffled closer until I spotted another person, surfacing from behind Saral.

"Saral? There are... two of you? What the hell!"

The one furthest behind spoke up, "What are you talking about Adam? We got this guy cornered let's take him out!"

The other spoke up. "Don't listen to him Adam. Take him out!" The two twins began quarreling physically, battling with their fist instead of their words. They descended to the floor, wrestling on the floor. I was perplexed, why are there two. But then I had remembered that it's possible that the hallucination is still in effect. I held a knife in my hand but I wasn't sure about which one I should kill. Then it hit me.

"Stop! Stop it now! Stop fighting!" I clutched onto the knife, ready to throw it at one of them.

"Wow, chill. You don't want to hurt me." The one on the right lifted his hands in surrender.

"I realized what I'm seeing is an illusion, both of you look like Saral but only one of you are Saral. So I'm going to put you to the test. I'm going to ask a question that only the real Saral would know. There was a day where you had a... special request for me... which I rejected. What was it?"

The one on the right began chuckling while wrapping his hands around his waist. "Haha! There's a simple answer for that. In the bath right? I had asked you to give me a—." I hurled the knife straight at the one to the left, instantly slaying him.

"I think I made the right choice. I hope."

"Ya—know you could've have asked me almost any other question other than that one. Like what are third team members name was or perhaps where I took you on the first day we met."

"I just had to make sure! I noticed that he wasn't the real one once I asked the question. His face revealed a certain degree of nervousness."

"You know... the offer yet remains in air."

"No! Not even in your wildest dreams!"

"How'd you know that I dreamt about it? Unless you're dreaming the same thing?" He produced a subtle wink, elevating his brows in amusement. "We are in fact lost in a maze filled with illusions. The act... could simply be used as an excuse for the constant hallucinations. There is no one around after all..."

"You're like the devil whispering in my ear! Not this time demon!"

"Perhaps next time then." His arm wrapped around my neck in a chokehold like a shawl. From nowhere a rush of cold air engulfed us. "Do you feel that? The cold air. Until now it's been bloody hot! I think we should follow it." Closer and closer, the frozen tundra became more apparent, eventually we started hearing the breeze. The chilled air acted as a guide through the maze, directing us in what seemed to be the correct direction. It led us to a cracked wall. A closer look revealed a miniscule hole leading to what seemed like a land of ice.

"Damn! Now what do we do? This isn't the way out." There was an absences of sound promptly to be disrupted by the crashes of the brick wall turning into a million pieces. "What the hell Saral! How...when did you get so strong."

"Oh I must have forgotten to mention my unearthly strength. Remember that when you refuse me next time." I shot him a displeased look. "Uh fine if you must know. Previously in the maze, before I found you. I was in a fierce battle with this difficult... critter. It went on forever, nonetheless in the midst of the fight my godly strength had emerged."

"That's weird because I also discovered that I have powers too."

"Is it the power of stupidity? I mean you've had that for a while now."

"Now why would I want your unique ability? No. I can heal, from wounds." Saral yanked the knife from my grasp, purposely cutting my finger thereafter. "Ouch! Goddammit Saral! Why'd you cut me idiot?"

"I needed to witness your abilities firsthand! And voila! It worked. You've successfully turned into a human sea cucumber, and I'm like a real Hercules. Hm. We could be like Batman and Robin." He raised his arm while pressing his hand into a ball with pride and lifted his chin to the sky. "Hercules and his sidekick, sea-cucumber boy, united!"

"Sidekick? Enough of your kinky fantasies! Viola could be somewhere in this frozen marsh. Let's hope she's in one piece."

"Onward sea-cucumber boy! We must find... um... the soon to be named damsel in distress!" He took a heavy step onto the iced floor. Producing a fissure on the ice.

"Relax Saral! We need to tread carefully. This ice could crack any second, then we'd drown beneath the frigid waters. Not to mention it is cold as balls, we'd be frozen in seconds." He ignored me. "Saral!"

"I don't know who Saral is." He shrugged his shoulders to his ears.

"Uh for the Creator's sake... fine. Hercules..." my eyes rolled over.

"And... your name?"

I couldn't help but bang my head in frustration. "Sea-cucumber boy..." Cautiously we treaded on the thin path of ice, making sure not to exert a great deal of pressure in our footsteps. As we crossed I wondered in the reflection of the dark waters, searching for any threats. I didn't think any type of animals would be able to live in such a cold environment. The artificial sun beamed heavily from behind the clouds shade. The sky had a sense of realism to it, even the artificial barrier above was cloaked behind endless blue heavens. The edgy glaciers embellished the horizon like holiday decorations. They curved in every direction, pilled with tons of solid snow. All of the mountains connected, but there was only one means of entrance, and it was up ahead. The iced floor ended with water, the only way to continue was to leap onto the floating islands of ice. They'd drift to the water current making them difficult to reach. With all my strength I ascended to the island of ice, my foot grazed the water as I flew through the air. The end of my shoe had been completely encased in clear ice.

"Saral! Don't touch the water. Whatever touches it will be frozen in ice!"

"Don't worry about it, I think I'm more then capable in avoiding the water! Besides, I'm not planning on turning into a popsicle stick." With his newfound strength he bounced into the wind, landing gracefully onto the ice island. Upon contact, fissures squirmed across the frosted floors.

"Don't you know what carefulness is?" My hand clapped with his head.

"Ow! My bad!"

"I'm freezing my ass off here! I don't want it to be literally frozen!" Saral smacks my back side.

"I'll keep it warm for you! I'll try not to break the ice."

We returned to our journey, hopping from one island to the next. Finally we made it to a frozen cave. Icicles sagged from the caves skin like razor-sharp knives. The deeper we sunk into the cave, the colder it became. Every word had transformed into a cloud of icy smoke.

"Y-You think Viola is alright?" I began to quiver, searching for warmth as I embraced myself.

"Don't underestimate your teammate's abilities. She should be more than capable to protect herself."

The cave became more intricate, divorcing into countless different paths like the threads of a spider web. With each turn another two pathways would appear, eventually we had lost our way. Ice was partially transparent, so we were able to see if anyone was nearby. Up until now there was no one in the vicinity, then we noticed a few dark figures appearing closer. They were hazy and when they heard out footsteps they started to run faster. We remained in position, ready to begin combat. We lamented at the sight, they weren't humans at all but Asebises. Saral blitzed one of them, slamming into it and simultaneously cracking his neck. We both realized that this part of the maze was no place for combat because the ice around us could shatter and pile onto to us at any given moment. We retreated as other Asebises trailed us. It was difficult preserving our footing, the ice denied us that ability. After zig zagging around the maze they finally let go of our tails. But another thing found us instead, two groups armed with weapons huddled. They spotted us but they didn't seem hostile. Something was off about them, they looked tranced. They were like human robots without the fancy metals.

"Identify yourselves." The man with the reddish hair spoke up, gesturing at us.

"Hercules and sea-cumber boy." Saral had used our nicknames instead of our actual names but I quickly intervened.

"Don't mind him. Our names are Saral and Adam." Saral shook me in discontent, angry that we revealed our true identities.

"Adam...Saral... come with us. The enchantress would like to see you."

"Enchantress? Who's the enchantress?"

"Come with us. The enchantress would like to see you. We were ordered to be non—hostile."

"Um okay." Saral griped my wrist, yanking me back. "You're going to believe these cyborgs?"

"Clearly they aren't in the right state of mind. We should see who this enchantress person is... besides if anything gets ugly we'll just use our newfound powers."

"You got a point..." The mind—controlled people began leading us through the maze. Saral kept bickering the entire way.

"See I told you we should have gone left!"

"Shut up! You said to go straight not right!" The robotic people stooped and rested on one knee, kneeling to something.

"All hail the enchantress! All hail the enchantress! All hail the enchantress!" Whoever this person was they chanted and praised it like it was some kind of god. The room was modeled to look like the entrance to a fortress. There were stairs leading upwards, from the top a women walked down.

"Finally! I was looking for you dimwits everywhere!" This was the last person we expected to be the enchantress.

"Viola? What the hell! How'd you get all these people to obey you?"

Her chin raised with conceit, "Possession. Well that's what I call it. If I stare into their eyes then I can control. But then again, us women always had that power."

"Goody. Maybe know you'll be able to make people like you. But you won't be able to make me like you." Saral slammed his eyes shut, he was being facetious as always. "Okay disregarding the jokes. We've all discovered special abilities, isn't that a bit strange? It was also around the same time."

"What? You guys have cool powers too! Give me the details! How'd you get them?"

"Long story short, I'm a bit stronger than before and Adam here is as stubborn as a cockroach. Now, we need to figure out how were going to get out of this maze and pass the test."

"You worry too much." She playfully bent her wrist while waving her hand. "I've gotten my slaves to find the way out. You guys do have the corresponding red and blue flags right?"

He revealed the sole red flag in my possession. "We had hoped that you would have found it!"

"No I didn't! Damn. What to do now..."

"Why not use your possession power to compel someone to look for it?"

"Way ahead of you. Didn't work so far."

"Damn, we still need to look for the blue flag. On top of that this maze is polluted with Asebises."

"Say again? Asebises? What? This is bad, if there are too many here at once then the ice beneath us will break!"

"Wait... you didn't see any before?"

"No! None of my slaves saw any either!"

"That's strange. Wouldn't that mean that they've just recently entered the maze? If that's the case then we have to leave before they find us."

Saral began to shudder us, "Too late, they found us!"

A horde of Asebises began flowing into the ice room, there was no time but to retreat. Viola ordered her slaves to stay and fight till their last breath and one of them to guide us through the maze.

"This isn't a tour, come on guys pick up the pace!" As the guide hasten in leading us out of the maze, more Asebises began piling in from almost every pathway. "Reroute! Reroute! Peasant slave get us out of here." From the rear the ice floor began to shatter, water began pouring in. Asebises drowned behind us, but there was still a mob of them tracking us. Desperately we found the end of the maze but were quickly stopped because of another obstacle. There were hundreds of tiny frozen cubes in the water leading to a large island of ice. The guide paused, pointing ahead.

"Those tiny cubes will quickly shatter once you step on them. But once you pass them, at the end you'll see an opening. It leads to the safe zone." Saral jumped ahead before any of us.

"You don't gotta tell me twice!" The guide stood frozen, so we left him behind. We skipped across the floating cubes, they were barely big enough for one foot. We had to keep our balance and prevent ourselves from slipping simultaneously. Left leg then right leg, we kept running forward but we had to make sure the others had a cube to leap off of. But the Asebises behind caught on and began to cross. Though many of them drowned to their frozen deaths, many still survived. At last we arrived on the frozen island and were only about a half a mile away from completing the test. The surviving Asebises also made it, and there were still too many of them. The opening was visible, home sweet home was only a few minutes away but if the Asebises made it then they'd also get inside. The ice island that we were on was strong enough so it didn't crack, so we couldn't rely on the environment to favor our side. We all realized that we had to get rid of the Asebis, Saral twisted his body towards the army of Asebises.

"Keep going! I have an idea." He wrapped his fist tightly and banged the ice simultaneously letting out a roar. The army sank into the depths of the water, transforming into ice sculptures floating in the sea. Soon the aftershock was about to reach us, Saral put his legs into overdrive. Running so fast that he caught up to us. The broken ice rumbled closer, barely we made it by diving into the safe zone. I turned over to my teammates to make sure they were okay, frustration crinkled Viola's eyes.

"Now what do we do? We made it but we don't have both the red and blue flags!"

"Damn it! Hopefully there's one laying around here. Saral had slumped shoulders while dragging his feet behind him. There was a wide, black toothed gate. Behind it were white squared pedestals aligned in a straight row. Each had the symbol of the Triskele on it, and all of them were different colors. The colors of the flags each group had. Once we entered the room, all of us were able to sense that we were not alone.

"Another group? Maybe they'll have the black flag." A gruff voice darted from the end of room. There was a slim, black man who towered over his teammates. Behind him were two men, twins. They had pasty skin that hid beneath their blemishes. Their brunette hair was slicked back in opposite directions, bouncing light off from their heads. "If you have the black flags then hand it over."

Saral intertwined his arms, "Look buddy, we don't have any black flags. We only possess a red one, so back off!"

"We're in the same situation as you!" I said.

Captain Daevas's voice emerged from nothingness, "Is this on? Okay it is. Eh—em, welcome finalists! Congrats on making it this far, to our knowledge you are the last two groups. The rest are either dead or disqualified. You have successfully survived all the surprises so far. Each maze had a special aspect to it, the first maze was completely made of mirrors to test your ocular strength and your focus. The second maze was filled with a hallucinogenic gas, this was placed to test your unresolved emotions and if you could overcome them. The last was made from ice, it was used to test your patience and mind. If you were too quick to finish the maze then the ice would break from beneath you, but if you were to slow... the Asebises would get you. Now...there is one final twist. Two teams have made it this far but... only one can pass. That means one of you will be eliminated, good luck!"

The atmosphere had taken a complete three sixty turn. The weapons had been drawn. But the other team never expected what was yet to come. Saral smashed the ground with his bare hand, it shock waved all the way to other the side. Sending the other team spinning back into the wall, knocking them out cold.

"Well that was easy, and a bit anti-climactic. At least it got the job done."

"That doesn't solve our problem!" Viola glued her hands to her hips, "we still don't have the corresponding flags!"

I had a sudden brain blast. "Wait. I just thought of something! Think back to what Daevas said." I tapped my forehead, poking it till his words popped in my head. "To win, you must find the corresponding colored flags, red to blue, yellow to green, purple to orange, black to white, pink to beige, brown to gray, and gold to burgundy. In order to win you and your entire group must find the corresponding flag colors. There are no rules other than the exact words that I've just said. Those were his exact words, more or less."

Viola eyes widened, "What if we never had to find the color that corresponds to our flag. What if all we needed was one pair of flags that were corresponding colors. But all we have is our red one and the black one from that other group. So we're still stuck."

I pulled out the flags that I had previously found in the maze, "Not necessarily. I picked up a gold and burgundy flag on the way."

"Yes! Adam, I could kiss you right now!" Saral expressed

"Please don't..."

I positioned the flags on top of the pedestals that had the gold and burgundy Triskele symbols. We were staying optimistic when nothing significant occurred. But then everything began to vibrate, the two pedestals gradually sunk beneath the floor. The walls started to slide, dividing into two. A white light irradiated into our eyes, causing us to be blinded. A row of shadows marched in, holding what seemed to be guns. A sharp pain entered my gut, subsequently everything went cloudy as I became inert.

Chapter Five: Reunion

My unwieldy eyelids began to unfasten from its weights. A side from the slight nausea and muddy vision I felt like I had the best sleep of my life. The first thing I noticed was my obscure surroundings, I had no clue where I was. All I could distinguish were the eerie pipes clanking from within the walls. The room was 6 by 8 feet and boarded in steel, the front was barred. But I could see the outside, there were jail cells aligned in straight rows. There were about four floors, and each cell had people in it. I started to worry about my friends, I didn't even know if Oan and Will made it out of the maze alive.

"You're awake I take it." I recognized that familiar voice.

"Cara? What are you doing here? What's happening to us?" I threw my blankets aside, then later realizing I was in a bed the entire time.

"If it isn't already obvious... we're in a jail cell."

"Yeah I knew that already. But why are we here."

"Well succeeding the test. The victors were all handcuffed and tranquilized, then the captains revealed the true nature of our training. This place isn't some kind of refugee or rebel camp at all. It's a brainwash facility meant to grow, harvest, and perfect soldiers for Alazarana!"

"What the hell! I knew there was something wrong with this place! What... what are we going to do now?" I inhaled a sharp breath as my chest widened, attempting to calm my nerves.

"Don't know. We're supposed to be shipped off to the next stage to be further brainwashed."

"Not on my watch." Sarals nose peaked from outside of the barred cage, jangling the poles.

"Saral, how'd you get out?" I exaggerated my leap from the bed, stunting onto the floor with both feet.

"No time to explain!" He ripped the bars from their core with ease. Throwing them lightly to the side in order prevent any attention. The lights were much dimmed so he was surprised when I plunged into his arms for a hug.

"Woah, Adam. What's gotten into you?"

"I've never been so happy to see you! I got worried that you and Viola didn't survive or something. Wait... where is she?" My face twirled the room searching for her.

"I didn't see her on the way here, I couldn't find Oan or Will either. Hope they're in one piece."

"I think I could assist with that!" Cara expressed. Her eyes slightly dilated as she stared into space. "We have a problem."

"Yeah and it's because you've just revealed your heretic nature." Saral asserted. "When were you going to tell us?"

"Um hello. I studied in the magical arcane arts, you should've connected the dots by now! The problem is that Viola is currently being experimented on. Oan and Will on the other hand are about to be shipped off...now!"

"This sounds like a job for Hercules and sea-cucumber boy!"

"Sea-cucumber—what?" A blank expression suffused across Cara's face.

"We're going to have to split up." Saral shot his hand into the air. "I vote the heretic goes alone." He made direct contemptive eye contact with Cara.

"This heretic can take both of you on with my hands and legs severed."

"That could be arranged..." He suggested.

"Enough!" I interrupted their heated conversation. "Cara, since you're a real witch I think you'd be more than capable of taking care of yourself. Since apparently you could take us on with severed limbs, then I'm sure you'll be able to take on an army!" Her sassy lips crumpled, protruding excessively. Eyebrows arched irritably and nose flared sharply. "Consider it done. But first, let's release ourselves from these rags." Our clothes returned to the original uniforms that we had early on. "Follow me. We won't be able to just stroll through the halls like it's no one's business." We had to display cautiousness and stealth as we snuck through the faintly lit jail house. As we passed by I couldn't help but feel sorrow for those in the cells. The situation could've been reversed, with me stuck behind those bars. So without telling anyone I had decided that if there is a chance then I'd release all of them. Saral continuously kept bumping into objects and into us. Strangely there wasn't a single guard in sight, then Cara paused in place.

"Wait. It's unusual that there is no security of any sort. Unless... kushif!" From the darkness, red lasers transpired end to end, crisscrossing in our way. "So this is why there are no guards, it's because of these things. It seems like if we touch it, then it'll burn us to a crisp." The lasers were not only deadly but they were also mobile. "They seem unpredictable, their movements also seem rather random." She stood in deep thought, rubbing her chin with her two fingers. "There! That will be our way out." She directed our vision to an air vent, "Let's go!" Cara carefully lifted the air with her magic, quietly. One by one we climbed into it, not one of us made a sound. We stealthily crawled in the cramped vents. Cara was in the front, I was in the middle, and Saral was in the rear.

"How much longer? Actually where are we going?" Saral whined as we shuffled pass the air ducts. "It's so damn cramped in here!"

"Stop complaining!" Cara roared. "We're going to the control room. If we want to find out exactly where they are and how to get there, we'll need to go there first!"

The clumps of dust and dirt made it difficult to breath. Every time I inhaled I was sure I had swallowed several balls of dust. The vents became more suffocating as we got closer to our destination. There was barely room for me to crawl with my elbows and knees. Finally we arrived to the end and Cara carefully lifted up the cover to the vent. Before exiting the vent I noticed the various television screens displaying different sections of the building. There were two men, laying back onto their rolling chairs. Cara and Saral stealthily snuck behind them like a leopard going for the kill. They quickly dropped dead after they twisted their necks. Cara sat on one of the rolling chairs and began searching for our friends via the computer.

"Found them! Will and Oan are going to be soon transported to stage two! Shit we need to hurry." She rolls away from the screen. "We need to think of a plan ASAP!" Suddenly I had a brain blast like it was sent from the Creator himself.

"I know what to do!" I yanked the remaining chair and rolled to the screen. Below the screen were various buttons that do various different things. There were no manuals or labels, except for one. An enormous big red button, labeled "release", sat proudly at the edge of the control board. My first instinct was to press it. My eyes hurtled to the screen, waiting for a reaction. All the jail cells unlocked, releasing the confused prisoners.

Cara held a microphone in her hand while banging the top to see if it was working. "This microphone should allow us to be heard throughout the building." She gave it to me expecting that I'd be the one to talk. I held it near my mouth, reminiscing all those times I failed in speeches during high school. "Attention prisoners and whoever else is listening. We've high jacked this place and now we're in control! My fellow prisoners... no... my fellow victors, as I speak our dear friends are being transported onto an aircraft ready to be shipped off like produce. If we combine our strength then together...we'll be able save them!" Saral began pushing random buttons that surprisingly began opening every locked door around the entire building. "If you didn't know already, this place is not a rebel camp or anything of that sort. They were trying to brainwash into mindless slaves for Alazarana. They pit us against each other to divide us, but now we must unite so that we may see another day. If you want to see your friends again... if you want freedom then join us because this is not a rebellion. This is war!" From the screens we could see all the prisoners scattering around every building, assaulting guards and raiding every room. They began to spread like wildfire, catching flame onto whoever stand in their way.

"I spelled the door, so nothing and no one can get through." Cara happily said as she perched on the side of the chair. She gravitates herself towards the computer screen. The wheels on the chair annoyingly squeaked as they spun. "Got it," she vigorously types on the keyboard. "Viola is in Zone 1 Sector Z. From the looks of it sector Z is the area 51 in this building. So it's heavily guarded, we'll have to be prepared for anything! I don't think we'll have to worry about Will or Oan anymore, they've paused all transportation out of this area. Soon the freed prisoners should sack them."

"Damn why did the one person that we know have to be in the most dangerous portion of the building? Couldn't she just be locked in a five star hotel or something?" Saral complained.

"Maybe they figured out about her abilities." I said. "She can control people just by looking at them, it would seem like her abilities would contribute to the brainwashing process."

"Heretic! Lead the way to the enchantress." Saral commanded, as he looked up to air vent. He retreated his attention back at Cara, waiting for a reply.

"Oh now you ask the heretic to help?" Cara silently glared with a displeasing look.

"Obviously! Now use your juju, voodoo, or whatever you call it to lead us to Viola!"

"Say the magic word then I'll do it." She leaned her head waiting for her ear to be caressed by the soothing word that everyone loves to hear, "please."

"Okay. Do it now!" He again commanded.

I tugged Cara's sleeve to give her a word of advice. "Those are the closest words to please that you'll get. Take or leave it."

She nodded her head in discontent. "I would force you to say them but we're on a time crunch at the moment." She drags the chair below the vent and clambered on to it. "This way boys. I don't want to see anyone staring at me on the way up."

"Ew, I have better things to stare at then your heretic no ass. Like Adam's ass." Saral commented. From the bottom of my heart I was hoping to the Creator that he was joking. Cara just gave her usual stare of disapproval as she lifted herself into the vent.

Saral bowed ever so gracefully as if he were meeting the Queen of Sheba. "After you." He jested.

"Not after your previous remark. You can go first!" I threw him into the vent then followed him after. Our crawling gave off obvious bangs, and at the same time I was questioning as to how exactly it was carrying all three of us. Unfortunately, I jinxed myself. The air duct came tumbling down, smashing into the hard throbbing ground.

"Goddamn I didn't expect that to happen." Cara stroked her painful bumped head. She carried her tormented back, stretching it, popping her bones as she twisted her body left to right.

'You know that fall wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." Saral laughed with joy.

"That's because you fell on me fatass!" His bum was suffocating me, simultaneously piercing my ribs with his buns of steel. Saral hopped off and leaned over laughably.

"Booty took your breath away, huh?" It would've been funny if I weren't crying manly tears from my potential internal hemorrhage. "Cheer up. You've got that resourceful healing ability remember?" The rejoining of my cracked bones were more apparent than Saral's stupidity. "Ew, sounds like your bones are making a baby."

"Shut the hell up and help me up!" He jerked my arm with his incredible strength almost dislocating my arm. "Calm down! I'm a human not your man part. Don't jerk me so hard!"

"I apologies for pulling your whole grain noodle arm too hard. Didn't realize you were so...delicate."

Cara popped her head in the middle of the conversation. "Sorry to butt into your marital problems but we have a person's life at stake!" We assembled our focus and scouted through the building. We could hear the stampede of riots almost like we were in the center of it. Trembling blasts shook the entire building. It sounded like guards were retaliating, and they weren't holding anything back. But our rebellion had a natural advantage, if they killed them then they'd lose successful test subjects. So I had confidence that we were partially safe, at least from death. From the right, there were noticeable dings, like an elevator changing levels. We sheltered behind nearby corners, lingering till the elevator opened. A band of guards with green access cards flew through the elevator doors. They held their guns like trophies, scouring their surroundings, assuring that there were no hostiles in the vicinity. Without noticing us, they marched across the narrow white halls. Cara had previously used her magic to slip a green access card out of one of the guard's jacket pocket. She hovered the card over the scanner, allowing us access to the lower levels, specifically Sector Z. We huddled in the elevator, surprisingly there was a catchy tune playing inside as it dropped from level to level. Amusingly, Saral sung to the rhythm of the tune, swaying his hips to the beat. There were only a few more levels for the elevator to pass and we were just hoping that nothing would go wrong. Again, I jinxed myself. The elevator began to quiver then it froze in place. We were only a few floors away from Sector Z and time was of the essence. Cara propelled away a portion of the ceiling so that we could climb out. From the top, we could see the string that holds the elevator. It held the elevator like it was saving its life, we jumped to the edge of the surrounding four cornered walls. There were a bunch of tiny ladders scattered all the way down that made it easier to climb down.

"What else could go wrong? I swear the universe must have a vendetta against us!" Saral grumped as he hopped down the ladder. I was sure the universe didn't have a vendetta against them rather it had it against me. So far everything I've said or rather thought, has been jinxed. I know why it had a problem against me, it's because of that one day I accidently ran over a squirrel with my car. It's not like I did it on purpose!

"Perhaps. It is rather strange that every plan we've had thus far has been sabotaged. It could just be a coincidence." Cara remarked as she balanced herself against the wall while approaching the next ladder. "Perchance there could be a greater power at work."

"Like the manufactures of this crappy building!"

"I was referring to something even greater than that, Saral."

"The electricity company?"

"No you dimwit! The Creator! Perhaps he does not will us to go any further!"

"Pshh that's a load of rubbish. Ya'know there's no greater power, it's just faulty wiring!"

"Really guys?" My head steamed with annoyance. "You're going to have a religious debate at a time like this? Can't you save it for a more appropriate time? Anyways we've made it to the bottom so no more bickering from here on out."

Saral jammed his fingers into the center of the locked elevator door. Isolating the two metal parts far enough so each of us could slide through.

"This is not Sector Z! Honestly, I have no idea where we are!" Cara squealed. She quickly hid behind me because of the creepy environment. Electrical wires hung from the top of the busted ceiling. Whatever remained of the lights, were flickering repulsively with an electronic buzzing noise. Tables and other appliances were knocked over right beside split test tubes and syringes. Laying on the reoccurring checkered floor.

"Damn whoever was here earlier must have had quite the party." Saral jested as we walked deeper into the creepy area. "This isn't even the place where Viola is held in."

"Or is it." Cara gave an assuring glance. "I can feel her presence nearby. But it's not the only one."

Cara led on, racing through the subverted obstacles. Hopping over the soon visible trail of corpses. Finally halting to a solid wall, blocking possibly the only way to get to our friend.

"Stand aside children, let daddy show you how it's done." Saral rolled his shoulders preparing to break down the wall.

"Wait!" I guarded the wall with my body in front of it. "What if the other presence in there has weapons? They potentially could kill her. We need to stay hidden or they could do something to her before we even get there." I lost balance, tripping into the wall, quickly reacting by holding my hands out. Then by a sheer coincidence I pressed a hidden block on the wall, revealing a hidden passage leading beneath the ground.

"Your power of clumsiness has upgraded to powers of usefulness! More or less. Pat yourself on the back buddy." Saral then excessively smacked my back, leaving a jolting pained red mark. Cara ignited a flame into her hand and stepped into the mysterious passage first. Darkness engulfed us, making it tough to even see the stairs that we were walking on. She put out the flame then two by two torches lit up the way. The treacherous screeches of our friend crawled under our skin compelling us to double our speed. At the end there was a locked door, Saral banged it wide open. Torches were the source of the rooms light. Inside laid Viola, leashed onto a chair that resembled a dental chair. Tubes ran into her like it was stitched to the skin. She had a blindfold that knotted around her eyes. The floor had the symbol of the Triskele painted in blood. We were about to run to her until Cara stopped us.

"There's another presence... a malevolent presence." Cara expression dimmed, "show yourself... Musawwat!"

"Musawwat? Who's that? How do you know its name?" I inquired.

"Musawwat is the reason why I'm here."

Sluggish steps marched from Viola, gradually clapping. "Congrats victors, I had no idea you'd make it this far. A cretin, a weakling, and novice conjurer, this is the rescue squad? You, conjurer... you've a familiar semblance but an unfamiliar appearance. Why?" It was the thing I had seen earlier with the long caramel beaked gas mask. He wore a dark brown trench coat with a wide brimmed hat and boots stained in blood. There was a Triskele pinned on the coat where his heart should have been. He was much taller than I expected, like a manikin displaying ugly clothes.

Saral throws a severed portion of the ground at the beaked mask man which he dodges easily. "Look here bird-man, release our friend or you'll be begging for mercy."

"Hm... peculiar man. All you humans look the same, or have I seen you before? Everything has been fuzzy since inhabiting this vessel. Strange... no matter, you won't be an issue when your heads are detached from you puny bodies." Saral throws another chunk of the ground at him, which he stops in midair. It began levitating above his hand. "Oh where are my manners? Should I have offered you a cup of tea before severing your heads?" Saral charged at him but quickly was suspended into place. Unable to even flinch a finger. "He is rather rude wouldn't you say? He's like a squirrel on drugs! I advise that you don't take the same action as your friend!"

"I have a question! What's the point of all this? Why did you put us through ridiculous test and why'd you insert chips into us?" I angrily inquired.

"This is a testing ground where we test new invention. Recently we've come up with a mind control technique. At first it didn't work and only a few people were affected. But a few months ago I thought of a brilliant idea to combine magic and technology. It would make the process more efficient. So to start, we inserted chips into you to track your progress, then we put a serum into the water combined with a spell in order to slowly sedate your mind. The spell portion would activated when you'd see checkered floors, it would allow us to manipulate what you'd be able to see. Then every night we'd put you though physical and sexual abuse, so it would further weaken your mind. Finally we'd make you watch videos and lectures that we made ourselves that would be absorbed into your subconscious. We made sure to erase your minds afterwards, to make sure you didn't remember. Eventually we'd repeat the process until you'd become a submissive slave that would submit to us. If it's a success then we'd implement this into a larger scale." He cackled like a hyena.

"What the hell! Why tell us your grand scheme?" Cara tightened her lips with a wide frown.

"Because you won't be alive to tell the tale."

Suddenly our bodies became heavy, our legs weakened to the point of where we couldn't even stand. The blood that flowed within our veins began to boil like we were over a hot stove. Our faces bore the redness of a rip strawberry. I attempted to take shallow rapid breaths to ease the anguish but it was no good. Musawwat had casted a spell without us noticing, the more he clenched his fist the more painful our bodies became. Saral tried to resist it but even he was too weak.

Cara began chanting in a muffled tone. "Pro anima tua, pro anima tua, pro anima tua. Now! Take Viola, I got this!" She curled her fingers as the distance between her and Musawwat decreased. We were released from Musawwatt's magic then we both hurried and yanked all the tubes from Viola's skin. We supported her on the walk out of the room, she removed her blindfold with her shaky hands. Her eyes hung down while she gritted her teeth.

"We can't leave yet! There are others in here, I can't leave them behind!" Viola pulled our arms forcefully back so that we wouldn't leave. She seemed adamant about her words, she tightened her grip with every word.

"Look here princess. We don't have time to save your jail—mates!" Saral shook his head with sass. He tried pulling her arm but she resisted.

"No! I'm not leaving without them!" She persisted.

Cara came out of the room, limping on one leg while holding her stomach. She began coughing blood uncontrollably with suspicious blue designs on her arm. "The deed... is done." She stumbled over but Saral caught her before she hit the ground.

"That was quick, I underestimated you heretic!" He held her up to her two feet.

"If we desire to escape this facility then we're going to have to deactivate the barrier that surrounds the perimeter. There are four towers, a northern, a southern, a western, and an eastern tower. We'll need to shut it off from each of them."

Viola embraced my hand. "Adam and I will go look for the remaining prisoners in this place, you two can go break the barriers hold by then." Her soft hands felt like a cloud, compelling me to fulfil her wishes.

"I agree with Viola. You two can rally up the freed prisoners above to help you. We'll get the ones down here. We're going to need all the help we can get, I mean it's not like they'll just let us walk through the front door." I added.

"Damn why do I have to be the one stuck with the heretic?" Saral sniffled with disappointment.

We split into groups of two, running in the opposite directions. Viola kept tugging my arm as she forced me to sprint with her. She claimed to know the direction, so as I mindlessly followed her I became lost in my thoughts. I began questioning as to how Cara was able to beat Musawwat so quick. I knew she's strong but I didn't think it would be so quick, and she said her reason for being here was Musawwat. But previously she said the she found a loophole to her harvest thing. Many things didn't add up but I didn't have enough time dwell in my thoughts for long. Viola gave a dispirited glance at the lifeless bodies that we passed by. A closer look revealed that every corpse had something in common. Their right eye was tattooed, similar to the eye makeup ancient Egyptians wore, with two lines, one traveled straight down and the line on the right curved. It seemed like they were familiar to her but she refused to say a single word about it. It was then I realized that the once rough red ground had twisted into a blue and white checkered floor. Musawwat said that the checkered walls would make us see things that only they'd want us to see. But I'm pretty sure their poisonous water that we drank had already passed through our system. The flickering lights and the cracked walls gave me a deep unease. Both sides were decorated with jail bars but with no people within them. She abruptly stopped in place which caused me to bump into her back. Then someone from the cell in front of us spoke with a jaded voice.

"So my fair maiden has come to my aid?" He laid, leaning onto one knee as his legs were crisscrossed. The two lit torches that stood at each end of the prison cell began burning with might. I expected a malnourished hairy man but instead witnessed a male model adorned in an Arabian costume. He had dark curled locks that looped so often that it made me nauseas. The eye tattoo that the corpses had that we saw previously were also on his left eye. He only had crimson harem pants on, that lazily dispersed on the floor. There was also a golden chain around his neck that pressed past his bulging pecs and perfect washboard abs.

"Oh keep all that excitement for later!" She sarcastically jested. "Do you think so low of me that you'd expect me to break my promise to you?" She searches her side pocket and subsequently pulls a key from it. "I stole this off of the talking-walking bird from earlier. He won't mind, since he's dead now."

"Excellent! I knew you'd be able to do it."

Viola twists the key into the locked key hole, slowly pulling the caged bar open.

"So introduce me to your friend Viola." He gestures for a handshake. "Oh where are my manners? My name is Azriel, and yours?"

I return with a handshake, firmly gripping his palm. "Adamis, but people call me Adam. "So why is a man like you caged down here instead of cat walking down a runway?"

"Simple." He waves his flattened palm vertically, wiggling all his fingers at once. Every torch in the room blacks out but then returns burning even brighter than before. "I'm a what-cha-ma-call-it? A witch? Or do you prefer the politically correct term? A heretic." He sasses with an unamused tone.

"But how is it possible to keep a heretic down here? Couldn't you just poof your way out?"

"Poof? Is that what you people think we do? Anyways, I'll explain during the escape out of here!" The race out had commenced as he closely trailed behind Azriel, I only followed because it looked like he knew the way out of here. "See these marking on the wall?" He gestured with a faint nod, leading with his nose.

"Markings? I thought those were just old walls cracked in a very abnormal way."

"Well these markings prevent any type of magic or rather prevent any sort of mana to pass by the walls inside the jail cell. Judging by your faces, you don't know what mana is so I'll elucidate. Mana is life energy which exist within all living things, magic is just the term used for controlling mana. But when there is something interrupting the flow of mana then magic can't be used."

"You seem very well informed. Exactly how'd you get captured?"

He slightly turned his head at me while I ran behind him, "Just like everyone else. I thought that this was some kind of rebel camp that was against the persecution of witches. But we were all lied to."

I could almost hear the battle from above like I was in a movie theater. The frequent quakes from the surface had steadily worsened, rubble ran through the ceiling causing an uneasy feeling in my stomach. We again passed by the rotting corpses but took no notice to it. Just as we passed by the door in which Musawwat was killed in, I took a glimpse inside. There was no body, only the beaked mask and the trench coat was left behind. I just assumed that his body was deeper inside and wasn't out and about.

"Azriel, since you seem to be very knowledgeable, would you mind if I ask you a question?" I further inquired, interrogating him like he committed a crime.

"Go right ahead, anyone who compliments my brain can use it!"

"You see, Viola and I have... acquired rather useful abilities. And I was wondering if we were—"

"Heretics? Not at all. I didn't sense anything from you that would suggest that you were a witch. May I ask what type of abilities you've received?"

"I have the ability to heal from practically any injury and Viola has—"

"I can control people... just by making eye contact. It's pretty neat actually." Viola interrupted.

"Strange." Wrinkles modeled onto Azriel's forehead as he expressed daze. "Whatever powers you two possess are not rooted from magic. It's astonishing really, I've never seen people like you in a while. But be weary, nothing in existence is limitless. Overuse of your gifts can come with consequences."

Azriel had taken us through an emergency escape exit that led to the outside world. Finally we had surfaced above ground. I had almost forgotten what fresh air had smelled like since the only smell down there were the sweet scents of rotting corpses. My momentary appreciation of clean air was ambushed by the smoke that jammed my lungs. Fiery buildings erupted into huge clouds of grey smoke. Explosions rioted from every direction, people attempted to flee from the stalking aircrafts above. Instantly being killed from either bombs or bullets. The camp had been reestablished into a war-zone with the leading side being the brainwashed Triskele soldiers. A couple of soldiers aimed their guns at us but Azriel swept them off their feet. Throwing them into the fire, barely without a flinch. Worries whirled through my mind. If this is the current situation then Saral and Cara could be in grave danger, though I was more worried about Saral. The southern tower had completely combusted till it piled into ashes. People who had previously jumped to their deaths instead of burning, slept creepily on the dirt. I was just hoping that my friends weren't a part of the ashes. Azriel told us he could sense our friends and they were safe near the barrier. We charged to the border of freedom and imprisonment, concerned about if the barrier had been dropped. Just as we stepped foot over the margin of escape, a landmine bursted, sending all three of us airborne.

I blacked out for a moment but quickly escaped from it because of the astounding pain that originated from my left leg. My face was planted into the ground but I was able to give a quick glance to my leg, the sight was shocking. My beautiful slightly hairy leg had been completely blown from existence. I was drowning in my own waterfall of blood that gushed from my injury and the tides of blood had hit the shores of my lips. I had lost all my energy in every atom of my being. The pain was so great that I had cursed the ability to heal, I would have chosen death then the ability to just barely escape it. The regeneration process was much slower than usual, possibly due to the extreme wound. A single drop of sadness rushed from my eye as I thought about the others possible death. I was just unfortunate enough to be the one to heal, I'd rather die with my friends, with Viola, then live a day without them. A steady noise of quick feet, crunching the grass began to approach.

"Adamis?" It was a mundane girlish tone. I had heard it somewhere but I was in too much pain to remember. Probably from the possible concussion I had. A hand gripped my shoulder, attempting to roll my body so that I would be facing the sky. My blurred vision began to sharpen and my ability to rationalize resurfaced. There she leaned over me, with the same red hijab dangling into my face that I had given to her for her birthday. She hadn't aged a day since I last saw her. It almost didn't feel real, I had so many questions for her. Questions that I had wished I asked her years ago. I forced myself to gather words from my blood flooded lungs. But as I spoke, blood vomited from my mouth.

"Scar—lett?"

\--83\--

