A peculiar sensation takes hold of my body and I find myself paralysed. The air around me feels like jagged shards of glass. My teeth chatter uncontrollably, despite the heating being on. My fingers throb with pain as I struggle to draw breath. The relentless pounding on the door intensifies, making my heart race faster. What the fuck is going on?

The cat leaps onto the windowsill with surprising agility, prying it open using its front paws. "We have to go now!" he exclaims. Wait... did the cat just speak? To me? With... words? This can't be happening.

"Wh-what?" I stammer, unable to form any other words. BOOM, BOOM! The violent knocking becomes even more aggressive. Whoever is behind that door isn't simply knocking – they're trying to force their way in.

"Come on! Quick!" urges the cat.

But before I can react, the door shatters into splinters. A powerful jolt strikes me from behind, sending me crashing to the floor. As I look up, dazed, a tall man clothed all in black stands in the doorway. He's definitely not Adrian – this man is unnaturally thin and tall. My eyes widen when I see the object glinting in his pale hand – a dagger! I inhale sharply. Its crimson blade throbs as if it had a life of its own.

"Who are you?" I demand, attempting to sound braver than I feel.

My fear only intensifies as his arm twists grotesquely, stretching out to reach towards me.

Paralysed, I watch in horror as this monstrous man morphs before my very eyes. He grows taller, his limbs stretching impossibly long. My chest tightens, breaths coming in short gasps. Who, or what, is he?

As his bony white hand creeps closer, blade-like fingers cracking and twisting, I brace myself for the cold grasp around my ankles. But before he can seize me, the cat leaps into action, sinking his teeth into the grotesque hand. The man lets out an inhuman screech that sends shivers down my spine.

"Thank God," I think to myself, snapping out of my trance. Fear propels me to my feet, but my legs wobble beneath me like jelly. The man, furious, tries to crush the cat with a grisly hand. Just in time, the black feline pounces on him with ferocity, knocking him off balance. I dash towards the window, heart pounding in my ears.

A loud thud stops me in my tracks. The man hurled the cat through the air, sending him crashing into the wall. "No!" I scream, anger and terror melding together. As I glance back at the man, his eyes lock onto mine – predatory, calculating.

Before he can do anything, the cat, lying on the floor, starts to tremble. Dense black smoke pours from his body, and I watch in awe as he transforms before my eyes. His fur turns rough and bristly, fangs elongating. Fearsome claws emerge from his now gigantic paws, and amber light blazes in his eyes. He's massive, reaching the height of my chest.

"Run for the trees!" he says, his voice deep and commanding. Without another word, he charges at the monstrous man, ready to fight.

I don't stay to watch. Reaching the window, I scramble onto the windowsill and slide through the gap. The sounds of battle echo from inside the house – crashes, screams of pain. I can't think about it; I have to keep going. Leaping over the fence, I run towards the trees. The world around me is a green blur, and my lungs burn with each desperate breath. My heart pounds in my ears, drowning out all other sounds.

"Just a bit further," I think as I sprint towards the trees. But then, something tugs at my leg.

I trip, falling face-first onto the cold ground. Rolling over, my heart lurches as I see the man in black dangerously close. His arms extended unnaturally, and his deathly pale hands clutched at my feet. He pulls me towards him, and panic claws through my whole being.

"Let go of me!" I cry out, struggling to free myself from his grasp. Tears prick at the corners of my eyes as I desperately try to shake him off, but it's hopeless. With a jerk, he drags me until I'm directly beneath him. The red dagger is held between his gruesome teeth, and he grips my wrists with one hand, freeing the other to grab the weapon. The wooden handle is carved in the shape of a woman. The sight of it sends a shiver down my spine.

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"Who are you? Let me go!" I demand, fear making my voice tremble.

As I look at the stranger's face, I realise that he was not entirely awful. It's as if he had been handsome once, but now irrevocably tainted. Dark hair frames his gleaming white skin, and his eyes – like knives – pierce into my soul. Red veins run through his neck, and his sharp features seem almost dangerous to touch. But what catches my attention the most is his expression – not angry nor anxious, but completely indifferent.

"Is this how I die? At the hands of someone who doesn't even care?" My thoughts race, mingling with the terror that threatens to overwhelm me.

"Please," I whisper, "I don't know why you're doing this."

He doesn't respond. It's like I'm nothing to him.

"Get off me!" I shout, as the man climbs on top of me, trying to pin down my legs with his own. My heart races with fear and anger, but I muster all my strength and knee him hard in the stomach. As he fumbles to grab my wrists, I continue kicking. His shirt comes undone during our struggle, revealing a gash pulsating on his chest, right on his heart. Veins branch out from it, running down his chest like tendrils. I need to escape this monster!

Desperate, I wriggle and squirm my way out from underneath him. I scramble to my feet and prepare to make a run for it, but he lunges forward and catches me with a tired swing of his arm, striking me squarely in the ribcage. The air escapes my lungs, and I crumple to the ground. "This is it," I think. "I can't resist any longer. He's going to kill me."

But then, something miraculous happens – the cat appears out of thin air. Bruised and bloodied, he leaps into the man's face, burying his claws deep into his eyes. The man screams, twisting in pain, and he tumbles backwards. I remain on the ground, my breaths coming in shallow gasps. In a split second, the air became even sharper, colder, and the man's screams die out. He holds up the dagger and with one swift movement sinks it deep into the cat's leg. The animal cries out in agony and shifts back to its original shape. The man rises and stalks towards me at a frenzied pace, perching himself above me while brandishing the blood-soaked dagger above my head.

A hiss cuts through the air, followed by a vicious thud. An arrow finds its mark in my attacker's forearm, forcing him to drop his dagger. For once, he doesn't cry out, completely frozen instead. I seize the opportunity, scramble to my feet, and grab the almost unconscious cat. And I run. Without thinking. Without looking back. Towards the nearest tree.

"She's waiting for you in Witchwood," the cat mumbles weakly, struggling to speak.

"Who? What are you talking about?" I gasp, confused.

"On the other side. Just walk into the tree." The cat's words make no sense but I keep going. I reach the wild cherry tree, but there's no hole, no door – nothing for me to walk into. Goosebumps spread across my skin as panic threatens to take hold.

"There's nothing here!" I exclaim, feeling hopeless.

"Put your hand on the trunk – I'll guide you," the cat insists.

Reluctantly, I obey, but nothing happens. In my desperation, I make the mistake of looking back. The monstrous man is only a few feet away, blood pouring from his eyes.

"I don't know what to do – it's not working!" I scream, terrified.

"You're a witch. It'll work," the cat tells me.

"What?" I reply, incredulous. But before I can question further, something shifts. My hand sinks into the trunk of the tree, the tips of my fingers warmed by a gentle breeze. What the hell?

As terror grips me tighter, I decide to trust the cat and plunge my whole arm into the tree. It feels like stepping into a warm embrace, one that tugs me forward with a silent promise of safety. I dare to stick my foot into the tree trunk, gasping as my skin merges with the bark. I'm drawn forward by an inexplicable force so I step into the tree, my heart racing, and slam my eyes shut in fear and excitement. The cat's still clutched close to my chest.

Something's taking me away from this place, and I can't quite comprehend why going through the tree feels like being hugged by someone I love. It's a sensation that makes me long for my father's comforting arms, but also fills me with unease.

And then, the hug stops.

I peel my eyes open, and my breath catches. The high, honey-coloured wall of a castle, all covered in vines, surrounds me. I'm in a sort of inner garden, the grass interspersed with multicoloured flowers and exquisite alabaster statues. Behind me, there's another cherry tree – different from the one I had come through.

"Warlocks can't follow you here," the cat says, just before his eyes close.