Chapter 311: A Friend In The Dark

  The moonlight stretched across the Katag villa and blended into the fluorescent light of the Glimmer Grove trees. Maeve Mora stood on the balcony of her room. She looked down over the gardens and inhaled deeply, breathing in the scents of the forest.

  It was a beautiful night, almost perfect. Something felt off, a little smudge on a perfect white canvas, a dissonance in a melodic voice.

  Maeve furrowed her brow. Something had to be missing.

  But what?

  Maeve snapped her fingers and smiled, “I almost forgot. A night isn’t perfect without a bit of wine.”

  She stepped away from the balcony ledge and headed inside to fetch a bottle. She pushed the balcony door open and stepped into nothingness. Her room was gone, only pitch darkness remained. She turned around and looked back in a panic. The balcony had disappeared, there was only darkness. Yet she could see her own hands and feet as clear as if the sun was shining down on her.

  A sickening cold feeling stretched across her back.

  “This isn’t real… I’m in a dream.”

  Everything was gone, only she remained, and yet she couldn’t shake the feeling. Something was off. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

  She needed to know.

  Red mana slowly slipped over her arm like an old lover’s embrace, the taste of its comfort never far.

  Stryg’s warning echoed in her mind. True Red’s Synchrony magic was dangerous. Maeve knew that, she understood it, and yet she still couldn’t shake the feeling. The cold foreboding feeling dug into her spine and bled into her very being.

  She needed to know.

  Maeve reluctantly raised her arm, red mana swirling about her hand, and stretched her fingers into the emptiness. Her mana pulsed with a heartbeat and was abruptly sucked into the void.

  Maeve stepped back, confused.

  What had she done? She felt drained, her body felt as if it had been dipped in boiling water and thrown out into the snow.

  The scent of smoke filled her nostrils. She looked around expectantly, but there was no fire, no light. A white blur fell past her peripherals. She glanced down and frowned. A long silver feather lay at her feet.

  “Blood…?”

  Droplets of blood stained the feather. Maeve looked up. Dozens of feathers fell down around her, each coated with more blood than the last.

  “Congratulations,” a voice whispered.

  Maeve spun around, “Who’s there!?”

  A pale slim leg slipped out of the darkness as if it were an ethereal curtain. A tall, elegant woman stepped out from the void of nothingness. Her bright scarlet hair fell down her shoulders in silky smooth layers. The darkness wrapped around her and formed a dress that floated a hair’s breadth above the floor. The woman’s blood-red lips curled up in a smirk, revealing the sharp fangs of a vampire.

  “You finally did it, Maeve. You synchronized your magic, soul, and mind together, and expanded your consciousness beyond your physical body,” the voice said gleefully. “I’ve been waiting for you, constantly searching the dark recesses of the dreamscape, hoping that I might just see your flare. And after all this time, you finally used a Synchrony spell of your own accord.” The tall vampiress leaned forward with a long smile, “Congratulations.”

  “W-what?” Maeve unconsciously took a step back.

  The stranger’s bewitching eyes glanced about casually, “I like what you did with the place. It’s simple, rudimentary, but stable. Not like your previous dream constructs, constantly in disorder.”

  “Who are you…?”

  “Oh, we’ve met before. Although, I suppose we never had a proper introduction. You may call me Ann.”

  “Ann?” Maeve frowned.

  “Yes. Do you mind if I change things up a bit? After all, we are not in the dreamscape just yet,” Ann snapped her fingers.

  The darkness melted away and Maeve found herself in a small cottage. A pot of steaming hot tea rested atop a long glass table in the center of the living room. Ann casually sat down at the table and conjured up two porcelain cups.

  “Tea?” Ann smiled.

  Maeve stepped away from the vampiress until her back was against the wall. She swallowed, “You’re it, aren’t you?”

  Ann cocked her head to the side, her red eyes lost the warm light they had just so easily held, “I don’t follow.”

  “…You’re the Monster,” Maeve whispered fearfully.

  Ann licked her lips slowly, “Monster?”

  “…The Monster in the Dark.”

  “Oh…” Ann smiled eerily, “You seem to have heard stories. Stories that have clearly given you a false impression of Who. I. Am.”

  “Then what are you?” she asked skeptically.

  “Hm,” Ann smirked and calmly poured herself a cup of tea. “I am not your enemy. I have no intention of harming you. Quite the opposite. I wish for us to be friends.”

  “Friends? Why would you want to be friends with me?”

  “Because unlike every single other person you have come across in your difficult life, I see you for who and what you are.”

  “...And what am I?”

  Ann slowly sipped her tea and savored its taste, “Significant.”

  A shiver ran down Maeve’s spine, “What? I-I don’t… I don’t understand.” She was scared, but she was intrigued, and she found herself stepping closer.

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  Ann inhaled the scent of her tea and sighed in contentment, “You are a seed among the mundane rocks of this world, Maeve. You are as unseen as the dirt we tread upon. People disregard you for what you are, ‘weak.’ But people are blind, confident in their own ignorance. They do not know what you are.” Ann looked Maeve over and smiled, “Someday, you will bloom into a magnificent flower. You will rise above the dirt and you will outshine them all. Your life will not be meaningless.”

  “You’re saying I have potential,” Maeve muttered.

  “I’m saying one day you will have the opportunity to influence the Null Realms in a way no Ebon Lord could ever dream of.”

  “So you want my help? Is that it?” she said cautiously.

  Ann smiled and shook her head, “No. All I want is to show you the truth. And when you learn the secrets that should never have been forgotten… Well then, you will want to help me.”

  “You’re here to show me the truth?” she whispered.

  “Hah, no, unfortunately not,” Ann chuckled. “I’m here because your life is in danger.”

  “What? What do you mean my life is in danger!?”

  Ann clasped her hands together and looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully, “The feathers are an interesting touch…”

  “The feathers? Why is there blood on the feathers? What does it mean?”

  “You tell me, they are after all a manifestation of your Synchrony magic.”

  “I don’t understand. I don’t know what any of this means!” Maeve yelled in a panicked voice.

  “And we don’t have the time to spend on examining and defining the intricacies of that which embodies all that is you.” Ann rose to her feet, her dress of darkness billowing out around her, “Suffice to say you are in danger and so are your friends.”

  Maeve’s eyes widened, “My friends? What happened to them!?”

  “Nothing as of yet. But people are coming to kill all of you. You may want to wake up and warn them before it is too late.”

  Maeve looked around in alarm, “How? How do I wake up!? I don’t even know where this is!”

  “I can help you,” Ann raised her arm, “Take my hand.”

  “But I…” she mumbled weakly.

  “There is little time left. You must make a decision soon.”

  “How can I trust you…? How do I know you won’t trick me and backstab me or something?”

  “I told you, I am not your enemy.” Ann stepped closer, “Someday, when the light fades away and you find yourself all alone, you will need a friend in the Dark.”

  Maeve bit her lip with indecision, “I don’t want to make a deal…”

  “Deals are only for those I do not trust and I trust you to make the right choice.”

  Maeve took a deep breath and nodded resolutely, “...Okay.” She reached out and grasped Ann’s outstretched hand.

  Ann smiled and her scarlet eyes flickered a myriad of colors, “Wake up.”

~~~

  Maeve gasped and opened her eyes. She sat up and gasped for breath. Her lungs ached with every breath and her heart burned with a pinprick-like pain. With short breaths, she glanced around and tried to take in her surroundings.

  She was in her room at the Katag villa, sitting in bed, an empty bottle of wine next to her. The windows were dark, a ray of moonlight penetrated the grey clouds.

  Was it real? Or had it really all been a dream?

  Maeve stared at her open hand. She could still feel the cool touch of Ann’s fingers over her palm.

  Wake up.

  The two words echoed in her mind, reverberating across her every thought. She threw off the bed covers, slipped on a pair of slippers, and jumped to her feet. She threw her door open and sprinted down the empty hall.

~~~

  Rapid rasps of knuckles on wood pierced the blessed silence of his dreams. Stryg’s lilac eyes shot open and his slit pupils stretched into wide ovals that covered almost the entirety of his irises.

  “Ughhh, mmm, ~Stryyyg~, da door…” Feli mumbled, half-asleep.

  “Fine,” Stryg grumbled under his breath. He hopped off the bed with a heavy thump and dragged his feet across the bedroom.

  “Who is it…?” Stryg yawned.

  “Stryg, open the door!” the voice yelled urgently.

  Stryg’s pupils narrowed to thin slits. Whatever spell sleep had cast on him had suddenly faded away. He recognized the voice behind the door and the tone it carried. Something was wrong.

  Stryg yanked the door open, not even bothering to unlock it. The lock snapped off its hinges with a metal screech and the door slammed open wide. Maeve stood on the other side, breathless.

  “Maeve, what is it?” he asked in a grave tone.

  Maeve wrung her hands anxiously, “Something is coming. I don’t know what, but it's dangerous. I know it sounds crazy but please, trust me–”

  Stryg had already turned around and walked back to his bed. “Feli, wake up.”

  “Hm. Wha… Why?” Feli mumbled with closed eyes.

  “Alright,” Stryg shrugged and scooped her up into his arms.

  Feli blearily opened her eyes, “H-hey, w-what are you doing!? Stryg, dammit!” She yelled and tried to kick her way out from his grasp but he held her tight.

  “We need to leave, now,” Stryg said seriously.

  “O-oh… Like now, now?” Feli asked.

  Stryg glanced at Maeve questioningly. She nodded, “...Yeah, now.”

  “Hey, what’s up with all the damn noise?” Gale stepped into the doorway. She glanced at the broken lock and frowned, “And what happened to the door?”

  “Master Gale, good, you’re here,” Stryg said.

  “Obviously. I sleep next door.” Gale spotted Maeve and bowed her head, “Lady Mora, what is a daughter of Veres doing here this late?”

  “Uh, t-that’s…” Maeve stammered.

  “We’re under attack, we need to leave quickly,” Stryg said.

  Gale reached for her blade and nodded coldly. “Take the window. Knowing Lysaila she should be drinking with Rhian in the gardens right about now. Find them and head to the forest, I’ll find you all as soon as I can.”

  “Miss Gale, why don’t you come with us?” Maeve asked hopefully.

  “I can’t. I have to find the other students and get them to safety. There’s no time to waste, I’ll see you soon, Lady Mora. Stryg, move them quickly,” Gale bowed and left without another word.

  Maeve smiled worriedly, “Take care of yourself, Miss G–Agh!”

  Stryg threw her over his shoulders and ran straight to the room’s open window. Feli closed her eyes and hugged him tightly.

  “W-wait! Wait a sec, ah shit!” Maeve screamed.

  Stryg leaped out the window and dropped like a rock twenty paces down. His bare feet landed on the grass with a hard thud and sunk a few inches into the ground. He quickly looked over his tribemates and made sure they weren’t injured before he ran across the backyard.

  “Let me down, I can run!” Maeve said frustratedly.

  “Not fast enough,” Stryg said and channeled orange mana into his legs. He dashed across the field and reached the gardens in a matter of seconds.

  Rhian and Lysaila were drinking from a barrel of ale as usual. Lysaila’s innate resistance to poisons and Rhian’s large size made it difficult for either of them to really lose in a drinking contest, yet try they did.

  Lysaila heard Stryg before she saw him. She rose from one of the garden’s stone benches and stared at the edge of a bush expectantly. A few seconds later Stryg ran past and rushed to them.

  “Ey, Stryg and Feli! Care to finally join us!” Rhian raised her mug.

  Stryg let the woman down and walked over to a nearby tree.

  “Oh, Maeve you’re back! Ready for round seven?” Rhian asked happily.

  “Not tonight,” Maeve smiled weakly.

  “Something’s wrong,” Lysaila whispered. “Isn’t it, Mortem mage?”

  Stryg scrambled up the tall tree with ease and looked out from its highest branch.

  “What is this…?” Stryg muttered, stunned.

  Dozens of pillars of smoke rose throughout Undergrowth. The glow of burning homes stretched across the horizon. Even from a far-off distance, Stryg could make out the swarm of valley warriors marauding through the streets.