Luka pov“Wait,” Than mutters and runs a hand through his oddly near hair. “Go back a bit and explain the bit about the murderous trees, please.” “Haven’t Lenox mentioned anything about them?” I frown. Deep down, I know that answering his plea with a question is just wasting time. It’s bad, I know, but also, I wish to waste someone’s else’s time for once too. “Perhaps I’m too old and forgetful, but no. Also, I find it a little weird that you mention the gates of hell, but I don’t feel a presence powerful enough to shift the energy in mortal’s realm,” Than explains and mimics my frown. This back and forth conversation won’t go anywhere, so I decide to offer a compromise only a fool would ignore. “How about you tell me everything I want to know and I tell you everything I learned while I was away? Sounds fair, doesn’t it?” I’m really hopeful he will. Dealing with whatever is happening would be so much easier if I got all the details in check. I don’t like addressing the issues I ha
Lenox povOoooh, my family will hate me. Something I have to get used to, eh? For now, at least I have my trusted companion spoon, so I can’t claim my life has ended just yet. What I plan to do, though, might lead me to that place sooner than anticipated. “A tad bit dramatic, don’t you think?” Atlas chuckles, as always ruining the moment I’m trying to slip into the role of a proper drama queen. “Why do you even care?” I grumble. Yes, sure, I’m being stingy and everything, but I have the right to be. He can’t expect I won’t react to his ideas in the worst ways possible. This, after all, is his idea.“Oh, come on, don’t be such a snowflake. It’ll be fine.” Atlas laughs at my inner thoughts. “Fine - my ass,” I laugh. “What if we don’t find the way back home?” He doesn’t offer an answer or another remark and after a while, I realise there won’t be an answer at all. For once, he’s stuck deep in thought, completely obvious to me, losing my patience. Walking deeper into the forest, a
Alister povDad looks so worried, I almost don’t want to go anymore. But I have to. If I want mommy to live and the monster to leave her, I don’t have any other chance. Before I turn my back on dad and the creature in his arms, I look at the thing he calls a baby and huff. Why can’t everyone else see the same things I do? Why can’t they understand the destruction she will bring? “Not everyone has been given the gift you have, some are bound to remain blind to the truth,” the garden’s whispers surround me, both answering my questions and calling for me at the same time. Shaking my head, I spin on my heel and take off, ignoring dad’s voice as he calls after me. I know I’m getting myself in serious trouble by not listening. I know he will tell me I’m grounded once we return home, or even take some of my toys, but I don’t mind paying the price. Perhaps, he will accept that some things have to be done for a greater good and let me be. Whatever the consequences are, I’ll accept them.
Sarah povLeft completely alone, I struggle to tell reality and lie apart. The voice in my mind grows so strong and loud, no thoughts and songs can overpower it. I try to scream, to sing, to make sounds and everything that comes to mind, but nothing works. No matter how hard I try, it’s not backing down. Even when I plead with it to stop, to release me or find a compromise to coexist - it doesn’t agree to anything I offer. “Listen to me. Listen to me. Listen to me.” It repeats over and over again. I have no idea how, but the voice is managing to alter my understanding of reality - the scenarios it reads, the images it shows, I can’t fully process it all before the next round starts. The more information is piled on me, the more I struggle. Even breathing proves to be harder than it usually is. “Than, where are you? I need you, dad, please,” I force the words through gritted teeth and drop to my knees. My hands slide in my hair and tug on it, as if I need to rid myself of the hai
Felix povOkay, I might have underestimated how far those bloody shadow forests are. Seriously, it’s already getting dark and I feel like I have been walking for years. It doesn’t help that everything in this part of the forest is starting to merge into one, big mess. I can’t keep track of the times I already tripped on something and I keep doing the same nearly every two steps I take. “Lenox Vincent, where are you? Come here and grab your death tools, I’m tired,” I hiss under my breath but still push forward. If he is already there, doing whatever a crazy person does in the middle of a creepy forest, he needs me to get there as soon as possible. I’m not sure when I changed my opinion of him as someone I need to escape to someone I need to reach as fast as I can, but that doesn’t matter. What does is he can’t do without his tools, the same things I’m carrying around. After another time of nearly kissing the ground, I stop and lean against the tree to rest a little. The water is g
Lenox pov“You can’t be serious,” my sidekick gasps. “N-no, y-you just c-can’t,” he starts stuttering as his hand grabs my upper arm and he tries to pull me back. Too bad he doesn’t realise that his strength has nothing on me. No matter how much he tries to hold me back - he simply doesn’t have it in him to stop me. Ever. No army has stopped me before and I don’t plan on changing that. “I’ve made up my mind, my beautiful mutt. Come on, let’s go, we have no time to waste,” I flash him the weakest smile. Truth be told, I don’t want to do this. Really, I don’t. But, by putting my priorities where they really should be, I save them all. And then, the downside is that I’m willingly missing out on my daughter’s future. I won’t be there for her first word, first steps and first milestones. “Totally worth it for as long as we ensure she has a future.” Atlas grumbles. I can’t help but agree with him. “You crazy bastard!” My sidekick snarls. “How can you give up on everything you have? D
Lazarus povI have no idea how much time has passed and while I sit here, with a baby in my arms, I can’t help but feel completely fucking useless. My son is in a place I don’t trust. The baby I’m holding keeps sleeping as if she’s in a coma - no signs of life other than the obvious raising and falling of her tiny chest. My wife is locked away, parents do whatever the fuck they do and my brothers - I don’t even have any idea what is up with them both. How the fuck did we get stuck in this loop of madness? Another roar of thunder echoes around me, so I look up at the sky. Perhaps Alister is right - it really looks like the sky is raging because it demands something to be returned. Or, more precisely - someone. I pry my eyes off the sky and look back at the calmly sleeping baby. She’s a thing of beauty - perfection, no matter how long I look at her. Ophelia looks like a mix of Sarah and Lenox, in a way, as if mother nature gifted her the best parts from each parent. At one point, I
Luka povLeaving Sarah in the cell has to be close to the hardest thing I have ever had to do. The pleading look on her face, the desperation and sadness in her eyes paired with her words will forever haunt me. As I move through the halls, my mind instantly kicks into the right gear. First and foremost, I need to figure out how to fix this mess and then, we can move along with whatever has to be done next. Rounding the corner, I manage to run into the man she begged me to seek for - Than. “Luka? What are you doing here?” He asks, looking like he has just been caught red-handed, doing drugs or some shit. I raise an eyebrow and remain silent, waiting for an explanation to come, but that doesn’t happen so I groan and shake my head. “I was looking for you, actually.” Than tilts his head, obviously intrigued, “why?” If I wouldn’t be in such a hurry, I would use this moment to fuck around a little, but since we don’t have time for foolish behavior, I get straight to the point. “I went