SCARLET'S POVI coughed up blood again, and felt weakened, like I couldn't hold on anymore. Back then, thinking of meeting my mother had actually done something awful to me. It made me wonder if death could really take me to her.It wasn't like I didn't want to hold on, I was just tired. The pain in my stomach was too much, and so much blood had run up my nose that it stung, and my throat felt sore. When the dead bodies left me, my senses had returned, but my eyesight was dimming.And I wondered… Am I dying? Would just a single trick from the forest kill me just like that?I had attacked with all my might, not knowing I was fighting with the one I could never overpower. Ralph, seeing me as a monster, would have attacked fiercely. My screams must have been roars to him, and my gasps of pain, snarls. “Scarlet… stop.” Ralph suddenly said, and I realized my own eyes had been closing without me knowing it. “Hang in there. Don't close those eyes.” He ordered, laying me against the tree, a
RALPH'S POVThings were beginning to get worse. I didn't know if we could outrun eagles when we were running at human speed, and I feared greatly for Scarlet who was injured. “Let's run!” I whispered frantically, even though the eagles didn't need to hear us to chase us. We began to run, and she winced continuously as she did. Honestly, I was also scared. Not just for myself, but for her. Even though it had been a mistake, taking her back home safely seemed to be my responsibility. It felt like it would be my fault if she died. The thing that scared me the most was losing her. What would I explain to Elias and Sylvia if I got back without her?When she had been dying from my slash the other time, it had felt like the world had ended, and I had lost her, but thankfully, I was able to save her. I also cared about her as my friend. And what would life mean without lively Scarlet?“Can you run? Will you get on my back?” I asked, holding her hand tightly.“No, I would rather not slow yo
SCARLET'S POVFear gripped me hard in my chest, as I watched the large creature. Never in my life, had I ever seen a creature as large as that.The worst thing about the giant octopus was that it seemed to have eyes everywhere on its body. "Damn." Ralph muttered, and immediately turned around pulling me with him. "Swim."I began to swim, but it was hard. Already, my stomach hurt. The leaves, and cloth which Ralph had used to cover my wounds had slipped off, and I wasn't supposed to be in water, with such a wound. Swimming forward was our only option because the water didn't let us get anywhere near the shore. Just then, a large tentacle landed right between Ralpha and I, with a large splash, and we were both driven apart by the force of it.I landed on another tentacle, and my heart threatened to burst out."Scarlet! Use your claws!" Ralph said, as I began to rise out of his reach. I got up from the slowly rising tentacle, and tried to jump down, but another tentacle caught me, and
SCARLET'S POVHope flooded my heart like never before, and we began to make our way, towards the shore. Ralph still couldn't move his arm, so I had to take him all the way out of the water. Finally, I got out of the water, and pulled him out too. We panted hard, and looked at each other, with sparkling eyes. It had been done. We had survived it. At least that was if there were no more obstacles for us, on the way to the cottage. “I think we made it. Whoever's living there must be the person controlling this place. Maybe if we're lucky enough, they will grant us a safe path home. Maybe it was a kind of test after all. Let's think positively. I… I have a good feeling about this. There's someone living here!” I squealed, and threw my arms around him. “It's still too early to celebrate. Let's get there first.” He replied, stiffly, and I immediately withdrew from him. His shoulder was swollen. “Ralph, did you…?” I was asking, and he began to walk away. “It's not my first time h
SCARLET’S POV“What darkness?” I asked, but she shook her head. “Maybe it's not the right time.” She said, and proceeded to set Ralph's shoulder right. “I will give you some food to eat, then you sleep, but you have to find your way back. You cannot stay here for long.” She said, setting it with a single snap that made Ralph grunt. She bustled away from us into the kitchen, and I watched her leave. “How did we get here in the first place? We don't know, so how can we get back?” Ralph asked in confusion, looking around.“Actually, I… I think I might have something to do with it.” I said, and he raised a brow.“You might have something to do with this weird land?” He asked, sitting up slightly. “Yeah. You… you were actually right. The rogues were not friendly for no reason. They had ulterior motives. Their leader was mad, and it seemed like he wanted to attack me. I think that nervousness, and unease, triggered my powers again, but I didn't know.” I explained, and saw how anger settl
SCARLET’S POVMy heart skidded and it seemed like all thoughts of how to escape had been plucked out from my head. I was transfixed, staring at the darkness approaching. Hilda had talked about it. She had said they knew I was there, and were coming for me. What would become of me if they happened to take me.“Ralph! Do something!” Ralph shouted, jolting me back to my senses, as the darkness swirled nearer to us. Just then, I felt the same nervous energy piling up within me. I could recall the nervousness I had felt when the rogue looked like he would try to attack me. That was the same energy filling me.My fingers began to move faster than my eyes, knocking aside the poorly arranged stones, and placing them where they ought to be. The feeling was great— the feeling of being awed at myself for being able to pull off such. I made the old door perfectly, and left it. We were maybe a minute away from potential danger, which might lead to death, and my heart had leaped to my throat. I
SCARLET’S POVAll I did was blink, only to meet myself somewhere different. A rock dropped in my tummy, and I took a step back, turning around as wind blew my hair into my face harshly."Gosh." I exclaimed softly as I looked around. Everywhere had a dark atmosphere but I could still see, and my heart began to throb. Where was I? Could I really be back into another nightmarish place? It almost felt like looking into smoke. There were trees around but they were only a few and they rustled to the sound of the wind.All around me was a vast piece of land. It somewhat had a resemblance to a desert for I was standing on sand which was definitely a few feet deep. The trees all gave an eerie aura. It felt like they were all staring at me and the wind continued to howl in my ears, shouting and communicating words I couldn't understand. I didn't want to stay there. I wanted to leave.I pushed away my hair which had wrapped around my face and started turning around frantically. There had to be a
SCARLET’S POVI fell backwards immediately as a fierce gasp escaped me. I moved back quickly as it had been so close to me, and I lost my balance once more, falling to the floor. At that rate, I couldn't keep count of the number of times I had fallen. I had simply been in a state of continuous shock ever since I had met myself when I was. It felt like building up to a frequency at which it was going to burst, splatter and leave me dead. Standing behind me was a figure in a black hood. It towered over me menacingly, but I couldn't see its face, and just then the wind picked up slowly. Something tickled my hair and I caught it immediately, only to find it was my hair."Please…" I heard myself whisper as I began to try my best to shift as far away as I could away from it, but my hands were too shaky to hold their ground on the floor. They buckled, and gave way, making me lay flat on the floor. I immediately, sat up, and scrambled to my feet, all the while keeping my eye on the creature i
SCARLET'S POV. Egg after egg dropped, filling the space, and I couldn't help the feeling of raw panic eating me up. I had ever seen such a monster with different traits. It has pincers like scorpions and made loud noises. It buzzed like a bee, and was so solid even though it was made of ants. It was laying eggs which was really unbelievable, but what scared me was that I didn't know what would happen if the eggs happened to hatch. What creature would we see there, and how would they eat us up?I took in deep breaths, as me and Elias were pushed together. I couldn't help myself. It felt like I would suddenly scream, and go out. The eggs fell against us, and it was then I knew I couldn't help myself. “Elias!” I called out, as my hand closed over his shirt tightly. My mouth opened wide, and I fought for breath, but couldn't find it. “Scarlet, Scarlet, breathe!” Elias said, looking at me intently, as I hit my chest, trying to breathe. My eyes filled up with tears, and it felt like I w
RALPH'S POVEstelle looked at us all, enjoying the looks of shock on the faces of the men. Then she walked over to me, and bent, placing a hand on the table, and the other behind my chair. I wouldn't deny the ice in her eyes. Everything about her seemed cold, and although I hated her being that close to me, I did not budge. I stared at her right in the eye, without fear. “You must be having a hard time, right?” She spoke softly. “Well, I've had a harder time.” She said, then straightened up, without taking her eyes off me for a second. She seemed to built for revenge, and in her eyes were the echoes of pain, and cold. She took a few steps backwards, before giving a smile that didn't reach her eyes, then she turned away, walking out of the hall. The elders all looked like they had been holding their breaths, and they let it out quickly, looking at each other. “I believe we've discussed all we need to discuss.” I said, getting to my feet. Sitting around, doing nothing was something
RALPH’S POVI dressed in my room, trying hard so time wouldn't run out on me. There was a council meeting scheduled for the day, and I had to attend instead of Elias. The council elders had sent in multiple envelopes, all demanding to see Elias. ‘Where is the Alpha?’‘What is the Alpha planning on doing?’‘Is Alpha Elias aware that things are becoming even worse?’They had sent in all kinds of questions, and I understood their impatience. It was all stemming from the fear Estelle had woven into their hearts. A knock came on my door. “Come in.” I said, brushing my hair. If I didn't look my best, they would assume Elias didn't know what he was doing, and that he had just put some random person on his throne. I really hoped he and Scarlet would make it back alive, and quickly because I was in no way fit for an Alpha. A maid walked in with toast on a tray. “No, no, I'm fine. I didn't ask for breakfast.” I said, but she didn't retreat. “Before leaving, Alpha Elias gave me strict ord
SCARLET’S POVWe fell mercilessly, hitting the rough edges, getting bruises all over. I landed on the ground with my head in an awkward position, before straightening up, and looking at Elias, who was sprawled on the ground, breathing hard, as he looked up at the sky. I looked around. Apparently, we had fallen in some kind of hole. Due to taking quick hasty breaths, the dust managed to get into my nose, and I sneezed hard. We heard the strange buzzing sound, and I covered my mouth, only for another sneeze to come true. I sneezed again, and Elias scrambled to his fist to cover my mouth. I held his hand there, willing myself not to sneeze. Eventually, I let out a tiny one, and with my eyes watering, I looked around, taking Elias' hands off my mouth. Everywhere was dusty. It was probably because we had fallen through it. All the dust seemed to be settling. “What do we do now?” I whispered, giving a little cough, as I tried to swipe the dust away from settling on my face.“I think w
THIRD PERSONIt wasn't just Elias who felt the tendrils of fear squeezing his heart. Scarlet felt it too, and it felt like her chest was on fire, just from wondering what would happen. The mere terror that the clanging sound generated made her heart beat faster at every clang. It was too much for her to handle. She looked around repeatedly, and the soft wind whipped her hair into her face, which she brushed back with both hands. Already, her palms were cold and sweaty, and the anxiety was just too much. She needed the suspense to be over. “What do you think that is?” She asked Elias, still looking around, trying to guess what could be the reason for the weird sound. “I have no idea.” Elias replied, as the sound grew louder. “We should… I think we should move on.” Scarlet suggested, wanting to make a move. It was so obvious that whatever was approaching them with the weird sound wasn't single. It wasn't two, nor was it three. It was definitely a lot.“I say we wait.” Elias replied,
ELIAS’ POVI couldn't understand the fear and anxiety filling me up. It wasn't the first time Scarlet and I had been on a journey, or been faced with dangerous creatures, and people, but still there was that nervousness. That whispering voice that told me my fears were not twisting lies in my head, but trying to bore the truth into me. Something really awful could happen, and I might be unable to escape it with Scarlet by my side. Either way, I hated the feeling. The whole place spoke, and gave an aura of power, dark power, and it boasted too easily of how we could get killed. It was the main reason for my fears. The man looked at us, and even without the features on his face, I was somehow able to tell that he had a smile on. Then, I looked at Scarlet. She also seemed lost in thoughts, and it would be the best time to try to convince her, but she would despise me for it. It was better I carried out her wish, than to let my fear get the best of me. “We are willing to try. After
Scarlet and Elias couldn’t help but admit within themselves that they were overwhelmed by fear. Elias knew how dangerous the journey was, and this made him even more scared. “Well, hello.” The man spoke, in an eerie tone. “Who the hell are you?” Elias managed to question him, as they were both wary of him. “A question which actually isn’t the major concern. But I’ll tell you one thing. If you dare try to escape, because it’s only expected of you to want to run from me, you won’t be able to get to the world beyond.” “Uhn!” Elias exclaimed softly, not knowing whether to believe the man or not. “Yeah. To make things more understandable for you, I am the passage to the world beyond, which only means without me, you can’t go into the world beyond. So, now, I hope you know that it is only unwise of you to run from me. And if you have enough time to waste, you can actually run from me, and when you realize you’ve been wasting your time, you’ll come back, and definitely meet me here.” Bo
SCARLET’S POV It was dawn already, and was time for us to set out for her journey. If it was an outing, I would have been so excited about it, but then, it was a dangerous journey which we are just going on for the sake of a friend which we have taken as a family. Even from the name, the world beyond, one would have known that it isn’t a place one can take lightly. For Elias to have been so adamant on us not going there, it was evident that it wasn’t like other dangerous places that we have gotten ourselves into. “Are you certain you are ready?” Elias asked me as we headed towards the woods. “I am more than ready.” I responded to him, not wanting to sound discouraging. Even if I wanted to sound discouraging, it shouldn’t be from here when he could easily turn back and by then, whatever I do, might not make him change his mind, anymore. We didn’t have to walk too much before we got to the woods, and that only made me feel a little anxious. But then, I had to stop myself from getti
SCARLET'S POV “I know, and I feel quite bad for going down that lane, but you know we’ve got to do all it takes to ensure Ashley is back to good health. Who knows? She might be able to help us with an information. You know she was captured by Estelle. She must have seen a lot which would be very helpful for us.” “I understand. Just look for better ways to convince him regarding something than hurting yourself. Well, let me leave you to go over to meet him. I’m sure he’s so annoyed with both you, and himself. You’ve got to make him feel he isn’t making the wrong decision.” “Alright! I’m on it.” “He’s in the garden, by the way.” Ralph informed me, and I smiled lightly. “Thanks.” I appreciated him, then I stepped out of the room and walked towards the garden. On getting to the garden, I saw him standing and gazing at the sky with both hands in his pockets. I knew he was going through a lot, and had a lot of responsibilities burdening him. So, all he needed was things to go a bit eas