Daybreak Realm

The road back to the deadly barrier was a quiet one. No one talked and the air felt ominously silent. Everyone kept scanning their surroundings with utmost vigilance and after twelve hours of carefully traversing forests, they finally reached their destination. 

"Maybe Asuren and I should go with you," Ayhan glanced at his friend with worry. 

Asuren had been the most restless on their way to the deadly barrier as if he was expecting someone terrifying to attack them. Even when they arrived at their destination, his eyes were still scanning their surroundings.

"Just wait here for your friends," Riz was staring at the deadly barrier with nervousness. She was preparing herself for the pain that would welcome them once they passed through it.

"Maybe we should take them with us," Thea was thinking that Asuren would be safer in Daybreak Realm.

"Let's go with our original plan," Riz grabbed Thea by her hand. "Understood?" 

Thea sighed and then nodded. As Riz stepped towards the deadly barrier, they sensed a sudden shift in the already dark and gloomy atmosphere of the area. The wind became ominous. And from the shadows behind Asuren, a silhouette had emerged and stabbed him in the back with a purple dagger. 

Asuren dodged but the blade still pierced his left shoulder and he instantly dropped on his knees. Ayhan ran towards his friend, but the silhouette exploded and released a powerful wind that hurled Asuren to the dangerous barrier. 

Without letting go of Riz, Thea grabbed Asuren with her free hand while Ayhan jumped to the barrier and covered his wounded friend with his entire body. Thea had hoped that their second time passing through the barrier would be less painful but the scorching wind remained the same and spared none of them.

Thea, Riz, Asuren, and Ayhan did not let go of each other even after they were thrown out of the deadly barrier, rolled against the grass-covered ground, and hit some bushes. 

"Asuren!" 

Like the rest of them, Ayhan had burns all over his body. His wings were seriously damaged, but he managed to get up and check on his friend.

"Asuren! Wake up!" He ripped a part of his overcoat and wrapped it around the bleeding shoulder of his friend. 

Thea took a few deep breaths before sitting up. She was as terrified as Ayhan because Asuren was getting paler and colder. 

"Asuren!" Ayhan trembled as he listened to the heartbeat of his friend. "I… I can't hear anything." 

"Let me," Thea emptied a bottle of health tonic and gave the rest to Riz and Ayhan. She had no healing hands like Gia or Lady Kamia but, a long time ago, she learned something useful from another friend of hers.

She closed her eyes and tried to remember what her mentor had shared about performing CPR. She placed her hands at the center of Asuren's chest, then pressed it hard and fast until thirty compressions were done. She lifted his chin, pinched his nose shut, and sealed Asuren's mouth with hers. She had given him two rescue breaths. She repeated that cycle for what felt like an eternity. She did not stop until Asuren breathed again.

"Asuren!!!" Ayhan bellowed with relief but worried once more when his friend coughed out blood. 

"Where… is she?" Asuren glanced around with fear in his eyes. 

"She's gone," Ayhan glanced at Thea. "He is poisoned. Can you heal him?" 

"Allow me," Gia arrived and immediately checked on Asuren. "Hmmm..." her forehead had creased. "A unique and potent poison. This will be difficult but I can heal him. I can bring him to my house. But how about the three of you," she glanced worriedly at Thea, Riz, and Ayhan. "I'll just ask someone to bring you to my house."

"I'm good," Ayhan carefully placed Asuren on his back. "My wings are damaged, but my legs are still working fine. I can run while carrying my friend."

"We can also run," Thea and Riz had chorused then quickly got up on their feet and ran. "Follow us, Ayhan." 

^##########^ 

Thea was as shocked as Ayhan when they stepped inside the house of her friend. It was not new to her that the interior looked more like a clinic rather than a home. Beds lined near the walls and the scent of medicinal herbs lingered in the air. Though Gia loved healing fairies, her place was often empty. However, at that time, she had two patients who had burns all over their bodies and seriously damaged wings. They were unconscious but already recovering. And the most surprising of all was that Ayhan knew those patients.

"Juliann and Calix are here?" Ayhan carefully put Asuren on an empty bed adjacent to his other friends. "How... did this happen?"

"Sel found and saved them from a monstrous creature that almost devoured them. We brought them here and I mended their wounds," Gia went to the kitchen and immediately brewed medicine for Asuren.

"I heard my name," Sel entered the house through the backdoor. She was holding a basket filled with freshly harvested herbs. Her eyes widened with shock upon seeing Thea and Riz. "You're back. What happened? Did you cross the deadly barrier like those unconscious patients?"

"Yes," Thea smiled and settled on an empty bed near Asuren. "We did it twice. We look terrible, but we will be fine. We just need some rest."

"You just came out of that flower," Sel let out a sigh of annoyance. "Do you want to sleep for another one hundred years?" 

"Sel, let's scold them later," Gia stepped out of the kitchen with a smoking bowl in her hands. "Our friends need medicine and plenty of rest. Can you give them the same medicine we brewed for Juliann and Calix? I need to focus on this patient." 

"Okay," Sel glared at Thea before brewing medicine for their burns and damaged wings. 

"This is truly a unique and potent poison." Gia was meticulously cleaning the stab wound. "Is Nightfall Realm really that dangerous?"

"It is," Ayhan admitted with anger in his eyes then glanced at Thea. "I saw how you looked at my friend when you saw him in that situation. Most fairies were either cautious or scared and would run away from him as far as they could. But your eyes were filled with concern. You even offered to help. When he had been stabbed, you did not hesitate to save him," he sighed then added, "Thank you for your help," he bowed low to Thea, Riz, and Gia.

"You saved us first," Thea glanced at Asuren. 

"He almost killed you back then but there was no fear in your eyes. Why?" Ayhan curiously asked. 

"Aside from I can stop his blades and give myself enough time to evade, I know he will not do it," Thea smiled. 

"His blade pricked your skin," Riz glared. 

"You sensed it too, Riz. He hesitated. He is not a bloodthirsty killer," Thea reasoned. 

"My friend can get possessed at times," Ayhan revealed with a sigh. "When his eyes turn purple, you should be cautious. He will kill anyone without hesitation." 

"Possessed?" Riz was surprised. "Is there a demon in Nightfall Realm?" 

"I heard rumors about the Evil Witch," Gia said. "That she is worse than any demon." 

"That's true," Ayhan let out another sigh. "She is worse than any demon and, aside from collecting all the seals to make herself more powerful, another one of her goals is to kill Asuren."

"The silhouette that stabbed Asuren had purple eyes. Was it sent by the Evil Witch?" Thea asked as she remembered how terrified Asuren was when he asked about the silhouette. 

"Yes," Ayhan gazed anxiously at his unconscious friend. "Now that we are here in Daybreak Realm, I hope that my friend can have a short break from all the wickedness of that Evil Witch." 

^##########^