Reeks of fury

"Are you sure you'll leave everything like this?" Frost asked, glancing at the fireflies that were also frozen in time.

"Why? Will it change anything?" Silvermist hissed, flicking the sleeve of her gown. "Look, I already found out this is only the past, wow! I didn't expect I'd get fooled like this."

"Woah, you just realized? I thought I told you earlier," Frost shove a hand to cover his mouth in disbelief.

"You did, I think, but I wasn't listening as you can see."

"Yeah, obviously," Frost grinned. "So, that's final? We can leave now—in extension, him? Like that?" He pointed at Levi, still on the same spot, unmoved.

"Why? Will you unfreeze him if I ask you to?"

"Why? Do you still have anything to say to him if I do?"

Silvermist's eyes narrowed. "No, so you better not ask anything anymore. Now, how will we get into that magical realm of yours?"

Frost only stared at her, lips thinning into a pleasant smile. He always thought his apprentice would look a little intimidating, but this one looks better—he thought.

He held one hand out. "Whenever you're ready."

Silvemist looked at his hand. "But, do you think I can do this?" Her question came expected that Frost had to reach for her hand instead.

"I know you can," he beamed. "You'll never be alone. I'm with you on this. Besides, once you became my human staff, I'll be like your guardian, too, and you'll be mine."

"As if I have a choice."

Silvermist turned to look at Levi one last time. She's rather happy or sad, but it's time for her to pay the price.

Once they leave, Tim, the time guardian, will reverse Periwinkle's spell and all of her memories from everyone she'll leave will all disappear as though she's just a part of a night's bleary dream.

Everyone will continue and move on with their lives without her. It was only one of the consequences and it already hurts as bad as it sounds.

"Alright," she turned to Frost. "Let's go?"

"As we should."

It was only a matter of split seconds when everything turned bright, it's blinding that Silvermist almost lost a vision for a minute, but before she could panic, she already found herself standing in front of the palace she assumes to be the one she trespassed in.

It's much bigger on the outside. She couldn't even see the upper-most part of it as clouds had already devoured almost half of its entirety.

The air is warmer—everything is brighter. Apart from the enormous palace, all she could see are colorful and lovely flowers almost enough to calm her anxious soul.

The atmosphere is lighter either as though the gravity is ten percent less than of the human realm. It's calming—it's reassuring.

She immediately turned to Frost and was relieved to see him beside her.

"Relax," he whispered. "You'll just going to meet the moon king. Nothing to be worried about."

Silvermist sneered as her heart picked up an irregular rhythm. She wasn't ready for this yet and doesn't have any idea what to do once she faces the moon king. Yeah! No big deal.

She almost screamed when the gigantic crystal double door screeched open and there stood two fair young men who seem to look like twins.

They look younger than Silvermist and seem to almost look like younger versions of Frost: silver hair, ocean-like eyes, only that, theirs are lifeless.

"Welcome back, Master," they said in chorus. Even their voices sounded bland.

"Thank you, Yin—Yang," Frost beamed and led Silvermist in.

She couldn't help but admire the place yet again—I have not been in this part of the palace, she thought.

Everything is made of crystal, truly. From the floor to the furnitures, to the walls, to the ceiling—and the chandeliers are magically chromatic. Truly an abode of the gods.

Silvermist gasped when one of the twins accidentally stepped on her gown. Yes, she's still wearing the same one in her party.

She glanced at the one who still had his gray shoe on the edges of her gown and was surprised when he rolled his eyes.

She wasn't able to react when Frost dragged her away and towards a wide, bright hall to where a huge crystal throne is.

The silence throughout the empty vestibule seems all the louder in comparison to the sounds of their footsteps.

Indeed, no one is there, but Silvermist could feel multiple presence of what seem to be eternals, intimidating enough to make her knees wobble.

Her eyes swang to Frost and he turned to look at her with a salubrious grin like a Cheshire cat. Truly, he was happy to finally bring his apprentice home—but for what—no one seems to be sure just yet.

"It's wrong to turn away from the presence of the king," he whispered.

"King?!" She puffed, looked back at the throne, and back at him. "What king?!"

"Hmm," Frost looked quite surprised. "Perhaps, you lost the vision of an apprentice?" He mumbled.

"QUITE!"

A loud, deep voice came out of nowhere as though it shakes the grounds of the crystal floor.

"Tarnished no longer see colors," it continued. "'Twas a punishement of a mistakened soul."

Frost's bright image turned down in gloom as he traced the voice of the man who sat clearly on the crystal throne.

"But you didn't mention anything about this, father," he muttered so much to his disbelief.

Silvermist still couldn't see the person behind the monstrous voice—no—she can see disappearing figures; eleven people are standing in front of them and a figure of a man who sits on the throne.

This is it, she thought.

"Give it more time, child. The mistaken soul will figure it out on her own."

Another voice—this time, a woman's—emerged from behind the throne. Silvermist gasped; she can see her and she's the most beautiful being she has ever seen in her entire life.

She walks down the stairs with her long, breath-taking azure gown and her celtic blue hair, which hung down her waist, bounces as though they were as light as a feather.

Her pale skin sparkles with her ash-crystalic almond eyes—cheeks red as the blossoming roses. She, no doubt, is the queen. Truly is a majestic being.

Silvermist could only look at her, lips parting in mesmerization. As soon as she stopped in front of her, she spoke.

"Hush, my child. You are in good care," she placed a hand on her shoulder. "Now to test your taste of your soul—"

Silvermist's eyes batted when Frost took couple of steps away from her. She glanced at him and back at her.

"I'm s-sorry," he stuttered. "B-But taste what n-now?"

The fair lady smiled and waved a hand in front of her. Each hand compass, glitters seem to follow.

"Taste the color of your soul."

Before she could even say another word, everything around her warped and the smell of flowers started lingering into her nostrils.

Somehow it's familiar. She turned back and faced the meadows she once have been with Periwinkle.

The place where the apprentices belongs. She stretched her arms and carefully touched the flowers surrounding her.

It made her happy not until the plants started wilting and all of them dried down as if they were burned. Suddenly, the ground turned black, cracked dry, and molten rocks started oozing from underneath.

It's scalding that Silvemist groaned when it touched her skin.

"Holy shit!" She cursed when the searing heat began to burn the hem of her gown.

Panicking, she hopped on it to kill the staring fire, but it only turned into a blazing inferno. A place once a paradise turned into Hades's realm.

It's supposed to burn; it's supposed to hurt—but no—the fire seems to unite with her instead.

"What the hell is going on?" She started to heave deep, long breaths as she watch the fire devouring the totality of her arms.

Her low mumbles had become a constant background noise as she drifted in and out of her consciousness.

She clutched to her chest, an image came into her line of sight. It's unexplainable, she could barely understand it until colors have been painted which left her shuddering on the burning ground.

'Twas the first time she'd seen such a demonic creature; nevertheless, she knows for a fact it was something her soul recognizes.

Those eyes, despite beyond recognizable, is hers.

Everything around her was a mirror and the horrible creature which stood grinning is her.

"Taste of my soul," her lips moved. "What does this mean?"

She moved, so as the beast in such a synchronized way just as a mirror.

"Who are you?" Silvemist finally asked.

It didn't move. It only eyed the fire that had spread around the place more than enough that it did a huge damage when it landed the forest miles away, tracing a pattern of symbols which shows to be in Latin.

Finally, its deep black eyes landed on hers.

"This realm's greatest mistake," it said.