Welcome to the supernatural world.

I kept on having dreams about the diamond and the demon at once. You could call them the nightmares I couldn't wake up from no matter how much I tried. 

Same beach; same demon over and over again. 

The next time I opened my eyes, I was looking at Nancy. Only this time, she looked different than before. The tree branches on her head were still there, but she looked younger and less scary.

"Hey," she hovered her head above me and smiled."How are you feeling?" she asked. She sounded like she was speaking in slow motion. 

Maybe I was still experiencing head damage. The surface they had put me on was so soft and warm. It was the most comfortable thing I have ever rested on. 

I could see, but I couldn't move yet. Because most of my body parts felt like someone had pushed in needles that had forced them to become unresponsive.

It could have been worse Ralph, you could've been dead, I thought. 

I couldn't answer Nancy's question and that was enough to tell her that I wasn't okay. She then lifted a spoon of some green stuff, then shoved it down my mouth. 

My taste buds weren't dead but I wish they were. The stuff tasted like chili and grass mixed to make something so terrible you wish you had no taste buds.

.

.

. 

The next time I opened my eyes. Ned was reading a book just beside me. I was no longer in my old clothes. They had put me in a light blue t-shirt and a pair of army green cargo shorts. 

I managed to croak out his name," Ned…"

He stopped reading my book and examined me with his eyes. 

"Wow, you're not dead," he said sounding not surprised at all.

I wanted to giggle but the pain in my chest was enough to warn me about what will happen if I do.

"And what made you think I was?" 

"Well. You fell off a skyscraper roof. Nobody survives that and wakes up after three days," 

"Three days!" I was shocked. Not because of the quick recovery, but because the plan was supposed to be executed in two days. Now everything was in ruins. I was probably now on the missing person list.  

And worst of all, I had lost Atreigon to the fairy boy. 

"Who were those people?" I asked while forcing myself to the edge of the bed. My entire body was weak, but at least I could now move. 

"Those are the people who attack once they see a big red bird flying in the sky like it's still a thing."

"Was it ever a thing?" I said inwardly, 

He scoffed, "What were you thinking Ralph? Coming here without telling any of us. Do you know how dangerous it is right now? The whole world is looking for you,"

"If it is how come the boy didn't--"

"He didn't recognize you because no one knows what you look like. The fey progenitor was reported dead and the people demand a successor. Do you think they would be happy to know that the next fey progenitor, is a changeling?" 

He whispered on the last part. So that no one could hear that. 

I knew what a changeling was from the storybooks I used to read to my sister every night before she went to bed. Changelings were offspring of elves or fairies but looked more human than their kind. He was right to call me that after all. 

I stared at the floor like a child who has just been scolded and I waiting for his mom to forgive him. 

Ned looked at me then sighed.

"Fine, why did you come here?" he sounded like he was going to regret this. 

"Celeste…" I said, " she took a human with her. Something about um…" 

I was forgetting. My memories of Celeste were disappearing along with everything that was connected to her mission. This must have been the dream catcher's main intention. It had its nasty fingerprints written all over it.

I twitched my eyes trying to recall.

Ned put his hand on my shoulder, "Dude are you okay?" he asked. 

"The blood diamond," I finally said. 

Ned shifted uncomfortably after hearing that. "You've been out for three days. You must be imagining things," he stuttered nervously. And from what I've learned from Ronnie is how to tell when someone is lying.

Ned was lying to me. His speech was breaking and he had a confused grin on his face. 

I said, "You know about it. Don't you?"

"Yes," he answered after seeing the seriousness in my eyes. He knew he couldn't lie to me at this point. "And it's bad news, Ralph. The entire supernatural world is being threatened by just it being here," he chuckled.

I asked, "Wait, it's here? What does it do?" 

I was still waiting for his reply when I heard the creaking hinges of a door. The sound of a door opening.

Ned stood up. "He's here," he muttered

"Who?"

"You'll see," he answered. "He's the one who has the answers," he said.

--then helped me by pulling me up and draping my arm over his shoulder and walked me out of the room and into a wooden floored corridor that ended on a staircase that led downstairs. 

I couldn't tell what this place was, but it looked like an orphanage because the corridor had more doors just like mine on the sides. Maybe they were rooms?

Ned helped me downstairs.

The first person I saw was Miss Eloise standing with both her arms crossed in a blue hooded cloak in what looked like a living room. Next to her was Nancy with her staff while smiling at me sympathetically. 

And behind the two was a shadow in a shape of a man.

No not a shadow. it was a beast.

My legs felt like running. But they were too weak to even move. 

The beast looked demonic. He had a pair of black horns on his head and bat wings that resembled Miss Eloise's in her monster-like form. He had a body that reminded me of the hulk from comic books before they were no longer a thing--bulging biceps and triceps and a bunch of other 'ceps, all stuffed on him under vein webbed skin. He wore no clothes and I could say he was naked-but no one was bothered. 

His neck was a mass of muscle leading up to his enormous head, which looked like it belong to a big wolf.

I blinked twice to check if I was seeing right. That was the scariest thing I had ever seen in my entire life. 

Ned then gently settled me down on the first sofa he saw and left me there to look at all of them.

"Is this him?" the beast asked Miss Eloise after seeing me.

Miss Eloise nodded. He then stepped forward to get a clear picture of me. 

It even looked bigger than before. The lamp next to us displayed its black skin and huge clawed hands to me.

He narrowed his black eyes, leaned forward, and then stared at me. It was examining my physic. I could tell. 

A dark cloud then grew around his body and once it disappeared. The beast had taken on the form of a short chubby middle-aged man in a Hawaiian shirt and a pair of grey shorts, and from down a pair of slippers. He looked very less terrifying now, and more of a bar attendant from a tropical area.

"He's powerful," he commented while putting his human fingers on my cheeks. 

"Hello, Ralph do you know who I am?" 

He sounded like I was supposed to know him. 

"No…" I mumbled.

The man heaved a great sigh, "Oh, I guess I should say it. I am William Hellron leader of the changelings. Welcome to the supernatural world."

The more he spoke the less intimidating he became. because he sounded like a hobo (no offense)

Miss Eloise snorted, "What are you doing here Ralph Tally?"

"He met the vampire progenitor and he knows about the diamond," Ned quickly silenced the old woman. 

And there It was. The cold terrified look she had the last time we talked before she switched like nothing was happening. It was now when I was able to put the pieces together. It was because of the diamond.

William pulled a chair and sat opposite me. "You need to tell me where you found that  diamond,"

"I don't remember…" I said, "the demon messed with my memories. All remember is that Cele-"

"Don't say her name," William warned. by just looking at his eyes I could tell that saying her name would only bring me problems, and I don't need any more of those right now. 

I chuckled then corrected myself, "The vampire progenitor…disappeared with a girl called Rebekah Andrews, a human!" I said.

William turned and gave one look at Miss Eloise and then back to me.

He sighed, "Do you know why the diamond is so important?" he asked,

"No," 

He said, "We believe that it was made by human mages called banshees during the early stages of the dark era. The diamond first worked when men wanted to get rid of the supernatural from their lands. It gave the user unimaginable power that was capable of vanquishing any supernatural or mystical being and that sparked the dark era. The diamond was even there before the Holy Relics."

The last words hit my mind like a hidden memory. 'The holy relics' Sandra knew something about them. I could feel it. Her abilities were constantly whispering to me. 

"Nancy," he called, 

She stepped forward. "Yes,"

"Please help us return our guest's phoenix. He might need it after all," he said with his eyes still fixed on me.