Chapter 9

A few days went by and slowly steady progress was being made, to ensure that Esmeralda had the fighting chance to one day wake up from this mysterious slumber, and maybe one day see the world she missed to watch evolve so much.

Despite being stuck in bed at Jade's house, under constant watch she was stuck in her own world waiting for the opportunity to finally wake up. Jade had managed to cut Esmeralda's hair till it was up to her waist, and properly trimmed having no loose ends or uneven parts.

"Remind me again why we're stuck like this?" Esmeralda asked talking to Cleo in her subconscious mind, unaware of where she was or who could've possibly saved her life after being freed from the now broken pendant, she used to wear almost everyday of her life. Cleo sighed not really sure either, but it was for the best if they don't adapt to things sooner or daily life will become a problem for them.

"I'm unsure. Your magic is highly unstable and could cause you to be in some serious pain if not controlled. Your emotions and weakness could cause it to rage out of control and kill you" Cleo answered back feeling how dangerously critical the magic that resigns deeply within Esmeralda's heart and soul.

"So if we don't find a way to stop it from growing.. I'll die? That's kinda stupid, you already know that Albus had put a curse on me to never be killed by anything magic related or anything that tries to kill me let alone my own heart. I thought you know about this already?" Esmeralda confusingly reminded her Fox friend if the events that followed, before they were sealed that day within the pendant. Cleo was unsure if the curse remained active after all these years as the wizard is nowhere to be seen.

"I doubt it is still active, but when you do wake up please be careful on who your trust, as we are now in a world that is far greater from what Phoenix used to be, as no one is aware that you wizards exist anymore, but only in fairytales" Cleo warned her even though everything has changed, Esmeralda refused to let anything trick her anymore even if means, seeing Theo again as they have some unfinished business that needs to be settled.

"I am aware.." Esmeralda lastly said before finally feeling herself begin to wake up eyes becoming less heavier, allowing her to see the ceiling first before anything else that remained still in the spare room she remained embedded to for several days, unresponsive and yet alive thanks to Jade's help on keeping her alive. "I still feel weak.." mumbling to herself as she tried to sit up, but failed as her arms gave up causing her to head to flop back into the pillow, making her stare at the white empty ceiling for a few seconds, before staring at the door that could only be her way out as she carefully reached her arm out in an attempt to use her magic, but only little sparks could be seen as it soon faded failing to activate, leaving her laid there before sudden wave of agonising pain came through forcing her to yell out in pain, clenching her chest where could only be the place where her magic resigns.

"I did warn you about this, but I guess you never learn do you, classic Esmeralda" Cleo talked through her subconscious as a set footsteps could be heard, rushing upstairs instantly coming into the room revealing it to be Jade, seeing Esmeralda in pain making her rush over in an attempt to ease the pain and placed both of her hands above Esmeralda's chest, before closing her eyes deeply concentrating as a yellow golden like magic aura appeared, glowing around her hands making its way into Esmeralda's chest in an attempt to heal her, but the problem was far greater from what she could do to help the poor girl, seeing and feeling how dangerously critical her magic core seemed to be leaving her with only one explanation. Someone must've forced the magic out using too much causing it to crack, and become so unstable while trying to heal itself unaware of the pain it is inflicting on the host.

"*sighs* this isn't good.. I need a guardian to sort this out, but they're all extinct now because of the war and I need their help more than ever!" Thinking to herself Jade was growing ever so impatient using whatever she could to keep Esmeralda's core, as stable as possible knowing that she must tell the others of the situation, while keeping her magic out of the question as none of her friends are aware of the magic she has been born with, and with her mother gone most of her life there is really no one who can really help her understand what this could mean, as there is no book based on this type magic, so could this possibly be something new?

The pain soon passed finally giving Esmeralda peace while laying there breathing heavily, and sweating profusely before looking at Jade who remained seated beside the bed on a chair, keeping a close on the one she is responsible of taking care of for the time being. It was clear that Esmeralda was awake, but Jade didn't want to question her as it could trigger something in her core, that would possibly make the pain far worse than it originally was, leaving them to just stay there in silence not making a word other than awkward eye contact.

"Please.. Stop staring at me" Esmeralda struggled to speak not liking how Jade was staring at her, making it aware that she was becoming uncomfortable.

"Sorry. I didn't want to say anything in case it causes your core to give you anymore pain. Just don't try to use your magic, especially in this state or you'll die" Jade quickly apologised taking a step back as Esmeralda's gaze met hers.

"Who are you?" She asked finally able to control and catch her breath putting Jade on the spot, the sense of an uncomfortable feeling came up between them knowing that this girl doesn't trust without knowing she can be trusted.

"I am Jade, and an ally who's trying to help you recover from bad malnourishment with my specially made soups. They make your body recover double time" Jade replied not only introducing herself, but also explaining why she was here helping her recover. Esmeralda slowly exhaled after Cleo gave the confirmation that this one isn't evil, and her intentions were nothing, but for the greater good. "So don't use your magic for any reasons, until I find a way to stabilise or stop whatever is pressing this much pressure onto your already unstable core" she added giving her support on getting rid of this burden that is weighing down on her core, and finally allow the magic to restore itself within, without the need to give its host any additional pain.

"I know what it is.. It's a curse that's preventing me from using my magic, but having it withdrawn from me for so long has done some huge damage to my core" Esmeralda said giving Jade what she believes could be the reason behind it, but wasn't instantly believed at first that a spell could be capable of deal such dangerous damage.

"All you can do for now is rest, eat and whatever you do. Don't use your magic, it can increase the pain you're receiving exponentially making it even more agonising to deal with" giving Esmeralda strict instructions to follow if she wants any chances of using any kind of magic at all, before leaving her alone to rest and regain upper and lower body strength.

Jade was downstairs whisking up another special made soup for Esmeralda to have and continue to safely speed up the process, when Douxie walked in still not seeing his friend walking around meaning that the healing is going to take far longer than expected.

"Before you ask she is resting upstairs, but her core is dangerously unstable and can't use any source of magic or it'll kill her" Jade warned him which wasn't the good news he was wanting to hear, but a core? A thing like that actually living with a human was odd and yet it made sense to why she would be held captive within a crystal, as who knows how powerful she could've been back then.

"Can I at least go see her? I can hardly remember the time we had an actual conversation" asking for Jade's permission to go up and see her for at least a few minutes. She took a quick glance at him seeing that he was alone and actually wanted to see someone he had seen in over nine hundred years, just to find out that she was sealed away within a crystal without a real explanation of why from Albus or Theo themselves.

"Sure, only on one condition. That's to not let her use any magic at all or you'll be helping me if she gets any worse" Jade replied in a serious tone and turned her back towards him, when hearing his footsteps head upstairs knowing exactly where he was going. She sighed with relief and placed the soup in the microwave to keep warm for when he decides to leave, but for now Jade was given peace and a few minutes to herself.

Esmeralda remained laid on her back staring at the ceiling mind her own business, when hearing unidentifiable footsteps make their way towards the room she was staying in. The footsteps stopped as the door knob began to giggle before slowly turning, until a satisfying click could be heard as it slowly began to open turning her head to the right physically and mentally exhausted, when finally noticing who it was that came inside the room.

"Esme? You up?" he whispered peeking inside before making eye contact seeing her looking at him fully conscious and unsure if what she was seeing was real.

"Douxie? Is that you?" Esmeralda questioned as he closed the door behind him and rushed over to the side of the bed and carefully pulled her into a gentle embrace, glad to see that she was okay.

"Oh you have no idea how badly I wants to see you, but hearing that you disappeared had us all worried... I thought we lost you" he replied hardly being able to hold back any of his tears, as she too began to tear up wrapping hers around him expressing how much she had missed him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry.. But that place is scary and everyone hated me.." Esmeralda began to randomly tell him as he listened to the pain of her voice, pulling himself back placing both of his hands on her face while his forehead remained pressed against hers, trying his best to calm her down.

"I know, I know, but you aren't there anymore and you're back here with me, Zoe and the heroes of Arcadia. Where you truly belong, where we can keep you safe" Douxie replied refusing to let her out of his sight ever again finally to have each other reunited after so long of being apart. The tears of joy between them continued to flow down their cheeks, before embracing one another for a last time until finally giving one another space, as Douxie sat down on the side of the bed unsure of how to tell her some bad news. "Things have been tough since you left for Phoenix, but Merlin is dead along with Camelot, and Archie is stuck with his dad for all eternity within a distant troll market" he announced hating to be the bringer of bad news after they reunited, but it was better than letting her have no clue about his death.

"... Does that mean our home and friends are forever gone?" She asked as Douxie let out a sigh and turned to look at Esmeralda, seeing that confused sadden gaze stare at him.

"Sadly for now yes. And I know Arcadia right now isn't feeling home to you, but it just takes time to adjust even if it means teaching you a thing or two about how to properly fit in, since things here are far different from how it used to be" he replied willing to give her tips and advice about today's society, but it was probably for the best to give her a book and let her go on about her day.

"Just get me a book about it.. I'm not listening to another lecture, you're starting to sound just like him" Esmeralda sarcastically said referring to his master, and how he loved to lecture them especially when they misbehaved or distracted Douxie from his studies. He let out a chuckle knowing exactly what she was on about.

"Aw and here I was wanting to bring you to the library, suck a pity on those poor books having no one to read them" he replied looking away trying to tempt her knowing how she loved them, and all the stories and history she can read. Esmeralda instantly intrigued by his words, wanting to read what these new books had in store for her imagination.

"Library? Book? Like actual new books and stuff?" Esmeralda asked gently grabbing a hold onto his black jacket, as he grinned to himself knowing he had caught her full attention and turned to face her.

"Yep. All the books you could ever get your mind could ever dream of reading, but like always there's a secret section filled with historical and magical secrets. Plus it has all the fantasy novels your pretty little hands can get ahold of" Douxie answered knowing Esmeralda far more than she had expected especially with what type of books she liked to read. "However, that can only happen if you rest up, and listen to Jade. She knows how to get you back onto your feet, and once you're feeling better I'll take you there. I promise" he added making a easy deal as she gave him a nod knowing that there was nothing she wanted to do more than read, or gain knowledge about things she never thought could possibly exist. Douxie stood up having his back facing Esmeralda for a few moment, knowing it's going to take a lot to get her magic flowing again, but he wasn't having Theo and Albus get away for what they had done for lying to them about Esmeralda and her whereabouts let alone what truly happened in Phoenix.

"Huh? What's that?" Esmeralda questioned as a odd shadow like blob began to make itself visible on the wall near her, as Douxie turned around instantly noticing it unsure of what it was at first before it leaped at Esmeralda, forcing him to use a shield spell to cover her from the blob as it bounced off giving him a few seconds to pick her up, and hurry out the door and trapped it inside. "What was that thing?" Confused and scared Esmeralda held onto Douxie, who wasn't happy that she was becoming a target to whoever is making these things.

"Damn it. The shields must be down, or how else could they have gotten in" Douxie said not being able to do anything else while carrying Esmeralda, but Jade who heard the ruckus rushed upstairs seeing the both of them staring at the door he had just locked.

"What are you doing? She needs to rest" Jade confusingly asked already being in quite a grumpy mood, making him quickly glance at her, but hearing banging and sounds of claws scratching against the door made it clear that this was no ordinary blob.

"A shadowshifter.. This isn't good. We need to get out of here!" Douxie replied quickly making a run for it along with Jade when hearing the door being broken down by this thing, as they went out in the back yard and hid in the shed, locking it shut after sitting Esmeralda down on some old garden pillows and sheets.

"Why are we hiding in here? And what's a bloody Shadowshifter?" Jade questioned before being hushed silent by Douxie who wasn't planning on letting this thing take any of them, knowing he alone can't take down or destroy this thing.

"I'll explain later, but right now everyone needs to stay quiet" he whispered pealing through the only window the shed had and kept an eye out for this Shadowshifter. He pulled out his phone and began to text the others, warning them to stay away from Jade's house no matter the issue, but what was happening.

The closer it got the weaker Esmeralda which appeared to be odd as Jade was the only one keeping an eye on her, while Douxie remained on guard seeing it shifting about on the ground unaffected by the sunlight, that was supposed to have toasted it by now, but there it continued to hunt.

"When was the last time you checked up on Esmeralda?" He quietly asked turning to Jade who was tending to the one she was assigned to help recover, and keep alive for as long as she can. Esmeralda was laid on her back slightly sweating, and was uncomfortable from the tightness that was constantly squeezing her core every hour of the day.

"I atleast check up on her once every thirty minutes up to an hour. She wanted me to give her some space, so I gave her some" Jade replied placing a hand on Esmeralda forehead, feeling the temperature rise and sighed knowing that means she has more work to do. "Great.. She's feverish" she muttered and stood up knowing there wasn't any medical stuff around she could use to ease things down, as it was all inside.

"No one is leaving this shed, not until this  monstrous thing is gone" he instructed reminding her that their safety is more important at the moment, or they'll all become a victim if one of them chooses to leave unprepared.

"Why can't you just get Claire to get us out of here? Cause I need to seriously tend to Esmeralda before this fever gets worse" Jade stated not caring about this Shadowshifter as the girl's life was more valuable alive than dead, but for the Shadowwalker it was the opposite especially when the host is in a weakened state so it's easier to take control of them.

"It knows about Shadow Magic, and will follow it making it completely pointless. However, we can fight it, but with Esmeralda here in such a vulnerable state it will take control and consume her mind putting us at a disadvantage. As well as forever corrupting her body, never to be human again" Douxie replied trying to reason with Jade on why her suggestion wouldn't work, as he too would've done it already, but things weren't that simple.

"Then what should we do? You can't just expect us to sit here all day. What if she has another episode? I can't let the pain get any worse or what's even the point of asking me to help her" Jade quietly argued with him as Esmeralda turned her head seeing and hearing them quietly argue, a sight she wishes to never see and turned away after Douxie saw her watching them.

"We shouldn't be arguing like this, it isn't right. I'm only trying to keep her alive or she'll become one of those mindless Shadow Zombies. She doesn't deserve it after all she's been through, fighting and being sealed away within a crystal for a reason I can't understand.. Can't we just have a break?" Douxie randomly ranted as it back touches the wall exhausted from all the constant threats that had been targeting both the world and Arcadia, and now a close old friend who he thought went missing or had died just randomly comes out of some crystal thwy were searching for. What else could happen?

Jade felt guilty as things these past few months had been thought on him and the group, especially after losing almost all of his friends while stopping the titans.

"Look, I'm sorry, Doux. I'm just not having the best day, especially with that thing out there stopping me from helping your friend. Why don't we stop talking and just wait things out? It's possibly for the best anyway" Jade said both apologising and explaining that she too wasn't in the best mood either, but neither of their words were making Esmeralda feel any better, but more of a burden than anything else.

".." he remained silent having nothing else to say and slid his back down against the wall, until he was sat on the floor resting his arm against his knee he had raised up, having no intentions of arguing anymore or upsetting each other than they already have.

Eventually the Shadowshifter was distracted by a nearby bird, and followed it into the dark scary forest that sat behind Jade's house. Her own home became a target to that Shadowshifter if it was to come back, but stronger shields were needed and Jade was ready to find out the issue and fix it.

"Someone has been tinkering with the wiring, therefore making it weak enough for the this 'Shadowshifter' to faze through, but the question is who?" Jade said turning to Douxie who stood leaning against against the living room wall, while Esmeralda was laid down on the sofa with a fresh wet cloth on her forehead.

"Are suggesting one of us has messed with it? If so then it's impossible. We prevent trouble, not cause it" Douxie replied not wanting to even think for a moment, that one of his own friends could've accidentally messed with the machine without Jade's knowledge, and put innocent lives at risk.

"I'm not saying that. I just need to know if anyone is bringing people in that I don't know. And at a time like this, it's a big deal and could potentially put us all at risk" she answered as the two began to argue again, yelling at one another. This began to stress Esmeralda down to her core and she let out a painful loud groan, clenching hard onto her chest, causing them to dart their attention directly at her stopping the arguing instantly.

"Hngh!" It was becoming increasingly more uncomfortable as her other hand began to grab onto the sofa, expressing the agonising pain she's currently suffering to endure.

"See. I told you I hasn't lying, her core is coming evermore unstable the long she's like this. And if we don't do anything soon she will die!" Jade called out to him, as he was left stuck in place seeing her hand then slowly release as the other let go and flipped on the side of the sofa, but he too could tell that her time will come if they don't find a way to stop this curse from spreading in her core. Relief hit them when she became stable again, putting them on the edge when it came to possibly finding a way to save her from whoever casted this deadly spell.

"We have a lot of work to do, I'll notify the others. We'll be needing their help if we want any chances of finding a way to put a stop to this, before we actually end up losing her for good" Douxie said getting ready to start a search for clues to put an end to this spell or at least ease the pain and keep it stable for awhile until it can be properly broken. Can they find a way to help Esmeralda? Or will she go down a painful path to her own demise?