Falling

Blackness claims her as she feels herself falling, with nothing to hold onto, her hair blowing in the wind and covering her face. Her hand grips her sword as she holds onto it for dear life. Her eyes would not open, and her mind spirals as the darkness engulfs her.

Slowly a memory played before her. It was the day of the captain exam and demons marched against the school. Her parents had just left, and she became anxious for her parents. She and Nico went into the forest to investigate and was surrounded by legions of demons. They decapitated a few demons' heads as they emerged from the secret passage.

They heard a woman scream.

"Ahhh!"

A woman and two children suddenly appeared before them scared. She paused to look behind to see if the demons were still chasing them. Two demons flanked the woman's side and attempted to stab her in the chest. Her mouth moved inaudibly, and the demon's hand bent backwards. Sharla swiftly blocked the other demon's attempt to finish where his demon counterpart left off. They were no match for her swift blade. She showed them no mercy and removed their heads from their bodies in one fluid movement.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Sharla slowly walks up to them and asks, "Are you okay?" She still held her sword as black blood dripped from its tips. They stared at the sword in her hand. Sharla tried not to look intimidating as she saw the fear radiating off the children's faces.

They hid behind the woman who seemed to be their mother.

"We are okay for now. We were trying to escape the demons," she croaked.

"That is okay, you will be safe here. There are priests that can help look after you and your children. Quick take the next left turn and follow the path to safety head to the north gate. Someone will be there to take you in," Sharla offered.

"Thank you so much, may God bless you, my child," the woman said before disappearing in thin air with the children.

"What just happened?" Nico said looking at the spot the woman and children were a moment ago.

"I have a strange feeling that we just told the enemy how to enter our home. We have to warn them," Nico said.

"We can split up just for a little or we can both go back," Sharla said.

"But we will lose ground and any hope of finding your parents in time," Nico replied.

"I will try and send a message to Liah. Do you have a pen and paper?" She asked.

He quickly checked his bag and found a piece of paper and a pen.

Sharla took it from him and wrote, "Potential enemy may enter via the secrete entrance on North gate, be on the lookout for a woman and two children. Maybe a shapeshifter. Keep safe.

She then closed her eyes and imagined a window open linking her to Liah. She saw her and handed her the note. A few moments later Sharla opened her eyes and a number of strange feelings started to overwhelm her.

"Sharla! Sharla! Are you okay?" Nico asked as he caught her before she fell to the ground.

As she lay on the ground, her limbs started to grow and extend, her hands became claws and the hand that held her sword merged into one. Nico gasped as he saw the girl, he had eyes for transforming into a demon wolf beast with six horns on her head. He backed away not knowing if she was in control of this new form and may not know him and try to kill him.

A few moments later, her red eyes flashed open, and a loud roar erupted from her chest. She sat up suddenly and crouched. Her head snapped as she sniffed the air and saw the demon approaching them. She saw Nico and the sight of her new form mirrored in his eyes. She jumped over Nico's head as his eyes widened and used his hand to shield himself. He braced for impact but felt nothing. He heard the feral growl and turned to see her attacking the demon that now approached his blind side. She went through the hordes of demons at lightning speed, swatting them like no tomorrow. Both her blade and claws were drenched in demons' blood. Carcasses remained in the fields with not a trace of a live demon in sight. She looked all around and noticed her enemies were all dead. She then tensed as she sensed someone was behind her. She paused briefly to sniff the air and realized it was Nico. She slowly turned not to frighten him. He looked at her quizzically watching her red eyes slowly close as her body swayed. Suddenly darkness claimed her, and she fell to the ground changing back into her human form.

Present Day!

***

"Oh no, she is falling," Keliana said and raced towards her.

Dante quickly broke the bond of DaDrak and separated from Drako to protect his destiny. From the moment he sensed her on the battlefield he knew she was special and felt a deep connection to her.

Keliana raced towards her and caught her at the same time Dante and Drako reached her.

She found a grassy area and gently laid her on the ground. Her eyes were still closed, and her hand still gripped her sword.

"Can you do something for her? She can't die. She can't die," Dante mumbled as he knelt beside Keliana and Sharla.

Erinic, Michelle, Caden, Jayden and Khalisa watched as Keliana tried to revive the girl that suddenly fell from the sky.

Keliana leaned and bent to listen to her chest which heaved up and down slowly.

"Help her please!" Dante pleaded.

"Sister, can you help her? I have never seen Dante care about anyone other than us," Drako asked.

Keliana bent over her and listened to her heart.

"Good, her heart is still beating, but barely, she needs a doctor. Does anyone know who she is?" Keliana asked.

A soft breeze blew past her as the general now stood beside them.

"She is Captain Sharla, I can take her home and she will be taken care of," he said.

"And who are you?" Keliana asked.

"I am General Clint, and these demon spawns are the reason why we are in this predicament. If they hadn't attacked us and killed most of our captains, Sharla wouldn't have transformed into that beast," he explained.

"I want to ensure she is taken care of, so she should stay with us," Dante said looking down at her.

"Are you crazy demon? She is still a Captain of our elite squad, and I will not hand her over to the likes of you!" General Clint shouted.

He quickly made a sign with his hand and a portal appeared before them.

He bent to pick up Captain Sharla gently, one of the remaining survivors of this massacre. Dante stood before him blocking his path.

"I can't let you take her. How do I know she will be looked after?" Dante asked.

"Demon, move from my sight, the longer you keep us, the shallower her breathing becomes. I am sure you can hear that with your super hearing," General Clint spat.

"I will not leave her side, so if I can't go where you go, then she can go with Keli, and she will be in good hands," Dante expressed.

"I am not going to stand here and argue with you," the general replied.

The General was pushed by Dante and stepped through the portal with Sharla in his hand. Dante, along with the new group entered behind him.

Once they stepped through the portal. It was like being in a school Hogwarts. Students were rushing everywhere, they had to move out of a group of footballers as they marched towards the open field a distance away from them.

He made his way to the infirmary. It was a state-of-the-art hospital donated by past students and kind donations of wealthy influential individuals, which was on the East side of the school. There were also tell-tale signs of a recent fire on the north wing. As they entered the main hospital hall, a nurse approached the group.

"Nurse, Captain Sharla needs immediate assistance," he said.

The nurse snapped her fingers, and an orderly brought a wheelchair to place her in. They pushed her towards a vacant room and gently placed her on the bed.

"I will get a doctor for you," she replied.

She left them for a brief moment in search of a doctor.

A few minutes later the nurse along with another nurse returned with a female doctor dressed in a white overall coat.

"What happened General? Is she injured", the first nurse asked.

"Not that I can see. She was in battle and blocked out," he replied.

He deliberately left out the part where she transformed into a demon and could very well become their enemy.

The nurse then advised, "While the doctor checks her, will you come with me, General Clint to sign the paperwork and the rest of you please wait in the waiting area. The general and the nurse walked out of the room as the others trailed behind except Dante.

"I will wait with her if you don't mind," Dante said.

"I am afraid not. You can wait outside with the rest of them," the doctor told him.

"I will not leave," Dante said sternly and suddenly his dark aura made the room dark and heavy. The doctor became scared for a second, then pointed to the vacant chair in the room for him to sit in while she examined her.

She shook the heaviness off and proceeded to examine her patient. Dante sat across from her watching her every move. He couldn't understand why he felt so compelled to be near this girl. A girl he never knew existed. When his eyes first met Keliana, he felt a similar feeling but this one felt so much stronger. He needed to know why he was pulled towards her.

***

"What do you think is going on in there?" Cayden asked eying the door.

"Guys not to be the nah sayer here, but we need to remember what we came for," Jaden said. "This is really nothing to concern ourselves with, Drako is alive. That is the only reason we came to save our brother. Look he is alive," Jaden said pointing to Drako who stared at him.

"You guys came to save me?" he questioned.

Drako had never had anyone worry about his safety apart from Dante. His heart felt a little prickly. He wasn't sure what to make of this feeling he was starting to experience.

"Of course, we came for you. We lost you once, we didn't want to lose you again Michelle said hugging her son.