Chapter 23: Get What You Give

While all of this happening, Zain ran too fast, watching Joey falling to the back with a blank face as if he couldn't feel anything but himself falling off the cliff in disbelief at what happened.

Zain tried his best to get to him on time, but it was in vain, when he got to the edge he layed on his stomach and stretched one of his hands while the other holding into that rock to forbid them both to fall. But, unfortunately by the time Zain got there, Joey was already vanished from his field of vision, as Zain couldn't see anything but the endless blackness with that mist and strong winds down the slope which moved tufts of Zayn's hair on his forehead. Zain's worst ideas was that this wind was strong because of Joey's fall,

Zain was on his stomach for minutes, He was shocked and his face gone blank and bloodless, He did not believe what just happened, after a moment of silence, he shouted Joey's Name loudly " Joey! "

Zain looked down again, searching with his eyes but there was no trace of him, not even a body and he did not see clearly as there is a lot of mist all over down there.

" Ohh...my head..what the hell happened?" Zain heard someone behind him says which made him wake up from his dark thoughts and his mind that had stopped functioning properly for a while.

He turned around and saw Ryou setting on his knees rubbing his head in pain and confusion.

" Hey, Zain setting there is dangerous ...what happened....what are we doing here? "

Zain was still blank, after he heard Ryou's voice he blinked and looked at his hand it was trembling.

" You can not save anyone! You are nothing! You are a black point in the San family!" A voice of a woman on a memory of his, came across Zain's mind.

He clenched his fists in a tight grip and closed his eyes as a tear escaped his eyelids.

" Zain...are...you okay buddy?" Ryou said to him again after he stood up.

Zain opened his eyes in anger, put his hand on his knee to support himself as he stands up, and walked in anger toward Ryou.

Ryou was startled and did not understand a thing, suddenly a punch came down harshly on his jaw.

Ryou fell to the ground " What the hell is wrong with you!!" Ryou yelled at Zain in anger and confusion.

Zain stood before him " If you were not a Coward and your soul was strong enough non of this would happen!!! You ...You just killed your so-called childhood friend and you do not feel a thing? You ....You weak coward how could Joey be friends with someone like you!"

Zain's breathing started to slow down as he became too tired, his mind stopped functioning again or was it functioning from the beginning? he doesn't know. He slowly walked back passed Ryou, as he walked slow with no emotions. or soul. While Ryou stayed on the ground with a blank face without plinking.

On the other hand Alicia was still waiting as she suddenly felt something moving behind her, she turned around with force quickly with her gun , when she turned around she found it was Aran, he stood facing her with his gun pointed at her too, they both pointed their guns at each other.

- " Oh, it's You...What are you doing put the gun down!" Alicia said in irritation not putting hers down.

" When did was the first time I confessed my feelings to you ?" Aran asked her, as his eyes are as steady as ever, With a speck of doubt floating in his eyes.

- "What...What are talking about now?" She said hesitantly as her eyes tried to escape from Aran's piercing glares.

" Answer..." He said again calmly.

- " It was...It was...this day that we ..." She stammered before looking at him quickly and pulled back the slide of the pistol and at the same time and maybe before she load it, Aran did so too even faster, Aran had his pistol loaded now and pointed to the center of her head, only need to pull the trigger.

-The demon smirked " Wrong answer ha?"

" No it's just that I didn't actually confess yet..."

-" You are going to kill your friend? The demon's smirked.

" No , you are going to get out alone!" Aran said smirking too.

-" What do you mean human?"

" You can not hurt humans..or do you want your king to slay your people alive?" Aran said.

The smile faded from the demon's face.

" You want us to do something for you...you clearly can not kill us but what would some demon like you want us humans who are powerless compared to you to do?"Aran continued.

-" You are quite smart boy.." the demon said and it suddenly stopped and looked the other way as if someone was whispering to it, The demon smiled and put the gun down

" Seems like I don't need this body anymore ...your friends are already falling apart as we talk now..you wanted to know what we need you to do...well...you will know...no you will actually meet it soon! " It said then smirked ,and suddenly Alicia closed her eyes and the gun fell from her hand as she started to fall to the ground.

Aran noticed and fastly ran towards her and caught her in his arms and they both sat on the snow .

Aran looked around wondering if the demon is really gone. and what does it actually mean by that.

Then he looked down to Alicia who is in his arms unconscious and her beautiful dark red hair covering her White face، Aran put the gun back into its case in his belt ,and looked at Alicia's pale face , and removed some of her hair strands from her face . After a moment he sighed and looked around and felt that its getting colder and colder, and the air seemed so thick.

" Zain and the rest, I hope you guys are doing okay " He said then he took Alicia in his arms and carried her and walked away in the heavy snow.

Zain did not know what to do he kept on walking with no exact direction, suddenly he felt something following him making a rustling sound among the trees, he looked around and suddenly he found a big black shadow standing behind one of the trees, Zain was terrified he never met a shadow before.

" You are a very special person...You ...are losing your friends ...he is coming..and he is angry..." The shadow whispered terrifyingly.

" What...What thing... another thing beside the Baran Demons? ...And who are you ?!" Zain asked as he started to step back slowly in fear and worrisome.

" The ice demons? No no...they are too weak.they are serving it!.... But look at you boy...you .. You are a black point in your family's history. ...."

The demon said and surprisingly got bigger And darker and started to take a step towards Zain as Zain is stepping back in fear " What are you saying!! What are you!! Stay Away!" Zain shouted waving his hands.

" Your black history is going to follow you and swallow you whole!" The demon said louder with the voice getting thicker and stronger and more terrifying.

Suddenly the Shadow disappeared .and Zain heard someone walking on the snow towards him he looked and found a woman in thick clothes walking slowly actually barley walking .

* "Its a Shadow, it feeds on fears, dark and negative energy or even thoughts, you know this better....they are a rank one they are so weak" .the woman said and when she got closer Zain found out it was Napi the water witch.

" You.... you are the one who caused all of this madness!!" Zain yelled at her angerly as he walks closer to her pointing to her with his index finger.

But When he got closer to her he saw the sweat all over her pale face that looks like a white sheet. Despite this cold weather .

He did not know what to say, she remained silent either .

"do you even know what happened! Joey. Trusted you! And you picked this ugly place ?"

The witch looked up to meet his eyes, it seems she collected all her energy to say a couple of words panting" Joey is....okay...I will take you to him, bring Ryou along...." She said hardly .

" What!!! He is okay!! But I...I saw him falling from the cliff! Where...where is he...take me to him!! And how do you now this ?!"Zain said as the colours begin to come back to his face.

" .. I will get Ryou! wait here...!" Zain said and ran back to where he left Ryou.

" I can't anyway..." Napi said as she set down on the snow under the tree with no energy, panting. but Zain was gone already. She closed her eyes remembering what happened couple of hours after they arrived.

***Flashback***

Napi was tired and barley have the energy to breath. she woke up but her eyelids were too heavy to left. She heard someone breathing and walking around her, but she didn't know who it was. Suddenly she felt a a very cold piece of cloth touching her forehead, while someone took the scattered strands of her hair on her pale face, He took those tufts gently and lightly, then covered her cold body with heavy blankets, Nabi felt the warmth for the first time, with her heat She was flabby and unable to open her eyes, but her body felt warm, comfortable and safe. This is the first time someone has done something for her. Naby couldn't see him, but she smelled a peculiar smell of this person and felt like she almost knew who he was. Someone with a good and warm smell, and indeed when she could open her eyes a little. She saw him, it was Joey, he sat next to her with another piece of cloth in his hand and next to him a bowl of cold water.

"I think your temperature will drop soon, At least you opened your eyes," he said in his warm, calm voice.

Napi looked at him narrowly and barley.

"and why....are you doing this...." The look on Joey's face was questioning and amazement. then he huffed and looked the other way "What do you mean, as if am going to let you die of a fever?" He said while immersing the piece of cloth in the water again to put it on her head and this time he kept his hand a little on it to focus it more on her forehead,

while his hand is on Napi's forehead, She felt almost everything she wished to feel in her long life, she closed here eyes in comfort, Nabi felt that she could just die like that feeling safe and finally taken care of as it never happened before to her.

***End Of Flashback***