Chapter 45 Dead End Endeavor

"Dixon…" Cheryl whimpered, suddenly feeling her energy drain from her. Her body reverted back to normal as she slumped down on the ground. The timing couldn't have been worse. My throat felt dry all of a sudden, feeling unable to swallow. More cracks occurred around the sphere's surface. My body quickly moved in to pick her up, wings expanding behind me.

"There's no time," I said in an urgent tone. My voice cracked at the end. I jumped directly into a flight, speeding away from the sphere. It wasn't much of a surprise when the giant object chased after me, quickly catching up. Heavy winds blew my way, cold at the touch. The ground tore in half wherever the sphere followed. It was almost on top of me.

"Damon!" I yelled out in distress. He appeared in front of me as I threw Cheryl towards him. He caught her and quickly moved out of the way as I steered the giant object away from them. Thankfully it followed.

"Dixon, don't! Let go of me!" I could hear her struggle to escape. Damon held her back, to my relief. I couldn't think with all the tension coiling inside my head. There wasn't enough time to be sad about what was to happen. I knew I wasn't going to be able to escape like last time.

As I flew, my eyes caught sight of a little shadow boy standing a few feet away, almost as if waiting silently for me to notice. My body moved too fast for him to dodge. I flew right into him, feeling his body disperse into tiny particles around me. It melted into my skin, cold at the touch. A sudden surge of power seeped through me. I gasped for breath.

Gushes of memories flashed by, memories that did not belong to me; memories of my parents.

I saw shadows surround them next to the car loaded with suitcases. I saw myself split into two. Part of my powers separated from me in the form of a little boy that looked just like me at the time. It took hold of my parents, taking them far away into the realm of shadows.

They appeared inside the pit. They could hear voices from the outside world, familiar sounds of the woods, the rattling of tree leaves. My dad pounded his fists on the walls inside till he came across a pickaxe. Every day he went down there to mine, in hopes of getting out one day.

I watched my parents suffer… for years. My hands went up to grab my head.

The sound of cracks snapped me out of my thoughts as the sphere collided, toppling over me. I only breathed out for a split second before it happened.

.

Cheryl struggled to free herself as the explosion sounded in the distance. She stared ahead at it. Pieces of land threw up into the air. She suddenly went very still. Damon released her, carefully setting her onto the ground. She slumped down, eyes wide and unblinking. For a moment, she couldn't breathe.

There was laughing in the background. Cheryl didn't respond. She just sat there helplessly having zero energy to do anything. Damon noticed Iris's tiny figure rushing towards them. She snuck worried glances over to where the explosion occurred.

"I can't sense him…" she was saying as she neared them. Her forehead creased in a frown that remained there for a while. She stopped to see Sara floating happily towards Chreyl like a ghost. Damon quickly stepped in between them, scythe held tightly in one hand, aimed at Sara.

"You can't stop me now that he's gone…" she smiled.

Damon's grip tightened over the scythe as he glowered at her.

"One stroke of my powers, and you'll both be dead," she continued, raising her hands towards them. Dread flooded through Iris's brain. Her heart pounded as she watched Damon charge, raising his blade in the air. Cheryl stood frozen behind him, with an unwavering blank stare. A tiny dark sphere appeared in front of her face.

"This is goodbye," Sara snickered.

"No!" Iris suddenly cried out in a panic, white threads shooting up from her pounding head. They pierced into Sara's skull, causing the sphere to pop like a bubble, leaving Cheryl unharmed. Sara screamed out, holding her head in both hands.

The landscape peeled like a piece of paper in a book. Iris suddenly found herself next to a lake surrounded by trees and shrubs. There were picnic benches in the distance where families chatted away in enjoyment. Hot rays of the sun fell onto her face as she squinted. A little blonde girl in a hat passed by. It wasn't until she turned and called out a name that caught Iris's attention.

"Sara, come on. The water's fine. All the other kids are having fun without us." The girl had olive green eyes. She motioned to another girl in the distance.

"Kendra, I can't. The water's probably too cold again." Iris's eyes fell on the other girl. This one had dark mahogany eyes. The two seemed to be sisters; identical twins in fact. Sara held a small umbrella in one hand. Gripping it like her life depended on it, she strode downhill barefoot towards the lake after her sister.

Kendra pulled on the umbrella to get Sara closer to the water. She stopped at the very edge, suddenly having second thoughts.

"Come on, Sara. Don't be such a baby," one of the kids called out to her. They all seemed to know each other somehow. Someone pulled on her leg and she gasped, jumping back.

"Don't pull my leg. I'll tell on you when we get back to the orphanage," Sara complained.

Kendra smiled and grabbed her from behind all of a sudden, throwing both their tiny bodies into the water. Sara screamed which was quickly muffled by the large amounts of water that got into her mouth. All the kids laughed. So did Kendra. However Sara didn't seem to be enjoying much. She flapped her arms and legs around, splashing at the water desperately. Her face went pale as more water entered her lungs.

Everyone retaliated by splashing it back at her. It took a while before anyone realized she wasn't just playing around. She gasped for breath, feeling pain in her chest. Iris watched her drown in front of many eyes as no one came to help until Kendra screamed.

Suddenly, Iris was inside a hospital where they wheeled a barely breathing Sara on a stretcher into the emergency room. Kendra was not allowed to enter. She stayed behind with a lady who held her hand tightly. The rest of the kids stood behind her, glancing around with worried eyes.

"Her lungs have always been weak." The words echoed around the corridor. Iris seemed to be the only one who could hear it. "We're trying to pump out as much water as we can. But there is nothing we can say at this point. She's barely hanging on."

"I think it's time we let the sisters say goodbye," another voice echoed.

"But she'll be crushed."

"Kendra, sweetie. Sara's been waiting for you."

"Can I show her my new mirror?" Kendra replied innocently.

Iris stood inside a small room similar to the room she had at the hospital, except this one had more equipment scattered around. There were several beeps from monitors. Sara wore a mask attached to a pipe that went around into a large cylinder. Her breath fogged up every time she breathed, which wasn't a lot. Her eyes looked dull, as if barely alive.

"Sara. Sara, look. Look at this cool new mirror I found," Kendra said, showing Sara her own reflection in the mirror. "I can always see you when I look at it. That way we're always together."

There was a red glint in Sara's eyes as she stared into the mirror. A few seconds later, she exhaled her last breath. Suddenly, there was commotion in the room as the monitors beeped in alarm. Kendra was quickly escorted out as doctors rushed in as a final attempt to save the girl's life.

Iris caught a glance in the mirror as Kendra walked past. Sara smiled back from inside, with red glinting eyes. As Iris followed her out, she found herself walking into the office at an orphanage. Kendra stood next to the lady in the big chair, the small mirror still in her hand. There was a man with a little girl of his own sitting comfortably beside him.

"Kendra, this is Rosa," he pointed towards his daughter who awkwardly smiled at her. "She's going to be your sister. You will have a new home. I hope you two get along well. She's been very excited to meet you."

"But I already have a sister," Kendra opposed.

"You.. will get another one. She will play with you all the time. I'm sure you'll grow to love her," the lady explained in a gentle tone.

Iris backed out of the room, only to end up inside a large bedroom filled with stuffed animals lying around all over the carpeted floor. The two girls, Kendra and Rosa sat on the ground playing together with a tea set.

"When can I play with Sara again?" Rosa asked, pouring invisible tea into Kendra's cup.

"She played with you last time. It's my turn now," Kendra replied with an annoyed face.

Iris noticed the mirror placed far away on the side table. She walked over to it to peek inside. There was a little girl hugging her knees in the darkness, unable to get out, trapped inside a piece of glass. As Iris reached for the mirror, the girl's head suddenly snapped up as angry red eyes stared back.

"Get out of my head!" she shouted. Her voice suddenly changed to the older version.

Iris gasped as she jumped back, suddenly finding herself back at the floating island. The white thread broke with a snap and she fell backwards onto the ground. Sara stumbled back as well, feeling a bit dazed as she held her head. Damon stood ready with his blade in front of him. Something felt different about him. Iris felt a hand over her shoulder all of a sudden. She looked up at Cheryl who stared back with sad eyes.

"Are you okay?" she asked in a low, dull voice.

"I'm fine. Are you?" Iris responded.

"Yeah… I'll be okay," Cheryl said, looking over her shoulder towards Sara. "I saw… what you showed us just now. It's no wonder she turned out the way she did."

"Don't look at me with those eyes!" Sara screamed. "Don't you dare pity me!"

Cheryl's eyes caught sight of something moving on the ground.

"Or else what? What will you do? Kill me? What then?" Cheryl retorted, finding her voice again.

Something dark caught Iris's eye. It was subtle but she felt it as her gaze shifted towards Damon. She nudged Cheryl with her elbow. Cheryl nodded, having noticed it as well. The shadow expanded from under his feet, so subtle that one would have to stare hard just to notice the slight jitter.

"Is that going to bring Rosa back?" Cheryl kept going.

"Don't you dare talk about Rosa. You murderer," Sara reacted with disgust.

"Whose fault is it really that? She was doing just fine when I was with her at the school. She would still be alive, had you not taken her away," Cheryl's words were harsh but they kept her engaged.

The shadow spread towards Sara's feet without her noticing. She gritted her teeth, unable to respond to that last comment.

"What about Dan?" Cheryl pressed on.

"Dan?" Sara whispered, looking sad for a split second.

"Where is he? You took him too."

She placed a hand over her creasing forehead as she struggled to remember.

"Where is Dan?" she repeated in confusion. At that moment, her eyes were a dark mahogany color just like when she was little. There was only a faint glow emitting from them. For those few seconds, she looked like a regular teenage girl.

It was all the time they needed. The black quicksand had settled below her feet.

"Dixon…" Cheryl whispered. Almost abruptly, a darkness expanded, layering over the entire island. Sara gasped as she spun around, only to be glued to the floor.

"What…? You tricked me!" she shouted. Eyes wide with shock, she shrouded herself inside a sphere, in an attempt to escape. Except, this time, she couldn't. She rammed her fist at the sphere from inside. "Why won't you work?!"

"You can't teleport out of here," Iris spoke after a while. There were multiple threads sticking out of her shoes and into the ground. "This isn't your realm anymore."

Just as she said that, something dark swooped in from behind Sara, hovering in the air. She could feel the wind pressure over her shoulder. Sara half turned. Shock filled her as she stared right into the creature's dark, soulless eyes. His shadowy skin breathed out miasma in the form of black flames. His wings acted similar, with an unstable gas leaking from around the edges.

"Shadow king…" Sara whispered, feeling intimidated by the creature's intense stare.

The skies suddenly turned dark with gray clouds gathering above them. Gale shrunk himself into a smaller piece of cloud, floating away in the corner unnoticed, blending into the background. Darkness engulfed the land in a dome like manner, separating it from the rest of the islands that were no longer visible.

"You're in the shadow realm now…" the creature spoke. His voice sounded heavy and ominous. It was like two voices speaking out in unison. One of which belonged to an eighteen year old while the other overpowered it with its huskiness.

"You turned one of my islands into a realm of your own?" Sara spoke out in bewilderment. Her frightened eyes glanced around. She noticed tiny shadows oozing out of the darkened ground. Each of them held luminous blue eyes, all fixed on her. "Impossible…" she gasped. "I won't let you get away with this!"

Her eyes flashed a deep, blazing red, glinting in the darkness as she raised both her arms. All of a sudden, a giant ring appeared around them.

"I don't care if I die in the process… I just won't let you get away!" she screamed out, feeling her hands tremble as the powers exuded from her. The sphere darkened around them. Cheryl and Iris exchanged worried glances. They could already feel the drop in temperature. Cheryl's breath fogged up in the air around her. She shivered slightly, rubbing her arms. Damon quickly took off his cape, placing it over both the girls' shoulders protectively.

Gale shivered somewhere in the distance as he turned back into his human form. The sphere was large enough to reach him at the far end of the island. It was as big as the island itself. He could hear Sara's piercing laugh from afar. He looked down at the ground. Something white lay there waiting for him, sticking out of the cracks like a tiny worm.

"What will you do now?" Sara smirked at the king who barely even reacted to that. "Your precious friends will die, you know?"

There was a sudden twitch in his claw-like hands. Before she knew it, they had curled around her neck. She could feel the sharp claws poking into her skin.

"Dixon…" Cheryl called out in a low, scared murmur.

His dark gaze slowly shifted towards her tiny shivering figure, then back at Sara. He released her. Cracks began to form in the sky above. Sara coughed out loud, touching the sides of her neck with trembling fingers. Her breath fogged up in front of her. She stared at it, as if only just realizing what was about to happen. She glanced around at the sphere, eyebrows rising up with shock.

"No… I don't want to die…Not again…" she whispered to herself, suddenly acting out.

More cracks appeared around them, distorting the view of the landscape. The creature floated calmly in the air as if waiting for it to happen. Sara glanced up at him.

"Why aren't you doing anything? Why won't you stop it from happening?" she yelled out in desperation.

Iris took hold of Cheryl's hands. Her eyes searched around for someone. She could feel his presence in the distance along with another one whom she did not recognize. White threads wiggled over to them.

"Your friends! What about your friends!" Sara was still going on, unable to remember why she put herself inside a suicide sphere in the first place.

"What friends?" the creature replied simply. "There's no one here but us."

For a second Sara thought he was joking until she turned around. Her distressed eyes impatiently searched for them. Only the shadows stared back at her. Damon, too, had turned back to a silhouette, with blue eyes that glowed in the darkness. His cape lay flat on the ground beside him.

"Where did they go? How…?" Confusion shrouded her broken mind.

"So are you ready to die?" the creature taunted her, folding his claw-like arms across his chest.

"No, no no no!" She shook her head furiously. Cold winds attacked her and her whole body shuddered. "This is all a trick. You tricked me into doing this!" she cried out with her face in her hands.

"Then are you ready to tell me how to reverse all the damage you've done?"

Sara looked up at him with unbelieving eyes. Anger flared through her.

"I would rather die than-" she stopped to realize, then swallowed before speaking again in a lower voice. "It's irreversible," she simply told him.

"What do you mean irreversible?" the king pressed on.

"I don't know how to reverse it."

"What about those who are stuck in other realms because of you?"

"They won't die… as long as they have powers, they'll live. Rosa didn't have any powers and I fed her food from another realm… she didn't survive."

Cracks quickly spread across the entire sphere. The cold aggressively pinched her body where she stood. She closed her eyes shut as she braced for impact.

The creature watched her from above, unaffected by the cold. Finally, he raised his hand, the same time as the surface of the sphere burst. A black ball of darkness escaped his hand, quickly growing larger, engulfing them in the process. Shards exploded, tearing up the ground. Dirt flew into the air along with dust clouds. They all ricocheted against the ball of darkness, unable to penetrate through.

The true power of the shadow king revealed itself as the darkness spread across the land, absorbing the entire shock from the explosion. Sara opened her eyes to see that every shadow remained intact.

"How…?" she whispered.

"You'll live, but you'll never be able to escape this realm. You will wander alone for eternity," the creature spoke to her.

"No! You can't just take away my freedom!" Sara shouted out in rebellion, realizing she could move again. Damon's scythe was at her throat in an instant. She stared up at the empty spot in front of her. It was too late. The creature had already disappeared.