Chapter Thirty Five : 

This Can't Be The End / 

I dashed into the forest, surrounded with snarls and growls as a war commenced behind me. My body still felt ridiculously limp, and I wasn't able to run for very long. 

When I was sure that I was far enough from the danger, I sat in the soft grass underneath some large trees. My breath burned in the back of my throat. But since I was hidden from that horrid red moon, my skin didn't hurt anymore. I just felt weak, and tired. Tired of trying to make sense of all of this. 

Little glowing butterflies fluttered around me, some landing on my knees as they twitched their wings. One landed on my nose, its shining fuchsia wings covering my eyes. I saw that memories lived inside of its magical wings...

I flew through the forest, playing tag with Orpheus. His tall, dark shadow swept the ground, teasing me. I hid when I heard unfamiliar footsteps; the noise of an enemy. Its footsteps were fast and heavy, I hid behind a bush so it couldn't see my glowing wings. Orpheus ran farther into the foliage, and I knew he would be safe. My friend. Mirai didn't know about him not being Corrupt, I'd have to tell her later. My thinking ceased when the engel stepped into a clearing not too far from me. Because of the hatred in its eyes, I decided that it was after someone. 

But it didn't know that it wasn't alone...

Where's the child? Snarled the deer, blood dripping from its mouth. Human blood, I knew because I could smell it. The engel shook its head slightly. She's safe, it answered. 

Keep Orpheus away from her. He's going to mess everything up. The deer growled. And don't let me catch you being stupid like this again, or you won't live to see the revolution. It reached out with its clawed bear paws to hurt the engel, and I closed my eyes because I couldn't stand to watch. 

After, the deer ran deeper into the woods and the engel turned back to the city. Black blood stained the grass.

I felt sick. Beyond sick. The deer was behind everything wrong that happened, and that was going to happen... I had left Dolion and Orpheus in the town... They were just as endangered as I was. I sat there for a while, considering my limited options. 

I decided to go back, returning to face the evil in the city. 

Peering out from the trees, I saw countless Corrupt creatures strewn lifelessly on the ground. The awful crimson light still scorched it all, but the monster from the Abyss was no where in sight. The Abyss itself was no longer open... A small crack was all that remained in the concrete. And...

All the creatures I had ever met were in the city. I ran to Taika, who stood protectively beside her little sister. "Why's everyone here?" I asked anxiously. 

"To help - like you did with us." She answered in a comforting feminine voice. Her bright orange striped fur shone in the light.

I spoke to Desiderio, Agni, the others. "I gathered my army as soon as I knew," Agni told me as her green eyes shimmered. "But how did you know?" I asked her. "All of us just knew. We saw the sky; it changed in the realms... It was like some sort of doomsday." She said. 

Orpheus's dark shadow loomed a few yards away from me. I ran over to him. "Where's Dolion?" I questioned, my heart feeling like a bird trapped in a cage.

His blue eyes held more sorrow than usual. "No." I told him. "No, no, no." But he walked me over to a blood stained section of the pavement where Dolion lay. I knelt down beside it. 

I cried, the sobs shaking my body. Its white feathered wings lay limply beneath it, and its gown was torn and stained. I knew it could heal itself, but I feared this was beyond mending. Lashes covered its arms and chest, seeping black blood. "I didn't know... That it was going to make me kill you." It breathed. 

"But you didn't. And I wish you did." The words hardly escaped my throat. "No," It murmured sweetly. "Don't say that." It pulled me closer and I laid my head on its chest, which struggled with every breath. "You can't leave me." I whispered tearfully. "I don't think I have much of a choice," It replied. 

The tears blurred my vision and I could hardly see anything. I glanced up at Orpheus, rubbing my eyes. Glowing blue liquid streamed from his eyes, and I figured he was crying, too. I saw that the chains no longer held him, even the necklace and cuffs were gone. "Is there nothing you can do to help it?" I asked him quietly. He shook his head. "Not like this." 

"Wait..." I started, sitting up and remembering the one responsible for all of this. "Where's the deer?" 

Everyone searched the town, to no avail. In the meantime, I sat next to Dolion and watched the colors in the city fade. No gorgeous hues were left in sight, not even the awful red glare of the moon or amber blaze from the cracks in the ground. It all turned to grey, and colorless ashes fell from the sky.

I glanced over at Dolion. Its silver eyes matched the bare shades of the town, glimmering and near vacancy. 

A twig snapped in the woods. I looked up just in time to see the glaring eyes of the deer. 

It stepped back, into a swirling vortex. I knew that if it left my world, nothing would be able to be fixed, and the chaos would continue. I knew that I was responsible. 

I stood up, still feeling weak. "Don't let it fall asleep," I told Orpheus. He took my place beside Dolion, and I ran to catch the vortex before it closed.