Chapter Thirty Six : 

My Death... And, The Life After /

I had this feeling that I had made a mistake, as soon as I stepped into the whirling colors of the vortex. Because here, I was completely powerless. I had no one with me for defense. I didn't even know where exactly I was. I knew what I needed to do - stop the deer. But I didn't know how to do it. 

"Lavender," It snarled. 

I turned around, but it was nowhere to be seen. The vortex was no longer open; I couldn't see out to where I had entered from. I was trapped. 

"You made a really stupid choice, you know that? Because unlike your friend, I won't hesitate to end you." I heard pure hatred in its voice. 

 The swirling hues of the black hole faded to dark shades of red and black. Fear pumped through my veins, and then the paralysis set in. 

The deer scoffed. "Look at you. Weak. You won't even try to fight back? But that's how you've always been; relying on everyone else to protect you. You're nothing." 

Its words hurt worse than the knife it sent through my chest. I stumbled and fell, limp on the spinning ground that spun my stomach like a carousel. I put my hands to my chest, blood seeping out from between my fingers. I coughed a few times and then everything went pitch black...

"Lavender." A soft voice - an unfamiliar voice, and a blinding light...

"Who are you?" I asked, shielding my face with my hands.

"There's no answer to that question. Come on, we don't have much time left."

An arm pulled me up off the ground, ran me through a beautiful sunny forest and into a simple house painted white. 

In the house, things weren't so bright. I looked up at the being, who unmistakably resembled an angel. 

She had long blue hair; half pinned back in a bun, shining aquamarine eyes and beautiful dark skin. Countless hues resided in her large feathered wings. A blue halo revolved around her head. 

"You came here so soon... Too soon. There's only a small amount of time before you..." She trailed off, rambling on about things I didn't understand. 

"What do I need to do?" I questioned. 

"I'll send you back. Do you understand what I'm telling you? You're returning from death to life. The deer is your only obstacle. And, about your friend..."

"Dolion?"

"You have to hurry." I could sense an urgency in her calm voice. "And do what you have to." She handed me a blade made from some kind of unrecognizable metal.

She put her hands to my heart. Little orbs of light spun from her fingertips, altering my heartbeat. I closed my eyes for a second, and when I opened them I was back in the vortex with the deer.

It stood over me, saliva dripping from its fangs. Hunger and rage glistened in its eyes. I gripped the blade in my hand, cold metal against my burning skin. But... Was I wrong? Killing was considered a crime as far as I knew. But I remembered Agni, who slaughtered the beasts that sought to devour her kingdom, and Dolion, who killed anyone and anything that desired to hurt me. 

Its mouth came closer to my neck. I recalled its inhuman abhorrence toward me, and everyone else for that matter. I squeezed my eyes shut and planted the knife in its heart. 

The deer's blood dripped onto me, staining my clothes. It fell lifelessly beside me, its amber blood making a puddle on the ground. I wouldn't look at it any more; I felt like a monster. 

The vortex then began twirling faster, producing that horrid humming noise. It opened and spit me out, back into the forest at the edge of the town. I saw nameless hues and shapes radiating off of everything; it was all a kaleidoscope. 

I dashed back into the city, to where Orpheus and Dolion were. Doubt and worry lingered in my head as I glanced at Dolion's overly pale face and empty looking eyes. 

Orpheus shook, grey dust falling from him. It continued falling until he looked entirely different. His face that used to resemble a dragon was now human, the feathers on his body were replaced by an obsidian shimmering gown, and his blue eyes were alike to Dolion's in their shape and detail. His face was beautiful, with dark skin and long eyelashes. Black medium length hair lay over his shoulders. His black feathered wings were no longer mangled, but full and angelic. 

He pressed his hands to Dolion's chest, a sapphire hue radiating off of his fingertips. It reminded me of the being that had resurrected me when I died... I envisioned her, replaying the strange events in my mind. Who was she? A thousand questions surrounding what had happened while I was dead and in that vortex plagued my brain. I felt a sharp unexplained pain in my chest.

Dolion sat up, its face shining with health. I threw my arms around its neck and it returned the embrace, running its fingers through my hair. 

I then did the same to Orpheus. "Thank you," I told him. "For what?" He questioned softly. "For saving Dolion." 

"Well, you saved me." He replied. 

I looked around. The city looked... Normal? No more alien plants or hues, and the sky was a light blue shade streaked with orange and pink, like at sunrise. No strange moons or suns or planets hung in the sky. And best of all, there was no humming. Nothing remained to prove the existence of any of these past events - no rubble or splits in the concrete, and all the creatures had disappeared ( Besides Dolion and Orpheus ).

The door to someone's house opened. Then another. People stepped outside, getting into their vehicles or just sitting on their decks. Someone waved to me.

"We have to go see my parents," I told Dolion and Orpheus breathlessly.