Chapter Thirty Two :

Undeniable Revelations /

I was still groggy when I woke up, to a cloudy light pouring in from the living room windows... Living room? I didn't remember much from last night, but I guess when we got back home I crashed in the living room. I stepped out onto the deck, studying the sky. The sun was concealed behind countless grey clouds, only letting out tiny rays of light. All the vibrant colors of the trees, grass, and plants had faded. 

I went back inside and upstairs to the bathroom. After brushing my teeth and taking a long, hot shower, I dressed in a sky blue tank top and mint green oversized sweatpants. I put on pale pink socks and tied the laces to my buttercream colored Converses. 

Downstairs, I ate breakfast in silence. I wasn't sure where Dolion was...

The front door opened. "Where were you?" I asked, and when I looked up I almost choked on my oatmeal. 

A horrifying creature with a lizard's face and human's body stood in the doorway. Hate dwelled in its glistening cherry colored eyes. Thick brown scales covered every inch of its skin, and it grasped an axe in its left hand. It swung the axe and split the kitchen table. 

I fled from the house with it not far behind, snarling and cursing. I couldn't run for much longer, and eventually my legs failed me, leaving me helpless as I sat on the ground. I had an intense pain in my ribs and the air leaving my lungs burned my throat. I couldn't watch as it raised the axe above me, and I braced for the impact. 

A few seconds later, nothing had happened. I opened my eyes and saw Dolion's foot on the creature's abdomen. My hands were shaking, and I was unable to speak. 

"Sorry... Are you hurt?"

I looked myself over, and it was only the creature's blood splattered on me. "I was just scared," I whispered. "Why weren't you here - before this happened?"

"I had some things to take care of." 

I would've inquired more, but I was still too shook. I stood up, my legs feeling like rubber. "I'm sorry... You know I wouldn't let anyone hurt you, right?" It murmured sweetly. 

"I know," I replied in a quiet voice.

At home, I laid in my room ( which was now clean, and it was no mystery who did it while I was sleeping last night ), upside down off the side of my bed. It felt weird, the blood rushing to my head. I got up to peer out from my window, disappointed that the sun still wasn't out. The clouds were now a darker grey than before; I wondered if it was going to rain or something. 

I turned around and the glowing butterflies greeted me on my wall. "FOLLOW US." 

"Ugh, not again." I complained. But I didn't have anything better to do, so why not go on a wild goose chase with butterflies? 

I followed them out to the woods, and they brought me to the faery village. "I shouldn't be here," I whispered. "Its not safe."

They replied by spelling out "IT'S IMPORTANT." 

They led me to Mirai's tent. "I've already been here," I retorted. "There's nothing left."

"THAT'S JUST WHAT IT WANTS YOU TO THINK." They fluttered around a bush near the tent that was singed but not entirely burnt. 

I carefully searched through its thorny branches and leaves, and acquired a couple sheets of crumpled, torn old paper. I recognized them at once; they were from the prophecy book. What I read from them made my heart slow.

"Besides the Corrupt beings, a specific beast disguised as a creature of light will come to deceive Lavender. Fate is determined upon her and her alone; the world will either be awakened or put to sleep forever depending on what she chooses to do. Outside help is a nuisance, and hardly a single soul is trustworthy..."

The papers trailed off to sentences of hopeless sounding descriptions and predictions. I didn't know who the deceiver was... And how was I to understand any of this without outside help? I had my doubts about Dolion and Orpheus both. The swarm of glittering butterflies suddenly dissipated, making me nervous. I looked up at the sky, and it wasn't raining... Not water droplets, anyway. Ashes fell from the sky like snowflakes, burning as they touched my skin. A crimson moon shone from behind the clouds which were now a fog, dark and heavy. 

And then I knew who stood behind me as some sort of sleep fell over me, causing my knees to buckle and I hit the ground. Laying there limply, I peered up into its silver eyes that shimmered in the same way they did when I had watched it kill whoever came after me. 

The ground was hard underneath me, and I couldn't struggle as it picked me up and carried me out of the forest. I stopped fighting the exhaustion that was overtaking me, and my eyes closed...