Death Lake

'It hurts,' Frank thought as he sank deeper and deeper into the water. The burns were forming all over his body. It burned everywhere on his body where the water touched him and it was so painful that after a few seconds of excruciating pain, his senses became numb. He no longer felt any pain neither the burning cold sensation of the freezing water of the lake. He struggled all he could to swim up, but it was no use. His limbs had become numb because of pain and cold.

His vision was blurry now because of the burns on his eyes. He could see the subtle light of the stars in the sky fade as he drowned deeper. The lack of light around him made it seem like a large void dark water body and he thought that the depth would never end. The deeper he was going, the more hopeless he felt about ever reaching the surface again. It was like he was being swallowed by the darkness.

Still, his thoughts wondered about Lia as he let out the last remaining air in his lungs. The bubbles of air leaving him felt like life leaving his body and finally he stopped struggling.

'It's good it is me, Lia's safe,' he thought while smiling faintly with his burning lips. But it was such a shame. They finally confirmed their feelings for each other. If it just wasn't for that grey light…. He felt pathetic for thinking like that.

'Maybe its better,' Frank thought as he had no idea how he was going to face Lia after what he did earlier to that man.

He felt something wrap around his waist and limbs. A slimy and leafy thing, pulling him deeper into the lake.

'Ah, Cerates,' Frank knew what they were. Underwater carnivorous plants which feed on drowning prey and deep-water fishes at night. Since he was trapped by Cerates, he knew he wasn't far from the lake bed. Now there really wasn't any hope left that he could be saved.

Being dragged down, numb with pain and surrounded by utter darkness, he could feel how silent it was now. Maybe his ears burned away so he couldn't hear anymore, but with how quiet it was, it was somehow comforting.

'Is this death?' he thought as he finally closed his eyes and lost all sense of consciousness. But before closing his eyes, he thought he saw a gleaming light. Maybe the heavens were approaching him.

Lloyd sat beside the bed on which Hannah laid on a little chair. Outside the window, he could see stars beginning to shine in the night sky. He looked at her and sighed.

"Make you want to remember, huh?" he said bitterly. "Maybe falling in love with me could make you wander who I was to you?"

He looked down on his feet and he mumbled, "Julia's late."

He looked up and saw Hannah looking down at him. She was sitting up and scowling down at him.

"I'm sorry," he said, raising from his chair and instinctively backing away.

Hannah approached him, staggering as the drug effect was still partially there, her violet eyes gleaming as she was slowly being lifted in air. Using magic, she pulled Lloyd up in the air right in front of her and staring down at his face, she said in a low threatening voice, "I have had enough of this. I know what you're trying to do here. Oblivion or whatever, even if I do remember, I swear I won't give in to you. I don't know what you're trying to get by making me remember you, but it won't be happening either way. So, stop playing, Lloyd Shuzar. You know me, so you should know what I can do to you in a finger's snap."

Lloyd smiled and placed his hand on her cheek and giggled. He looked at her with eyes that seemed like they wanted to devour the whole of her. He said, "You can't do shit to me. Even now, you just used magic on my clothes to pull me up here."

Panicked, Hannah released the magic and they both fell down on the floor.

"You… what…," she mumbled struggling to stand up with the drug overtaking her balance.

"I know a witch's magic doesn't work on the people who have the same eye color as them," Lloyd said as he FORCEFULLY helped her to the bed. "Ever wondered how our eyes were CONINCIDENTLY of the same color?"

He chuckled as he tucked her into the bed and laid beside her, pulling the covers over them perfectly against her will.

"You used magic to make your eyes similar to mine, your original eyes were dazzling blue like sapphires. I used to find your eyes so pretty but you said you wanted me to be always safe from your magic," Lloyd said embracing her and patting her head as if lulling her to sleep. She was now too overtaken by the tranquilizer to speak but the annoyance could be seen clearly on her face.

"You can always change your eyes color back but it would also turn your hair back to its original silvery white," Lloyd snickered patting her head and tucking her into his chest and squishing her face. "You can change back freely if you want the entire estate to be weirded out by your sudden feature change as it's a permanent process, isn't it?"

Hannah could only grit her teeth in anger because even if she could speak at the moment, there was no denying it that every word Lloyd said was true. She hated him to the point of biting him to death if magic didn't work on him, but in the capital, she was alone. Lucas wasn't there anymore to cover up after her mess.

Remembering Lucas, made her strangely melancholy. If there was anything she remembered after Oblivion other than her father, it was Lucas Murray. She was too proud to say that she was missing him, but his absence after ten years of being together, was oddly unsettling. Him being not there for her, made her feel insecure.

She snuggled her head into Lloyd's coat, where it was already half in. To Lloyd's surprise, she became very quiet. The more she pushed her head in, the more he let her in. He knew exactly what she was doing. She could pretend to be tough all she wanted, but there were times when she also gave into an embrace. She was looking for warmth from him.

He quiet down and in the silence, he could hear her breathing calmly in his embrace. Embarrassment wasn't a word present in Jenny's dictionary. That feeling was a luxury for her. Maybe that was what made her bolder than other people in clearly having whatever she wanted. Like now, she wanted a warm and safe place, and she indifferently took it from Lloyd.

The mutual silence confirmed to each of them that it was all to be forgotten later. They tightly embraced each other and fell asleep arms in arms as if saving all the tenderness they felt at the moment. For just that moment.

Raymond was walking up and down the main entrance hallway anxiously. He was very worried because Julia and Frank hadn't returned yet and it was far past the allotted time. And he was feeling this strange uneasiness telling him something was wrong.

As he waited for them for some time, suddenly a piece of paper came flying in through the open window of the hallway.

Raymond held the paper in the air and read it.

'Lia is with me. The kid with her is drowning in the Death Lake near the capital square. Come fast, I can't handle both together.

-Nova'

Raymond's hands started trembling as he read the words. Before he snapped out of his panic he was already running towards the governess' room where Lloyd was.

Raymond knew, better than anyone, that what happened if Frank touched water, but drowning…. Raymond was horrified at the thought of the pain Frank might be going through.

And Death Lake on the top of it. That lake was one of the deepest and most dangerous lakes in Alkezar. Death Lake had the legend of passing dead souls to the other side. On the other side of the large Death Lake, was a very wild and deep forest. One could see rare fireflies glowing at the bank of the other side of the Lake at night.

But nobody, who fell into that lake at night had ever survived. It was because of the Cerates. Those plants that fed on flesh were present in almost every lake in Alkezar and hunted at night. But Death Lake's Cerates were said to be cursed by death, they never died no matter how much you cut them or tear them apart. Which made them the most horrifying of all.

Raymond knocked at the governess' door after reaching there and shouted for Lloyd. Lloyd came out looking annoyed but as he saw Raymond's horrified expression and was given the piece of paper sent by Nova, he immediately rushed towards the horse shed along with Raymond.

Mounting on two different horses, those two set off for the Death Lake.