Chapter 42 Stronger

"We've been scouting the whole town in search of the source," Gale said, taking a sip from the freshly made hot chocolate. They sat around a long wooden table inside the cabin. Darke seemed very displeased with the extra company and somewhat sulked in the corner of the room.

"So you're the reason for the storm clouds all over town," Ricky said, leaning forward with interest.

"Once we found it, we realized I was the only one who could swoop in and out of the school," Eron said, slightly raising a hand as if inside a classroom. "Since I can travel with the wind. It's easy for me to get to places."

"It's how you used to kidnap people," I pointed out dryly, folding my arms across my chest as I leaned back against the chair. I realized I had initiated an awkward silence. "So what more did you guys find out?"

Eron and Gale looked at each other. Gale nodded at him and he spoke.

"We found out that this Sara person has been trying to merge all the realms together. At first we let the dark spheres push through until we realized what was happening. Then we started to fight back," Eron explained. "We stationed a few of us who could deflect it in different parts of the town to protect it."

"You're faster than the night force," I admitted to them. "They still haven't figured out as much as you guys. But what do you need us for?"

"We can't really keep deflecting the spheres forever. We need someone who can defeat it at its source," Eron looked at me with hope filled, determined eyes.

"You're asking the night force?"

"They're asking you," Cheryl chimed in from beside me. I half turned to look at her. "Sara's only powerful because of the shadows she pulls out. But you're the king of shadows."

Darke suddenly coughed out loud for no reason. He was ignored.

I reached out to push her hair back behind her ear and gave her a slight smile. "I know but it's not that simple," I told her. Then turned towards the two outsiders.

"Who is to stop her from shifting into another realm when backed into a corner?" I told them.

Darke cleared his throat once again and I raised my eyebrows at him, stopping for him to say whatever was on his mind.

"You will need the little girl's help," he said.

"You're talking about Iris," Ricky spelled it out.

"I don't know where she is… she disappeared from the hospital," I said, scratching my head out of frustration.

"Iris is gone?" Meryl interrupted, "When were you going to tell me this?" I could see her nostrils flare out of anger.

"Meryl, control yourself," Darke voiced strictly. To which she breathed in, looking away. It almost seemed like he was a parent. I quickly shook my head at the thought. "She's the light. She will always find herself at the source of such disturbances."

"You mean to say that she is already at the place where Sara is?" Ricky inquired, adjusting his spectacles.

"It is a possibility. Either way you will have to do this by yourself. Although it will be difficult without the girl," Darke replied with a nod.

I gave a quick glance at each of the faces around me.

"So who's up for it?" I asked the obvious question everyone may have been thinking.

"I'm going with you guys this time. You're not going to leave me behind," Meryl said with a determined voice.

"Me too," Cheryl added, as if having forgotten about the injured leg that Meryl had applied first aid to.

Ricky and I exchanged glances in a mutual understanding.

"No," we said in unison.

"It wasn't a request. We're going no matter what," Meryl replied.

I raised my eyebrows at both of them.

"Cheryl can barely walk with that injury and you're still too unstable."

"I am not!" Meryl retorted.

"And I can walk just fine. I barely even feel it anymore," Cheryl said, proudly raising her bandaged ankle in my face. I swiped it away gently. "I could barely feel it when that happened…"

She looked at me, knowing I knew what she was talking about. I still remembered her electric eyes from back then. We fell silent for a couple of seconds, staring at each other.

"What happened?" Ricky asked out of curiosity.

"Nothing," I simply told him. "I guess it's fine if they come…" I trailed off looking the other way.

"Now I'm curious. What happened?" Meryl looked at me with teasing eyes. Ricky raised his brows into a frown, almost as if suspecting me.

"Nothing!" I raised my voice, objecting to whatever was going on in their heads. I could hear Cheryl chuckle beside me as if enjoying this.

"When I was fighting the shadows in that realm earlier, my body turned to lightning. It was the first time I experienced something like that," she explained.

Ricky's eyes shifted to her with recognition.

"First time, huh?" he said in a cautious tone. "You don't remember something like that ever happening before?"

Cheryl simply shook her head.

Darke pushed his chair back all of a sudden, rising to his feet. He kept an annoyed face, muttering something to himself as he walked out of the small room. Silence followed for a few seconds before someone spoke again.

"I'll be able to get you guys in and out of the school. In case things get rough," Eron said with a carefree smile.

"Then it's settled. We'll rest for tonight and leave early in the morning," I announced. Meryl jumped up in excitement as if we were about to embark on some great adventure. I'd given up on trying to understand what went on inside her head.

"I'll set up camp outside. Let's go," she said, pulling on Ricky's hand as she dragged him towards the door. She stopped to look back once from the doorway. "You two. Make yourself useful. Let's go," she ordered.

I watched Gale and Eron quickly follow behind on command.

"I bet she gets that from dad…" I wondered aloud, folding my arms across my chest. I noticed Cheryl and I were alone in the room. Her smile faded as everyone left. Silence filled the empty space.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked.

"I don't know…" was her response as she looked down at the wooden table, staring hard at the rough, swirling texture.

"It's no use blaming yourself. You didn't know," I told her in a comforting manner.

"But if I'd just listened to you and run away…. Rosa would still be alive."

"Forget what I said! I was being selfish." I looked her in the eye, taking hold of both her shoulders, "It was really brave of you to stand and fight. I'll admit I was worried at first but you handled yourself just fine."

"Dixon…" she said softly, eyes suddenly filled with tears. "Have you ever failed to save someone's life as a night guard?"

I thought about it for a few seconds. Images of a crumbled hospital flashed in my mind. My head slowly motioned into a nod. "There are times… when there's nothing you can do. You have to accept that to be able to move forward."

"So what do I do now?" she asked. My finger gently stroked her cheek, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Get stronger so things like that happen less often. That's how I move on."

She gave me a slow nod but it looked like she understood. I pulled a loose strand of her hair out of her face. Her bangs had gotten a lot longer in the past two months. I'd never gotten the time to just sit and admire how beautiful she looked, even when she cried. Something in her eyes just wouldn't let me look away. It was like staring deep into her soul. She blinked at me. I realized I was smiling.

"What?" she asked, feeling shy all of a sudden.

"Nothing…" I told her, leaning in to kiss her forehead. After which I just held her like that in a warm embrace. My arms wrapped around her protectively as an indication of how much I'd missed her. She closed her eyes, resting her head on my chest for a little while. I could feel her heart beat quickening for a few seconds until it blended into a regular rhythm. Her shoulders relaxed a bit.

Ricky walked in after a few minutes only to pause at the sight. He opened his mouth to say something and I just motioned him to quiet down. It was then that he heard the faint snoring.

"I haven't seen her sleep so peacefully," he whispered.

"Are you guys done setting up camp?" I asked in a low voice.

He nodded. I placed one hand under her knees, very carefully picking Cheryl up. She seemed too exhausted to be woken up by that. I carried her limp figure outside where Meryl had very neatly placed tents with everyone's help. She saw me approach and quickly pulled open the curtain to let me enter. Very gently I placed Cheryl's sleeping figure onto the soft blanket Meryl had laid out. Her head rested on a small pillow in a comfortable manner. I closed the blinds behind me as I exited the tent.

I motioned Ricky and Meryl to gather around. They surrounded me with urgent looks on their faces.

"I'm going to leave tonight," I whispered to them. "You guys sure you want to come?"

"What happened to resting the night and leaving next morning?" Ricky asked.

"I lied," I said bluntly. "There's no way I'm letting Cheryl near that girl again. She can't walk and won't listen if I tell her."

"A little sly but I guess it's for the best," Ricky agreed.

Meryl looked like she objected but didn't say it to my face.

"Should've told me that before I set up all these tents…" she mumbled to herself. I put a hand over her shoulder and looked her in the eye with genuine concern.

"It would put me at ease knowing you are here, safe from any danger."

"Dixon, I can handle myself-" she started to object when I interrupted.

"I wouldn't be able to handle it if something happened."

She fell silent for a few seconds, studying my face. It felt like she knew.

"Mom and dad would never forgive me…" I admitted in a low voice, unsure of how she would react.

She just smiled.

"Took you eighteen years to find out…" she said, "I'll be fine, though."

Ricky looked back and forth at us, piecing together the puzzle that took me years to complete. It didn't take him more than a few seconds. Was it that obvious to people? I turned towards Eron who sat alone next to his tent. I noticed the storm clouds were back. I motioned him to come.

"I need you to take us straight to the school," I told him. He nodded.

I noticed Meryl take hold of Ricky's hand, clutching it tightly. The wind blew in our faces. I felt my body float into the air, light as a feather. Suddenly I was in the sky, watching over the landscape from above. The trees stretched on for a while. I could just make out the school building from afar, its walls pushed inwards, blocking all entry points that preciously existed.

Within seconds I'd swooped in close, seeping in through the cracks in the walls. I landed lightly on my own two feet in front of the classroom. Cold wind blasted at my face. The doorway was still active as I stared into the darkness beyond. Something shifted inside. A second later, a dark pulse engulfed me.

.

It was an unusual sensation in this new realm. Being able to access so much power so easily scared Iris a little as she tried to focus. Damon stood next to her like a bodyguard, looking out for any enemies. His eyes landed on something dark flying across the sky. It skipped past them, without paying any heed. He watched it land somewhere far away to the right on another one of the floating islands. Aneira stood rooted next to the tree where she had been for the past hour.

Without a warning, the ground began to shake. A frown made its way across Iris's forehead, as she kept her eyes shut. Her body stiffened where she sat cross legged on the floor. She placed both her hands on the ground. In a few seconds, the rumbling ceased.

"It will take you longer to focus this way," Damon told her.

Unexpectedly, a huge chunk fell out of the island above them to the left. It quaked as more chunks fell apart, free falling to the ground several thousands of feet below. A dark pulse escaped, completely blasting the land to tiny bits.

"That could have been us…" Iris answered. Her eyes flew open abruptly as she peered into a black wave that floated her way. At that moment, the image of three familiar faces reflected back at her. Two of them stood further back. Aneira stepped forward hastily at the sight of Ricky floating in the darkness. She gazed deeply into the sphere.

"Found them!" Iris announced, quickly rising up to stand as she closed her eyes once more. She could feel a pair of white threads sticking out from under her feet. They shot up towards the pulse, slowing it down as they penetrated the wave. "I hope I'm not too late…"

Tiny cracks appeared across the outer layer of the sphere.

"This isn't good…" Panic-stricken, she felt a second pair of threads extend towards it, peircing it as well. More cracks went up and around the sphere.

"No, not yet…" she mumbled, balling her hands to fists. Her heart raced inside of her.

Aneira stepped up to her side, narrowing her eyes as she raised a hand towards the giant object. Ice began to crawl up its surface, holding it in place. The bottom half of the sphere turned white cold.

"Thanks…" Iris said, feeling a cold breeze linger around. The ice slowed down around the top half. Aneira breathed out of exhaustion. The sphere struggled under her hold, attempting to overpower her. She pushed back, until suddenly an iced spike popped out. She gasped out of worry, taking steps towards it.

"Wait!" Iris called out.

Another spike jammed into the sphere, causing it to crack. Aneira jumped off the edge simultaneously, face first into the explosion as it occurred. Iris's heart jumped inside her as she started after, only to have thousands of tiny shards being thrown at her face. Damon quickly wrapped his cape around her, shielding her from the incoming shards. She stared ahead with unblinking eyes. A feeling of dread overtook her.

.

Cheryl's eyes flipped open to the light tremors in the ground. She panicked, feeling herself trapped inside a confined space. There was an opening in the cloth wall in front of her. Without a second's delay, she crawled out of the small tent. It was already night time. She was outside the cabin. Lanterns lit up the place in a dim orange light, hanging from the roof. The door suddenly flung open and Darke rushed out. Heavy winds caused the trees to rustle loudly as something approached from the shadows. Cheryl tilted her head up to see a giant, dark globe floating towards them. Its upper half hidden away in the clouds.

She gasped, feeling the color drain from her face. She craned her head around. The rest of the tents sat empty.

"Where is everyone?" she yelled as Darke neared her.

"They left for the school an hour ago… This is bad," he said, squinting at the sphere ahead.

"What is happening?"

"Sara. She's here," Darke replied with apprehension.

"YOU!" Sara's voice stormed through the entire forest, syncronizing with the whistling wind. "You killed her! I will DESTROY you!"

The roaring sphere descended upon them, swallowing trees that disappeared into the darkness. Cheryl raised her arms to shield herself just before the sphere hurled her backwards. Her body rolled over on the dirt under the crushing wind. All of a sudden, the ground dried up into cracks. Her eyes flipped open onto a floating island.

"Fools… they all went to look for her when she's here…" Darke was mumbling from somewhere behind.

"I recognize that tone, although much of you has changed… shadow king," Sara spoke, aopearing onto a dry patch of grass growing out of the cracks in the ground. She slowly strolled towards him.

"So we meet again…" Darke answered in an uninterested manner.

"I hope you don't mind if I just crush this one to pieces." Sara's vengeful eyes fixed on Cheryl as she turned to face her. Cheryl held her leg, pulling it up to an upright position. An excruciating sense of pain flooded through her. She flinched.

"If you don't want your life to end right now then stand up and fight," Darke called out from several feet away.

"I can't move…" Cheryl spoke through gritted teeth.

Sara's fingers curled around the hand mirror that she pulled out of her boot, holding it up towards the sky. She smiled wickedly as hordes of creatures spawned out of it, filling up the night sky.

"You were so confident back at the cabin… pft," Darke taunted.

"Shouldn't you be more worried about your own life right now?" Cheryl replied anxiously, not sure what he was getting at.

"Surrender to your powers like you did once before. You bragged about it. Let's see you try it…. That is if you want us both to live."

Worry lines creased Cheryl's face.

"It was only for a few seconds. I don't know how to do that again."

"Then we are both doomed," Darke's face went grim as he said that.

Shadows fell from the sky like raindrops.

"Had I even an ounce of my old power, this would have been a stroll in the park for me," he said, tilting his head up to notice a small thundercloud in the distance. His eyes squinted with uncertainty. The cloud expanded across the sky, just above the layer of shadows. Thunder crackled over their heads.

"It's Gale!" Cheryl announced, having never imagined she'd feel this relieved to know he was there.

"It appears this one stayed behind," Darke murmured to himself.

Lightning crashed down in the distance, redirecting midway towards Cheryl. Dirt kicked up in her face. It was too close to her.

"What is he trying to do?" she exclaimed, feeling her heart race all of a sudden. Another lightning bolt zapped the ground, just a few inches from where she sat. She could feel the electricity discharging into the air around her. Bits of sparks appeared over her skin.

"I don't think that's his doing," Darke explained.

More lighting tore up dirt next to her. Sparks traveled up her body, more vibrant than ever. Her head suddenly felt light, pain fading away into a warm sensation around her ankle. Her body went numb.

"When did the weather change so quickly around here…?" Sara spoke as she looked up in utter confusion.

A final blast of lightning hit, redirecting towards the sparks over Cheryl's body, right over her head. Her vision went white. She could no longer feel her body anymore. Shadows landed onto the ground, heavy upon impact, surrounding her from all sides, big as an entire army. Cheryl looked up with lightning yellow eyes…