6th Dawn

I started running toward the castle, following the glowing outlines on the paper, but it wasn't fast enough. I needed to get there quickly to save Maya.

Then, it hit me—I had wings.

I focused, trying to will them out of my back, but nothing happened. I closed my eyes, frustrated, when Hildegarde's voice echoed in my head."Visualize the wings. Imagine them coming out of your back."

I concentrated, summoning an image of my body. Slowly, the picture became clearer, and I imagined two black wings tearing through my skin.

Pain shot through me, sharper than I remembered. My back felt like it was being shredded, but I gritted my teeth and forced myself to stay focused. Two black wings burst from my back, the pain overwhelming.

I gritted my teeth and asked the dumbest question I could think of. "Uh, how do I fly?"

There was a hint of annoyance in her voice when she replied,"Do I have to tell you everything? You're aware this is our body now, right?"

I smirked, "You mean our body?"

She sighed, her irritation palpable. "Fine, fine. Flying's as easy as moving your hands. Try making circular motions. Once you get it, your wings should instinctively follow."

I did as she said, moving my hands in slow circles. Gradually, my wings began to flap, and I lifted off the ground, gaining altitude.

As I flew, a dark memory surged within me—the bird I had killed. I tried to shake it off, focusing on the wind in my wings instead. I couldn't afford to let it distract me.

I climbed higher and higher, the red clouds above me faintly glowing, but I forced my gaze downward, locking my attention on the path ahead.

Eventually, I slowed and landed with a soft thud on the ground. I took a deep breath and started walking toward the castle-like building looming ahead.

Just as I was about to take another step, a crushing pressure hit me from all sides. My knees buckled, and I fell to the ground, clutching my throat as though invisible hands were squeezing the life out of me. Every bone inside felt like it was being crushed.

Footsteps echoed behind me, followed by a voice that made my blood run cold."Welcome to my abode, Jeremiah… and possibly the last place you'll ever see."

I struggled to my feet, barely managing to hold myself upright, and snarled, "Where's Maya?"

Before I could get another word out, I was hurled through the air by a mass of blackness, crashing to the ground. Blood poured from my head, and just as I tried to speak, I found myself vomiting blood, unable to stop.

The voice came again, irritated."Don't you dare raise your voice to me, you wretched human. KNEEL!"

And with that command, I collapsed to my knees, blood still dripping from my mouth.

Time seemed to stretch. When the bleeding finally stopped, I forced my gaze upward, and what I saw made my heart seize in panic.

Maya was there, held by a mass of black, spindly arms. One finger hovered just above her throat, a knife ready to slit her open.

My heart pounded in my chest."Don't worry," the attacker's voice came, dripping with malicious amusement, "She's not dead yet."

A wave of dread washed over me. Fear, guilt, anxiety—they all surged at once. My body was weak, but the attacker walked slowly toward me with terrifying confidence. I saw him form a black sword from the swirling mass of darkness, and before I could react, he shoved me to the ground.

A scream ripped from my throat as he stabbed his sword into my chest, right through my heart.I shrieked as he began to tear at the skin over my heart. The agony was beyond anything I had ever felt.

He spoke again, voice laced with irritation."Oh, shut up, you filthy thing. Screaming will not lessen the pain."

Tears blurred my vision as he tore away at my skin. I could see my heart, pumping weakly. My eyes went bloodshot, and I thought I was going to die right there.

But just as the black mass began to rip my heart out of my chest, something happened.

A knife suddenly flew through the air, and my attacker looked up, rage flashing across his face. Before I could process what was happening, he dissolved into blackness and vanished.

The air around me shifted. I looked up, barely conscious, and saw a familiar shape forming above me."Young lad, are you still breathing?"

I couldn't answer, the pain almost too much to bear, but I weakly gestured with my fingers.

The old man began chanting some incantations. Suddenly, I felt myself being lifted by a force like wind, and before I knew it, I was thrown through the black portal.

As I passed through the portal, I caught a brief glimpse of my attacker. He was running toward me, furious, his hand reaching into the portal to grab my leg.

The old man's voice twisted, distorted, as he spoke another incantation, and the portal snapped shut in an instant, severing my attacker's arm.

His scream echoed through the air, "THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF YOUR TRAGEDY, JEREMIAH. I WILL KILL HER AND SCATTER HER REMAINS ALL OVER THE CITY! AND I WILL COME FOR YOU. I WILL KILL ANYONE CLOSE TO YOU, AND I WILL—"

The rest of his words faded as the portal closed completely, and I fell into the abyss, unconscious.