Sarah Anderson, Demon Lord's Castle.
The hall's castle around me seemed to crumble in slow motion, slower than the eye can detect even over a lifetime, while I made my way towards the courtyard. Heart pounding, rasping throat, and tears blinding me, I ran, feet kissing the cold stone floor. Those heels were no good to me at the moment. They were slowing me down. Who the hell invented high heels must really hate women. As I kick them off my heart beat faster and the adrenaline demanded me to go faster. I ran as quickly as my short legs could carry me. According to Cinn, I would only have a few minutes to succeed. The ritual would begin at the end of the sunset and end when the moon stood at its higher peak. For a slip second, I gazed outside through the window that was at my left. "Dammit!" I cursed silently. It was almost time. I needed to get there as soon as possible. A few meters ahead, I stopped and hid between two walls at the sight of two demons very well armed and good-looking too. If this didn't work out, I'm calling dabs. I peaked; both of them seemed like orcs from a fantasy game, without the tusks tho. They had two metal pauldrons over both their shoulders, a gorget holding them together and metal patches over their waist, holding a small fabric in front of their intimate parts, plus two braces protecting their wrists, two sharp spears, and greek leather shoes. The distraction would have to go perfectly. I put my hand inside the small bag I had shoulder strapped and pulled out a glass ball with a gray mist trapped inside. "Cinn said this is going to hold them enough for me to get in and out." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, gathering all the courage I had in my guts. Without further due, I got out of my hiding place and walked to their encounter.
"Hey, you! Who are you? You can be here." The demon on the left said after noticing me approaching.
"It's a human! What she's doing here?!" The younger one whispered.
"I don't have a clue, Zedar. Humans aren't supposed to know about this plane, let alone be here." He explained.
Both looked confused as I smiled graciously and waved at them.
"Then let's find out, Beiser. We can take her into custody and--"
The demon named Beiser held up his arm to the side, stopping the younger demon on his tracks. "Human." He only said; his demoniac voice made me shiver.
I stopped; hands sided with my body, head slightly bowed. Don't blow it. I told myself.
He approached slowly. "We mean no harm, just tell us how did you find about this place--..."
Cinn had warned me about this. As these 'people' were brought here, to an alternative dimension to theirs, as holograms against their will and knowledge, they would act as if they were indeed in the abyssal plains, protecting their master's castle, and would certainly mistake me for an intruder. So I had to be careful.
"Didn't you heard him, human?" The guy named Zedar said. "You're testing my nerves already!"
This guy, despite being younger than the other demon, was a lot scarier. The other one seemed nice, I guess?
"Are you listening or not?!" The guy grabbed my wrist with great force and pulled me forward.
"Eeek!" I bumped into his bare, chiseled chest. How did he get near me that fast?! Oh my God! I yclept, realizing that, with the abrupt movement, I dropped the glass ball. Where is it?! I looked around for it, freaking out; it was then when saw it rolling down the hallway.
The older demon grabbed the younger by the shoulder and pushed him backwards. Zedar glared at Beiser. "What the hell man?!"
"Do you have to be such a brute?!" Beiser scolded him.
"I am a brute demon, you moron!" Zedar replied annoyed.
Beiser sighed in exasperation. "You're young and already have anger issues..."
"Maybe you're the one who's got soften." Zedar riposted.
I blinked surprised. Were they... fighting with each other? Weird guys... I thought.
"You've changed Beiser! I don't get it," Zedar cried out. "When did this happen?"
Beiser rubbed his temples. "You're making a storm in a glass of water over for nothing."
Maybe I could use this to my advantage. They continued to argue with each other as I started to move past them. I opened the door slowly for not to make noise; I looked back at those two and found they were still at each other's throats.
"We're the Demon Lord's best elite! Our only job is to protect this castle against intruders! To fight! That's our purpose!"
"Violence is not always the answer!" The older demon counterposed. "It was obvious the girl was frightened. Why scare her more?! You do not scare a lady or mistreat her as well."
"Ughhh!" The younger growled. "What's gotten into you man?!"
"Don't test me mate, I'm still stronger than you. Older, and wiser." Beiser growled, already annoyed with his companion's rash behavior.
Zedar gripped his sword's pommel, "Let's see about that."
I shook my head. Let's go. You can do this. Let's go save your boyfriend! Sweet words of encouragement and I went inside. I crossed the grand hall as fast as I could. "I need... to... get... there..." I said, breathless but still running. Finally, at the end of the hall, I encountered the entrance to the courtyard. I stopped and bent over, supporting my hands on my knees, try to catch my breath. From where I stood, I already could see black human-like shades through the foggy mirror. I pressed my ear against it and listened carefully, trying to catch something useful. I could hear some indistinct murmurs. I decided to open slightly the door; it slid to the side. The area before me faced the breathtaking sunset. At the end of each seated aisle, rose-scented candles hung from naked tree branches. Spread down the aisle were white leaves, as far as the eyes could see, slightly moist so they wouldn't crack when you stepped on them. On either side of the aisle, there were a couple of white chairs set up for the guest to sit.
"Dearly beloved demons," A man, dressed all in black, began his speech. At first sight, he didn't seem to be demon-like, more human-like, but I could almost feel the power emanating from him regardless. In front of him was Irene, pale skin painted with brown circle-shaped marks and hair in an up-do braid-style with dozen of daisies stuck to her glowing strands, and...
"Erik!" I yelled careless at the sight of him in front of her holding hands. Erik was in his demon form, his tendrils shown at his feet but, something was off. They were quite down frankly, not as how I remembered them, and his eyes were a total blank ."No..." I murmured, not wanting to believe that this was really happening before my eyes.
"...we are gathered here this evening to witness this Incubus and Succubus bind their souls together for all eternity." The ritual's conductor announced, starting the ritual officially. "Their decision to bind their souls has not been entered into lightly and today they publicly declare their private devotion to each other."
I fell down to my knees and grabbed my head, shaking it roughly. "No... no... no... no..."
"The essence of this commitment is the acceptance of each other in entirety, as lover, companions, and friends." and added, "After this union, these two happy demon's souls will be linked together for all eternity. They'll know where each other is, at all times, they will have permission to give out their energy to the other free willingly, even after one has perished."
I felt powerless in the whole situation. I had to do something to stop this, but what? I was just a scared, helpless little human girl in a foreign place surrounded only by demons. What could i do? What could I do?!
"Do you both pledge to share your lives openly with one another, and to speak the truth in the name of your bond? Do you promise to honor, to cherish, and tenderly each other? Do you promise to stand together, through sorrows and joys, peace and war, hardships and triumphs for all the days of your eternal lives?" He asked.
"I do." Irene said with a smile painted on her face.
"I do." Erik did as well, but mechanically with no hint of emotion in it.
"Very well," The 'priest' guy nodded his head. "Uzaeris, please repeat after me... 'I Uzaeris, promise to cherish our bond Maesmer and live each day with kindness, understanding, truth, humor, companionship, and passion till the end of the five plains'."
Erik mechanically took Irene's hand and repeated the vows after him.
"Maesmer, please repeat after me... 'I Maesmer, promise to cherish our bond Uzaeris and live each day with kindness, understanding, truth, humor, companionship, and passion till the end of the five plains'."
Dying to jump in triumph, Irene took Erik's hand and repeated the vows spoken twice already.
"Before the beginning of the whole complex process of binding souls, as you all can see, we have all the necessary materials on this adorned table," He said, waving his hand above the table.
At the center was a black statue of some sort of Godness with angel wings and her arms up enwrapped in two simian snakes, and around that object were multiple candles of two different colors - white and black -, and incense-sticks to light. As for the materials he was speaking about: a thin cylindrical strip of metal bent in the shape of a long U commonly referred to as a hairpin, to whom I assumed it belonged to Irene, a red strand of hair, which was obvious to whom belong to, a golden spiky rose, a bowl with lavender, a box of matches, a straw thread, three crystals - one purple, one white and one black -, a craving tool, a slightly cracked clay bowl and a pocket knife. There was also a book over the table; it was open on a wooden stand used to support books in an exhibitor. I wasn't that far so, I squinted my eyes and tried to read what was written on the exposed page: «Bind. I'll take your hands in mine -- And with this string, I will entwine -- Your powers, I'll forever bind -- From now until the end of time.»
Was that the spell that would make both their souls together linked for all eternity? It sure looked like it. In case I left empty-handed, unsuccessful, I wondered for a second. Could there be a counter-spell? I shook my head. Of course, there wasn't. That would be asking for too much.
"... if anyone knows why these two individuals before me should not be united by this pure bond, let them speak now or forever hold their peace." He finished his sentence.
Those words made something snap inside my mind. There was silence. There was my last chance. I got up and frantically rushed through the door, hoping I would be calling off all this madness. I stand up in the middle of the red carpet with shaky hands. All eyes were on me; horrified looks from every demon in the ceremony but I was only looking at him."Erik..." His earthbound name left my mouth not louder than a whisper; he stared back at me but, it was as if he had not. Yet, Irene was staring at me with a panic expression. Wasn't she expecting me at all? No? I decided to ignore it for now and just do what I came to do. "Uzaeris..." This time, I called his demon name; his tendrils reacted both at my presence and voice. That made my lips curve into a thin smile.
She braced herself and pulled the priest collar, struggling to control her temper. "Do something, you imbecile!"
"Please listen to me. You need to wake up." I chose to ignore her and just continued addressing Erik.
Irene immediately turned to Erik and, acting like the good actress she was, said. "Darling... don't listen to her, she's just a poor girl who has lost her mind...! That's all."
Another step forward; from the corner of my eye, I sensed the arrival of a couple of brute demons. I maintained my focus. "No... this is all an illusion! She's not me... she's lying!" I tried to reason with him.
"Darling!" Irene plead.
"E-Erik..." I mumbled heart was full of tears, for I loved that demon with my whole heart and mind.
"I don't know you and you must have mistaken me for someone else." He said confusedly; it was strange seeing an expression with emptiness hoovering someone irises.
Theatrically, Irene closed her eyes and grabbed his arm. She almost threw herself at him. "Of course, darling. She must be... that poor girl..." She said, trying to show pity for me. What a fonnie.
"No!" I shook my head dazed with his answer. "You're the one mistaken, Erik! She has fooled you! She is contr--" It was right when two brute demons grabbed me fiercely by both my arms and yanked me back towards the double doors. "Ugh!" I struggled and fought their grip, to no avail. "N-No--!" I refused to believe that this was the end.
"It was here where you fled, you little slut! You won't get away this time. I promise you that." The brute demon yawled. "S-Stop struggling--!"
"Hey, hey!" Erik stepped forward angered with the sudden aggressiveness. "That's no way to treat a lady!" He scolded them; there was a certain, proper way to treat a lady and that was what his beloved mother taught him that.
"No one controls the main gates anymore. Unbelievable... And that's why we have these situations." Said the younger one.
"Are you okay?" Erik asked me; at that moment I was certain iI saw something in his eyes, something akin to caringness.
"Sorry son. She is an intruder, and you know very well what's the price you pay for intruding someone's private property." The Demon Lord said with a stern look in his eyes.
"I'm not an intruder, you bloody--!" I talked back at him, not caring if he was the Demon Lord or some servant.
The eldest demon covered my mouth, trying to avoid any more problems with the Demon Lord and whispered in my ear, mimicking - 'you have a big mouth for such a small girl'."Don't worry prince Uzaeris, we got her and will take care of the issue. That is guaranteed."
No one was going to shut me up like that. I had to make him see that he was being tricked. I had to... I couldn't lose him. So, I bit the guard's hand and I tried my luck. "You are under some kind of glamour-spell and that's why you can't remember me or see it's me! Please just listen--!" I stretched out my arm and hoped to reach him; our hands touched for a brief second before the brute demons managed to drag back in the exit's direction. "L-Let go--! N-Ngh...! E-rr...!"
"Poor girl... obvious out of her mind..." Irene squeezed his arm.
Erik looked at Irene's emerald eyes seeing nothing more than what he thought to be the reality. He said nothing, his tense frame never relaxing. A sigh escaped his lips as he averted his gaze from her; a feeling of melancholy flooded inside his chest, crushing his heart."Yeah, you're right. I just don't think that the dungeon is the best option in this case. She does not seem to be a criminal. She seemed to be a nice girl, a bit confused but... you understand what I mean... right? Princess?"
Irene rubbed his arm fondly. "Don't trouble yourself, Uzaeris. I'll see to it personally that she gets all the help she needs."
He touched her hand, giving it a light squeeze appreciative of her offer. "You are too kind."
"You know me~" She put up a fake smile; Irene did not care about the human girl's well-being, all that she cared about was Erik being on her side and by her side.
The Demon Lord clapped his hands, getting everyone's attention back. "Now, that aside, shall we resume the ritual?"
"Of course," Uzaeris replied and started walking back to the alter with Irene by the arm.
Irene turned her back. She locked eyes with the Demon Lord. There were no words requested to convey the true intentions behind her laudable promise.
The Demon Lord snapped his fingers; in an instant, another brute demon showed behind him. He approached him from the back," Commander, tell your subordinates to take her to the 'fun room'. I have some plans for her."
He nodded in acknowledgment and left with new instructions to spread to his man.
(...)
I struggled and kicked and threw myself forward to get my arms release from their strong grip throughout the whole process of being dragged; it was going to leave a mark, that was for sure. I shouted and begged for them to let me go, I even tried to reason with them, offering what I had for trade. However, nothing seemed appealing to them. Soon enough we arrived at our destination. A huge metal door stood before us. The surface was flat and shiny like the outside of a stainless steel refrigerator. There was no handle, no lock, no hinges, nothing to get a grip on. The top and bottom, even the sides, lay so utterly flush with the frame that there was no hope of jemmying it open. How were they going to open it? Three knocks on the door by the eldest demon. The door started to open; its creaking noise opening, sent a chill up to my spine. It sounded like some dying animal, crying out in pain and sorrow with his last breath. I don't know what hit me but, I stopped struggling and just went inside that hellhole freely. Looking in all directions, I took in the cold, dark environment around me. The crypt was made of stone, not a window could be seen. At my right were the prison cells. A couple of them had prisoners; some of them were badly injured, but the guards didn't care, they would turn a blind eye. And, perhaps if the prisoners complained too much, they would be beaten up. We continued to walk down the corridor. Cries, whimpering, whining, and threats from some of the prisoners made themselves heard as we passed.
"You piece of filth, come here! Let's finish what we started!" The demon's body was badly mistreated but nevertheless did his voice not vibrated with demoniac echoes and waves, sending several shivers down my spine.
"P-Please... le-let me out... I promise I'll be a good girl from-from now on...!" A demon girl, who I assumed to be one of the Demon Lord's harem girls by her garb, was sitting on the floor with one hand stretched out through the space between the prison bars and with the other grabbing them, pleading for forgiveness.
"No! Please! No more!" A different girl cried out. She was younger than the other one, maybe fourteen-fifteen, but I would be just guessing. She was brunette, had soft cat ears, was barefooted and dressed in a white garb stained with dirt and blood spots all over her skirt. Her skin was covered in cuts, some healed and others not, and dark, purple bruises. She was sitting near the far wall, hiding her face in her tiny hands and whimpering nonstop.
What horrible things did they do to her? I thought to myself scared, fearing for my mortal life.
A rough cough caught my attention right next. It seemed to be an old man chained by the knees to the wall. Maybe it wasn't really an old person but, the long beard made me think so.
Even so, the silence was also seen in this death scenario. In the next cell sat a figure wrapped in a dark purple cloak. The top of the figure's head was shrouded by both the shadows in their cell and the hood that covered their face. They never spoke. They never moved.
Was he dead? The question popped up. Did they... cut out his tongue or something?
Zedar pushed me forward. "Continue walking, little human. We are almost there." He grinned hard. "The 'fun room'~"
I turned my head back and looked at both of them in turns.
Beiser looked away shamefully, avoiding my gaze. I could see he didn't want to do this that he was being forced somehow.
"What... what is the 'fun room'?" I asked, gulping down some of the saliva that has been building up in my mouth.
Both of them shared a look, neither one brought clarity to my question.
"Please." Now, I addressed myself to Beiser.
Beiser looked at me; our eyes locked. His black eyes drilling into mine. I couldn't help but think that I had never seen such dark eyes with so much light in them. He sighed ruefully. "The 'fun room', as we call it, it's a torture chamber used to break our prisoners' free-will, to turn them into complete puppets, perfect servants. Obedience is the criteria around here."
"Do you guys... often use it?" I hesitantly asked, aiming to gather more information on it so, I could plan out my escape later.
Beiser frowned his eyebrow intrigued by my sudden curiosity.
"I mean... forget I ask." I turned my wheels and bowed my head; Zedar gave me another push forward, I was able to balance myself and not fall. "You don't have to be so brute." I addressed the demon, yearning a loud growl from him.
"Well, that chamber is mainly used by the Demon Lord." Beiser fined and clarified, "Few of us are allowed to use it for our own enjoyment, but not all. The lord is the one who assigns the names."
I glanced at him over my shoulder as he explained to me what that space consisted of. I was slowly drowning hearing all of that. My breath evaporated from my chest. My heart thumped erratically. My mouth was dry and my tongue was swollen. That chamber would be the end of me. I looked forward; fear weighed me down. I felt short of breath. I needed to breathe! I couldn't breathe! My body was paralyzed. Was I having a panic attack?!
"Here we are." The door was similar to the front one, however, this one had a handle and a keyhole. Right next to it was another demon sitting in a chair with his legs crossed over an office desk. He was blonde, burly like the Beiser, had glasses on, and was reading a book. "Leymar."
At the call of his name, the demon averted his gaze from his book and looked over his glasses.
"We have a little job for the 'fun room'~" Zedar, who has been silent until now, finally spoke. He grabbed me by the arm and basically threw me against the table.
My hair fell over my eyes; I plugged one of the strands behind my ear and, unwittingly, I made eye contact with him. Steel blue-grey eyes, the color of sun-bleached, with a light dull-green color around his irises. He had already laid his book on the table, as well as his glasses, and withdrew his feet from the table. The demon just grabbed me by the chin; my body tensed up and I closed my eyes out of fear. "You don't have to be afraid, human child." He said. "Open your eyes for me, please." Despite he asking, I felt like an order.
I offered resistance at the beginning but, ended up opening them either way.
He didn't avert his gaze. "Hm..." It was an intense, cold stare like he was burning right into my soul, searching deep within for my secrets. "Genuine. Loyal." He said. Then he shifted my head to the right and to the left. "Healthy and a good complexion." Next, observed the way my body stood in front of him. Unabashed, he pulled the strap of my dress, exposing my shoulder and part of my collarbone-skin. "Pure, despite being already deflowered."
It felt like someone had suddenly turned on an internal heater inside my system, and my pale skin slowly turned from a tan brown to a shade of a ripe strawberry. I rapidly backed away embarrassed, escaping his grip. I glared at him and return the strap back to its place. He had no right to undress me like that.
"Uh-uh, tameless." He uttered quite surprised. Without further due, paid attention to his fellow demon companions. "Beiser, are you sure?"
Beiser nodded, his gaze strolling over my face absently. "Yes. Demon Lord's orders."
"Well, what a waste. There are other ways of taming her." He whispered while getting up from his chair.
Zedar shrugged and hissed, "The Demon Lord is no fun. I would give a better lord than him."
Beiser punched Zedar on the shoulder. "Do you want to die? The Demon Lord has imps everywhere."
Leymar opened the door and gestured me to enter. I looked back at Beiser; my eyes streaming with hot tears. I mimicked 'help me'.
"Don't worry, everything will be okay. Don't lose hope--"
The door closed with a loud thud; everything darkened a bit. The torture chamber was windowless lit by a few candles, also it was large and eerie. In the air hung the scent of death and suffering. There were chains everywhere with hammered metal shackles on the floor but, a single metal table and precarious chair were in the center of the room stood out the most; underneath was located a barred drainer, most likely to help drain blood and other fluids. Even with fear and dread running through my veins, burning me inside out, I leisurely walked over to it. There was a set of tools scattered across the table surface on a small metal tray: a couple of scissors, knives of all sizes and shapes, needles, one to three tiny glass bottles with a translucent liquid per syringe, and some other devices. Shifting to the chair, it was impossible not to notice the leather bracelets on the armrests and the front legs, neither the spikes on its surface. I backed away. There was a strange cold that surrounded the back of the room. On the side of the wall, there was a black stain. It made me shudder to think of what it probably was. Surrounded by those four grey walls, there was nothing else to do but stare at them. I sat down on the floor, took my knees to my chest, and curled into a ball. I rocked back and forth, giving in to despair. I don't know how much time has passed in that dark hole but, finally, the goddamn door swayed open. I slowly rose my head from my knees and greeted the last person I thought I would see. "Beiser--!" I immediately got up. What is he doing here?
He stretched his arm to me and ushered me to take his hand; I could sense its urgent nature. "Come human. We don't have much time."
In my state of mind, I had convinced herself that there was nothing else to do and that I was gonna be stuck in this hellhole forever, but here he was, helping me leave I guess?
"Hurry up!" He said, eyes stuck at the chamber's door. "Are you just gonna stand there?! I'm risking a lot for you girl." At last, he looked at me.
"Wh... Why are you helping me?" I glanced at Beiser with a confused expression.
"That's not important, now. Come, before they realize that you've disappeared!"
I nodded my head, understanding the extension of the situation. So, glad that I wouldn't have to go through that hell others had to endure, I placed my hand on top of his and silently thanked him.
He just genuinely smiled at me. He was really a nice guy. "Let's go."
I followed suit; escaping from difficult situations was nothing like the movies. The movie stars look heroic, sexy, and in command of the situation. In reality, things were uglier than that pretty version of running to save your own skin. There was a tightness in my throat. My lungs felt as elastic as old underpants, just sagging instead of contracting for the next breath. "H-How... how much further?" I asked, feeling the breath leaving her lungs at an incredible speed. "I... I... I think I'm about to collapse if I take another step..."
He looked at me; pale skin, discolored lips, short breaths, and sweat covering my forehead. He stopped.
"W-Why... why are we stopping...? S-Shouldn't we be.... running...?" I said between short breaths. "Woow--!" The man swiftly moved and hooked an arm underneath my knees, lifting me bridal-style as I clung to the metal patches over his chest; I hid my head in his chest shyly. "Y-You didn't have to..."
"This way it's faster." He said.
The only man to ever pick me up bridal-style was Erik and I felt like I was betraying him, but nevertheless, I nodded and accepted it without question it further. I had no other choice.
Next to the exit stood a girl with bunny ears. I immediately recognized her. "Cinn!" I yelled happily. Beiser put me down and I ran to her; once near her, I grabbed both her hands and squeezed them tightly. "I'm so glad to see you!"
"Me too! My heart lightens to know you're okay!" She said. "Anyways, we don't have much time as Beiser have already told you..."
"Yeah, he did..." I replied even though it was not a question. "The wedding... did they... are their souls..."
"Yeah..." Cinn nodded. "There is now a new timeline. Sadly, she achieved it."
I rubbed my arm feeling my heart being crushed. "I-I want to go home," I whisper, trying to hold my tears and sobs back.
"That's why I'm here. I will open a portal to the Human World and send you home. But, be prepared, nothing will be the same once you get there."
Beiser assumed an 'en garde' position."You girls better worry up. My companions will be here any second now. I can feel it." He said with a snarl in his voice.
Cinn only focused on me and tried to push away the fact that the danger was way too close, lurking in the shadows. "Okay. I need something that connects you to the Human World."
I looked down at my form. Something that linked me back home... ah! I shoved my hand into my jeans pocket and I withdrew a gold, shiny necklace."This was my grandmother's necklace. I found it inside my grandfather's house, I took it with me. I felt guilty for taking something without asking but, now, I'm glad I did." Cinn stretched out her cupped hands, I let it fall over them.
"This will do. I'll use its energy to open a watery portal." She explained.
"'Watery portal'?" I echoed scared of what that was supposed to mean.
"Yeah, yeah. It will feel like you are crossing just water. Are you ready?"
She didn't have to ask. I nodded affirmatively.
Cinn nodded once more before grabbing her staff that was leaned against the wall and closed her eyes for a few seconds. She muttered something under her breath and then, slammed her staff lightly on the ground. "O Tenebris portas aperiat nobis largiatur exitum desiderium." As she spoke my grandmother's necklace began to gleam wildly, light orbs floating from it and dancing in the air above our heads. It lifted from her hands and began to wave back and forth, almost as if the lights were dancing to a silent tune. She pointed her staff into the air, leading the lights to follow where it directed obediently. She drew with it a large circle in the air and the lights followed like a perfect trail, spreading out and forming a large void in the air. As they finally stopped moving, they burst into a bright light, causing me and Beiser to cover our eyes from it. It engulfed us but died down just as fast, revealing a small tear in the air. Cinn quickly leaned forward and dug her hands into it before pulling the tear apart, revealing...
"My bedroom...!" I yelled surprised.
Cinn continued to pull the tear open, giving enough space for me to jump through. Getting a better look, there was someone sleeping peacefully in my bed.
"Oh my god! I'm there!" I exclaimed.
"Y-Yeah... o-once you go trough you-you will wake up-up...!" Cinn seemed physically exhausted.
"Human, hurry up and go! This is your last chance!" Beiser yelled, facing the other end of the hall.
And, I wasn't going to let it go to waste. I straightened my dress and clutched to the skirt's hem. I looked back once more before rushing forward. Beiser and Cinn were smiling at me when...
"Hey! You three! Stop right there!" Four to six demons at the end of the hallway were targeting us and promptly to attack.
"Go! Go! Go!" Beiser commanded me and summoned his weapon."I won't hold back!" He cried out to his fellow demons before starting to run towards them; they retributed the cry and went to his meeting. I watched them fight each other. Beiser stood in one place, trading feints, thrusts, and parries with lightning speed with three of them, almost impossible to follow.
"Sarah! G-Go! The necklace won't hold much longer!" Cinn warned; I looked at the necklace, it had begun to shatter. I could see the cracks occur at the surface at an incredible speed. "Get ready, now's the time!"
I rushed forward, using momentum to jump into the air and forward towards the void. I could almost reach it. I could feel the air conditioning of my room right at my fingertips. As I got through a sense of relief hit me. I turned myself around and was immediately terrified at the scene before my eyes. The tear was already zipping itself closed but that didn't prevent me from seeing Beiser being crossed off and Cinn captured. The world turned into a blur, and so did all the sounds. The taste. The smell. Everything was just gone. I woke up in my bed, covered by my fluffy sheets. A lone tear rolled down my cheek, and just like that, the floodgates opened. So many tears burst forth like water from a dam, spilling down my face. My chin trembled as if I was a small child. I breathed heavier than I ever had before. I was gasping for air that simply wasn't there when the hysterical scream that has been stuck in my vocal cords, finally exited my mouth.
The door of my room burst open. "Sarah! What happened?! Is everything okay?!"
I averted my gaze to the door to see Naomi holding the door with concern painted all over her face and Suzu rubbing her eyes, still too sleepily to understand what was going on. "They are dead because of me!" I sobbed uncontrollably into my hands realizing what had happened and that I had lost.