ZAZA woke up while Yiyi was in her cat form, licking his cheek. It took him a while before he adjusted her eyes to the surroundings.
"Brother, you're awake!" Yiyi said via mind-link.
Zaza realized he wore thick winter clothing. And despite his aching body, he got up from the wooden bed where he lay.
"Yiyi, what happened?" He looked at the white cat.
But Aren came into view before her sister could answer in his mind. He carried a pile of wood, and his face lit up when he saw him already awake.
"Amana! Your little friend is awake!" His voice reverberated inside the hut they were in.
Amana came rushing, holding a tray with a bowl of soup. "Great, how are you feeling? Did you recover your mana?"
"M-mana?"
Ama put the tray on top of the bedside table. While Aren proceeded to the kitchen and organized the woods for the heater.
"Look how innocent you are. Every fae has mana, magical energy coming from your core. I have seen how strong you are. I assume you are of royal blood, Zaza." Amana sat on the bed.
"I…don't know."
Amana smiled. Her amethyst-colored eyes seemed to understand him. "You're going to spend a lot of time with us. And with your fae origin, you will outlive Aren and me. But we'll ensure you're well equipped in knowledge by then… that is, if you don't find ways to return to the faerie realm." She held his forehead and nodded after checking his temperature. He was not burning, unlike before.
"How long I've been asleep?"
"Three days. You haven't seen the aftermath of the war, only our house remains standing after the immense ground shaking. My father is a carpenter. He fortified this use using ancient magic from his fae ancestors." She pointed to the bowl of soup. "Fill yourself. We'll leave in a few days. King Leodan is mobilizing an army. There are wandering Shadows outside the borders, killing the helpless humans and demifaes."
"Shadows?"
Amana heaved a sigh. "Shadows are cursed creatures created by dark mages of the Muhler Empire. They are capable of possessing any living being. Don't worry. You'll see one soon. I'm sure."
Aren had heard everything and joined the conversation. "Stop it, little sister. You're frightening Zaza." He smiled at him, "Don't worry. I will enlist in the demifae army to further protect you. But you have to train to harness your power so that you can protect us in return. That way, we'll survive."
Zaza tilted his head. He spent the whole day checking the vicinity of the house. Amana was right. It was the only building standing while the surrounding village had collapsed. Worse, there were no signs of life out there. The ground was still covered with thick snow wherever he set his eyes. And at a far distance, the broken glaciers were visible, and the newly formed lake was there, creating an endless waterfall.
"This world is so different from where we came from. It's very tranquil, yet I could feel something that made me uneasy. It lingers on my skin. Do you feel it, too?" Zaza asked his sister. He held the white cat in his hands, and it was observing around as well.
"Dark magic, the same as the world we came from," said Yiyi.
"I need to know a lot of things. My memories are vague. What about you?"
"The only thing I remember is a room with guards. And the next thing I knew, I'm in this cat's body… and the warrior faerie transported us here to keep us safe."
"Do you think we are cursed? A voice is telling me to look for our mother. But who is our mother, Yiyi?"
"I have no idea, brother."
Zaza exhaled sharply. They made it here alive after the bloody war and the intense quake. Somehow, he was thankful to Amana and Aren that he knew where to start to look for their mother. He would make it his only motivation to survive. Soon enough, he will grow, and this world will be easy to navigate.
He stood there until the sun set on the golden horizon. But it was not as peaceful as it seemed. Because at nighttime, when everyone had finished dinner and was about to sleep. The wind howled like a storm was brewing.
"Weird, there was no sign of a storm coming." Amana's ethereal face looked confused.
Aren was alert. He stood in front of Amana and Zaza, facing the door. The roof started to flap, and the window was forcefully open. But thanks to the rune magic that was suddenly activated, it glowed white and floated around.
"Don't move and prepare for an attack. I haven't felt this kind of magic before." Aren was still focused on the door. A loud growl echoed, and Zaza stepped back. He was holding Amana's hand as if he was gaining strength from her.
"Aren can fight, don't worry," Amana whispered to reassure Zaza.
But the runes did not withstand the dark force of the perpetrator. The wooden door cracked, and it flew out along with the wind. And in just a blink of an eye, a black-cloaked figure emerged, and everyone was horrified.
The creature was approximately seven feet tall. It had no face but a dark shadow and bloody red eyes.
Aren immediately unleashed his protection magic. A white magic circle materialized on the ground and formed a barrier, circling Zaza and Amana.
"What are you?" Aren did not let his guard down. At seventeen, he was well versed in a protection spell. His parents made him that way to protect his little sister. However, standing against this creature made him realize all his efforts were useless. They had survived the magic that shook the world, but they could not escape the foot soldiers of the Empire.
This creature was a Shadow, the notorious soul stealer!
"Zaza, hear me! Make yourself stronger, and I'll leave the responsibility for you to take good care of my sister." Sweats started to form on Aren's forehead despite the icy temperature.
"Brother, no! Don't do this!" Amana was horrified when Aren drew his dagger. She tried to break free from the barrier, but it was so strong, as if Aren had poured all his power into strengthening it.
"Zaza! Promise me!" Aren shouted.
Zaza swallowed, and his eyes were fixed on the creature. Then he looked and Aren even if he didn't understand what he meant by making him swear. "I…I promise."
It was enough for Aren to proceed with his plan. He smiled triumphantly and waited for the right moment.
Aren knew about this creature before him—it would possess his body and make him its new host, but he wouldn't let it happen.
The creature suddenly turned into a red ball of smoke. It tried to break the barrier, but it only bounced. Are made sure it was impenetrable, and he didn't leave anything to protect himself.
The smoke moved swiftly and targeted Aren. Although he managed to dodge it several times, he had to decide to save his sister's life.
Aren did not resist this time. The smoke had hit his body, and he was consumed by excruciating pain. His eyes turned bloody red, yet he did his best to gather all his remaining consciousness, stuck the dagger to his chest thrice, and then smiled.
"Not now, Shadow…."
There was a loud shriek in Aren's mind. The only weakness of the Shadow was during finding its new host, where it was the weakest. The host must die along with it.
"Brother! Noooo!" Amana could not hold back her tears.
"Aren…" Zaza's crimson eyes broadened in shock. It was the first time he witnessed someone die protecting him.
As soon as the protective barrier was broken, Aren drew his last breath.