Chapter 38: Darker Paths Ahead

Chapter 38: Darker Paths Ahead The night was young. The family had been through a lot, but that was only the beginning of the events that would unfold that evening. In the days leading up to this moment, almost all the visitors who had come to the kingdom had been sent back to their respective realms. Yet, one group remained, standing out among the rest. Hordin had retreated to his room, using the rare free time he had to communicate with the doll that had become his only companion He had devised a set of signs to show the doll, which responded with rhythmic taps. In the brief hours he had spent, he had managed to gather intelligence on nearly everyone of importance in the kingdom. The secrets he had uncovered were dangerous—secrets that could cost him his life if discovered. Despite not possessing any innate abilities, Hordin had sharpened his skill of reading people, learning to discern their weaknesses with just a glance. All with the help of the doll. Tonight, as he sat with the doll, Hordin received a startling revelation. The doll had revealed something he hadn’t expected: the identity of the person poisoning Lia. His heart raced as he absorbed the information. What was worse was that the poison was designed to keep Lia trapped in a dreamlike state for years. The weight of the information frightened him, and from the first time, he wondered with seriousness whether the doll still ahd another owner Yes, the doll wanted to eliminate the old man, but how was he supposed to help it? And why was it helping him as well, sharing such precious information easily. Hordin struggled to comprehend the gravity of what he had just learned. His mind spun as he tried to process the enormity of the situation. He stood up abruptly, feeling the walls of the room closing in on him. He needed air. He needed space to think. Without a clear plan, he decided to step outside, hoping a change of scenery would help him gain some clarity. Unbeknownst to him, this simple decision would set in motion a chain of events that would draw him into peril in the Bone Kingdom. As he walked through the darkened halls, a sudden surge of energy caught his attention. Curiosity piqued, Hordin quickened his pace, heading toward the source of the disturbance. He knew the risks of being seen—especially by the old man—but his desire to understand what was happening pushed him forward. Again. * * * Mozrael finally calmed down, her breathing ragged as she tried to shake the lingering unease. But the sound of hurried footsteps snapped her focus to the door. A servant rushed in, his face pale and voice trembling. "Forgive me, but we need your help. It’s Aramith." That was the voice of someone scared to the bone. Her heart sank as Henndar immediately left the room, his face etched with worry. Mozrael hesitated, gripping the edge of the table for support. That heaviness in her chest, the strange weight she’d felt since earlier—it hadn’t left. And now, it felt like a warning. Henndar’s feet moved on instinct, gliding down the corridor with practiced speed. The air was heavy with something unnatural, almost electric, and it grew stronger with every step. When he arrived, the sight before him froze him in place. The guards were already there, their hands outstretched, fighting back the storm of energy that raged from Aramith’s room. Tendrils of darkness snaked along the walls, cracking them as they spread. Henndar steeled himself, raising a hand to summon the protective dome around himself as an explosion knocked the guards back. Henndar looked inside the room and saw Aramith floating in the room. Dark matter swirled around him and more and more force pushed outward, holding the guards back. Henndar waved again and a silverish dome formed at the doorway, blocking the force. He waved again and another one formed, just to be on the safe side. Aramith’s dark energy tore through the walls, he muttered something and Henndar’s silver dome trembled under the pressure. As the fallen guards helped themselves up, Mozrael rushed to the scene, followed by Kethra, who tried to prevent her from seeing what was happening. The moment her eyes fell on Aramith, the uneasiness and weight she felt earlier returned, and she fell to the ground, staring helplessly at the suffering boy. She could understand what he was going through, a connection. Suddenly, Aramith’s eyes opened, but there were no whites. He looked straight at the dome and let out a heart-wrenching scream. That was the sound of an animal in pain, not a human. The dome was torn apart as more darkness surged from the boy, sinking into their surroundings like a fog.. Henndar pulled Mozrael closer to himself and took a step closer to Kethra as another dome formed around them, shielding them from the force. The thick darkness made it impossible to see their surroundings and when it dissipated, a large portion of the room was destroyed, and Aramith was nowhere to be found. Mozrael rushed into the room, frantically searching for him, but after seeing no signs of him, she took the risk again, sprouted wings and shot off into the night, leaving behind an explosion of lightning and fire. Henndar held Kethra back and signaled for the guards who were about to chase after them to stop. It was a difficult choice, but the lack of knowledge concerning their attributes made it a complicated matter. He called for Deadlock and told them to keep an eye on them. Several feet above the castle, she looked for Aramith. He looked at her, but couldn’t see her, dark matter flowing dangerously around him. Mozrael wanted to get closer but feared he might fly off. "Aramith! Come Home!" She called out. He didn’t respond, just staring blankly. She could see him hesitating between attacking her and running away. She moved a little closer, still a few feet away from him. Aramith just swung his arm at her and dark matter shot at her. She flew out of harm’s way but didn’t leave. "It’s me, Mozrael. We’re all worried" She said to him. He didn’t respond to her and just looked around as if searching for something. Mozrael stayed where she was, quietly waiting. The only sounds that broke the silence were the flapping of Mozrael’s wings as she bobbed up and down, and the rapidly swirling matter around Aramith. Aramith seemed to have seen something on the ground that made him feel unsafe and suddenly the swirling particles around him quadrupled and started moving even faster. All Mozrael could see within the dome of swirling particles were glimpses of his face between the spaces of the particles. Without warning, a loud BOOM resounded and the particles shot out, throwing Mozrael far from him. When Mozrael came to, he had shot off into the skies. Without hesitating, she chased after him, slicing through the sky at tremendous speed. Realizing he was being followed, he sped up. Mozrael realized he was getting away from her and pumped her wings faster and faster, but he was still getting away. For the first time, she tried to let the dragon take control for a bit. Her wings and spine glowed as spikes appeared instantly on her back. Her wings crackled with electricity and a blue glint shone in her eyes. With a burst of energy, she shot off faster than ever and was quickly gaining on him. Fireworks sudenly exploded in the sky, so many it was impossible for observers to notice some of those lights were coming from Mozrael’s wings. It seemed insignificant, but that simple decision by Henndar had taken several eyes off of Mozrael and Aramith, masing their movements. Mozrael ignored them and focused all her attention forward. The buildings were nothing but a dark blur beneath her as she sped off towards her target. He was close, so close but then he suddenly outmaneuvered her and shot upwards, tricking her. She whizzed past him and took a few seconds to change direction and follow him upward. That was when she realized he was speeding up again. As Mozrael surged forward, a high-pitched, shrill whine sliced through the air—a sound like particles breaking the sound barrier, a constant, razor-sharp hum that vibrated in the very atmosphere around her as she tore through the sky as she chased after him once again, turning into a blue streak that cut across the night sky. They went upwards through the clouds but didn’t stop still. Mozrael could feel the cold of the clouds as droplets formed on her face. The coldness stung and tiny particles she couldn’t identify cut into her skin as she flew through the clouds, trying to catch up. She coughed out blood, realizing she was nearing her limit. She wondered what pain she would go through after all this was over. Desperately thinking of what to do, she hurled jagged arcs of searing lightning at him, each strike crackling with a fury that split the air and left the scent of scorched ozone in its wake. Aramith dodged them easily, slowly putting a gap between them. Not being able to stop him and fearing he would be gone soon enough, she let the beast within take more control. Her eyes glowed a brighter blue and she paused in the air. She grabbed nothingness and a bow of blue flames appeared. Using her other arm, she pulled back an arrow of lightning, releasing it with full force after him. The arrow hit him almost immediately after she released it. He screamed long and loud and went limp, hurtling towards the ground. After flying so long, they were leagues away from the kingdom, thousands of feet above an unknown forest. The moon, hidden by clouds came into view, illuminating the skies. A blue-winged demon held a flaming bow as she watched her target descend faster and faster. As Aramith fell, the wind howled around him, cold as ice and sharp as a blade. It cut into his skin, biting through his clothes, and rushed past his ears with a deafening roar. Each gust felt like a thousand invisible hands pushing him faster into the abyss, and the coldness sank into his bones, a relentless reminder that he was plummeting toward something far worse than death. His mind slowly began to stir, like a fog lifting—I’m falling, right? His body felt heavy as if the cold itself was pulling him deeper into the abyss. Too cold. Why is it so cold? His thoughts were fragmented, like shards of glass scattering across a stormy sea. Mozrael... I heard her... but where is she now? His heart clenched, a desperate panic rising. Lia? Father? Mother? The names lingered, but his body refused to respond, a cruel prison of stillness. His eyelids felt like lead, too weak to open. His limbs were numb. I can’t move. A shiver of dread crept through him. Am I dying? Is this the end? He couldn’t tell anymore. Maybe it’s a dream... But even the idea of that felt distant like he was losing touch with his own reality, sinking into an endless fall. His mind grasped for something—anything—to hold onto. But all he could do was descend, the void stretching farther than he could see. He fell for what felt like an eternity, then heard branches breaking and snapping under him before finally hitting the ground which met him with brutal force, the air knocked from his lungs as if the earth itself had swallowed him whole. A sharp, electric jolt surged through him, every nerve lighting up in protest before the blackness of unconsciousness claimed him again. A forest? The usual hum of crickets, the rustle of leaves—it was all eerily silent. Where were they? The forest felt still, too still, as if time itself had stopped—a quiet that pressed down on him. In his last moments of consciousness, a shadowy figure hovered above him. He could barely make her out, but her eyes locked with his—cold, unwavering, blue. And then, she was gone, vanishing into the dark sky like a phantom.