Written in the 3rd Person

Jordan awoke in a room that wasn't his own. He wasn't in the spectre dimension anymore, neither was he in his fortress – the calming sound of the wind whistling outside no longer there to calm his frayed nerves. His head pounded, the edges of his vision slightly blurry and drained of all colour. The shadows on the wall seemed to leap out at him like the monsters that prowled the wilderness at night, deadly and unforgiving. He scrambled backwards, his back hitting the wall behind him as he struggled to understand his surroundings – eyes rolling in the back of his head like a frightened deer.

His vision cleared after a while, the leaping shadows forming into people he recognised – Tom, Sonja, Tucker, Wag, Martha and Ianite all leaning forwards with concern written across their faces. Jordan's face was an ashen white, the veins on his neck throbbing visibly with every panicked heartbeat – his breathing the only auditory sound in the room. Jordan's brow furrowed as he took in the scene, unclenching his fists and straightening out his position until he was sitting cross-legged on the bed – a much calmer picture than what had been occurring a minute ago.

Martha stepped forward first, hands in front of her to show that she meant no harm and kindness written in her violet eyes. She glanced back at the others with a knowing look before turning back to Jordan and talking in a calm, measured voice.

"Jordan, we are all very worried about you. We know you went through a horrible experience and we are here to help you through this rough time but it's been nearly 3 months now and you haven't said a single word! All you've done is devote your time to Ianita, which is wonderful to do as her father but you are eating yourself up from the inside. Your collapse last night in the spectre dimension was the last straw, Dianite told us what he saw and now you need to talk to us. There's no getting out of this, you have to at least tell us something – one bit at a time until we know the truth and we can try to help you."

Jordan sat, stunned on the bed as he listened to Martha talk. The sudden concern from people who knew nothing about his past and the ongoing friendship despite the hellish circumstances that he'd put them through continued to astound him. If Jordan's sanity was intact and he wasn't just imagining the memories scattered across his mind, there had been some dark times and Jordan had taken away a life that Tom, Sonja and Tucker may have wanted to live. He had eradicated evil from the land he came from but part of him knew that they had been followed here... Why else would that mysterious girl be here?

Ianite leant forward, her face paler than usual and her eyes filled with exhaustion and worry – large bags under her usually glowing purple eyes and her robes seeming to hang more loosely off of her body than usual. She stared at Jordan with a knowledgeable look that sent a spark of fear down Jordan's spine, if he lied to the group she would be able to tell and that would never end well. Her normally kind voice was layered with tension and fear as she spoke, making her point clear to Jordan no matter how much he tried to avoid it.

"If you don't tell them, I will Jordan. I saw visions of what happened to you and Andor, as much as I couldn't see what was happening within your mind – I could still tell that there were past demons haunting you. When you arrived back at the mainland, your mind was wide open, anyone with an inkling of a telepathic ability was able to reach into your mind and see the darkness within. I saw your memories Jordan, both of the old worlds and of the darkness you faced there. They aren't fake, you aren't going mad. You just need to tell us."

She would tell them if he didn't. That much was clear to Jordan as his mind was torn between two options. He could attempt to tell them about it – potentially triggering another breakdown that could result in all sorts of problems. Or he could find some way to lie to them without Ianite knowing that he was lying. Jordan needed answers just as much as Andor needed to find himself. He had to put the events back into order as they happened before he lost them forever.

"I'll talk if you get someone for me Ianite."

Jordan's voice was strong, the one person who could possibly give him answers wasn't in the room – therefore the only solution was to get her. Ianite's gaze flickered with something dark, a look that seemed to mirror Jordan's. She stared at Jordan for a moment before glancing at the rest of the room, confusion in everyone's eyes as they tried to decipher the cryptic way they were talking. Ianite stood up, heading towards the door but she was stopped by a quiet but familiar voice.

"Don't waste your energy Ianite. I've been here for quite a while."

The girl stepped out of the shadows, the empty corner that everybody had overlooked suddenly filled with the slight figure of the mysterious girl. She bowed to Ianite, showing respect to her goddess before acknowledging Dianite's spirit – whom Jordan hadn't even noticed was in the room. Tom, Sonja and Tucker all stared at the girl with an expression of frustration on their faces, a mixture of familiarity flickering across their wide eyes. She then met their gazes, ignoring Wag and Martha who were sitting next to one another on the other side of the room – clearly, they had no clue what was going on.

"Who are you?"

Jordan voiced this first, after a few moments of silence – with the others all echoing his question with varying levels of accusation in their tones. Ianite nodded at the girl, seemingly giving her permission to do something that would otherwise remain a secret. The girl pushed her short; boy cut hair behind her ears and sighed – closing her piercing blue in eyes in an attempt to focus on something. The whole room gasped as one as the pale skin of the girl began to warp and change – half of it remaining the same with the exception of a few vicious scars that ran down to her chin. The other half of her face was a menacing black, emanating with an eerie aura that caused everyone to shrink away from her – the deep wounds in her face seeming to permanently ooze black blood. One eye was a piercing blue whilst the other had turned into a soulless black.

"My name is Caitlin. I followed you from the old world for reasons I cannot yet disclose. You four cannot live a peaceful life here; the events you have seen so far indicate that. The danger is coming and it is closer than you think. You have mere days until the first day of the collapse of this world begins, in which you will all lose everything if you do not act."

Sonja and Tom were stunned into silence whilst Martha and Wag began muttering to one another, too quickly and quietly for anyone to try and decipher what they were saying. Tucker, however, was not as stunned – standing up abruptly and storming over to where Caitlin was nonchalantly leaning against the door to the room. He started shouting, gesturing wildly with his hands in some attempt to intimidate Caitlin, who seemed completely unaffected no matter how angry Tucker got.

"What the hell do you mean you followed us? We fell through a portal because our gods told us it was the only way home! It failed and we ended up here, you were not a part of the world we came from I am sure of that. An abomination like you would have been killed by a mob by now; those scars clearly show that you are horrendous at taking care of yourself. How the hell do you know us anyways? How come Jordan seems to be the only person who isn't surprised to see you?"

Caitlin stood up taller, her height coming just a little bit shorter than Tucker but her cold expression was enough to send Tucker staggering backwards in fear. Ianite gave her a small look, a look of warning in her violet eyes – as if Caitlin would do something she would regret if Ianite didn't keep a close eye on her. The calm voice that she used before was completely gone, replaced with a ferocious tone that clearly meant business.

"I was the one who saved your friends from that prison. They were in the deepest cell, past the vilest criminals the land has to offer – lying in pools of their own blood and barely conscious. By the time you two found them, they had gotten past most of the guards, the ones you fought were merely sentries – they weren't made for fighting. They would be dead without me. You all wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for Jordan's choices in the old world. The memories inside your head? Most of them are lies, put in by the gods to save you all from a worse fate."

Jordan stared at Caitlin, memories beginning to rearrange themselves in his head into a presentable timeline – the torture he was put through making more sense as his mind whirled. Ianite grabbed Caitlin by the back of her shirt and pulled her outside, the purple aura that normally flowed around Ianite turning a darker purple as it mixed with the shadows emanating from Caitlin's fists. Tucker, Tom and Sonja were all staring agape as they left – mouths dropping open like a fish struggling to breathe. Martha and Wag soon ushered them all out, muttering something about Jordan needing rest – leaving Jordan alone with his thoughts. Soon he moved to the window and clambered out to sit on the roof, staring up at the stars which had risen in the sky and just observed the world flying by. Life carried on like normal, like nothing bad was going to happen to anyone – as if the world was perfect.

"Daddy? Are you ok? Auntie Martha said you were sleeping and that I should leave you alone but you didn't pick me up this morning and I was worried and Mommy looks really unwell and I'm scared."

Ianite's quiet voice was filled with worry, not the kind that you could easily reassure but the kind that sunk deep into your mind and heart – taunting you with a terrifying future that you can see no way out of. Jordan looked over to see her sitting in the tree next to the roof, hovering slightly as she slowly and carefully climbed onto the roof to sit next to Jordan. She cuddled into his side, a little smile on her face that was a sharp contrast to the fear in her eyes. Jordan gently stroked her hair, listening to her breathing rise and fall as she drifted off to sleep without questioning Jordan's lack of reply to her questions. There was something bad coming. They all knew it now.

"I swear, no matter what happens, I will protect you Ianita. I mean it now more than ever. Nobody from my past, present or future will ever hurt you. If you fall, I fall too."

A/N

So we are about halfway through this tale (give or take a few chapters).

Memories are returning, demons are coming and the end of Dagrun seems near.

Welcome to the Endgame my readers. 

Muheuehueheuhe

Much love

Caitlin <3