It was too good to be true. Happy endings weren't meant for the damned.

Like a ghost, I floated towards the brink of the cliff. My eyes were soon fixated on the grey-blue tempest brewing below. It roared with wrath, its harsh currents driven by the howling winds. Large waves continued to slap into the screes with unwavering vengeance. The spring air had swiftly turned bitter cold, its frozen heart pierced every inch of my body like icy daggers. My body grew numb as the biting pain seeped into my core, making its nest for days to come.

The somber clouds soon joined the wake. They wept softly, each droplet drowning me further into the pit of despair. With every passing second, my heart grew heavier. The rain continued to drench my soul with agonizing sorrow, turning my faint sniffles into desperate cries. It wasn't long until my screams were muffled by the booming thunder. Each sparkling bolt crackled with fury, blocking my distress while seamlessly emulating terror. It was like my every action was being one-upped by nature.

You killed him. The words echoed through my mind in raspy whispers. I knew this voice all too well. It'd been haunting me for the past seven years. Its first appearance the night after my parents' death. All it did was linger, drilling nightmares into my sanity. Like its only goal was to make me want to rid myself of this life.

But the voice never lied. My body shook with a violent intensity, as though my core was being electrocuted. I wanted to scream, but nothing came out. My body heaved with frustration. Never in my life had I felt so helpless, so broken.

I knew better than to have let Dean in. When we had first locked eyes, I should have pulled away. I should have politely declined his request to exchange numbers. I should have never agreed to a date. And that first kiss should have never happened. But it did. The voice held me accountable for my actions as it should have. I knew I had been selfish with him. He might not have known the consequences of getting too close, but I did. Still, I'd let him into my heart, because he'd convinced me things would be different. How could he have known that it wouldn't be? I should have known better. He'd filled my life with light, and in return, I became his undoing.

Suddenly, the platinum ring on my finger burned against my skin. Dean Holt was probably lying in a grave, and it was all my fault.

My hands curled into fists, and my sobs were replaced by quiet determination.

I kicked my heels off, allowing them to fall into the chasm. As my bare feet sunk into the cold ground, I could feel the squelch of the mud beneath. Water rose up the tender terrain and ran between my toes. The cool sensation felt good. For a brief moment, the perils of life had disappeared, at least until my eyes focused on my attire. It had become nothing more than a dreadful reminder of the events that had unfolded earlier today.

I roughly pulled on the long-sleeves and tore through the delicate lace while stepping out of the ivory gown. Tears continued to stream down, as I held the heavy dress up. Through my blurred vision, I could make out the tattered train, carelessly ripped at the seams and dirtied upon being dragged across the scarp. My eyes roamed the length, before I noticed the small beige bow, that had been wrapped around the torso of the frock, had come undone. Rumpled at the edges, it hung lifelessly.

Someone must have pulled on it, I realized. Probably in an attempt to stop me as I was running away.

My body stiffened at the thought. Before long, I found myself grieving for the others at the scene. Not only had I robbed Dean from his family, I had also robbed his family the comfort of church. I didn't deserve their sympathy or affection, and I sure as hell didn't deserve this dress.

With a shallow breath, my grip loosened and I let my wedding gown slip through my fingers. My eyes followed its movement as it swayed in the wind before falling to its demise, promptly engulfed by the raging waves. Suddenly the air creeped up, wrapping around my skin with its frigid tendrils. The subtle earthy scent that had graced the morning was replaced by a wintry crispness. And the chilling breeze churned, anguishing any trace of new life.

As the wind blew against my body, I began to shiver uncontrollably. I was left standing in the flimsy, backless, slip dress that I'd worn underneath.

I grinded my teeth to prevent chattering, and held my ground.

This pain is temporary, I convinced myself. I'll be dead soon enough.

No matter how easy the escape seemed, suicide took courage. My fear of falling was easily overpowered by the fear of failing, and being left to reap the consequences of a broken life. I took a deep breath to gather my strength, and closed my eyes, allowing myself to be consumed by the thoughts of my beloved. With an exhale, I stepped off the ledge and fell backwards into the dark abyss of forbidding black water.

As my body plummeted towards my end, a loud screech rumbled through the evening. My eyes snapped open, and my heart began to pound wildly against my chest. It racing like a trapped bird desperate to escape. I tried to stay calm, but I couldn't even breathe. The sound trilled again, this time much louder than the clapping thunder that followed.

During my entire life, there had only been one time where my life had slowed down to a crawl. This was the second time.

My eyes finally met the source behind the wails, a monstrous creature gliding through the sky. It hovered, circling me as a predator would its prey. I found myself unable to swallow the bile rising in my throat. I mentally cried out in crippling fear as it darted towards me, its sharp beak spread wide apart like a hunger-driven animal.

Small, unsteady, breaths escaped my mouth as my mouth hung open. Soon, gravity flipped me over, and my eyes connected with the approaching cluster of spiky rocks. It was only a matter of seconds, if that, until they would thrust through my soft flesh. I prayed my body would meet the bottom before its beak reached me. But my prayer was in vain. Just before my blood could taint the jagged boulders, the creature swooped in and my body fell flat on its back.

Wordlessly, it steered us back towards the clifftop. As its giant wings picked up speed, I found myself inadvertently straddling the creature and gripping onto its coarse fur. It flew past the mountain, into the eye of storm, unfazed by the pounding rain and lightning strikes. Again, it lingered in the air for a while before it headed toward the widest and flattest area of the bluff.

The moment its large paws hit the flat terrain, my body jumped into flight mode. Without a second thought, I leaped off its back and instantly fell on my side. The muddy ground absorbed most of the shock, but the stray pebbles dug deep into my skin, and I involuntarily let out a groan. Before my brain could process the pain, adrenaline kicked in. I hopped onto my feet and bolted towards the overhang of the escapement.

But a menacing caw stopped me dead in my tracks.

I slowly turned around to find the creature hovering right over me. A shriek instantly escaped my mouth. Quickly, I covered my lips and began to stagger backwards but I didn't get very far. I tripped over my own feet and immediately fell on my ass. I yelped in response before dread filled my body. I peeked to gauge its reaction, but it didn't react. It didn't even move. Its beady eyes just stayed on me, as though studying me. And cautiously, I met its steely gaze with equal curiosity.

I didn't know what to make of the beast looming over me.

Just then, without warning, the creature spread its ebony wings apart, stretching its feathered arms. My eyes followed the thick veins peering through its reptilian body. Soon, I was captivated by the unusual, hybrid beast. Darker than night, and coated in golden flecks, it stood taller than an elephant. Its fur gleamed as it moved, shimmering against the dark mass. With the head of a raven, and a body of, what seemed like a dragon, I was unable look away. The creature, however, diverted its gaze as its beefy legs began to stomp the ground. The earth trembled and my hands flung to either side of my body for support. I was almost positive the mountain would crack into a million pieces.

When it stopped, I narrowed my eyes and glared at it. The damn thing nearly caused an earthquake trying to get comfortable. Indifferent to my look, it shuffled a few times, spun around twice, before plopping onto the ground and wagging its scaly tail like a dog. I rubbed my eyes for good measure, hoping I could simply will the creature to disappear. No such luck.

The wagging of the tail persisted, but its head had disappeared into the insides of its vermilion-colored left wing. I wondered whether I'd fallen asleep driving around the city after the incident. It had been a long day after all. Maybe I'd crashed into a tree, and this was all a dream. Or maybe I had hit the rocks when I fell, and I was already at the brink of death. And my mind had created this strange scenario, to occupy my thoughts in order to lessen my suffering.

It was the only logical explanation.

The creature stared at me with a cocked head before it slightly parted its beak and squealed loudly. My hands hoisted up to my ears and I pressed down with all my might. Its shrill cry still managed to trickle through, but this time, the noise came out broken and frayed. Like the beast had tried to squawk and howl at the same time. Before long, a line of gray mist escaped its mouth. It swirled in the air, dancing with the soft breeze, and then vanished without a trace.

The monster blinked once before shifting its gaze. I followed its eyes to a bright red envelope resting at my feet. Rationality overthrew my curiosity, forcing me to think before I reacted. My eyes flickered between the letter and the beast. I didn't want to spook it, and I sure as heck did not want to anger it. Despite wanting to die, even I knew that a quick death was better than being mauled and slowly eaten alive.

Almost as though it could sense my reluctance, the creature stood up. Before I could understand what was happening, it galloped towards the edge of the cliff and another earthquake ensued. I held onto ground, but my eyes stayed glued to the strange animal as it extended its wings and jumped off. Within seconds, it had disappeared into the smoky clouds.

It was then I noticed that the rain had begun to taper out. Instantly, my arm shot outwards, and I grabbed onto the peculiar envelope. It was wet, but still intact. As I examined it, I saw my name penned in gold ink, and written in cursive. I flipped it over, and noticed a bronze stamp with an emblem marked as 'G.S.' sealing the covering. Carefully, my thumb brushed across the seal flap, through the wax, and tore it open. I gingerly removed the contents from its case. The first was a handwritten letter on parchment, and the second page looked like a detailed map.

My eyes glazed over the image. As I took in the map in its entirely, I realized it was an outline of the city of Astoria. I only recognized half of it as my eyes trailed down further. Most of what had been drawn on seemed to be uncharted territory. And a large, black, 'X' marked a spot within the unfamiliar area. I found the letter that had been addressed to me, and read it:

As my mind attempted to process the beautifully handwritten words, my eyes automatically welled up with tears. They rolled down my cheeks and stained the letter in my trembling hands. Reality hit me like a ton of bricks, and guilt overshadowed my emotions. In the midst of the chaos created by the monster's sudden appearance, not only had I briefly forgotten about my misery, I had forgotten about Dean. My heart threatened to shatter for the umpteenth time as the pangs of unbearable pain gushed through my body.

My lips began to quiver as my body continued to shake. I tried to stop the rippling convulsions but it was futile. My brain no longer controlled my actions. It was too lost in thought, too consumed by endless grief. For a brief moment, I wondered if the letter was just some sick joke. But somewhere deep inside, my sanity whispered an assurance, telling me that everything I'd witnessed was real. And my gut affirmed its statement by making me believe that the letter spoke nothing but the truth.

Suddenly, a gust of anger rose from within. The small chance that someone was responsible for the deaths of everyone I'd ever cared about enraged me beyond my wits. And the fact that the letter stated that someone had killed them made me lose control. I let out a blood-curdling scream until I was bent forward and heaving to the ground with the force of a person retching on all fours. And then all I could see was red.

Gone was the will to perish into nothingness. As I clung onto the truth behind words in the letter, I finally found a reason to live on. The sheer possibility that I might be able to confront person responsible–the murderer–set my soul on fire. My heart pounded with a foreign tenacity as I clenched my hands and rose to my feet.

I had to find Faeva.

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