Anastasia was pinned to the corner of the room opposite where the shadow emerged from. She had been moved off her bed and pushed into that corner by some invisible force. She assumed the shadow that advanced on her was responsible. She felt her heart rate increase rapidly as her body trembled with fear. The shadow held its hand out towards her, almost touching her.

'So beautiful,' the shadow commented, 'if only it didn't have to be this way.'

The smoke reached the roof before the shadow signalled to let it loose.

'No!' She heard Christopher scream. 'Leave her out of this.'

The smoke approached her, going to consume her but it hesitated. The smoke seemed to change its mind and headed in multiple directions, momentarily confused. She realised that Christopher had slashed at the shadow person with his knife.

'Did you really think that would work?' The shadow asked. She heard the evil smile creep into his voice at Christopher's attempt to remove him.

The smoke seemed to split into two. Half advanced at Christopher, the other at Anastasia. She attempted to crawl away but didn't end up moving very far from the corner. Some of the smoke that came to attack her blocked her path and solidified.

She couldn't tell what Christopher was doing but she knew that he was defending himself. She focused on the smoke that loomed in front of her. She didn't know any way that she could defeat it or at least keep it distant from her.

The smoke surrounded her, enclosing her in a small dome. She was expecting to end up in a coughing fit but ended up being trapped, unable to move anywhere. She knew if she approached the smoke wall it would solidify again.

She curled her body into more of a ball shape as the smoke attempted to consume her. She tried to not let the shadow win as the smoke and darkness injected itself into her skin. Her body grew weaker. More smoke had consumed her, sapping away her strength. She wasn't prepared to let it win. Not that easily.

With each sliver of darkness that seeped into her, the thoughts she conjured began to change. Her panicked thoughts slowly transformed into thoughts such as 'I should let him in...' or mentions of Christopher not to be trusted and that he should be hurt.

She attempted to think of anything else that would prolong her what Anastasia assumes was her death. Anything else to avoid hearing the voices that put those ideas in her head.

Her thoughts then wandered off to Christopher; the person who showed up at Cinderash and happened to bring the Lich back from its banishment. She hated that he had just come into town and flipped her and the whole town's lives upside down. If only he knew what he was putting the town through, then maybe he'll understand the extent of what he had done.

'Christopher can't be trusted,' the voice hissed in her mind. 'Together, we can eliminate him and rise to great power.'

These thoughts were what the Lich wanted, letting more shadow into her. She had to fight it.

She pushed those thoughts of Christopher away and focused on memories of her mother and imagined she was cooking something that smells delicious. She imagined gardening with her mother as they harvested and planted crops. She remembered funny things that her older siblings did and all the attempts her older brother did in an attempt to scare Tamara, her eldest sister. She resurfaced all the positive memories she had in order to maintain control.

Anastasia felt a hand brush past her leg, stopping the smoke and darkness for a moment before disappearing behind the smoke wall.

'Hand!' She heard a Christopher's voice call out.

She unravelled a little from her cocoon shape as she held her hand out next to the wall of smoke. She wasn't sure how he could put his hand through the smoke wall without it solidifying like it did to her.

She felt Christopher's hand grab hers. It was surrounded by a gold glow that made her feel warm and safe. Anastasia realised that she too had a gold barrier enclosed around her after a few moments of grabbing his hand. Their hands remained tight for a while and the smoke seemed to part around the two of them. The darkness that had managed to bury inside her seemed to escape back where it entered from, like the gold barrier or Christophers touch had made her body unbearable for it to live.

'Stop ruining everything!' The shadow yelled before aiming more smoke at Christopher in an attempt to break the barrier that he had created.

Anastasia didn't feel as weak as the smoke stopped pestering her. The smoke could no longer harm her, almost as though she possessed what power Christopher could harness. She quickly dropped the idea concluding it to be absurd that she herself was a sorcerer as well. The stories only ever spoke of one sorcerer. She couldn't be one if Christopher could wield that sort of power.

The smoke began to subside, disappearing in almost every direction as well as through the floor. Christopher held her hand for a bit longer before letting go. The gold glow that surrounded the two of them vanished not long after.

'The unbreakable bond.' The shadow murmured. 'I should've known.'

Anastasia was confused about what it spoke about. She couldn't remember anything about an "unbreakable bond" from the top of her head.

'You won't know what is going to hit this town. Just you two wait.' The shadow concluded before waving its hand and disappearing into the darkness as a shadow and smoke.

Juliana stood in shock at the door. She looked shaken up from what she saw. She attempted to speak and ask a question but her voice wouldn't allow it.

'How did you know?' Anastasia questioned.

'Know what?' Christopher asked.

'How to protect me from Him.'

Christopher shrugged his shoulders. 'I didn't. It was more like... a hunch.'

'You almost let it kill me!'

'I didn't though.'

'Was that... the Lich?' Juliana asked.

'Yes.' Christopher answered. 'He was trying to use Anastasia as a vessel. He attempted to do the same thing to me.'

Juliana walked over to the bed and sat. She mumbled something under her breath but Anastasia didn't catch what she said.

'Is everything alright, mother?'

'No it can't be.' She mumbled. 'He's messing with us.'

'Mother?' Anastasia inquired.

'Just head to bed. Good night.' She quickly stood up and left.

'Are you alright?' Christopher asked concerned. 'It looked like he almost got you.'

'Yes.' Anastasia replied. 'Thank you. Now we should get some sleep.'

'Let's see how much I can get of it. Sweet dreams.'

Christopher and Anastasia both walked outside. Both of them hadn't sleep very much. Anastasia was worried that the Lich may come back and try to use her as a vessel. And without Christopher there she wasn't sure the Lich would let her go that easily. She also felt a little uneasy about the "unbreakable bond" that Skobex had mentioned.

'The books speak of two people defeating Skobex.' Christopher mentioned.

'What's your point?'

'I need your help.'

Anastasia cocked her slightly. 'You're the sorcerer. Don't you know what you're doing?'

'No.' He admitted. 'I need your help. The sorcerer was accompanied by a great swordsman as they both worked together to defeat Skobex.'

Anastasia was going to respond back but was interrupted by someone yelling, 'He's conspiring with the Lich!'.

The man's finger pointed straight in the direction of Christopher. Anyone near them stopped and turned their heads.

'What have you done now?' Anastasia questioned, just loud enough to be heard by Christopher.

'I saw him last night,' the same man continued, projecting his voice like he was giving a speech to everyone in the area. The man wore a beige outfit fitted with a dark blue sash across his upper body—the town's elected leader, Maynard. 'He was communicating with the Lich. He must be responsible for my son's disappearance.'

Quiet chatter emerged throughout the small crowd that formed. Anastasia noticed that the woman standing behind him looked as though she had just stopped herself from crying. She looked on the verge of crying again.

'I... I didn't...' Christopher stuttered. 'I'm not sure what you speak of, sir.'

'You must know, why else would you be speaking to Skobex? You're trying to ruin this town.'

'I'm not—'

'He needs to be taught a lesson. He should be killed.'

A few of the other people around began to speak in agreement with this man. Why wouldn't they? Maynard was the town's leader, everyone would listen and agree with everything he said. His judgements overruled everyone else.

Christopher looked panicked from what Anastasia could see. His hands were trembling slightly and his skin grew pale. She did something that she never thought she would do, especially for a near stranger.

'You can't kill him.' Anastasia stated.

'Sweet Anastasia. Are you working with this man?'

'No.'

'Then he must be put to death, he's already caused too much damage to Cinderash. We wouldn't want him causing anymore problems.'

A few people approached Christopher. Two of them grabbed him by his arms and began dragging him towards the arch that connected Cinderash with the rest of the world. She'd seen someone cross back over the border once before and it didn't end very well. She couldn't bear to see that happen again.

'Killing him is a terrible mistake, we need him.' She argued.

Everyone stood still, all turning to face Anastasia.

'He brought the Lich back.' A woman commented.

'And due to that, one of our neighbours have been kidnapped.' Another woman added.

They continued dragging him closer and closer to the border. Within a matter of moments he would cross over the threshold and begin to die. She didn't want to relive the same events that she endured ten years ago.

'He's a sorcerer.' She blurted out. 'He is our only hope of defeating Skobex once again. If he dies now...' She didn't finish what she wanted to say. 'Cinderash needs him.'

The two people holding him let him go and anyone within a few meters of him crossing the border took about ten steps back.

Everyone remained silent and still, unsure of what to do or say.

'He better.' A woman said.

'Or else he will be put to death.' Maynard added. 'I will hold my word to that.'

Anastasia grabbed Christopher's hand and dragged him back inside. She was walking so fast, Christopher almost tripped over.

'That was close.' Christopher mentioned, regaining colour back into his skin. 'Too close.'

'I think you need to lay low for a while. I wouldn't go outside again today.'

'How are we going to find information on the Lich then? He's already gaining strength.'

'I think I may have a solution to that.' Juliana answered as she walked toward them. 'Since this was the house the previous sorcerer worked in, there could be some things in the basement.'

'I better get looking then.' Christopher said as he headed toward the basement door.

'I'll help you,' Anastasia commented. 'Two is better than one.'

'Thank you—'

'Don't get use to all the help though, you're still responsible for solving this problem.'