I stared blankly forward as I sat on the same stiff bed I had been strapped to only a few days prior. My posture was slouched, my breaths were more like long sighs, and my eyes hardly moved from where they stared at the floor.

The healers had given me some kind of spell to keep me calm when I woke up that morning, but instead of just keeping me relaxed, it sent me into a kind of daze. Everything was foggy and sluggish, like I was watching a movie in slow motion. My body felt extremely heavy and my mind felt like a bowling ball rolling around inside of my skull. My mouth was constantly dry, but the healers wouldn't give me anything to drink on account of my violent behavior from the last time I stayed here.

"It's almost lunchtime, you can have a drink then." A healer had told me, a too cheerful smile on his face. I didn't say anything, only stared at him with glazed eyes until he got uncomfortable and left the room.

I suppose I should've been kinder to my only visitor, but I didn't really have any energy to say or do anything. Louis hadn't visited me all day, none of my friends had shown up, even Dad hadn't stopped by. Then again, why would they? No one socializes with crazy people except crazy people, and I had been deemed unfit for social interaction.

I sighed when I shivered, the cool air conditioning getting through the thin fabric of the t-shirt and pants I had been given to my skin. I got under the starch white blankets, curling up into a ball under the covers. What had my life come to? Scheduled meals, solitary confinement, and empty bedrooms?

"Hello, little niece." I heard a voice in the room, my heart no longer stuttering and fear long gone. I was getting used to Allister's little visits. I didn't even flinch when I felt the bed shift a bit as he sat on the edge next to me.

"What's up." I spoke in a monotone voice, my uncle chuckling.

"Not too excited to see me?" He smiled at me, his pale skin seeming ghastly white under the harsh lights. He looked like the angel of death with his black attire, an angel I was no longer scared of.

"No, I'm absolutely thrilled. I haven't talked to anyone all day." I breathed out, partly registering how crazy I must have sounded to anyone listening in. I was practically having a conversation with myself, how messed up was that?

"Well I'm happy to keep you company." Allister spoke, my eyes closing as I kept a casual conversation with him. We sat in silence for a few minutes before I decided to speak again.

"You're not real. I don't know how I'm the only one who can see you, but you're not real." I was almost reassuring myself. I honestly didn't really know what was real and what wasn't anymore, I was slowly losing my grasp on reality.

"Oh, believe me Mira. I am very real." Allister replied, and then, almost for confirmation, he lightly patted my shoulder over the covers. I didn't have any energy in me to fight back or shove him away.

"So then is this a talent of yours? To mess with people's minds and make them go crazy?" I asked, Allister smiling his usual wicked grin.

"Maybe." His eyes narrowed as his grin grew bigger, thin pale lips stretching more.

"So this was your plan the whole time? You wanted everyone to think I was crazy and lock me up?" I looked up and over my shoulder at him.

Allister hummed as his head tilted and he got up off the bed. I heard his footsteps as he strolled over to me, kneeling in front of me so our eyes were at the same level. Dull blue eyes looked into colder and harder ones. Allister smiled faintly at me as if I were his own daughter, a look of almost admiration in his eyes as his hand raised and cupped my chin.

"That was part of it, but I might as well kill two birds with one stone while I'm here." He whispered before his hand reached into his coat, the silver metal of a small knife being seen in the light in his hand afterwards. The cool blade was swiftly pressed against my throat, the point poking into the delicate skin. I didn't fight back. I was tired of fighting.

"Do you know how to kill a protector, little niece?" Allister asked coyly as the blade of his knife carelessly traveled up my neck and to my face, my runes keeping it from cutting me.

"No." I replied, the knife now moving down my neck again. My uncle reached for my arm and pulled it out of the comfort of the blankets easily, the blade trailing over the golden marks there.

"You can't." Allister smiled before pressing the handle of the knife into my open hand. My fingers wrapped around it, holding the deadly weapon. I should stab it into Allister's chest, into his neck, but I didn't. My eyes just looked at it, my hands unmoving as the weapon rested in my palm.

"The only way a protector can be killed is if they do it themselves."

My eyes blankly stared down at the dagger in my hand, my mind silent and free of any thoughts for once. I could do it. Allister could never kill me, but I could do it for him.

I could do it for him. It would be easy, just an easy slit.

But if I did that, I left all of Lux defenseless against Nox's attacks. If I killed myself, I wouldn't be the only one to die. I would be writing millions of people their death sentence as well.

"I'm not doing it." I firmly told Allister, tossing the knife across the room. My uncle burst out into laughter.

"I admire your determination, but it won't last. I always win." Allister sneered just as the door opened.

My head turned to see the usual healers stepping in, but also two people I hadn't expected. Louis and Harry both walked into the room before the healers dismissed themselves and closed the door to my room. Harry gave me a small smile when he saw me, but Louis didn't.

Me being in the healing center was taking its toll on Louis. He had lost his healthy glow that his skin radiated, his eyes had darkened a bit, and it looked like he had lost weight. Poor Lou couldn't take all this stress and confusion I was causing him, and it was killing me to see him like this. The bags under his eyes weren't hard to notice as well as the grim and serious expression he now wore as often as his hoodies and baggy jeans.

I was hurting him all over again, but in a totally different way.

"Looks like your boyfriend isn't feeling too well." Allister happily whispered in my ear. I wanted to shoo him away, push him off of me, but I knew that wouldn't help what the healers thought of me. Making any kind of movement that only added to their diagnosis of hallucinations would keep me here longer. Instead, I kept a poker face.

"Hey Mira. How are you today?" Harry at least made polite conversation while Louis only stared at me like I was some kind of child he needed to scold. I didn't answer Harry, which made Louis sigh.

"I want Harry to read your mind and see if Allister is really there." He explained in a monotone voice, Harry nodding next to him before he pulled up a chair and sat in front of my bed. My eyes looked sideways to my uncle who stood next to me, tangible yet invisible at the same time before I nodded.

"Just relax," Harry instructed me as I stared at him. "If Allister is really there, I won't be able to tell if you're thinking a bunch. Try and keep your mind a blank slate."

"This should be fun, little niece." Allister nudged my arm, but I didn't respond to him. Maybe Harry could see that Allister was here, that I wasn't crazy. If he could, that would solve all of my problems.

Unfortunately, Harry couldn't seem to find Allister after ten long minutes. I kept glancing over to my uncle, finding him chuckling or shooting me a smile as Harry failed. I was a fool for thinking this would work.

Tears were beginning to brim around my eyes when a sudden thought hit me. Maybe I was actually going crazy. I mean, if Harry couldn't hear anything, did that mean that this whole time I was the only one in my head? Did that mean Allister really wasn't real? Did I imagine everything?

I was about to start crying when suddenly Harry winced and began rubbing his temple. I closed my eyes and prepared for him to say he was tired, that his head hurt and there was no one else in my head. I was prepared for them to give up on me.

It was when I opened my eyes that I realized something else completely different was happening.

I found my uncle creeping over to Harry, the same devilish look on his face as when he would mess with me. My watery eyes went wide when I saw Allister place his hands on Harry's shoulders, the boy looking around the room.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Louis asked, his arms crossed over his chest as sudden interest peaked within him.

"I heard someone...but it wasn't either of you..." Harry trailed off, vibrant green eyes looking around the room quickly. That didn't make sense though, who else would Harry be hearing if Louis and I were the only people with him?

"Maybe it's one of the healers in the hallway?" Louis tried to find a reason, but I knew that wasn't the answer when I saw Allister begin to whisper in Harry's ear. Harry's posture suddenly turned rigid, his eyes widening and muscles tensing as Allister spoke to him. It was Allister that Harry was hearing.

Both Louis and I jumped when suddenly Harry screamed and clutched his head in his hands, standing and knocking the chair over.

"Harry!" Louis ran over to him, trying to get him to calm down, but it was no use. Allister was laughing maniacally next to him, my hand covering my open mouth as I watched the terrifying scene unfold in front of me.

"What's her name? Maisie?" Allister suddenly spoke, Harry's screams stopping as he looked around the room quickly. I saw tears trailing down his cheeks as well, the previously pretty emerald of his eyes now rimmed with red.

"Shut up." Harry spoke to no one, his eyes still unable to catch sight of my uncle.

"Maybe I should pay her a visit. I should probably call first, it's only polite, oh wait." Allister laughed again, the sound making me shudder. "She can't hear anything in the first place. Poor little thing."

"Shut up!" Harry screamed, banging his fist against the tiled floor. Louis tried yelling to him to calm him down, but it wasn't working. Harry was furious now.

"It would be so easy to sneak up on her. I can see it now." Allister kept spouting his mouth, Harry's tears overflowing now. "I wouldn't even have to hide, I'll just snatch her up when her head is turned. She won't hear me coming anyways."

"No! Don't hurt her!" Harry was frantic now, his body shaking and his shoulders hunching as he sobbed.

"That would be the sweetest torture. I'll just blindfold her and chain her up and let her see if prince charming comes for her. Poor thing will be so scared, unable to see or hear." Allister sneered, his words breaking Harry.

"No, please...don't hurt her..." Harry was begging now, his body curling up on itself as Allister circled around him and cackled.

"Then, when she's calling out for you and begging to be released, maybe I'll finally put my dagger to good use. It hasn't tasted blood in so long, I'm sure your girl's would do nicely." Allister spat at Harry, who screamed once more. I just sat there, my arms wrapped around myself as if to hold myself together, crying my eyes out.

Allister stopped his pacing around Harry to smirk and chuckle in front of him. I felt my blood run cold when I saw Allister's blue eyes suddenly turn a bright, burning scarlet. Shadows suddenly seemed to dance around him, a midnight black aura creeping out from his coat and curling into a smoke-like form around him. I watched in fear as a sort of shadow of Allister emerged from his body and traveled to Harry's. Was this what possessing someone looked like? I didn't want to find out.

I grit my teeth before both of my palms raised before me. My runes glowed bright as sun beams as small golden threads shot from my hands, twirling and wrapping around Harry like a butterfly's cocoon to encase him in one of my barrier bubbles. Allister couldn't get into his mind if it was protected. I quickly did the same to Louis, Allister's shadow returning to his body and his eyes returning to their normal blue as he looked at me. For once there was no smile or laugh, instead only a harsh glare as I had foiled his little plan.

"You can't stop me, little niece." He told me coldly. His footsteps were heavy as he trudged over to me, fierce eyes staring into mine.

"I can, and I will." I assured him, my eyes narrowing at him.

"You don't understand Mira." My uncle softly spoke. He took a glance to a now very shaken up Harry being comforted by Louis before looking back to me. "I win this war because I've messed with your head."

"I hardly think that's winning a war, Allister." I shot back at him. Allister only shook his head.

"You don't understand. When I make people see things, I learn many things about them. What kind of personality they have, who their closest friends and family are, how old they are...and where they are."

My eyes widened as I blinked away my still lingering tears. Where they are...Allister couldn't mean...

"Thank you for showing me where the Rift is, little niece. I'll be visiting very soon." Allister smiled before dissipating into dark mist and dust, my heart suddenly racing and my tears returning.

Allister knew where the Rift was. This was bad, this was very, very bad.

My eyes fell onto Louis and Harry. Poor Harry was still crying and trembling, and Louis' eyes looked up at me from where he was next to our friend.

Louis got up and rushed over to me, taking my hands in his.

"Mira, where's Allister? I'm sorry for doubting you, he was there all along." He rushed out, a panicky form of fear I had never seen him wear before on his face appearing. I didn't answer at first, my body still in shock from the news.

"Mira, where is he?" Louis was freaking out with me, his patience wearing thin.

"He's coming." I whispered in fright. "Allister is coming to the Rift."

A/N: I can now happily say my writer's block is gone, I managed to write this chapter no sweat.

I'm getting so excited because the fight scene is coming and I'm ready to write kick ass chapters. Also, I hope y'all don't mind that the fight scene is going to last at least like five chapters...I wouldn't cuz that just means more Sorcery for everyone.

Dedication goes to thirlfence for their comment on the last chapter!

Vote and comment! -Maddie