━━━ ꧁ད ✶ ཌ꧂ ━━━

CHAPTER 28

━━━ ꧁ད ✶ ཌ꧂ ━━━

"It was different when they were together," he murmured to himself, glancing at the medallions, and he was right; their combined brightness was dazzling and almost painful to the eyes. I couldn't even imagine what they would be like together.

The foreign accent was more pronounced in this person. I could barely understand what he was saying, which made it clear that he didn't practice his language much.

With agility, the boy jumped off the branch and landed on the shore of the lake, offering his hand to help me out. But I stayed still, observing the brilliant medallion he possessed and wondering how he had obtained it.

Seeing that I didn't move, he withdrew his hand, and when he looked up to search my face, he grinned sideways. A dimple formed on his cheek, pointing towards the curve.

With elegance, he tucked the medallion into the back pocket of his black jeans, which stood out for their peculiar design. The right leg was decorated with thick white lines in a horizontal sequence down to the knee, while the left had stars printed on it. He also wore combined ankle boots and an oversized knitted wine-colored sweater.

The last movement he made allowed me to see his face more clearly. He looked very young, about my age. He had well-defined features, disheveled black hair pointing upwards, and lively eyes of the same color.

"Who are you?" I asked.

From his pockets, he took out two circular objects like small stones, one darker than the other. He skillfully threw them, making them fly for a moment before catching them in the same hand. He repeated the process several times, and every time the pair of objects touched each other, sparks flew.

"You know me," he asserted.

The stones clinked with increasing speed, meeting in the air and changing their tone to a faint and brilliant orange. In their ascending movement, they weaved a kind of braid, colliding at each intersection and releasing luminous sparks. The boy performed the trick effortlessly and naturally. His skill in handling those small objects was impressive.

"I don't believe you," I replied.

The stones stopped in midair and fell into his palm. He bit his lower lip while smiling suspiciously.

"It's a shame you forgot," he ironized with a hint of regret in his voice, "although I must admit you have a knack for messing up when you try to escape. Despite that, I'll give you points for the effort."

Even though I was on the shore and so close to the surface, the water had me trapped from the waist down. However, I didn't need to ponder too much. Delving into his confident words was enough to ignite a realization in my mind.

"You were following me in the forest. You were the one hiding behind that tree," I said as I tried to wring the sweatshirt fabric outside the lake. My clothes weighed twice as much, and the cold was not friendly either.

"My bird guided you here, but I was talking about another time in particular." He looked at me like a cat, tilting his head as if trying to process that he had been the one responsible for creating that feathered monstrosity. "It was some time ago, at the train station. Does that ring a bell?"

I wrinkled my nose, which amused him. His laughter was like a faint whisper, reminding me of the first night when Thomas asked me to meet him at the station. While waiting for him, the silhouette I saw in the non-existent light was the same one that had hidden behind the tree and the one I had in front of me now.

"The one at the station, that was you? But how...?"

"Let's just say I liked watching you because you remind me of someone I admire," he confessed, looking out at the horizon. "I have my way of spying on both planes: the shadows and the human world. That was fine until Dallas showed up with his little surprise number and shook us all up. Because of him, the shadows went wild and now roam this world out of control."

Once again, he was talking about Ellinor, but I didn't want to dwell on that this time.

"They went wild?" I blurted it out, thinking about the last time I saw them and what Mikkel said. The man was pretty sure that something or someone was controlling them.

"You didn't know? Dallas was the only one with the power to delve into the most personal possession of any being: their mind. It makes you strong, but it also comes with a great deal of weakness. Just know one tiny, significant thing that resides in anyone's head, and you can manipulate it. And these shadows were once people, so, of course, they have memories. He manipulated them as he pleased, thanks to those rings you now possess. In the end, he chose to hang himself with the strings of his puppets."

He looked upset about that last fact.

"He committed suicide?" The question shot out of my mouth, and he seemed to enjoy the attention I was giving him as he smiled once more.

"I don't know his reasons, but I imagine he wanted to play the hero and died for it."

"How do you know all this?"

"I told you already. I forgot you weren't very attentive," he sighed. "I've been spying from the world of shadows, thanks to the man medallion; that's what I call it. Neither a ghost, since the lightning doesn't affect me at all."

The gadget he mentioned was supposed to enable control so that inanimate objects seemed real, or that's what Ashton explained to me at the port. But they also did something else, like enhance each member's abilities.

"And during all this time, you just watched."

"Yup," he replied simply.

"Why?"

"All magic has its limits, you know? When you saw me at the station, I was behind a curtain..." He left it unfinished, turned on his heels, and walked aimlessly. My eyes rested on the rag doll with chaotic hair that he kept in one of his back pockets. "I led you here because I saw the need to warn you."

"About what?"

He stopped his senseless walk and insisted on coming back until he stood in front of me.

"Have you ever experienced that feeling when you touch someone's arm, and you get a small electric shock?" he asked sharply. "Well, that's because everything possesses some kind of essential and unique energy, be it humans, plants, animals, or shadows. This also includes any gadget. They need the energy to work their magic. The rings consume yours in this case because, by becoming their owner, you also became their power source."

I didn't want to believe him, but it sounded logical.

As Ashton mentioned, every cause has its effect. They were connected to me, which is why I also experienced fainting spells the last few times.

"It turns out that when you're between both worlds," he continued seriously, "you can see people as if they were specters when what you're seeing is their energy or spirit, whichever definition you prefer. The point is that shadows are accustomed to perceiving that energy. And of course, they were looking for Dallas to destroy the source that enslaves them because they don't want to be controlled. Although they don't know he's dead, now nothing matters to them except going after you. They won't rest until they destroy you. Shadows hold memories, but not their reason. They act on impulses or orders."

He examined my terrified expression, and I felt a deep hatred toward Dallas for leaving me with such a burden, but I also harbored suspicion toward the newly-met guy.

"Why should I believe what you're saying?" I asked.

His smile widened. This time, I couldn't appreciate it for too long. He passed by me, and I turned to watch him walk away.

"First," he began while raising his thumb, "the blue, the blinding light, hypnotizes." He pointed his index finger toward the sky and continued walking. "Second, does space have an end? What is it hiding? I'm talking about the one with the black piece, as it's an introduction to a world of secrets that no one else knows."

At first, I thought he was talking nonsense, but I discovered he was referring to the rings by the orderly way he started reciting the colors of the stones.

Taking care of where I stepped, I followed him, but he was already climbing the slope effortlessly.

I couldn't keep up with his pace; it was enough for me to take three steps and slide back to the beginning.

I looked up when he reached the top. His boots clung easily to the ground, while my flat Converse slipped.

"Wait!" I called out.

He kept singing:

"The turquoise is the third; find and capture something small yet of great value, and you'll be able to manipulate it. Fourth, the white plasma, but beware of what you wish for." His voice was barely perceptible. "And the fifth... See it for yourself."

"Stop!" I pleaded, but he didn't say another word, and I couldn't see him anymore.

I didn't perceive any other particular sound, which became concerning. Just minutes ago, I could hear the normal cricket chirping, hooting, or buzzing of a mosquito flying close to my ear.

I put the medallion in my pocket.

I glanced around and found no other way out, just a branch extending far enough to serve as support and climb the hill. I grabbed it and started climbing the same way I had descended, now with less mud and, consequently, less slippery.

I held onto a couple of roots and weeds to give myself momentum, ignoring the thumb-sized worm that got unearthed. I wasn't going to be distracted from my goal.

My heart pounded, and every time I looked up, it seemed like the hill stretched out, but I refused to give up. I kept climbing, step by step until I reached the top and reached the safety of the flat surface.

"Light up," I said as I rubbed the rings against my leg. The light was released and illuminated the eerie, silent woods in front of me.

I thought I had an idea of the path I should follow, so I advanced as fast as the forest allowed me. I couldn't have gone too far.

The cold was no longer as unpleasant as before. Adrenaline fought against it, but my mind and body opposed the thick fog that suddenly appeared, advancing from the ravine faster than usual.

As I lost speed due to exhaustion, I wondered where Mikkel and Reidar might be and if they were okay.

The trees began to thin out, and the perspective widened. Finally, I stopped on the flat ground covered in grass as tall as my knees.

A terrified noise escaped my throat.

Ahead, Port Fallen was submerged in a thick curtain of fog, but it wasn't white like the one advancing behind me.

A new lightning strike illuminated the mountains, revealing a desolate panorama. Everything that might have had color in the village now looked lifeless and charred.

As soon as my courage dwindled to nothing and my optimism was crushed by fear, the white fog overtook me, preventing me from seeing more of Port Fallen and the darkness that completely covered it.

The light from the ring also faded.

Everything had spiraled out of control.

I turned my gaze back toward the forest, where tree branches crowded together. At their feet, the trunks recreated the shapes of stakes, and behind them, the shadowy figures also advanced toward me. Some were tall, others child-sized, and due to the combined impression and darkness, I couldn't tell exactly how many shadows there were in total.

I stepped back several paces and turned around, gasping as my back collided with him.

I looked at him with anguish piercing my chest, and Ashton examined me from head to toe.

For a moment, I could sense he was angry, but there was also a trace of sadness in his eyes.

"I had to hide because of the lightning, and now look at you." Concern was evident in his voice.

I glanced at my wet and muddy clothes, feeling the cold penetrating my bones and the uncontrollable shivering that engulfed me.

"And you had doubts about why I constantly hate what I've become. If I can barely protect myself, how can I keep you safe?" His confession caught me by surprise. I could see his internal struggle reflected in his eyes. It was evident he cared about me, but at the same time, he felt unable to provide the protection he wanted.

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