I grab my black cloak from the closet. The others are waiting outside. The cottage looks different now that it has been rebuilt. I like the new look, but I miss the old look.

I step outside. The cold hits me like a wave. I unfold our map.

"So, there are three weapons that we're looking for. One in this realm, one in the elven realm, and one in the fairy realm. Where should we go first?" I ask.

"The one in the fairy realm is in that cave, right?" Kala asks as she points to a place on the map. I nod.

"I know where the cave of crystals is. I think we should go there first."

"It's settled, then" Faye replies.

We walk through the gateway. I love this realm. It's so peaceful and calming. Unlike where I'm from, everyone here is nice to each other. Back in the human realm everyone is at odds.

Kala takes the lead. She brings us to the entrance of a cave.

The three of us step inside. The walls are lined with crystals. They all range in color and size. I pull out my dagger and chip off a medium sized cluster of blue crystal points. I like having souvenirs from our adventures. It gives me something to remember them by.

As we continue further into the cave the sound of rushing water grows louder. Finally, we see the source of the noise. A river runs through the cave and joins with a small pond.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Faye asks.

"A small sword with a dark black metal hilt," I respond.

"Is this it?" I hear behind us.

I spin around so fast I make self a bit dizzy. It's the hooded figure from last night. By the voice, I'm thinking it's a woman. She pulls down her hood. She's human. She's got the same eyes and facial features of Zarnest.

"You're his daughter, aren't you?" I ask.

"You guessed it! I'm Zara. Well, what are you
waiting for? Don't you want this?" she says as she waves the sword.

Something is not right.

"Look, we don't have to fight. Just hand it over," Kala pleads with her.

"Oh, you don't want a fight? You wanted one when you murdered my father," Zara says.

"That was different. His magic was slowly destroying the realms. We didn't have a choice. He had a choice though. He could've stopped. He didn't have to work with dark magic, but he wanted to. Take responsibility and put the sword down. Don't end up like your father," Faye says.

"It wasn't that easy! Once you start working with with the realm of darkness you can't stop! He couldn't break his ties with the darkness," she yells.

Realm of darkness? What is she talking about?

She waves her hand. A ball of black light flies towards us. I put up my hands and a shield of magic encircles us. The light glides through the shield with ease. It hits me in the chest. I fall back. Everything goes dark. I feel like I'm floating. I stand up taking a look around as I do.
Everything around me is black and dark. People walk past me. As I look closer, I realize that they're...dead. Is this the realm of darkness Zara was talking about?

I'm standing in black water. I need to get out of here, fast! I pull myself  up. I summon a small ball of light to illuminate the darkness. I look into the forest.

Creatures stand in the trees. They have pointed ears, a small torso, and a long furry tail. They hiss at me showing off their fangs. How do I escape this weird place?

A dark castle is down further. I make my way towards it. The doors open by themselves. A large black crystal is on a pedestal. I can feel magic radiating off of it. Is this what gave Zarnest and Zara their powers?

I slowly reach towards it. Seconds later, I'm ripped from the realm. I sit up and gasp for breath. Kala and Faye sit next to me.

"We thought you weren't going to wake up," Faye says.

"Did you get Zara?" I ask.

"She disappeared after you passed out," Kala replies.

"I saw the realm of darkness she was talking about. It's where her and Zarnest got their powers from. It's a terrifying place," I say.