I’ve been brooding for hours now. I’ve had enough.

More than enough. I’m way past my tolerance limit, and there’s no way I’ll just sit around obediently anymore.

I need to take matters into my own hand. If no one can help me, then I’ll help myself.

I watch the night swallow the sun. My room is dark now, save for the last scarlet rays that bleed into the black.

Ember chirps next to me, quieter, as if she knows exactly what I’m planning—though I never said a word to her.

“Ember.” I whisper to her, stroking her warm feathers that seeps through my cold skin. “I have to do this. I don’t want to stay here anymore.”

She understands. No, she doesn’t. But she looks like she does.

Ember’s eyes blink, trained on me. She says nothing. Doesn’t make a sound.

She perches comfortably on my shoulder, no signs of leaving.

I smile, stroking her again. “I suppose you’re the only one I can trust in this world.”

I silently open my window. It’s wide enough for me to fit comfortably through.

Ember flies out first, hovering in the air with repetitive beats of her wings. I swing one leg over, then another until I’m sitting on my windowsill, facing out.

Thank goodness my room isn’t too high up. Jumping from the second flood won’t kill me.

I suck in a sharp breath, jumping down onto the soft grass that cushions my fall. I wince when I hit the ground, pain shooting up my legs, but nothing too serious.

I can still make it out like this. I squat, listening for signs that Zephen might have heard me.

Nothing.

I smile, giddy. I can do this.

I squint in the dark, wondering which direction I should head towards.

It’s a while from Zephen’s house down to the edge of the forest, but it’s better going down than up.

Following my gut, I start running, ignoring the pain until it becomes nothing but a dull throb.

The wind rushes against me, my hair flying out behind me. This is what freedom feels like. I can taste it in the air. 

I’m almost there. Freedom.

I run down the hill, turning to my right and straight into the forest. In the night, it looks more sinister, but it’s the same forest as always.

I take cover in the trees, still running as fast as I can. Home home home.

This is not my home. This will never be my home. I only have one home, and it’s not here.

I weave through the cluster of trees, feeling myself go in circles. I grow tired, my strength depleting quickly.

I still haven’t fully recovered from the attack and I’m starting to feel fatigue.

I didn’t get the chance to drink the medicine Awsten gave Zephen.

Still, I won’t give up. I know it’s futile, and that I can’t possibly leave this place on my own, but I can’t stand being with Zephen anymore.

I can’t. Anywhere is better than with him.

I slow to a stop, my lungs burning as I pant, begging for air. I take a look at my surroundings, feeling as if I haven’t moved at all; everything looks the same.

Trees, trees, and more creepy trees.

When I look behind, though, I don’t find the way back. There’s no choice but to keep going forward. So I do.

I walk now, no longer having the energy to run. Ember lands on my shoulder, probably tired as well.

After the adrenaline fades, paranoia consumes me, every little sound making me jump.

The giant trees are looming, and I feel as if they’re swaying just the slightest bit, like they’re having their own party when the world around them is asleep.

I feel them watching, whispering amongst themselves in a language unknown to me.

I hear something move, making my heart jump to my throat. I stop, listening.

Silence.

I keep walking, only to hear the same odd sound as before. I stop again. Am I going crazy?

I feel my breathing speed up, my heart hammering painfully against my ribs. I quicken my pace, desperate to get out.

Why is this forest so big? Where’s the other side? It has to end somewhere.

There’s a crack and a snap, the sound unmistakable. Ember makes an odd sound in her throat, like a growl, her wings spread in preparation to fly at any moment.

I speed up even more, my legs burning in protest, but then I feel the ground moving, becoming almost liquid-like.

No, not the ground.

Shadows.

I scream when the shadows around me starts moving, rising from the ground at a frightening speed and building into a monster.

It’s way bigger than the one I met in my house—even bigger than the one I saw in the forest before.

Its glowing red eyes zero in on me and a gurgling sound escapes it. “Come…Halfling…”

To my doom? Never.

I curse, turning back as I break into a run again. I realize I’m not moving—the Shadow is pulling me back.

It’s dark out, with shadows everywhere, and I’m powerless. During the night, it's not hard to guess this is when they're the strongest.

Fear chokes me, wringing air out of my lungs as I struggle to get away.

Ember squawks, flapping and scratching at the Shadow who tries to capture her.

It bellows in frustration, raising a black blob of a hand to swat at her.

I try to free myself from the body of the Shadow, but it’s futile. It’s everywhere. The trees, the ground, the air, the sky. I don’t know which way is which.

I let out a desperate cry, dread embracing me. Ember screeches before she is engulfed by darkness, not a sign of her to be seen.

“Ember!” I scream, terror pumping through my veins. I scramble to the Shadow’s body, sticking my hand bravely into its liquid-like body, searching frantically for Ember.

Inside its body, it’s several degrees colder. The idea of sticking my hand into its body disgusts me.

I thought I could pull Ember out, but instead I’m being sucked in. A strangled shout escapes me, a chill going down my spine when I hear it laugh. I stepped right into its trap.

I squeeze my eyes tight, but there’s no difference between opening and closing them. Everything is pitch black; nothing to be seen. 

I open my mouth to scream, but I can’t breathe. It’s suffocating me.

I try to move my arms and legs, but it’s as if I’m in jelly and it’s difficult to do anything.

Exhaustion paralyzes my limbs. I’m so sore, so tired. My muscles scream at me. I can’t struggle anymore.

No.

No no no no no no no.

I will not die here.

I will not die here alone in the dark. I will go home. I will see dad. I will I will I will.

I feel something warm in my chest, a feeling I’ve never felt before. I squeeze my eyes tight, feeling my breath come out shorter than ever.

I focus on that warmth, reaching for it, grasping it tightly and letting it grow.

My body becomes unbearably hot, sweat beading on my skin yet I refuse to let go of that ball of warmth. I can’t bear to let go.

Please, please, please—

The Shadow screams.

I let the sensation swell, beating harder and harder along with the pulse of my heart.

I let it build until it can’t possibly get any hotter and it explodes, rushing out of my body, seeping out from my very pores.

I feel the Shadow thrash, crying out in pain, though my eyes are still closed. I focus harder, and it pours out of me in greater intensities, until I feel myself fading.

I manage to crack open my eyes for just a second.

There’s a burst of white.

Then the world falls black.

- End of Season 1 -