Before I could even react, my father was in front of me, his hand cut off and bleeding as Erebus stood on top of the car behind us and laughed.

“You’re fast! I guess it’s those fatherly instincts, huh? Stepping in to protect your beloved son?” Erebus mocked.

“Rule 2: grant Gunther Forrest invulnerability,” my father said, ignoring his taunts. 

For some reason, in my mind, I automatically understood the rules of the golden area that my dad created. It was an ability that crowned him as king and would allow him to create three  unbreakable rules, even if those rules bent the fabric of reality. In addition, family members were considered part of the court and could add rules as long as they were next to him.

“Rule 3,” I said. “If Erebus is within the court, erase him from existence.”

“Rule denied,” a disembodied voice said. “The target ‘Erebus’ does not exist.”

“What?” I turned to look at my father. “How come the chains worked?”

“Because I’m a paradox. I exist in the sense that I can be interacted with, but I am the void. I am zero. You can’t erase zero because there’s nothing to erase. Does that make sense, boy?” Erebus laughed. “That cheat code of yours may have worked on Chronos, Gunther Forrest, but I am different.”

Before I knew what was happening, Erebus had a shadowy claw less than an inch away from my face. The only thing stopping him from decapitating me was my father grabbing onto his wrist. 

“They don’t call you the strongest for nothing, huh?” Erebus whistled in admiration before grinning. “But just because I can’t become mist doesn’t mean I can’t use it.”

In an instant, I could no longer see or feel anything, just like in my dream. I felt a sharp claw grab hold of me, and I screamed, but no sound came out. 

“Rule 3: render Erebus’ mist useless!” the panicked voice of my father rang out as the mist cleared.

Erebus cackled again, this time louder and with more glee than any of the previous times. “You lose, Gunther Forrest! You’ve got baggage, and now you’re going to die for it! Choose wisely, your life or his?”

“Rule Change: if he is within the court, teleport Wynter Forrest to Alistair Forrest,” was my father’s response.

I stared at my dad in disbelief before the realization set in. There were already three rules in place. Changing one of them meant that my adoptive father, the one who took me in and cared for me, was about to sacrifice himself.

“Understood,” the disembodied voice announced. “Which rule would you like to change?”

“Change rule one. Leave rule two.” 

My eyes burned as I pleaded for my father to reconsider. Tears began pooling onto the metallic claw pressed against my cheek. Something could be done. Anything. There had to be another way. I racked my brain for answers, but when I couldn’t think of any, I choked out another sob. There was no way I could think of a solution when I had no idea what I was up against, but I kept trying. 

“There has to be another way!” I pleaded.

My father looked at me solemnly and shook his head. His usual gruff and strict demeanor was nowhere to be found.

“I still have a chance.”

“I won’t go!” I fought, kicking and screaming, despite the claw being pressed against my cheekbone. “Change the rule back!”

“Wynter,” my father said as Erebus threw me to the side. “Raising you was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

The last thing I saw before being whisked away was my father and Erebus clashing with each other, locked in combat that I could barely see, both of them too blurry to make out.

As I was teleported away, the sound of Erebus’ insane laughter was still fresh in my mind. I stood up and dusted myself off, observing my surroundings. I found myself smack-dab in the middle of nowhere, nothing but sand as far as the eye could see. Not even a cactus or any bushes in sight.

The first thing I noticed was the heat. Not even five seconds of being here and I was already drenched in sweat. I wiped my forehead with my sleeve and checked my pockets. Nothing. My father’s words ran through my mind. Never settle down. Run until the academy finds you. Right. I had to get moving. I needed to find wherever this academy was and hold out belief that my dad was alive. After all, even Erebus had acknowledged him as the strongest. I began heading east, with the sun almost directly above, just barely behind me, which would guide me in the right direction. Perhaps this Alistair person was nearby. A couple of minutes passed before I took off my shirt and wrung it out, releasing a stream of sweat onto the sand. I hung it around my neck and hoped that it would help to ease the unbearable heat. Maybe an hour had passed before I collapsed. I knew it hadn’t been that long, but step after step with nothing in sight, knowing my father’s life was in danger really took its toll. A bitter mixture of sweat and tears came rolling down my face into the sand as I pressed my hands deeper into the ground. Erebus’ words came rushing into my mind against my will. You lose, Gunther Forrest! You’ve got baggage, and now you’re going to die for it! The realization sank in that my dad was being targeted. Targeted because he needed to protect me, leaving a huge hole to be exploited, a hole that might have ended in his death. More sobs forced their way out of my throat, each one more guttural than the last. I killed him. My father might be dead because of me. The last sob came out in the form of vomit, leaving the taste of bile in my mouth, dribbling onto my chin.