(This Chapter is from Azar's Point of View.)

I had just finished my part in the protection spell, my body still awash with red-orange flames. It felt good to have my talisman off. The world around me was so much clearer, less muted. I hated to admit that I had grown used to the feeling of not having it on after it was destroyed by Calliope. Utilizing one didn’t fill me with the same sense of relief as it usually did. I glanced down at my new watch, trying to push the memories of her to the back of my mind. I had always hoped we would meet again, but finding out she was in league with the Dark King was inexcusable.

We can’t allow evil like that to flourish; that is why we fight.

I gritted my teeth as I remembered Calliope’s words to me. I was so moved by them at the time, but now... Disbelief and anger still coursed through my body, and I could feel my energy change the shape of my flames, making them grow larger, flickering higher into the sky.

Calm down.

The weird, small bearded man statue began glowing as the offering bowl in front of it burned brightly. There was a small rush of power, and I could tell the spell was complete. The protection shield rose from the ground, creating an iridescent rainbow web that stretched outward and then spread high into the sky. The strands began to connect, growing larger the more they touched until they spread over the farmhouse. I was glad this whole thing was over because maybe we could all finally get a decent night's sleep. Strangely, the shield began to glow silver, causing me to squint. All at once, the glow vanished, like the power had been cut off. My brow furrowed as I stared at it because this type of coloring meant our spell was off balance. Too much lunar power… Diana!

I snuffed out my flames, everything around me plummeting into darkness. My eyes adjusted easily to the night, thanks to my partial lunar alignment. I began running towards Diana’s part of the circle, assured that she had gotten in over her head.

She should have just let me do the lunar spell, I cursed. I could see Casimir standing by Diana’s talisman off in the distance, his head turning slowly as he scanned the treeline. Diana was gone.

“Casimir!” I called, coming to a stop beside him. He spared me only a brief glance before returning to his search. “What’s going on?”

“I’m not sure, something was wrong with the shield, and I came out here to check on Diana and…”

“She’s missing, damn that girl,” I muttered, rubbing at the side of my head.

“I thought I saw…” Casimir whispered, trailing off as he stared down at the ground. The look on his face was one of confusion and mild panic.

I placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping to calm him. “Let me look with my night vision.” I closed my eyes, letting the lunar essence flow through me. When my eyes reopened, everything was enhanced, yet I couldn’t see anyone for miles. I bit my lip slightly, not wanting to be the bearer of bad news.

“Casimir, Azar, where is Diana?” Enki shouted. I turned to see the old man striding towards us. His pace quickened when he saw our worried faces.

I opened my mouth to explain, but was cut off. “We’re-”

“Master Enki, where is Maya?” Casimir asked, growing frantic.

“Right here!” Maayan called out, floating delicately from the sky above. I opened my arms to catch Maayan since they had aimed themself directly at my head. I wanted to chastise them for using their wind powers so blatantly out in the open, but I couldn’t talk, especially since I was standing there without my talisman, silver hair visible to the world.

“Can you check for any portal activity?” Casimir said, pointing down to the ground in front of him.

“Sure can!” Maayan responded happily. They slipped from my grasp, kneeling down on the ground to feel out the magical energy connected to portals. Maya began patting the dirt, sniffing the air every so often. We were all tense while they searched, and I reached for an okashi without thinking. Using that much magical energy in one night had left me starving. That was the one thing I hated about Earth. Sometimes I felt like I could eat all day and never be satisfied. I pushed back the craving, looking over at Enki instead. He was focused on Maayan, his chin planted firmly in his hand.

Maayan’s face changed; they had found something.

“Shadow portal! Right here!” They shouted, slamming their hands into the dirt. “It’s heading in that direction!”

Casimir took off, making a beeline for the forest. I didn’t bother to call after him, only follow, as I knew he was heading straight for the portal to Terra. Everyone was quick to keep up, Enki muttering under his breath as he released the spells and wards surrounding the area. I was debating about summoning my staff, as I had already depleted a lot of my magical energy for the day. But a shadow portal, along with a missing princess, could only spell trouble. Casimir was fast, faster than the rest of us, so I had to push myself to keep up. I could hear Enki and Maayan falling behind, but I was more worried about what lay ahead. I leaped over the fallen log sitting at the edge of the pit where the portal was hidden. I bent my knees, bracing for landing on the forest floor below. After a quick perimeter check, I set my sights on the portal. It was nestled between two trees, which had intertwined themselves to become one towards the top. If you weren’t magically inclined, you would never notice the faint shimmer coming from between the trunks of the trees.

Diana was there, sleeping peacefully on the ground just in front of the portal. Casimir was at her side, dagger in hand, as he scanned the area.

“Is she okay?!” I asked, moving closer to the pair.

Casimir looked down at her, his eyes softening as he examined Diana’s features carefully. “Yeah, she seems fine, but…”

“Did you see what or who grabbed her?”

“Not yet,” Casimir whispered harshly. “I sense something, but it’s faint.”

“What the hell,” I muttered, flustered.

“Casimir, Azar!” Enki called out, causing me to turn. The old man jumped down from below, landing with a heavy thud nearby us. Maayan was close behind, floating effortlessly next to him.

“Oh! You found Diana!” Maayan chirped. “Where is the shadow user?”

“Not here,” I stated plainly, glancing around yet again.

Enki knelt next to Diana’s other side, pushing back her bangs with his large hand. “Diana, wake up.”

She stirred slightly but didn’t awaken, grumbling softly.

“Diana?”

Her face furrowed, and she pushed away suddenly like she was trying to escape from someone or something. “No, don't touch me, get away!”

“She’s dreaming!” Maayan stated, obviously.

“Diana!” Enki shouted this time. Casimir joined in, placing his hand on her face, and Diana’s eyes opened with a flutter. She looked shocked to see us all standing there, staring at her. I let out a small sigh of relief as Diana was helped into a sitting position.

“W-what is going on? Are we in the forest?” she asked, rubbing at the corner of her eyes. I caught her glancing over at Casimir, her cheeks turning red at how close he was. The boy was still in protection mode, so he hadn’t noticed her embarrassment.

“Have a nice nap?” I asked, pulling out my okashi and lighting it. It seems like the crisis is over.

“Did I sleepwalk here?” Diana fretted, her face growing even paler. “And where is here, anyway?”

We all hesitated since Enki had forbidden us from ever letting Diana anywhere near the portal or even allowing us to talk about it. Yet, despite his precautions, here we all were.

“Diana, do you remember anything?” Casimir asked, cutting to the heart of the matter.

“Remember what?

“Let’s move this conversation out of the forest, shall we?” Enki pressed, rising up on his feet. Casimir just nodded, offering his hand to Diana as he stood. She took it, looking around eagerly, and as her eyes fell on the portal, her jaw dropped a little.

“Is that it? The portal to Terra?”

(to be continued in part 2)