No. Not again.

Not needing a second warning, I rushed down the hill, passed the trees, and skirted the turn that led to my street. The cracked pavement beneath my feet ground and popped, and the quaint houses lined along the hill served as a good indicator for how fast I was going. But I needed to go faster.

This wasn't fast enough. Not when the door to my house was bust wide open.

Grinding my teeth, I pushed forward by throwing everything I had in front of me, leaping across the cracked rubble of pavement and tree roots.

This couldn't be happening.

Hurdling up the steps to my house, I gaped in horror at the black tar that clung around the knob of my front door in sickening clumps. My face paled, all the blood draining out from my body at the realization of what this meant, and the fear swept across my skin in a wave of prickles that rendered me paralyzed.

Unlike animals, they knew how to hunt us down- understood our human nature, and if they already were familiar with how to use doors and hell knows what there was no place we could hide. Wasn't it enough that they could travel across any flat surface without being damaged and be able to swipe through anything with their lanky but unnervingly sharp fingers?

We would never be able to hide- the unsettling reality twirled my stomach into a thousand knots.

Time after time we would have to fight, and in every fight there would always be the possibility of failure. And after every fight our odds of dying would be stacked high and higher against us.

Every fight has an end; we were walking graves. 

Cries and screams of terror echoed out from the basement, ripping me away from paralysis, yanking me through the door, and flying down the stairs to come to their aid. 

Already in their third-dimensional form, like rattlesnakes poised ready for the attack, the shadows stood high off the ground and cornered Autumn and Sarah into an impossible position. Although their backs were against the wall, they were balancing on top ridge of the couch- a compromising position that would make the slightest slip the end of it.

They would fall right into the shadows, no doubt be sliced apart by their tendrils.

Obviously, the knew what would happen if hey fell. Tears wet their red faces, and while Sarah screamed at the faces that screamed back Autumn did her best to bat them away with a pillow. 

"Get the hell away!" Autumn screamed in terror while swiping at the shadows away like they were small dogs.

The three of them snarled at the fruitless attempt. And just to play around with their prey before they went in for the kill, one grabbed the pillow, and it screamed maniacally in cackling hysteria when my sister tried to pull the pillow back- desperate to keep her only weapon.

"Autumn!" I bellowed out to her.

All went silent when the attention of both my sister, her friend, and the shadows shifted to me.

An elated and relieved grin graced Autumn and Sarah's face, but they quickly paled into concern when the three shadows turned from them to me, no doubt familiar with who I was and what I did with their friends in the forest. Hisses and sporadic clicks tumbled out from their lips in an aggravated frenzy, looking at one another like they were communicating. 

They probably were. Whatever the hell these things were, they were intelligent. When they realized they couldn't kill me to avenge their dead, they wanted to take whatever was closest to me instead, my sister. To let them communicate and formulate an attack would lead us to certain death, so I had to find some way to divert their attention.

From there I could only pray that Mandell would be able to guide me through a way to defeat them on the go. There was no time to think through this myself.

"Hey, you ugly pieces of garbage!" I spat bravely. "Over here!"

Like I had wanted, they charged towards me, flying across the room at speeds I didn't prepare for, but it was my cue. The view of their fangs hurling towards me almost caused me to freeze; I was absolutely terrified, but I had to concentrate. So I closed my eyes and imagined daggers to ice to reappear, to create them by pulling at the stream of energy that pulled inside my body, but there was nothing.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

My eyes shot wide open, and the whites of my eyes shown when my hands yielded no results like a malfunctioning gun.

Shit.

The shadows grew closer and closer until their darkness cast over my figure, clearly signaling that this was the end once again, and I toppled over to the ground anticipating searing and agonizing pain. However, there was a scream. An explosion of red light. Heat. Silence.

As I lay on the ground with head buried and tucked underneath my arms, the growing sounds of light pops and crackles tickled against my ears- seemingly snapping from every direction around me. I curved my eyebrows and shakily raised my head.

The monsters were gone, but in their place were small black lumps of coal that fluttered and smoldered with the warm, radiating glow of fresh, hot embers. Most were the size of quarters, but there were hundreds of all shapes and sizes that were scattered across the floor.

What just happened?

Not expecting this at all and still dazed by the ashes, it took me a few seconds to notice the few charcoals rested on the back, which started eating away at my shirt, lightly searing my skin.

"Ah!" I hissed at the burning touch on my back and butt, jumping up to my feet and wildly twirling my body around to pat off the embers that clung to my skin. But while I was too busy burning, Autumn flew off the couch and ripped the burning curtains off the windows, stomping on the flames that seared the peach white sheets.

It took a while for the flames to die, they were stubborn, but once the chaos died we all took a moment to exchange looks of disbelief and wonder.

Autumn and I were handling the situation fairly well- still shocked, but we weren't as petrified with horror like we were after our first near-death experience. I suppose that after we go through several more of these we would be fine and experts, but for now we needed a moment to sit down because I, for one, was still shook.

Sarah, on the other hand, looked like death. Her face had not only paled but attained a sickening green hue, and she bent over, hugging the wall like she was going to puke. To say she wasn't looking good was an understatement, so it would be be best to give her some space.

I pulled Autumn to the couch and sat down next to her.

"What the hell happened?"

Autumn shook her head and brought a shaky hand up to her neck. "I have no idea. I was too busy trying to hit the shadows away. All I saw was a flash of light from the corner of my eye-"

"That was me."

In unison, our heads snapped in surprise and found Sarah, who was standing without the support of the wall with a little color returning to her face, hobbling up to us. "I know I'm going to sound crazy, but you guys have to believe me. Fireballs- I can't even say it because I can't believe it myself." She shook her head, flipped her wave of midnight black hair, and ran her fingers through it. "Fireballs came out from my hands." She rushed through the last of her words with her eyes squeezed tight and fists clenched.

Anticipation ate away at her while she waited for a response, but I couldn't speak. Sarah, out of all people, was involved in this as well?

The spirits from before said that there were four people involved, and she was one of them?

Autumn was the first to speak.

"Sarah, I can't describe to you how relieved I am." She first started off with a relieved sigh but ended in a high-pitch excited squeal. And to top it off, my sister ran up to Sarah and wrapped her tightly in an embrace. "We've been going through similar things. I didn't know how to tell you, and it killed me that I couldn't say because I usually tell you everything."

Sarah seemed a bit relieved and happy, but her eyes widened before she pulled slightly away. "But how long have you been going through this? You could have told me. I wouldn't have judged you in any way, you know that."

A brief flash of guilt furrowed in the creases of Autumn's brows. "I really did want to tell you. I just didn't know how. "

Sarah shook her head, rested her head back on Autumn's shoulder, and hugged my sister tighter. "It doesn't matter. We're in this together now, and there is no one else that I would rather go through this with but you."

The whole while I stood to the side gawking and scoffing. It truly was precious that friendship can blossom in a time like this, but this was no time for rainbows, hearts, and best friend bracelets. We have just been attacked, and there could be more on the way. If we didn't plot out a plan to defend ourselves, we were going to be ripped to shreds. The last time I tried using my powers, nothing would happen.

We were seriously unprepared and untrained as it was, so as much as it pained me to ruin such a tender moment I had to.

Stepping forward, I glared at them and pulled them apart. "Alright, you two had your moment, but we seriously need to prepare to fight more. I just came back from the forest, and I had to fight a group of them off. There could be more."

"What do you mean there could be more?" Sarah exclaimed in panic, breaking away from the hug.

"And how did you get through the forest alive-"

Before Autumn could finish her question, Sarah's mouth contorted wide open in agony while she fell to the ground with her hands over her ears screaming, and the second Autumn knelt down to help she fell forward and let out a frantic yell of help, crying.

"Autumn! Sarah!"

It was all so sudden, and I felt my hands shaking when I could only watch them squirm and scream on the ground. They were completely fine from before, but now here they were with their faces red from the pressure and pain.

They need to give into the ringing like you did, Descartes. That is the only way they can learn and hear advice from their trainers. All of you will have better chances against the beasts this way.

Mandell.

"Where the hell were you before?" I hissed loudly- not thinking about the absurdity of speaking out loud to a voice that I could only hear. But I was pissed. If he would have showed up earlier, I could have found a way to defeat the shadows, and he was partially responsible for making my sister go through so much pain.

Concern etched deeply into the creases of my forehead when I tried to comfort her, but she slapped my hand away and turned face down the ground, kicking her legs against the couch in protest.

My apologies. I was finding trainers for your sister and her friend. It was my grave mistake for not finding any for them earlier, but I assure you that they are in great hands now.

I shook my head and felt restless and angry to see my sister go through so much pain. "Does it have to hurt that much though?" I pleaded, tortured to see my sister this way.

If I had the choice, I would make the process painless, however, it is simply the way it is. Transferring elements into your world is a rough and complicated process that undoubtedly causes unwanted and often painful chemical reactions.

"Transferring? What elements are you-"

"Matt, who are you talking to?" Autumn groaned and flopped over so that she lay on her back. Sweat drenched her hairline and pasted patches of her dirty blonde hair onto her forehead.

Immediately forgetting about my question, I smiled with reassurance and helped Autumn into a sitting position. "Autumn, you are okay. I was so worried and frustrated that I couldn't do anything to help you."

"Nice to know that you care if I'm okay or not." Sarah mumbled while she managed to wobble up to her feet, but her efforts to do so was deemed pointless when she quickly topple face flat onto the couch, groaning and moaning while rubbing her temples.

Autumn turned to Sarah and was glad, but she turned around to face me with eyes determined to make me answer her earlier question. "But what you just said wouldn't make any sense if you were just talking to me. You had to have been talking to someone-"

Mandell Largö. Nice to meet your acquaintance, Autumn Descartes and Sarah Paine. I am of a people who understands these series of strange events. We have studied monsters and the effects of your powers for centuries, and we want to help. So to do so, every trainer and advisor will communicate with you telepathically. I have been designated as Matthew's trainer and advisor. Autumn, you have Alyah Kardon as your trainer. Sarah Paine, my daughter, Lahna, will be your trainer. Do not fear. You all are in good hands. For now, I will debrief you on procedures and the risks that lay ahead.

For a moment, I wondered why Mandell had spoken this all to me, but Sarah and Autumn could hear him as well. The shocked and frozen expressions plastered onto their faces made it apparent. Autumn, again, seemed to take it a lot better and calmly listened to what Mandell had to say, but Sarah looked as if she was going to faint.

"Mandell," I asked curiously, feeling slightly betrayed and a bit peeved that he never told me others could hear him, "I thought you said I was the only one that could hear you?"

Not quite. Whoever is connected with Ethel will be able to hear me, which should just be the three of you for now.

Ethel. The three. For now.

Those words blared like alarms in my mind, but I couldn't find it in me to respond and question him. I was so confused, tired, blown away from the recent encounters I just had to let him speak and just hope that he was going to make more sense.

But in order for any of what I am going to say to make sense, you all must know what Ethel is. For centuries, you mortals have called it 'magic', but, simply, it is another source equivalent to energy. Ethel is the source of life for my world, while energy is the source for yours. However, hints of Ethel exists in your world, and as you can guess hints of energy exists in mine. It is an equal balance that must not be disturbed.

But that is a topic for another day. What you three must know is that Ethel manifests itself in your world through seasons. Yes, of course the tilted axis and rotation of the earth is responsible for the change of the seasons and temperature, but Ethel provides the beauty of it. Snow is white and appears the way it does because of Ethel. Because of Ethel, the leaves change from emerald, to gold, to sapphire.

Yet, we are worlds apart, so for Ethel to exist it needs to reside in four human hosts to maintain the spirit of the seasons. Matthew, you are Winter; Autumn, you are Fall; and, Sarah, you are Summer.

For a moment, I had to zone out and lose his endless chatter to the endless questions mulling through my mind. There was so much information that put life as I knew it into doubt and uncertainty. My views on everything were shifted monumentally because not only were there other forms of life, there was also something else besides science that was responsible for seasons.

But how? Why?

It doesn't make any sense. The reason why they exist in the first place depended on whether parts of the earth were tilted away or towards the sun. And the only reason why leaves change colors were because the smaller parts in cells had to dispose of certain elements to increase capacity for absorbing sunlight.

Science explains all of that, not magic. Ethel. Whatever he wanted to call it.

The logical part of my brain screamed to call bullshit on all of this, but I kept playing along. It was the only thing that was keeping me sane at this point, but there was a question that was bothering me more than anything.

"What about Spring?" I interrupted without even caring to hear what he said before. From what I can tell so far, Mandell excessively elaborates, so I doubt I missed much, "There are only three of us. Isn't there supposed to be a fourth?"

A tense silence ensued, but Mandell hesitantly broke through. That, I am afraid, is the issue. We have not been able to locate the host for Spring. We have had difficulty in the past trying to locate hosts, but we have always at least managed to establish contact, the ringing you all have experienced earlier, after the third time. This is the tenth, and there has been no response. We have never had this issue in the past, and it is most unfortunate that it is happening now, out of all times.

I paused at the fear that laced the end of his tone. "What do you mean by that?" I asked quietly, my voice drowning out in uncertainty because I wasn't even sure if I wanted to know.

A newly-formed, religious cult, the Eyes of the Chosen, have decided to rebel against our government. They believe humans are a threat to our kind, so they have taken matters into their own hands and implanted several of their own in your world.

They have stolen our research, implanted spies in my court to find your general location, and have chosen six of their people to travel to your world and take human hosts. They have been living in hiding for years to seek you out. They can be anyone you already know: peers, teachers, or friends.

Once they find that you are Ethel's host, they will kill you.

They will stop at nothing until you four are dead, and without the four seasons united as one you will never reach the full potential of your powers. Without Spring, you three are weak, and if the assassins from the Eyes of the Chosen will not kill you the shadows surely will. Due to a recent accident, there is a rip in your dimension, allowing hordes of them to travel through. My sources say they plan to attack in three weeks or less.

You must find Spring or all of you will surely die. 

A/N: Liked this cliff-hanger-ish kind of thing? Give it a star ;) Much love if you do <3 

But guys thanks so much for reading! Since Christmas was last Saturday, I didn't update. But now I am on schedule. I am pushing to update once a week, and I kind of rushed to finish it... but I guess this is called a rough draft for a reason. 

As much as it kills me with all the errors... and just. ugh. I could have described this lots better. BUT NOW YOU GUYS KNOW THE MAIN PLOT OF THE STORY ISH. HOPE IT'S EXCITING. 

Don't worry, still lots of twists ;). You don't know everything yet ;).