"So, we basically need to go through a portal to a place where we can get a large amount of copper?" I asked tensely.

"That's easy and quick. You can get the portal to the mechanic shop near my house. That uncle always has regular metals like copper. It's not gonna be hard." Clay suggested but Addy pointed out how the people would detect the portal and find it suspicious.

"In that case, we could also go to Paris by the portal, ending up in a place which is deserted. And in case anyone sees us, it would be a small number of people. Now, who would believe them?"

"It would be a trouble if I start explaining. Do as I say. I've lived more years in this world as well as the paranormal world than you."

At that, I could only response with an eye roll.

"Oh, one thing for Clay and Addy. It's shocking, heartbreaking and thrilling, but please don't make it a main topic." Organa requested before she began, "I made a huge mistake. In recognizing the two of you. Clay honey, I'm really sorry for the misunderstanding but the hammer is not your weapon. As much as attractive and gorgeous it might be to you, it is not yours."

"Excuse me? What are you talking about?" Clay asked, the inside environment shifting with a firmer and solemn aura.

"As I have been noticing, Addy can control the hammer much better- I mean she has a firmer and confident grip on the weapon."

"You don't mean..."

"Yes. The weapon is hers. Due to some mishap, I was lead to a wrong conclusion. But seeing the hammer with its full potential in Addy's hands today, I did some research and eventually found... the hammer is Addy's weapon. So without any further adieu, please hand it to Addy for the next fight."

"Woah woah, wait. If the hammer's hers, what is my weapon? And how could you say this hammer that I've been handling for weeks belongs to someone else?" Clay's voice raised, his ego- as I assumed- taking over him.

"Look darling, I told you once. This is not the main point. The point is right now, we need to find copper."

Clay did part his lips to protest once more but he knew it would've been a vile topic compared to the danger we were facing.

"Keweenaw Peninsula near Lake Superior in Michigan is one of the most likely places to find native copper." Travis stated.

"Then that's where you guys go." Organa threw a warm-hearted smile before readying herself to do the witchcraft of transportation.

"Half of you six have to stay here. I need 3 of you to stay here to guard my stick. The shapeshifter would want to close it, and if it does, I wont be able to open the portal to that same place for at least 5-7 days. And a separation of the group at this moment wouldn't be wise."she warned,before starting to recite some incantations, moving her stick in a spiral movement.

"Travis, Addy and Clay will go together-"

"No! I'm not going anywhere with her." Clay complained. Before things could alter to a fight between the group members, I decided to join, "No worries, I'll go instead of Addy. Besides Beca might need help, alongside Austin."

Everybody nodded while Clay only crossed his arms with a scowled face looking the other side. Addy seemed rather guilty but that wasn't the time for any internal feud.

As soon as Organa opened the dark, prussian coloured, circular portal door for us, we extended our feet to the other side and hoped for a safe return.

As I stepped on, the whole place was engulfed in a certain darkness. I looked behind to see the background of the caravan with Organa waving inside a smaller circle, "Go, children! It's just in the front. Find at least a dozen copper pieces for further security and come back as soon quickly as possible."

I nodded and shared glances with Travis and a furious Clay, blowing in and out his nose.
"C'mon Clay. It's alright. Now the weapon that Organa will next give you might be even better. And you would be able to handle it to it's full potential." I smiled, eager for a response but he only puffed out his cheeks.
"Fine. Suit yourself." I shrugged.

As we walked forward, we finally spotted the small circle leading to the lake.
I lowered my neck to fit inside the small circle and the next thing we knew, we were in a completely different location.

The grasses we stepped on were crackly beneath our feet because of the recent dry spell.
We had to go through a teak-brown woodland with sunny rays peaking through the leaves that seemed to fall.

The stupid twigs beneath us once had made me trip, but with Travis' hands intertwined with mine prevented my embarrassing fall. I slowly looked up to make an eye contact with Travis, just as we found leaves thrown at us.

"What a romantic scene, with the shower of autumn leaves and an unfortunate photographer with no camera!" Clay claimed, as he continued to throw the fallen autumn leaves onto us.
I straightened myself and bent down to gather a bunch of leaves on my hand with an aim to dump them on Clay's head. It shot right and we ended up in an amusing fight of leaves onto each other.

-

The forest led to an opening to an open field, which looked like a countryside.
In this expanse of green there are more hues than anyone has ever named, yet here they are for any eye to see. Over the land is laid a path, one that branches through the open landscape, with small distant houses with regular people doing their regular job. How the word regular affected me right now.

"We have to go to the Delaware Mine to get the big amounts of copper."

"You know where it is?"

"Yeah, of course. But for confirmation I need to ask the locals. You two wait here and I'll go ask one from," he raised his index towards a faraway place with a group of youngsters, "There."

I nodded and sat down on a large rock with a foliated texture. I squinted my eyes and looked around- sunshine was brilliant but not yet with the heat of late autumn. The fields were softly verdant, the new stems ruffled by the light breeze. The hills rolled like a casually laid eiderdown quilt, rising and falling in soft waves. Beauty of nature, huh?

From the distance, I could see Travis waving his hand over, which we took as a sign to advance towards him. He mentioned that he knew the direction so we walked behind him as he lead us to what we knew was some sort of mine.

"We could've got to a mechanic store." I murmured.

"And risk us getting caught?" Travis tilted his head for a sideways glance.

"Isn't it obvious? We could just stop by in a mechanic store, which isn't really famous. Or-"

"And if they didn't have enough copper? If Angela shifted to a dinosaur, then hurting her with a copper ring, you think that would kill her?" Travis protested, making his point clear.

Having my ego crushed, I turned my head to another direction. My vision suddenly fixed onto something petite moving under the bushes. Yeah, that might've been a rabbit, but I don't believe rabbits had five human-like fingers waving over the leaves.

"How long till we get there?" I walked along, keeping my eyes fixed on that thing's movements.

"Almost there. Around 10 minutes."

Since I didn't want to disrupt the journey for some silly suspicion of mine, so I ran away with an excuse of washroom.
"You guys go, I'll catch up. Don't follow me. Do your work, I'll be sure to catch up!" I said as I ran away towards where that mystical thing was moving.

"How do you know where the restroom is?" Clay yelled from the pathway.

"I saw it! Don't worry, kid, I'll make sure to not die. You guys go and bring the copper. If you need, I left my nunchucks in Travis' pocket for the while!"

Getting away from their sight, I hid myself behind a tree to prevent getting spotted by the creature.

I adjusted my view to that being, not long till I realized it was a pixie! Holy shit, there were two pixies picking berries from that bush. I wondered, did they know we were here? My heart pounded faster, as I tiptoed to the tree in front, to hear if they were saying something important.

"Poor queen. It's going to take her at least 4 weeks to recover from the injury. And at least 1 year to recover from her heartbreak." One spoke in its high-pitched annoying voice.

"Never mind. We had failed in our job, assigned by the Dark Lord. We are going to have our punishment, not us only, all the descendants who challenged to defeat the wildfires and failed."

"Only if one doesn't fail and if the Dark Lord gains entry."

"According to the prophecy, let's hope things go that way."

"Why, let's reconcile with our new national anthem for this generation. You do remember that, don't you?"

Well, hope that was ought to be entertainment.

"We were both young when I first saw you
 I close my eyes and the flashback starts
I'm standin' there
On a balcony in summer air

Unconscious mind
I'm wide awake
Wanna feel one last time
Take my pain away
If this night is not forever
At least we are together
I know I'm not alone, I know I'm not alone

I know that beauty is not my lack
But it feels like that weight is on my back
And I can't let it go
Co-comparison is killin' me slowly
I think I think too much
'Bout kids who don't know me
I'm so sick of myself

I wish to know
The fatal flaw that makes you long to be
Magnificently cursed

I'd never gone with the wind, just let it flow
Let it take me where it wants to go
'Til you opened the door
And there's so much more
I'd never seen it before
I was trying to fly, but I couldn't find wings
But you came along and you changed everything

I'd meet you where the spirit meets the bones
In a faith forgotten land
In from the snow
Your touch brought forth an incandescent glow
Tarnished but so grand

Then I saw your face, your forgiving eyes
Looking back at me from the other side
Like you understood me
And I'm never letting you go, oh.

Flashbacks waking me up
I get drunk, but it's not enough
'Cause the morning comes and you're not my baby
I look through the windows of this love
Even though we boarded them up
Chandelier's still flickering here
'Cause I can't pretend it's ok when it's not
It's death by a thousand cuts

Luck of the draw only draws the unlucky
And so I became the butt of the joke
I wounded the good and I trusted the wicked
Clearing the air, I breathed in the smoke
Maybe you ran with the wolves and refused to settle down
Maybe I've stormed out of every single room in this town
Threw out our cloaks and our daggers because it's morning now
It's darker now, now

You used me as an alibi
I crossed my heart as you crossed the line
And I defended you to all my friends
And now, every time a siren sounds
I wonder if you're around
'Cause you know that I'd do it all again

I'll paint the kitchen neon, I'll brighten up the sky
I know I'll never get it, there's not a day that I won't try
And I'll say to youOoh-ah, soon you'll get better
Ooh-ah, soon you'll get better
Ooh-ah, you'll get better soon

We'd always go into it blindly
I needed to lose you to find me
This dancing was killing me softly
I needed to hate you to love me, yeah
To love, love, yeah
To love, love, yeah
I needed to lose you to love me, yeah

And I'll say to youOoh-ah, soon you'll get better
Ooh-ah, soon you'll get better
Ooh-ah, you'll get better soon

'Cause you have to
Cause you have to

I've been running through the jungle
I've been running with the wolves
To get to you, to get to you
I've been down the darkest alleys
Saw the dark side of the moon
To get to you, to get to you

Certain as the sun
Rising in the east
Tale as old as time
Song as old as rhyme
Beauty and the Beast
No, Beauty kills the Beast."

My jaw hung open as I took in the words they said, and how they linked the lyrics to each other, including the melody of each song. Being a big fan of music, Taylor Swift and Olivia, I couldn't deny the lyrics taken from their written songs. But their new anthem? Prophecy? I couldn't understand anything and as much as I knew their anthem formed from modern songs had some sort of link to something- the future, the past, the present- I couldn't figure it out yet.

I waited for them to talk further, probably about the meaning of that song, but from behind, I heard my name being called. Shit.

"Joey? What are you doing there? Behind the tree, huh? Spying?" My head swiftly turned to look at Brittany with a bag, probably one filled with the copper. However, I turned again around towards the pixies, who seemed to have spotted me.

"A human? Is she spying on us?"

"No! She is one of the wildfires! One of the reasons our queen is hurt and we are to be punished! Kill her!"

My wide-eyed frame didn't waste around time to hasten to those three.

They seemed confused but as soon as they spotted those two pixies, they began to run away. Surely, we wouldn't want to delay going back to fight the shapeshifter. And one injured was alright, three of us would be a disaster.

"You stupid brat! Did you had to call out my name so loud? You just-"

"What were you doing there?" Travis yelled back.

"Stop shouting, you idiot! You don't know what I just heard!"

"That's why I'm asking!"

"Tell you later! We need to rush back to the portal!" I pointed.

I turned my head back for one side, and suddenly saw the pixies dissipate. I stopped running.

"Wait, they aren't following."

"What do you mean?" All three of them stopped in their tracks, looking bewildered no less than me.

"Forget it. They did realize we are too strong for them." Clay remarked.

"They did realize that seeing us run like cowards." I complained, somewhat feeling dull and dumb.

"Not yet." A familiar, child voice laughed, all of us realizing what was incoming.

As soon as I turned my head, I felt my forehead get banged with something hard enough to make my head throb in so much pain, I had to fall down on the ground, blurry texture engulfing my vision until the darkness overshadowed it. Before I could totally fall unconscious, I heard grunts, screams and thud noises all around, and I knew it was those three fighting with the two pixies.

-

I felt it then, a whisper of light upon a cool midnight breeze. I open my eyes and witnessed myself in a dark, empty room, whispers of a kind quickening me forward. In front, I saw two humans, their hands on their shoulders and waists, their bodies swaying to a slow, echoed music.

"We were both young when I first saw you,
Close my eyes and the flashback starts,
I'm standing there."

It started with that song, but had a distinct, slower tune, meant for a melancholic project. As I stepped forward, I was rather startled to detect those two being none other than Casper and Beca, dancing with joyful smiles plastered on their face, Beca's grin is more of a lopsided one. What was more to consider, she had red lipstick on her thin lips, and a baby pink blush on her apple cheeks.

"Now, say you'll remember me,
Standing in a nice dress,
Staring at the sunset, babe.
Red lips and rosy cheeks,
Say you'll see me again,
Even if it's just in your wildest dreams-"

The music went on, with a slower version of other songs that I assumed were sung by those two pixies as their new anthem. Suddenly, six more figures appeared in a circle around those two, all of them being the spirits of wildfires, which also included my dad.

I tilted my head to analyze the situation, and as it went on-

"Goosebumps from your wild eyes
When they're watching me
Shivers dance down my spine
Head down to my feet

Tale as old as time
Song as old as rhyme
Beauty and the Beast
No, Beauty kills the Beast-"

Beca lifted herself by raising her toes and whispered in Casper's ears, "Always remember me. I love you, I always will." That being said, she hugged him as Casper gracefully returned the hug.

I watched in awe. And here I was shipping Beca and Austin.

But maybe I was right.

Beca then raised her right hand that clutched a knife, and in a flash, she stabbed Casper in the back. I gasped. Casper jerked backward, his body falling down to ashes, red ashes that were flown in the dark wind. The other spirits had the same reaction to the action, their bodies being altered into pieces that were blown away by the wind.

Beca smiled, her eyes sparkling with threatening tears. She hugged the knife that had Casper's blood on it and fell down on her knees, singing lowly, "Hm, beauty kills the beast."

I could barely accept what my eyes saw. My chest flamed up; my eyes stung with tears of anger, confusion, fear and, the overshadowing pain of absolutely nothing. I clenched my teeth and squeezed my eyes shut before screaming a no in agony at the added confusion, especially when my dad went away, gesturing a forever bye.

 I kept screaming until I felt myself in another dimension, getting up from what I believe was a soft mattress.

That time, I felt more realistic as I found myself in the bed of an aesthetic room instead of a labyrinth- I mean right then, what could not be possible?

"What's wrong?" I turned my head to the speaker, whose hands were placed on my shoulder, his eyes filled with incited tension. My breathing rate increased simultaneously, and the safest place I thought I had at the moment was in his arms. I didn't understand which part of my brain thought it was the right thing to do, but I tightly hugged him.

He caressed my head, his hand slowly pulling me out and his thumb on my cheeks, "Good Lord, what had happened? Are you alright? Was it a nightmare?"

"I don't know. I don't if it was a nightmare, the present, the future or-" I stopped my stuttering, pondering over what just happened; I looked down and calmed myself, "So it was just a dream." I muttered.

"What did you see? I'm here if you want to talk."

"Where are we?" I asked instead, moving away from him. Instead of answering, he lowered his eyes to the floor, "Why aren't you answering? Where are we? I mean, are we in the hotel in Paris? Did I sleep that long? Or are we- no this can't be our car. Is the shapeshifter gone? Did you and Clay defeat the pixies? Did-" I stopped bombarding him with my questions when I realized he would not be answering any of them, "TRAVIS, I'M ASKING YOU! WHAT HAPPENED? WE DID GO BACK THROUGH THE PORTAL, RIGHT?" I stopped midway yelling, as I coughed, feeling a rush of throbbing pain in my head, "Ow."

He fringed and held me to lay me down, but I was hesitant.

"We did not go through the portal. The pixies delayed us somehow and carrying you wasn't the easiest thing."

"So it's all my fault, now?"

"No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying the-"

"But right now, you are alive in front of me which means the pixies got defeated in the end. Then-"

"The shapeshifter on the other side attacked the other side. She intentionally closed the portal so the team could be separated."

I tilt my head, eyebrows snapped together. I feel completely unprepared. A sudden overwhelming fear embodied me, a fear that I felt for someone else rather than myself, something I haven't done in years.
I get up on my knees on the bed, filled with trepidation. My heart pounded faster, my breathing pace increased.

"Wha-what do you mean? Beca, Au-Austin, and Addy are in danger! How can they fight the descendant? They-they don't have the copper? What if they...?"

"No, no, don't worry. Please, calm down. It's only going to hurt your head more. They are gonna be fine." He tried to reassure and calm me down. Yet, my severe, cursed thoughts imagined the worst possibility of the situation, and I could never bear witnessing their lives abortive.

"We were able to deliver the copper."

"What?" I snapped out of my trance, "How?"

"We knew we might not be able to get into the portal when we heard Addy yelling to be quick. So we sent Brittany with the stuff."

"Especially because he refused to leave you alone." Clay mentioned lowly, but loud enough for me to hear. Their words calmed me down, but Clay's claim brought blood to my cheeks.