"What in the Five Lands are you doing here?!"

Emma didn't answer my question immediately, but instead stumbled into the room and collapsed onto my bed. I realized she was bleeding, a little cut on her hand and a much bigger one on her thigh. She was groaning in pain when she turned around. Her eyes were bulging and she seemed to be trying to escape her body—and the extreme agony it was in.

I muttered a few words and waved some Light her way. The Element soaked up the places where she seemed to be leaking drops of red, and her breathing eased, as did her whines. She didn't sit up, but still lay on the bed when I spoke to her.

"Emma, what happened?"

She looked up at me with her bulging blue eyes that were soaking with tears, her wavy blonde hair an unkempt mess, and whimpered some more. I flowed some more magic at her, and the winces nearly stopped, but not completely. She still had to stifle a few grimaces.

"I..." her voice was weak and broken. "I don't know."

I crossed over to the bed, which was now half-stained with apple-red liquid. Her eyes were still wide open and she was still breathing heavily, but her torment seemed to be going away as we spoke.

•••

Emma explained that she had went searching for me, and that she had managed to sneak past the guards of the Hark Castle by using the elixir she concocted. The shapeshifters' potion. She turned into a ladybug and—being the minuscule size that she was—buzzed right past the soldiers, who took no notice of a mere insect, obviously.

She then decided to head for Treeville, but got off course when she was attacked by a vicious hobgoblin. She managed to fend it off, but was severely hurt after the fight. She made it to the Village of the Trees in time, though, and was healed by the curers there.

"That's how I ended up here," Emma explained to me. "After being healed, I decidedly knew that I had to come here. I had to see how you were."

"How did you know I was here?"

"I... I just did."

I didn't say much after that. There was a long silence that passed between me and Emma before either of us started talking again. She felt at her wounds and groaned.

"Try not to touch it," I told her as I flowed more Light onto it. She breathe heavily at the soothing but searing feeling on her thigh, pulling her hands away from it and turning to me to break her attention from the bloody injury. "Emma, we should really get you to someone."

"Like I said," she told me. "I'm fine."

"You said you were healed. This doesn't seem like healed wounds to me."

"I... Will you stop asking me questions?"

"That wasn't even a question."

Again, a long silence passed between us. She was hiding something. Or somethings, more like. Whatever it was, I had to know. She wasn't telling me the truth—or the whole truth, at least.

Then she said, "Dylan..."

"Yes, Emma?" I turned to her.

"I..." she looked off to the side, a nervous, quivering expression sitting on her pale complexion. "Never mind."

"What is it?" I asked, sliding my bottom over to her side of the bed and tapping her on the shoulder. She didn't look at me, but fell back on the bed and began snoring.

Emma was fast asleep.

•••

On the true penultimate day to leaving to the Crooked Realm, me and Emma spent most of our time walking around the Crossing. After being healed of her wounds, we decided we would go beyond the line of the Crossing and see what we could see.

We made it to a little hill that overlooked the beautiful and majestic lakes that surrounded the Crossing, blue waters half yellow from the rising sun. The sky screamed, but in a way that was both graceful and flawless.

The natural landscape seemed to form hearts in my eyes, along with Emma. It was all so pretty, all so scenic. I hadn't seen a perfect sunrise in a long time. It relaxed and eased my worry, my pain, my anger, my confusion—everything. Nothing ached.

"So are you really going to the Crooked Realm tomorrow?" Emma didn't look away from the scene when she asked me this. Her eyes were set on watching the view, as though not to form tears.

"I'm afraid so," I said. "I'm really sorry, Emma."

Squeak whimpered. Emma held him close.

"I understand," her fair skin was glowing as she caressed the fair of the cub. "Be safe for me, will you? Don't go following trouble when such is unnecessary."

I laughed and said, "I don't follow trouble. Trouble follows me."

Emma rolled her eyes, but then gave me a thoughtful and affectionate look. "You're the greatest friend I've ever had. And that's saying something, considering I'm a princess and have a lot friends."

I turned to her. She was so much shorter than me, and I wasn't even that tall. Somehow this fact warmed me, and her words did, too. Emma was such a great friend, and she didn't even know it.

"I feel the same about you," I said. "Since the day that I met you. I just knew how special and amazing you were. You mean the most to me, Emma."

Tears formed in her eyes suddenly. Before I knew it, they were falling from the top of her face to the bottom. She had a sad smile as she hugged me, and I hugged her back, wanting the moment to last forever. It made me want to stay, to not go and to never go, but to stay with Emma and Willow and all of my friends.

"I'm going to miss you," she added.

"I'm going to miss you too."

•••

Emma was sleeping in the room when I was packing up and making sure I had absolutely everything I needed. Though I didn't think I would be coming back with any of it, or even returning myself, I ensured that I had all of what I possessed before, except Squeak.

I decided that I would let the cub stay with Emma. It was probably best if he was with her instead of with me in the Crooked Realm where he could easily be hurt or stolen. Knowing I could not risk letting that happening, I told Squeak the deal, and he somberly nodded his head.

I finished packing everything up and ate a few forest berries me and Emma found earlier.

Emma woke up from her nap and said, "You're packing up already?"

I pointed to the window and she looked out of it. It was dark outside, and so a frown appeared on her face as she turned back to me and Squeak.

"I understand," she nodded.

"Also, I want Squeak to stay with you," I gestured at the cub. Her eyes lit up at these words, but she had an understanding look on her face as she grabbed the wolf babe and held him in her arms. "I'm leaving tonight, through a Teleportal. By morning, I should be in the Realm and starting on my quest to kill Downfall."

"Don't forget, his assistant, Thwart," Emma rose from the bed. "He will be sure to give you a challenge before you face the Crooked King. Also again, be safe. Try not to get killed."

"It won't be easy," I grinned.

"I'm serious, Dylan," she told me. "Dead serious."

"I know," I nodded. "I promise I'll be safe."

This seemed to reassure her as she came over and hugged me again. I hugged her back and slipped on my bag, then held Squeak in my arms and smiled.

•••

That night, a ceremony was held for me before I left, one that signified my leaving to the Crooked Realm. There was food, dancing, and tears. Lots of tears. Mainly coming from Emma's eyes.

I ate stew with Emma at this long, round wooden table. Squeak ate berries and a sausage that satisfied his grumbly stomach.

"What are you going to do as soon as you get there?" Emma asked, shuffling through her sack as we soaked in the last few moments of me being on the Earthlands before I descended to a much darker place.

"I don't know," I said. "I haven't really thought that out yet. I probably should."

"Probably," Emma bagged. "You're traveling to the most dangerous realm in the world, and you're saying you should probably contemplate it?"

I rolled my eyes. "You're always being so protective."

"I'm not being protective," she said. "I'm just looking out for you, that's all. If I were being overprotective, trust me, I would be much more bossier."

"You're bossy enough," I muttered to myself. "I don't think you can get any bossier."

She heard that and groaned, but I just laughed.

"Oh!" She said suddenly. "I found it! Here. You're very own shapeshifters' potion."

She handed me a glass bottle of green ooze that swirled around. I stared at it curiously and observed it with one eye, which made her laugh from the other end as it looked like a humongous eyeball through the glass.

"Thank you," I said, looking up from the potion.

"You're welcome."

•••

It was finally time to leave. I didn't even know if I was ready for it. After adding Emma's potion to my bag, and finishing up my stew, and of course, saying my last goodbyes to Squeak, I was finally ready to go... Or maybe I wasn't ready, but I was at least prepared for the worst outcome.

The Crossing's villagers all came together to say their farewells to me as I descended through a Teleportal. Emma was practically sprouting tears from her eyes and she came over and said goodbye.

"I'm going to miss you so much," she moped. "Be safe for me please."

For the umpteenth time it seemed, I replied, "I promise I'll be safe."

She hugged me and even gave me an extra little gift that totally shocked me: a wet kiss on the cheek. She slowly pulled away, but I pulled her back. I planted a much fancier kiss on her lips, and we went at it for a while.

The villagers watched in shock, disgust, and utter horror at the sight of me and Emma.

Hey. Kissing actually wasn't so bad.

I was blushing and so was Emma, and we were both giggling uncontrollably.

Cateline came out and opened the middle Teleportal for me. She told me to step on it when I was ready, and that I would slowly lower down and feel like I was floating, but that this was just because of the elevation.

"Once you step through the portal at Rock Bottom, the very deep red one, you will be then be taken to the Crooked Realm," Cateline instructed. "Then and only then will you continue with your quest and save the world, Chosen One. We're all counting on you, for our sake. Do well."

To make sure she didn't hold me with her cold hands, I immediately stepped onto the Teleportal and slowly started to descend, just like she stated would happen, lowering my way to Rock Bottom. Was this really happening? Was I really doing this?

Then I came to the area of portals. I scanned the very dark place for a deep red portal. I saw it, and my heart stopped at the sight of such an ugly, dark shape. This must be the doorway to the Crooked Realm, and my doom, at that.

A little sign was plopped next to it, reading: THE CROOKED REALM.

So this was it. Stepping through this portal would change my entire life. My quest would begin. I would be faced with the Crooked King, Downfall. I would be taken from everything I knew and loved and cherished, my whole entire world, and be thrown into a vile dimension crawling with monsters and bad kings.

There was no turning back now... This was it... I was doing this... I had to. For the sake of the world. The Sapphire of the Sea chose me for this... I was destined to do this, to be here, to be standing before this red portal, to be right here. Duty called upon my name, and so it was my job to follow that calling and take the very first step.

I walked slowly toward the portal, my heart bursting through my chest. I was doing this. I was going. I was really performing the mission of the Chosen One.

I took not one more step before gradually being pulled toward, and eventually being sucked into it.

My breathing went away as soon as I entered the portal. Then I opened my eyes and gasped...

I was in the Crooked Realm.