Avelon knew the moment her consciousness returned, and she could not move, that someone had knocked her out and had restrained her. The pounding in her head signalled that the blow had been with the intention to cause more harm than good.

Avelon almost snorted. Her hysteria was creeping back in.

She had expected that Elha would find her again.

They had three affinities left to play with- to test on her, and Avelon had known they would find and restrain her at least thrice more for experiments. She expected it, and yet, she had been gravely unprepared for the encounter.

Avelon had replayed the moment over and over again in her head. She had planned to run the moment she saw Elha. At the same time, she wanted to fight- to strangle Elha with her bare hands, though none of the visions had included the possibility of an ambush.

How stupid of her.

She frowned, sighing deeply. She should have expected more.

She refused to move her face or open her eyes as she silently listened to whatever sounds may have roused around her- nothing met her ears. Strange, she thought. Normally Balor and Elha would be waiting for the exact moment she woke up, and yet it seemed that no one was in the room with her. Her frown deepened and her forehead creased. Something did not sit well with her.

She slowly pried her eyes open into thin slits, surprised to be met with complete darkness. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat as she opened her eyes fully.

The darkness seemed to smile at her- as though that was even possibly. Avelon quickly realized that it was not just normal darkness that greeted her.

"Ah, I see you've become well acquainted with my shadows." Balor's voice was muffled, though Avelon could hear him as though he was all around her simultaneously.

"The recognition on your face gives you away." Balor tsked. Disappointment evident in his voice.

Avelon snarled at the sound. He had no right in judging her characteristics.

"I don't like it when children think they can interfere in my business." His voice rose with a snap, the shadows surrounding her pulsing in response.

They were excited.

Avelon shrugged off the uncomfortable wave of caution that veiled her senses and tried opening her mouth to object, but Balor cut her off. "Silence!"

Her mouth slammed shut. She could not see anything, but she could feel Balor's glare boring into her skin. A shrill ringing filled her ears as the shadows darted toward her. They pulsed against her skin, analysing- burning. Avelon opened her mouth once again, a shout muffled by the shadows shoving through her mouth into her throat.

Avelon's eyes widened.

Undiluted, unmeasurable pain hit her with a force she was unfamiliar with. She gagged involuntarily as she tried to comprehend what was happening. It felt as though the shadows itself were unravelling every vein and muscle fibre within her. Her screams were swallowed by the darkness flowing in through her mouth- unyielding. Avelon tried pulling against her restraints with all her strength, though her body barely moved. Her breathing was smothered by the relentless assault of the darkness.

HELP! She shouted within herself, hoping that something would release her from the pain she was in. The pain that filled her body was unbearable to the point of passing out. Avelon could not fathom how Brianne had felt while the shadows were steadily climbing her body. She had not hinted at any measure of the pain that Avelon was feeling.

Tears streamed from her eyes, Avelon was unable to stop the emotions from taking over her self-control. She gagged again, struggling to catch a breath. Her eyes stung as she desperately searched for a way out of what was happening. It felt as though death was waiting for her just beyond the shadows enveloping her. She snapped her head to the side, somehow, she could see the outline of a lone tray of equipment on a cart standing beside her. Her hand twitched, willing the restraint to vanish as her eyes fell on the faint glint of a medical knife. She reached toward it blindly, barely able to force her body to move and hoping that she was not hallucinating. With all the strength she could manage, she leaned toward the cart. Sloppily, her and fell onto the tray sending all the contents flying as her hand clasped onto what she hoped was the knife.

Suddenly Avelon jerked on the table.

Her eyes shot open in alarm as she gasped for breath. The light flickering inside the room had Avelon's eyes fluttering in sensitivity. She jerked her alarmed gaze toward the side. No darkness surrounded her. Her nostrils flared as her anxiety spiralled.

"Good you're awake." Elha subtly noted from beside her- Avelon barely noticed her amidst her panic.

Avelon pursed her lips together hard enough that she could feel her teeth breaking skin.

She was still restrained on the table. Her breathing was haggard, and her body was covered in sweat.

What a fucking dream. She thought to herself.

Her hand twitched again, the weight of something light made her heartbeat accelerate and her eyes widen a fraction. Avelon squirmed, enough to seem as though she were struggling, while at the same time moving her hand to figure out whether it was restrained or not.

She was pleasantly surprised to find her hand unbound, though confusion laced her thoughts. How did her dreams and reality intertwine?

Elha did not offer her any emote toward her reaction, seemingly expecting it. Avelon snapped her gaze forward, knowing she would find Balor watching her. A sinister smile was plastered on his face as he stood silently with his arms crossed over his chest.

Avelon sagged in relief as she realized almost immediately that no darkness swirled around him.

"Did you have a good rest, Avelon?" He mused, lowering his head with narrowed eyes.

He knew about the dream.

Avelon swallowed, not trusting the stability of her voice to form an appropriate comeback. Balor's smile widened at her reaction.

"I see," He rose his hand to pinch his lower lip. "Not in the mood to converse after the cat got your tongue."

Avelon's eyes widened. He definitely know about the dream and he somehow sent it as a warning.

"You see, my friends..." Balor hesitated, smirking at his choice of words. "They don't like it when Fae interfere in our business." Balor offered nonchalantly.

"You don't know of anyone interfering, do you, Elha?" Avelon turned her head towards Elha. Elha paused, slowly dragging her eyes toward Balor.

"A lot of Fae interfere in your business, Balor." Elha voiced casually, her face portraying no semblance of emotion. Avelon's brows twitched at the bored look on her face.

"Yes," Balor cleared his throat, gaining Avelon's attention. "And those Fae are killed." Balor's voice deepened and darkened to the depths of death as he stared directly into Avelon's eyes in warning. The torchlight flickered in emphasis to Balor's warning.

There was no denying that Balor knew about everything that she and Brianne were up to. It was clear as day that he knew they found something in the library and that he sent his shadows- friends to investigate and kill on command.

"Other Fae in the palace, seem to forget that they are only alive because they play a valuable role in the future of Vexar." Balor added matter-of-factly, swiping an invisible fleck of dust from his chest.

Alive. Certain Fae were only alive because Balor needed them. Needed her. Avelon's breathing quickened.

She was not surprised for him to note so inconspicuously that she played an invaluable role in whatever he needed to achieve. The fact that she was still alive substantiated her suspicions- Balor needed her alive. She had not died from the first experiment, nor the second, and she was willing to bet that she would make it through whatever the third experiment would bring. She knew that Balor was willing to kill for whatever information was contained within her body. His experiments had failed until she came along, and she had no idea what that meant, but she knew nothing good could come of it. Goosebumps rose on her skin as she felt her chest cave with resolve. Her grip on the knife tightened as she contemplated her next move.

She had to die.

"Certain Fae," Avelon whispered hoarsely, calculating how long she would have before Balor figured out what she was planning, "Are willing to die to ensure you don't get what you want."

She whispered, intentionally lowering her voice so that Balor leaned forward to hear what she was saying. Elha gasped the moment Avelon moved to swipe the knife along the restraints keeping her down. Her movements were faster than Balor's reaction as the moment his eyes widened, she shot forward.

She had to die, but not before she took Balor with her.

Avelon forced herself up and forward from the bed. She shot her hand forward, swiping for Balor's neck. His eyes bulged as he pushed himself back into the wall, causing Avelon to miss. She snarled in reaction, but did not pause or hesitate as she leapt across the bed right into him, shoving the blade into his chest. A roar sounded from Balor the moment the blade pierced his skin. Avelon struggled to keep her body upright but managed to pour all her strength into the plunge into his chest.

Balor stumbled, groaning deeply. He reached up to shove against her body.

"No!" Avelon yelled with undiluted rage, ramming the knife further into his chest with a twist. Balor cried at the force.

"What are you doing?" Elha's voice pierced through all the blood rushing through Avelon's ears, sounding muffled and worried.

Avelon paused, casting an enraged look behind her toward Elha. Her face had been pale before, though now it had carried the same resemblance to that of a dead Fae. Avelon's heart pounded in her chest from the adrenaline. Balor shifted underneath Avelon causing her to swivel back. The distraction Elha and momentary lack of concentration from Avelon offered him enough time to shove her from his body.

Avelon gasped as Balor's forearm hit her chest, the blow hard enough to knock the air from her. Her butt hit the ground moments later. She gasped for air as she used her legs to propel herself back towards the door. Balor moved sluggishly, grasping the part of the knife that stood out from his chest and pulling at it. Avelon did not dare look away from him, while she was painfully aware that Elha was behind her and posed a threat as well.

"What did you think you would achieve from this, girl?" Balor sneered, pulling at the blade once more. He was struggling, and Avelon had to use the time she had to form a plan.

"You need to run. He will kill you when he gets that out of his chest." Elha whispered directly into Avelon's ear, as if hearing Avelon's thoughts about her. In answer to Elha's words, dark shadows began swirling at Balor's feet.

Avelon jolted to the side, "What?" She snapped her head toward Elha, who was intently watching Balor as he tried to unsuccessfully pry the blade from his chest. Avelon had managed to lodge it deep enough into his chest that any sudden movement could pierce his heart, if it had not already been pierced.

"Go, now. Behind me is the door. Shove hard, the door will click open and get the hell out of here." Avelon's brows knit together at the worry laced in Elha's tone.

"Why are you helping me?" Avelon hurriedly rose to her feet, following Elha's instructions. Elha watched her as she shoved her body into the stone. A faint click sounded, causing the door to push out just enough to be visible to close eyes.

"Just go and beware of the guards." Elha hissed through clenched teeth, snapping her gaze back to Balor, who was entirely enveloped by shadows.

Shadows who seemed to be spreading on the floor in search of Avelon. Avelon did not linger, shoving herself through the thinnest possible opening she could make and slipped through. She gasped, surprised to find two unconscious guards at the door.

Did Elha help her escape?

With a shake of her head, she silently side stepped the guards- She would ponder the thought of Elha helping her later, for now her priority was getting as far away as she could. She ran down the hallway, but did not recognize her surroundings as she ran. She was careful not to breathe heavily or make any noises that would alarm any guards that could be nearby. Avelon veered into a turn, deciding to go left instead of right, bumping directly into a stone of a body. She closed her eyes at the impact, scolding herself silently for not checking around the corner first.

"Where's the fire?" Lugh's deep voice rumbled as he chuckled.

"Oh Gods, Lugh," Avelon breathed, casting a nervous look behind her. No shadows were evident, which had Avelon's shoulders shagging in relief, though at the same time sent her hairs standing on edge.

"What's wrong, Avelon?" Lugh pushed her back, holding her at arm's length. Worry creasing his forehead.

Avelon shook her head, pulling him along. She had no time to stand and talk. Balor had to be hot on her heels. "I need to get back to my room, I need to find Brianne."

Lugh shot a look behind her, trying to understand her haste. "Brianne is busy in the hall, entertaining guests that arrived to be present for the meeting."

"Then let's go." Avelon continued dragging Lugh along, her voice shaking.

She had to die in order to prevent Balor from getting what he needed, but what if he found someone else capable of coming as far as she had? She made the decision to run the second the knife pierced Balor's skin. She could get away and find answers that way.

"My father can find you, Avelon. Is that who you're running from?" Lugh whispered, walking towards what Avelon hoped was the way towards the main hall.

"You said you wanted to help me," Avelon's voice was firm and determined. She evaded giving Lugh too much information, "So help me get to Brianne."

Lugh sighed, nodding once and continuing ahead without further questioning. His face was set into stern confusion as he showed Avelon where to go- she tried committing every turn and portrait to memory so that she could find a way out again should she be found. Casting quick glances behind her, Avelon felt perplexed as to why Balor had not sent shadows to stop her. It had been so painfully obvious that he had sent them to the library to stop her and Brianne from finding out more regarding his experiments.

Something had felt off, and Avelon was worried as to what that could mean.