~~~~~~~~~Aiden's POV~~~~~~~~~

Sage ended up falling asleep in my arms, so I let her spend the night with me. Of course, I informed her Mom so she wouldn't worry with all that's been happening.

Right now it was four in the morning. The sun hadn't risen yet, but although I was tired beyond belief, I couldn't fall asleep even if I tried. It had been a long night for me, but I didn't want to wake Sage up either, she seemed tired as well. According to Noah, she has been feeling sick for the past few weeks, which made me worry.

Still, something felt off to me..

I didn't know what I felt or why I felt it, but it was some sort of anxiety that just wouldn't let me sleep. It wasn't the situation that kept me awake, I've been able to fall asleep since I first woke up.

Not to mention I was much more relaxed with Sage beside me.

That's when I looked out of my window, where a faint glow emanated from deep within the forest. It was barely visible, but definitely there, a whitish tint that stood behind the trees.

I know it's not safe to be alone, but.. I had to check it out.

After casting a protection spell around Sage, since spells didn't need any magic, I left the house and walked into the forest. I didn't have anything to protect myself with, nor did I know any fighting skills incase anything tried to take me again, but if that glow was another victim, then I can't just stay in my room and do nothing.

Was I afraid? Yeah, terrified.

But I can only imagine how much worse that feeling is for the other victims..

I walked around for about half an hour, the light only getting bigger and bigger as I got closer, and sooner than later, I reached what was causing that glow.

My.. necklace..?

As a reaction, I placed a hand over my chest, where the crystal of the necklace usually reached. I know I had left it on my nightstand last night, but I was so distracted by the glow that I forgot to check if it was still there.

I held my breath, just incase anyone was gonna attempt to throw some blue dust at me, and with caution, picked up the necklace. It was still the same, with the same small crack on the surface. It wasn't even the necklace itself that was glowing, it simply had a glow around it.

This was bait..

However, as soon as I finished that thought, a sharp pain filled my head. Once again, it felt as if why head was getting crushed under something, and it so unbearable to feel!

I wanted it to stop!!

Please, make it stop!!!

...

And it did.

When my eyes finally opened, all the pain had stopped, but I found myself in a different location. The room was more of a hallway, but it definitely resembled the one from the memory.

So.. this had to be another memory. Was it another from Iv? I could only assume so.

I waited a little while to see if anything happened, but when nothing did, I started to walk down the hall.

A gasp escaped my lips as several guards suddenly ran through me, straight forward with weapons. Barely any time after, a wave of bright flames filled the hall, forcing the guards to back away,, and those who were caught in the flames blacked out.

None of them were dead though.

And then, once again, I saw Iv carrying the soft version of me. She had wrapped one of my arms around her shoulders so it would be easier to carry me, and the veins in her arms still glowed, resembling rivers of lava. It was something she did to make herself stronger than she was.

Slowly but surely, she kept fighting her way through every hall to protect me, and eventually made it to a set of doors. She managed to break them open, and placed me on the other side, but a look of panic passed through her face when many other guards ran over.

She already looked so exhausted..

"Get to safety, I'll take care of the rest." Those were the words she said to me, the words I remembered when I was asleep. She caused an explosion to not only send me away, but also force the walls to cover the exit so they wouldn't chase after me.

Her eyes began to glow a bright red, her glare as sharp as ice as her body lit up in flames. "I'll make sure they won't come after you.."

"No.." I found myself running to her. "No, you can't fight!! Just get out of here!!"

For a moment, I had forgotten this was a memory, that I was nothing more than a ghost in this world. No matter what I said, or how loud I yelled, she couldn't hear me..

That's when I felt an arm go around my waist, and another around my arm, pulling me back. One of the guards had a strong group on me, the mask they wore covering their whole face.

After a second of pure fear, I could feel rage riding inside me as I tried to struggle out of their grip. "L-let go of me!!! LET GO!!!"

I managed to elbow the guard harshly in the gut, which made them realize me. However, at the same time, my foot twisted at an angle, and I ended up falling back.

What scared me was the fact that there was no immediate impact..

I was.. falling?

I was falling!!!

As I was about to scream, another stronger grip grabbed my arm, and I was finally brought back to reality, seeing the person that held my wrist tightly.

"R- Ryan?!"

Thanks for reading!!! 'Till next time!!!

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