The Six Realms of Arcane Elysian series

  It was as though my conscience became personified and obtained physical form; or so I thought at the time. Ignorance converging with my own mad panicking prevented me from understanding what took hold of me when a set of hands grabbed me, followed by another. I struggled against their grip, screaming, “I was going to marry her! It isn't my fault! Oh God, why did she do this to me? Why did she make me kill her?!” The hands kept a firm hold of me, however, until my attackers silenced my rant with a swift smack against my throat. 

(SMACK)

Suddenly, I realized I wasn't being held back by my conscience at all. The second clue was much more painful. I felt a tongue slide against my neck milliseconds before a set of sharp teeth pierced my skin. Hollering as an afterthought, I gasped through the pain, trembling while blood ran down my chest and intermingled with the sweat which came from running. The lips pressed against my flesh drew inward, a sickening sucking noise echoed in my ears while the hands around me tightened. Feeling an overwhelming urge to sleep wash over me and I did not have the energy to fight it. 

A chill sent shivers through my entire body.

My legs finally gave out. My body slumped into a set of arms. The realm drifted from my consciousness while voices spoke around me in a jarring manner. My breaths became shallow and ceased altogether as I soon drifted off to sleep. Little did I know, as my heart stopped its rhythmic beating, that the liquid I drank was blood that belonged to a vampire. 

I had just lived my final night as a Adamin.

"Sky dear, we will always be with you. (she violently coughed trying to speak again) You are so strong... (she began to choke on her blood) Always remember..." Letting out her last breath, her lifeless body crumpled to the ground.

"I hope you reconssider our offer young one. Sshe will not be the lasst." 

I heard my name being called, it was Korbin and Ro, but I ran to my aunt instead. The Obscurity vanished when he heard them into nothingness, the smoke was gone and I ran to check for a pulse.

"Korbin! (he screamed as loud as he could) Helpp, pleaseee." (tears pouring from his eyes as he pulled her close) Please, I'm sorry. Come back. I'll listen, I promise. Please don't leave me too. I'm not ready. I’m not ready!” 

I didn't realize it but during that moment everything in the whole room was raising from the ground as I screamed for them again to hurry.

Finally, Korbin and Ro made it to the room we had been hiding in and they just stopped. Holding my aunt crying out I didn't see them rush in. Their eyes were as big as they could be, and Korbin whispered.

"Oh, my fucking prophecy."

Drivers Name: John Doe

Taxi Drivers ID: D12-345-6-78-910

Haru raised an eyebrow but decided to just let it go. “John, I need to go to the Nesrin Faye Hotel downtown.” 

“At once sir, may I ask for business or pleasure today?” 

“There is no pleasure in my visit today.” A moment of silence then Haru looked up. “Unfortunately, just business this time.” He flashed an Innocent grin and turned to his assistant. "Be back here in 5 days’ time at 1500, do you understand?” He nodded and turned to head back into the airport.

John was a simple man with little words along the trip until Haru made a comment. “Adamin transportation seems to have really devolved over the years.”

 Curious, John replied. “How so sir?” 

“Well, take that atrocious shit colored car there, the one about to lose its wheel on this long-ass bridge.” 

“It seems they do not take care of it, so I am not surprised by the condition it is in.” 

“It seems you Adamins are always fixing and coming out with new ways of transportation, you would think dragons would just be the better choice. I mean they are faster, wouldn’t have to destroy so much land, and I mean come on, it’s a dragon.”

After another moment of silence, Haru realizing he was talking to a Adamin in a land that destroyed their dragons so so many years ago, he didn’t think John would respond at all let alone with what he did respond with. 

“As amazing as that would be I have an argument for that. If a vehicle breaks you can fix it and nine times out of ten it's an easy fix, might be a little costly at times but you can fix it. What if someone kills your dragon? Then what? How are you going to get around now? You can’t fix a dead dragon, can’t bring it back to life.”

Shocked by the conversation that he didn’t expect to go anywhere after that, Haru rolled his eyes and let out a sigh of ignorance before speaking. Placing one hand on his temple and the other in the air, he nonchalantly countered. “Well, maybe you can’t.” 

John smiled and nodded. “Fair enough, I cannot.” Haru sat back in disbelief before a smirk came across his face. Maybe Adamins are not all as horrible as he thought.

Korbin did not chase the witch as he tried to run away from them. "Come on Korb, before he escapes!" Ro shouted but he still did not move. This made Ro stand there in disbelief wondering what he was doing. "Just wait." He said to her in a patient and calm voice.

A moment later the same witch that was running away from them was suddenly running in their direction. You heard a condescending chuckle from Korbin before he spoke up with authority and power ringing from his voice. "No matter which way you go with, you will end right back to us witch!"

"What is this sorcery?" He demanded but heard no answer from the silent jury standing before him. Ro's eyes widened not sure what Korbin had up his sleeves this time. Just then, there was a powerful presence that stepped out of the shadows. "Blu?" The witch asked in shock before panic set in. "What are you doing?" The witch asked with pain in his voice. Silent for a moment she looked at him with disappointing eyes.

"You're on the wrong side my friend and I can't let you all hurt anyone else." 

"So, you take the side of the Wolftree pack and a filthy traitor for an angel. What are they saying to you to make you believe their lies Blu?" 

"No, my friend, I've seen the future, and if we allow your group to continue so many innocent people are going to die, and I will not stand for that. Aasira's head was filled with lies and because of that she killed Bradly." Tears began to form in her eyes as she tried to hold back the pain for losing someone that was like her brother. "Wait, what? She told me he gave everything over willingly." Shaking her head Blu looked back at him tears now rolling down her face.

"Love, you need to breathe and calm down so no one gets hurts." A calm but strong voice rang in her ears as a hand rested on her shoulder. She knew it was her Mathias Bond, Arlo. They always knew when she needed them. She dropped her head once more before speaking again. Took all she had to speak calmly as she looked over at Korbin. "He's lying Korb, I'm sorry." She turned into Arlo's chest, hoping it would help calm her down.

Arlo's eyes were red with anger but changed as soon as Korbin looked at them and spoke. "Thank you, Blu, for your help. Arlo, you should probably get her out of here. She doesn't need to see this." Arlo knew Korbin would take care of that low life of a witch and did as he suggested. "Wait, wait, wait..." The witch began to beg but Korbin had already transformed into his wolf form walking towards him as he was frozen from the vines that sprouted up from the ground. They kept him in place as he began forgiveness from the Arlo and Blu.

Just before Ro spread her wings to shield the deed Korbin was about to finish, she saw Blu close her eyes baring her face into Arlo's chest as they carried her to the car around the corner. Just as Ro's wing doubled in size you could hear the witches screams until they faded to silence. 

 “You will be the last to die as you watch them burn and you know you can’t do anything about it.” He took out a dragon glass blade, pressing it against the side of my neck. I winced from the instant pain of the dragon glass. “Do you have anything to say before I silence you for the last time.”

I looked him in his eyes before I spoke. “Karma will come for you all, including the ones that hired you.” And I spit in his face. He just fucking laughed again before quickly, in one smooth motion, he dragged the blade across my neck. Holding my head up for another moment before letting me crumble to the ground. He made sure my eyes could see my coven as they burned screaming for me. I wanted to close my eyes, but something kept them open as they filled with more tears. 

I’m coming…. A voice rang through my head that sounded so familiar but strange at the same time. Hang on a little longer… There it was again. 

Looking back at the stage, my coven was gone. I began to hear footsteps coming from behind me but saw Nhasa standing in front of me talking with one of the hooded figures near the stage. I heard him give the orders to burn everything left behind when I was able to let out a scream. 

“Aaaahhhhhhhhhh”

They all looked at me but brushed it off turning away again. I could feel my blood and tears mixing together with the earth as I took a large amount of the dirt in my hands. 

“I’m sorry…” was all I could say before the forest fell dark as I began to hear screams in the distance. In the dark I waited because I had accepted my fate. Even though it didn’t make sense since I had seen my future before. It was long and full of so much more than this, but you never question what the Gods have in store for you. So, I accepted that this is where they wanted me to be. 

There in the dark I waited for my afterlife to come just as they elders tell us to do. We wait for the ancestors before us to open the door to the afterlife and join them as they watch over the next generations and guild them from the spirit world. But my ancestors never came for me. 

Something was wrong.