“Jayden, Jasper’s down there!” Scarlett pointed in his direction and Jayden’s head whipped to lay eyes on him.
She moved to leave but not before turning around and nodding a ‘thank you’ to Scarlett. “Go find your father, being our leader, he’ll most likely be at the front of it all.”
Scarlett kept an eye out for any Dreammare power and wasn’t surprised to not find any. Being one in a battle between Dreamers and Nightmares wasn’t ideal. Her power slid back into her hands and Scarlett flew herself to where the nightmares and Dreamers met, the middle of the battle. She observed the faces and her father was nowhere in sight. Dread coiled itself around her heart.
She restlessly looked around when she caught sight of a familiar tall figure in black armor fighting off a nightmare. He gracefully swung his power lightly enough that it wouldn’t be noticed by either side and kept to short bursts that exploded upon direct contact with a creature from the Dark Realm. She remembered the move; short distance bursts.
Distracted, Scarlett didn’t notice the nightmare that leaped out of the crowd and barreled straight towards her. Its wide-mouth latched onto the side of her torso and a scream tore from her as she fell to the battle below.
The nightmare’s jagged teeth pressed against her armor and bit down but couldn’t penetrate. Its force crushed her chest and Scarlett struggled to take breaths. She clawed at the creature when she felt something slither its way up her back. Scarlett twisted her head to see that the nightmare had a second mouth atop its head and its ghastly blackened tongue was sliding its way towards her head. Scarlett screeched and no longer cared if anyone saw. She let her power rip from her palms as she planted them on the nightmare’s body. It shrieked and withered as it filled and exploded. Scarlett became covered in black muck as it dripped down every inch of her body. Her armor had indents of the creature’s teeth and scratches from its claws.
Her first markings.
Scarlett’s power spilled from her palms and she quickly retracted it back inside. Something malicious already caught sight of it.
“It’s you.” The hollow voice filled her ears and Scarlett turned to see who it belonged to. It was unlike any Dark Realm creature she’d seen.
She wasn’t even sure it was one.
It had the pale face and body of a man, but its slender arms were abnormally long. A jagged hook curved from them and replaced where hands were supposed to be. Scarlett stared at the thing's face and met slit snake eyes and a mouth full of jagged shark-like teeth.
The thing’s eyes brightened at the contact. “You’re perfect. We’ve been waiting for you for so long.”
It took a step closer to Scarlett who took one back. She paled as an alarm rang through her mind. This nightmare was incredibly vile and worse than the mindless ones; it had a conscious mind.
“What the hell are you?” Scarlett panted, still out of breath from the last nightmare.
A hook appeared from behind the thing that matched the ones on its arms. Its tail rose high above its head and positioned to strike.
“Our king will be so pleased.” Goosebumps lined Scarlett’s body as the things hollow voice hissed.
Before she could register its words, the thing whipped its tail with lightning speed towards Scarlett’s head. She ducked and released a bolt of her power which it dodged with ease.
The nightmare knew what it was doing.
Scarlett built a shield of blackness around herself as the thing struck against it. It used its arm hooks to spear Scarlett but her wall didn’t budge. The thing got close and widened its mouth showcasing the rows of jagged teeth. A nauseating stench fell over Scarlett and she scrunched her nose while holding steady.
Something moved in the corner of Scarlett’s eyes and she turned to the right to see the nightmare’s tail rise from above. She covered herself with her arms as her shield held its place.
The strike never came and a shriek pierced Scarlett’s ears. She lifted her head to find the nightmare backing away and its hook no longer attached to its tail. Black muck gushed from a clean slice and Scarlett dropped her shield when she found who saved her.
Cain faced Scarlett with grey flowing from his palms. His neck throbbed as his lips were drawn in a snarl. Cain's chest rose with anger and she knew it was because of her. Black muck dripped from his armor and speckled his face while his hair was slick with it.
His eyes burned with fury while hers shone with ice. The nightmare caught Scarlett’s attention as it barreled towards Cain. He released his power in small contained darts that were barely noticeable even to Scarlett. His body moved with agility as he perfectly struck without getting a single scratch. The nightmare slowed and weakened as if its long limbs grew heavy. Black muck oozed from the cuts and holes decorating its body.
The nightmare let its arms fall limp and didn’t move even as Cain lifted his arm for the final hit. It knew it wouldn’t win. “He’ll be here soon. He’s missed you.”
Cain growled as he released his power to silence the nightmare’s final laughs. Cain’s shoulders rose heavily and he twisted taking long strides towards Scarlett.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” He calmly asked. To Scarlett, it sounded anything but calm. She resisted the urge to back away and cringe. Instead, she glared at Cain and sneered.
“I’m in the damn battle, what does it look like?” Cain opened his mouth but Scarlett quickly cut him off.
“What was that thing and who was he talking about?”
She watched as his eyes flashed and hardened as he spoke through clenched teeth. “Now is not the time. If you haven’t noticed, we’re in the middle of a fucking battlefield. Save the questions for later.”
A nightmare crept up behind Scarlett and Cain wrapped his arm around her waist to swiftly turn her. He’d brought up his other hand and blasted the creature head-on. Dust floated to the air and blended in with the mix of others. Scarlett’s mouth gaped and she realized their proximity. Their armor molded together and Scarlett’s hand was on Cain’s chest. She hastily backed away, glanced behind Cain, and caught sight of a flash of green.
Pushing Cain out of the way, Scarlett swept the field for another flash of green when she found it. Her father wielded his Dreamer bracelet against a nightmare. He wore his helmet and his fully armored armor dripped with black muck. Scarlett sagged in relief and made her way towards his direction. Cain followed closely behind and caught sight of it at the same time she did.
Roger fended off the nightmare before him and wouldn’t have been able to stop it even if he’d known. Scarlett’s heart fell to her feet as her face contorted with raw terror.
“DAD! NO!”
She screamed her throat raw and threw her power to try and shield her father from what headed his way.
Roger heard her shout and glanced up to see Scarlett rushing towards him. His eyes widened at the sight of his daughter in battle.
“Scarlett? What are –?”
Roger stopped mid-sentence as he lowered his head. He caught sight of the jagged hook that traveled its way through his back and out of his chest.
Scarlett’s blast made it a second later and cut the hook from the tail it’d been connected too. Her father stayed standing and slowly lifted his gaze to Scarlett who flew towards him. She saw a small smile spread across her father’s face as he mouthed his last words. ‘I love you.’