“You are not one of us Scarlett. Not a Dreamer and neither a normal Dreammare. That tiny mark on the inside of your armor’s collar separates you as so.”
“It’s just a mark, everyone’s armor has them.”
Official Samsus lightly shook his head. “You don’t understand, you became a Dreamer with a mark already on your armor. No one else has any sort of marking on their armor unless they’ve earned it. When your parents defeated Edgar, the last words he spoke to them were, ‘The One with the Mark will be the end of it all.’ They thought it was nonsense until you transitioned.”
Scarlett knitted her brows. “The end of what? And why would a mark matter?”
“Edgar tapped into a power that had every reason to not be messed with. He traded his sanity for it and it granted him the one thing he wished; to find a way to make the Dark Realm rule above all the others. It gave him the power to communicate with Nightmares and make them form a community. It also gave him notice of the one thing he needed.” Official Samsus looked at Scarlett with saddened eyes. “A Dreammare with enough power to be able to make a rip between any Realms he wished.”
‘Earth and Ever Realm.’
“Me? With what power? I’ve seen others more powerful than mine.” As she spoke, her mouth filled with a bitter taste as the incident before the attack came to mind. She’d only been a three-week-old Dreammare and managed to overpower Cain’s. “Even if I did possess such power, I wouldn’t help the Dark Realm destroy our Realms.”
“It’s untapped and we don’t know what or how it’s activated. But Scarlett,” Official Samsus hesitated before finishing what he started. “For what Edgar wanted you for, you wouldn’t be needed alive. They’d need you dead.”
∞
The Dark Realm was colder than usual and lacked life. Before it was noticeable and the danger that radiated off the nightmares would surround Scarlett but now, it was gone.
‘Where’d they go?’ Thought Scarlett as she navigated the darkness. The tug of the Refuge pulled and guided her to where she needed to head.
Official Samsus words rang in her ears.
“They’d need you dead.”
Her father was trying to protect her from the horror and fear that seated itself in her chest. She felt her ball of power darken and push into the depths of her consciousness. A whole Realm wanted her lifeless mind.
Scarlett let out shaky breaths and refocused on the task at hand. She needed the Dreammares to join the fight. Everyone was at risk if they didn’t.
She hadn’t seen any of the others since the battle. After she became surrounded by Dreamers, she lost track of the faces she’d seen. She did look around when they finally dragged her off her father and didn’t see anyone she knew. They’d left and a part of Scarlett flared with annoyance. The most powerful beings she knew. They could’ve done more.
The grey wall stood as high as Scarlett could see. Seems Cain rose it even higher. Scarlett had flown and lowered herself to the ground once it came into sight. She advanced with determination in every step. She wasn’t going to leave without getting a ‘yes’.
There was no one around and Scarlett could feel the lethal power radiating from the Refuge’s wall. Instead of making her cringe, it called and the tug in Scarlett intensified. She cautiously placed her hand on the wall and pushed through. The cold from the Dark Realm was pushed from her body as she stepped inside.
Steeled grey eyes met Scarlett and her breath caught as she stared at Cain. Of course, he knew she was there, she wanted him too.
He wore his black armor that’d gotten cleaned off since the last she’d seen him. His hair ruffled and his pale face was clear of any imperfection. A helmet hung off the side of his waist and a sword decorated the other. Behind him, Trevor and Liam sported the same seriousness. They wore helmets that covered every inch of their face except for their eyes and the open slit for their mouths. Trevor’s waist and thighs were lined with knives while Liam cradled a crossbow in his arms and arrows across his back and waist.
They screamed of death.
“Scarlett.” Cain’s deep voice resonated within her bones and she returned her hard gaze to him.
“We need to talk.”
Cain’s eyes flashed, already knowing. “Follow me.”
He turned towards the buildings that laid behind them and walked, not waiting for Scarlett. She held her head high and strode past Trevor and Liam. They turned their heads as she passed before resuming guarding the wall.
As they walked, Scarlett glanced around. Pairs of Dreammares guarded other points of the wall and each held weapons of their own. It wasn’t only the Dreamers that were on edge.
Dreammares were scattered across the buildings and eyed Cain and Scarlett as they passed. They reached the tall black building at the center of them all. The last time Scarlett was there was when Jayden first brought her to the Refuge. It seemed like it’d been months ago when in reality, it was just a month.
They walked past the lounge and flew up the elevator shaft to the top floor where she’d first encountered Cain in Ever Realm.
Landing on the floor a few seconds behind, Cain was nowhere in sight but the only door down the hall was wide open. Scarlett moved through and entered a small hall. A few steps down, it widened to a penthouse that expanded to two floors. Scarlett entered a modern living room with a kitchen/bar right beside the hall. It was filled with black leather couches that matched the dark tones that filled his home. There was another open area behind the living room that led to a staircase and a small hallway. Beside it, was opened glass double doors that gave way to a metal railed balcony.
Looking damaged as ever, Cain stood in front of the railing and Scarlett's fists whitened at the conflicting feelings that swirled inside her.
‘Focus.’
Taking a deep breath, she approached Cain who faced the view with his arms crossed.
“How’s your mother?”
Scarlett's words caught in her throat at his question. ‘Did he even care?’
“She’s leading the best she can.” She shook her head and got back to business. There would be no sidetracking. “I didn’t come here for the small talk. There are things I need to know.”
“There is nothing you need to know of.”
“Shut up.” Scarlett snapped. “I know, Cain. I know what you and my father didn’t want to tell me. I know about what Edgar said, I know that they need me. What I need to know is exactly why and I know that you know the exact answers to everyone’s questions about this.”
Cain stayed silent and uncrossed his arms. She saw the veins pop from his throat as he ticked his jaw. Good. She wanted him to get mad.
“You’re a coward.” Scarlett bitterly laughed. “I was wrong to think you could actually be as highly as everyone deemed you to be. You’re no better than whoever’s leading these attacks. Hiding behind the secrets you don’t say shit about.”
Scarlett sneered at Cain and twisted away from him. She’d only made it a step before a hand wrapped around her arm and yanked her back. She was pulled flush against Cain and she stared up at his seething face. Scarlett could feel the heat and anger radiating off his body.
“You think I’m okay with all of this? Okay with all these attacks and putting my people at risk?”