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The clouds began to darken while the sunflowers, once filled with life, withered away to nothing but ash.
I reached out to her, before my foot got caught in the dead, grey soil, causing me to fall.
I kicked myself back up, the urgency to get to Makoto was far more important than the burning pain in my lungs – the fear of losing her to death tore at my heart.
“Makoto! Makoto!”
I watched her eyes began to dull; her knees dropped to the ground.
She gave me a weak smile; blood dripped down her mouth till the remaining specs of life in those turquoise eyes faded; her body fell forward into the ground as blood pooled around her.
“No! Makoto! No, no, no! MAKOTO!”
I woke up with a jolt — my eyes snapped open as I lunged forward.
I scanned my surroundings as I felt the sweat drip down my face; my breathing frantic and quick, as I attempted to catch my breath. My eyes landed on the sleeping figure on the other half of the king size bed.
I sighed in relief, glad I didn’t wake Elias due to my sudden movement. He wasn’t a deep sleeper compared to Daniel, but he’d been so drained the last couple of days. His body worked on repelling the remaining remnants of the poison Blair Aspen inflicted on that bloody lightning spear.
We were all thankful for Elias’ fast action and sacrifice, though I hated the fact he struggled with his own demons. What happened to him and Eli still lingered in his bones, even after sixteen cycles. I didn’t blame him; I was dealing with my own demons – the nightmares resurfaced in the past two weeks after two months of being nightmare free.
The arrival of Mako in our lives had done something to calm me and keep the nightmares away, but now they were back with revenge.
I noticed something move under the sheet at the end of the bed. I frowned, raising my eyebrow at the movement, before my lips formed a smirk and a white, fluffy tail appeared from under the blanket, followed by two more tails.
“Nightmare?” I questioned gently; my voice low enough to not wake up the sleeping fairy shifter next to me. Her furry, white head popped out from under the blanket, turning to face me.
“Mew?” She blinked a few times, her mismatched eyes stared at me before making her way towards me.
She climbed onto my lap, purring as she rubbed her head against my stomach. I struggled to hold back the laughter that wanted to escape; her soft fur tickled me.
“Hey, no more of that. I’ll wake up Elias if I laugh.” I picked her up with my right hand, placing her on my shoulder before swinging the blanket off me. I took another glance at the sleeping Elias; his body wrapped in his portion of my blue blanket. His body stirred, pulling the blanket before nestling back in place. I shook my head in amusement.
After all these cycles, he still continued to be a blanket hog. I wondered if he and Mako fought for the blanket when they slept. Knowing Elias, he’d just cuddle with her and cocoon them in his massive green blanket. Yup, he’d have no problem sharing with our Firefly.
I took a moment to stretch my sore muscles. I hadn’t been working out lately, and my body ached because of it. It had become so use to the multiple stretches and active movements that it now rejected my sudden lack of movement.
I spent more time sitting next to Mako’s bed or resting in our designated room than training. I didn’t have the motivation to workout, fearing something bad would occur if I set foot outside the castle walls. I wanted to be here if anything happened. It was the only thing that kept me from shifting.
I would pat my dragon on its scaly back if I could for being so cooperative these past few days. I knew he struggled with the same fears I dealt with, but he tried to stay calm, so we would be allowed to stay close by. We both came to the conclusion that losing control would only put Mako and anyone else in the castle at risk. If it came down to the point we felt like we’d lose control, we’d leave and fly somewhere that would be safe to shift.
I walked towards the drawer. I opened it, grabbed a pair of black sweat pants and a grey fitted top; slipping them on quietly.
Nightmare nestled against my neck; her tails secure around my neck, keeping her steady on my shoulder. The small, white ball of fur had rotated amongst us during the night, offering us some comfort with her company.
During the days, she would rest next to Mako; her grey markings glowed a soft blue or yellow every so often.
We figured out blue meant she was sad; her soft whimpers pulled at our heart strings. It usually occurred when Mako’s breathing lowered, which prompted Karen to apply the oxygen and assist her body from working too hard.
The light-yellow glow, apparently some type of healing spell, or that’s what Karen and Daniel both agreed upon. The small familiar would do it three times a day; its effects usually helped Mako breathe on her own. We all loved her for her immense devotion to Makoto and Midnight. She’d done her portion in fighting off King Aspen. Even though, she was exhausted from the energy loss after the weapon modification, she still summoned Matthew and the others.
It was thanks to her, we were able to revive and stabilize Makoto as well as Elias. He had waited until Karen assured us Mako would survive the transfer back through the portal before losing consciousness.
I could still see the relief in his emerald eyes before they closed; his body fell forward. I never lunged so fast before; his body temperature felt like he was burning up from the inside out as he struggled to breathe. We had to rush them through the portal before Kai helped teleport Mako, Elias, Daniel and Karen to the medical center.
Kai’s teleportation gift was a blessing in times like these. He’d not only teleported Karen into Realm One with ease but was able to bring all four of them to the medical center for treatment. He had informed us later on that he’d arrived at Minato by teleporting there an hour before our exam, reaching Knightwood a few minutes after we’d made our way to the portal entrance.
It was extremely draining on the average shifter to use their powers that frequently, yet he was still able to stick around and ensure everything went smoothly, before he finally rested. He was definitely the strongest in our group, though Ryder and Elias weren’t too far behind.
