Isle of Beasts and Shadows (The Forgotten Isle Saga #1)

Chapter 27

In that heart-stopping moment of realization, Airella’s chest tightened as she watched the tree crash down.

“Sirius!” her breath caught in her throat as the word escaped her lips in a panicked scream that echoed through the clearing. With adrenaline coursing through her veins, she dashed towards his fallen form, her heart pounding in her ears, Jonathan hot on her heels.

As they kneeled by Sirius’s motionless body, a chill settled over Airella as she registered the severity of the situation. The sense of urgency intensified, but she fought to maintain a facade of calm, even as the specter of death loomed in the form of the black-haired stranger before them. His cold, piercing gaze bore into her, a stark contrast to the warm familiarity of Sirius’s eyes. The sight of gold blood seeping from Sirius’s wound sent a shiver down her spine, the gravity of the moment weighing heavily upon her.

She turned to Jonathan, whose ethereal appearance matched her own disbelief and fear. Airella’s mind raced with the realization that this stranger, so eerily similar to Sirius, held the power to claim Jonathan’s essence. The urgency of the situation pressed upon her, urging her to act swiftly. Fingers trembling, she retrieved the pendant from beneath her shirt, a glimmer of hope in the face of impending darkness.

“Jonathan, you have to go back!” Airella implored, her voice laced with desperation as she clutched the pendant tightly, eyes squeezed shut in a silent plea for salvation. Jonathan’s bewildered response only fueled her resolve, each moment ticking by fraught with uncertainty.

“I don’t know how!” Jonathan’s voice wavered, a mix of fear and resignation coloring his words as he gestured helplessly, the weight of their predicament heavy upon his translucent form.

Airella’s grip on the necklace tightened, her mind racing for a solution, a flicker of determination in her eyes as she sought a way to defy the grim fate that threatened to engulf them.

She opened her eyes slowly, a glint of determination shining through as she clenched her teeth together. Her fingers gripped tightly to Dawnbreaker, the cool metal providing a sense of grounding in the eerie world of Limbo. Dark, shadowy figures of villagers ambled past her with an unsettling nonchalance, as if the surreal events unfolding around them were of no consequence. Among them, the reaper who bore an uncanny resemblance to Sirius made his way towards Airella. The shock of his appearance rippled through her, for he was a mirror image of Sirius, save for his jet-black hair and imposing stature.

“Who are you? How did you escape the isle? And why do you look like Sirius?” Airella stood her ground in front of Jonathan, her grip firm on her weapon.

Uncertainty knotted in her stomach at the thought of facing a Miscreant who had effortlessly bested Sirius. Yet, she steeled herself, knowing she had to try, even if the outcome remained a hazy uncertainty. The how and the when of their escape plan eluded her, leaving her with a sense of foreboding.

“My name is Alikad. Why do you aid this traitor? He is loyal to Father.” Alikad’s accusation sliced through the tense air as he surged forward, his movements swift and purposeful. Airella deftly sidestepped his initial strike, her mind racing to decipher the cryptic connection between them. “Return to your realm or join your fallen comrades.” Alikad’s voice held a chilling finality as he brandished his intricate scythe, the blade gleaming malevolently in the dim light. With a deft motion, he cleaved through the fabric of reality, a shimmering portal materializing before them, beckoning like a gateway between worlds, much like the one Sirius had manipulated upon their arrival.

The portal felt as if it were a voracious entity, greedily pulling air into its swirling depths like a hungry vacuum. Despite its force, it lacked the strength to draw a person through its shimmering threshold. Airella hesitated, knowing that once she crossed over, returning would be impossible without Sirius by her side.

“Airella, go... you can’t beat this guy,” Jonathan murmured softly.

“And abandon both you and Sirius? I’ll at least try to hold my ground,” Airella replied, a surge of determination flooding her senses. It reminded her of the fierce resolve she felt the first time she clashed with the Sirius she once knew. It was a potent mix of courage and strength that fueled her now. With a resolute gaze towards Alikad, she silently signaled her decision to remain.

“You humans always complicate matters unnecessarily,” Alikad remarked with a hint of disdain as he lunged towards her. Airella braced herself for the impending strike. His scythe sliced down swiftly, but she parried his blow as their weapons clashed in a symphony of metal. His movements were swift, almost blurring in their speed, testing her limits.

A rivulet of gold liquid seeped from the wound on his chest, bearing a striking resemblance to the hue of Sirius’s blood. Airella couldn’t help but notice Jonathan’s anxious expression in her peripheral vision, wincing with each assault the assailant unleashed upon her.

“Check on Sirius!” she yelled to him, her voice filled with urgency, making a swift swing at Alikad. Despite her effort, the blade of her weapon only grazed through the fabric of his cloak, leaving a faint mark. Pausing briefly, she found herself lost in her thoughts, vividly recalling the intense anger that engulfed Alikad when Sirius had inflicted a wound on him. The fear of facing a similar wrath from him gripped her.

Alikad halted his advance, his gaze shifting towards Jonathan, who was frantically attempting to rouse Sirius from his unconscious state. With a last glance in Airella’s direction, he pivoted swiftly, charging towards the ethereal blue spirit, determination etched on his face. Airella’s eyes widened in a mix of horror and resolve.

“No!” her voice resonated with desperation as she pushed her legs to match his pace, her heart racing at the thought of losing Jonathan to Alikad’s clutches. The weight of the impending danger was almost suffocating, compelling her to take drastic action.

Without hesitation, she hurled Dawnbreaker towards Alikad, the blade finding its mark squarely in his back, propelling him to the ground in a swift motion. As she sprinted past him, she swiftly retrieved her weapon from its lodged position, a sense of urgency pushing her forward. The mission to secure Sirius and ensure the safety of all consumed her every thought, driving her forward with unwavering determination.

Before she could finish her last thought, Airella felt a hand wrap around her ankle, causing her to trip, fall, and lose her grip on Dawnbreaker. She flipped over onto her back so she could get a better view of her attacker, who was in the process of climbing over her in pain.

Rage burned in his yellow eyes, reflecting the fury raging within him. His knees pinned Airella’s wrists to the ground, rendering her arms useless. She clenched her teeth in pain, feeling the intensity of the moment. He pulled back his fist, the muscles tensed with unrestrained anger, and threw a punch aimed straight at her face.

Airella moved her head away from the impending blow just in time, narrowly avoiding the impact that cracked the ground beneath him. With a fierce determination, he launched a second punch from the opposite side; the force leaving the same shattered ground in its wake, yet she continued to evade his strikes with swift precision. Fueled by anger, he seized her by the collar of her shirt, pulling her face closer to his with a menacing glare.

“You should be dead already. Unless...” Alikad snarled, his menacing figure towering over Airella as he stood, his eyes filled with malice.

With a swift motion, he flung Airella across the ground, causing her to gasp in pain as she collided with the unforgiving earth. As she struggled to regain her breath, Airella tasted a metallic flavor in her mouth and felt a sense of dread as she realized her own blood stained her palm.

“You’re that half-breed girl,” Alikad taunted, his voice dripping with disdain as he picked up his scythe, the blade gleaming ominously in the dim light.

With a menacing grin, he raised the weapon, the sharp edge glinting as he brought it down with lethal precision, the ground shuddering beneath the force of the blow. Airella’s quick reflexes saved her from a fatal strike as she rolled to the side, narrowly evading the deadly blade.

“Well, aren’t you going to save the day?” Alikad’s words dripped with mockery as he relentlessly attacked Airella, descending upon her with his scythe in an unrelenting onslaught.

Airella had no respite between his brutal strikes, each blow forcing her to roll and dodge to avoid a fatal hit. She felt like a cornered prey, her movements driven by sheer survival instinct.

With a surge of anger, Alikad grabbed a fistful of Airella’s blonde hair, yanking her to her feet with a cruel grip. Airella’s heart pounded in fear as she struggled against his strength, her eyes wide with desperation.

“There is hellion blood running through your veins, Airella,” Alikad hissed, the words a chilling reminder of her cursed lineage. With a final display of his brutal power, he threw her to the ground, the impact sending shockwaves of pain through her body.

“I suppose your inner Miscreant hasn’t been awakened just yet... but trust me, I’m trying to spare you the agony.” Alikad’s taunts echoed in Airella’s ears, his cryptic words adding to her confusion and fear.

As she looked up at him, her eyes filled with a mix of defiance and uncertainty, she struggled to make sense of the dark forces that threatened to consume her.

Airella’s heart raced, its beats echoing in the chamber of her chest, as she struggled to find her voice amidst the turmoil that enveloped her. Her thoughts tangled in a web of confusion, each thread leading back to the same unanswered questions—how did he know who she was, what she was?

Just as a surge of fear threatened to wash over her, the reaper standing before her let out a malevolent snicker, his eyes gleaming with an unsettling gleam as he poised himself to deliver what seemed like a final, crushing blow.

But in that precarious moment, just as the tension in the air thickened, a sudden inexplicable calm descended upon the scene. Airella stood, almost suspended in time, as the world surrounding her seemed to freeze in a surreal stillness, as if time itself had momentarily ceased to flow.

As she teetered on the edge of consciousness, a haunting question echoed in her mind—was this the end? Had she suffered defeat? The darkness seemed to close in around her, suffocating and all-encompassing.

Suddenly, a blinding flash shattered the darkness, revealing an ominous presence—an obsidian-like Miscreant pacing restlessly in an icy cavern. A sense of déjà vu washed over Airella as she gazed at the figure. His dark, obsidian-like skin and piercing icy blue eyes stirred a flicker of recognition within her.

“Zol? From the island?” Airella’s thoughts raced, grappling with the inexplicable return to this chilling scene.

Questions swirled in her mind—hadn’t they already departed? Why was she back here? Tentatively, she reached out towards Zol, only to find herself met with an unsettling realization—she was invisible, a mere specter in this frozen realm.

As Zol turned his gaze towards the cave’s entrance, a voice shattered the silence, freezing Airella in place. The familiarity of the voice sent shivers down her spine, resonating deep within her being. It was a voice she knew all too well—her own.

The young girl entered the dark, foreboding cave, her eyes brimming with tears that reflected the dim light within. Airella, standing there in stunned silence, couldn’t help but notice the uncanny resemblance between them. It was as if looking into a twisted mirror that distorted reality just enough to create an unsettling familiarity. Despite the similarities, subtle differences set them apart—delicate freckles dusting one’s cheeks, variations in facial structure, and a cascade of curls tumbling down the other’s shoulders. Yet, their silhouettes, body shapes, and even their height mirrored one another, creating an eerie sense of connection.

One other thing that immediately caught Airella’s eye was the delicate blue pendant dangling from the girl’s neck. As she locked eyes with it, a rush of memories flooded her mind. It was Jonathan’s pendant—a cherished memento that now found its place around her own neck, a symbol of protection and connection.

More questions now swirled in her mind: How did Sirius come to possess it? What unseen forces were at play here, intertwining their fates in unexpected ways? Airella’s heart raced as she pieced together the fragments of this mysterious puzzle, each detail revealing more about the complex web of relationships and secrets that surrounded them all.

“I fear something dreadful has happened!” The girl exclaimed as she collapsed into Zol’s embrace, her voice trembling with emotion.

Airella’s mind swirled with confusion and questions. Why Zol? Why in this enigmatic dream? And why did this mysterious girl bear such a striking resemblance to her? The weight of unspoken inquiries crowded her thoughts, leaving her bewildered and unable to make sense of the unfolding scene.

“Emmaline, what happened?” Zol’s words carried a hint of an unfamiliar accent, as though English was not his native tongue.

Tears glistened in Emmaline’s eyes as she recounted her harrowing encounter in the woods. “I stumbled upon a dying man in the woods. He warned me to stay away from the village, saying that it had been engulfed in flames,” Her voice quivered as Zol enveloped her in a comforting embrace.

“Do not weep, Emma,” he murmured softly, holding her close.

At that moment, amidst the shadows of the cave, their intertwined fates stood shrouded in mystery, leaving Airella to ponder the depths of their connection and the untold secrets that bound them together.