The Unwilling Protagonist

Chapter 42: Rays of Hope Like Sunshine Through Clouds

Charlotte stirred awake and opened her eye. She felt her face and the dressing that was wrapped over her left eye; the one that Magician slashed. She didn't remember much after that

She looked around and noticed she was in a place that looked like an empty infirmary. She stepped out of the bed she was in and felt a pain in her slashed eye, but continued on. Before she could make it to the door to leave, it suddenly opened up and a blackfire instance was standing right in front of her. Instinctively, Charlotte pulled her dagger out and fell over backwards as she was trying to run from it.

"Hey, hey! Calm down!" The instance said.

"No! Stay away from me!" Charlotte shouted.

"Hey! I'm not going to hurt you!" The instance held its hands up and open, "I'm a healer. I won't hurt you, alright?"

Charlotte was panting in fear at the instance in front of her. The memory of Magician was playing out in her mind.

"I won't hurt you." The healer repeated softly.

Listen to him, Charlotte. Charlotte heard a familiar voice in her head and looked to see where it came from.

Suddenly, a figure materialized in the infirmary, startling the healer and Charlotte. It had white eyes...

"Mistress?" Charlotte called out.

"High Priestess?" The healer spoke in confusion.

"Yes...it's me..." Reighland smiled warmly.

Charlotte leaped off the ground to hug Reighland who embraced her just as warmly.

"But...how are you here? We all thought Magician killed you." The healer asked.

"He did..." Reighland replied, "To be honest, I'm quite surprised that I'm here, myself..." She looked down at Charlotte and undid the dressing on her eye. Once she finished, she nodded her head, "Hmm...just as I suspected..."

Reighland gave Charlotte a mirror. Much to Charlotte's surprise and shock, her left eye was replaced with blackfire and was glowing white, similar to Reighland's. She ran her finger along the slash where Magician cut her and over her eye.

"Charlotte." Reighland said, "I need you to tell me what happened after I died."

"Uh...I...I don't remember much. All I remember is attacking Magician, losing my eye, and then I woke up here." Charlotte answered.

"I can answer your question, High Priestess." The healer said, "Magician successfully summoned the World and he's moving west as we speak."

Reighland sighed, "I may have failed to prevent the World's summoning, but we still have hope. Charlotte, go find the others."

"I'll help!" The healer volunteered.

Opening Theme:

Y/N, Miriam, and Kara had just woken up and put on all their gear again. None of them said a word about what happened last night; all it was to them was a way to drown out their sorrows, nothing more. No one pried into the words said or the actions done.

Charlotte suddenly burst into the room, startling everyone.

"Everyone! The Mistress is alive!" She said excitedly.

"What?" Y/N and Miriam were confused. Then Y/N noticed Charlotte had two eyes instead of one, "Wait, Charlotte, what happened to your eye?"

Reighland suddenly materialized in the room in front of everyone, "I may have had something to do with that." The mood suddenly shifted.