DAGON MANSION

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE: THE DARK DIMENSION

Scarlett stood between them like a small, solemn guardian of innocence.
Her parents and Theolinda knelt before her — three adults poised on the edge of destiny, and a child whose eyes saw more than any of them wished.

Ryan tried for lightness he did not feel.
"Princess," he murmured, brushing a curl from her face, "Theo, Mia and I are going on a little trip. A few days, maybe more. You'll stay with Xena and Brisa. You'll be safe. And... you'll be good for them, right?"

Scarlett nodded, but her lower lip quivered. "I'll miss you terribly."

Mia swallowed, voice soft and aching. "We'll miss you too, sweetheart. More than you can imagine."

Scarlett took both their hands, grip unexpectedly steady. Then she turned to Theolinda — eyes shining with candor beyond her years.

"At first, I didn't understand why you were here," she whispered.
A breath.
"But now I do. And I love you, Theo."

Something inside Theo cracked. She gathered Scarlett into her arms, holding her as though she might anchor them all.

"And I love you, my beautiful girl," she whispered. "We're coming back. You'll see."

Scarlett pulled away slowly, as if already sensing time fraying around them.

Silence followed them down the corridor, the burned remains of Forestvale Manor holding its breath.

They entered the hidden chamber. Ancient stone. Old magic humming just beneath breath and bone.

Ryan turned to them — the leader, the haunted guide.

"From here on, you follow every word I say. No hesitation. No wandering."
He reached for their hands. "Portal travel is disorienting. The Dark Dimension... much worse."

He closed his eyes, and ancient syllables unfurled like coiling serpents:

O Spiritus lucis, duc nos... ad obscuram dimensionem... defende nos ibi...
ubi vivunt multi magici...

The air split. Color, shadow, sound folded into impossible geometry. The world bent.

They stepped through.

Motion. Roaring silence. A thousand worlds brushing against them like ghosts.

Mia clung to Ryan's hand; Theo forced her gaze steady. Ryan breathed slowly — familiarity etched in every line of his face.

Then — earth. A violent halt.

They stood in twilight that never left.

A dead forest.

A sky without horizon.

A hush that felt like a held knife.

Ryan exhaled roughly.

Home, his mind whispered, unbidden. Damn it. I'm home.

The trees were skeletal, roots clutching moist earth like drowned fingers.

Pale moss clung to trunks like decaying skin.

Holes in the earth — dark, bottomless, waiting.

In the shadows, a flicker — scales, amber eyes, low growl.

Mia froze. Theo's breath stuttered.

Ryan's hand slid toward hidden weapons.

"Don't move," he whispered. "Forest dragons. They hunt here."

"Dragons?" Theo breathed.

"Everything you imagine," Ryan answered, "exists here."

A shimmer — delicate wings, silver dust. A fairy emerged, luminous and wrong.

"We offer power," it sang, "in exchange for something precious—"

"Look away," Ryan snapped. "They devour souls through bargains."

The fairy vanished, as though offended.

Then soft rustling — not threat, but eerie curiosity.

Creatures emerged — fur silver-soft, pointed ears, star-bright eyes.

"The Spiwwesi," Ryan murmured. "Harmless now. They kill when others sleep."

A fragile peace settled — awe twisted with fear.

Mia's grip tightened.

Theo lifted her chin.

They would not shrink. Not anymore.

Fog thinned. Shadows lifted. A stone village appeared, ancient and silent — ivy clinging like black veins.

"This place..." Ryan whispered. "Enchers. The Elders' village."

Tall figures drifted past, cloaked, silent, unmoving. Not hostile — simply indifferent, absorbed in unknowable study of cosmos and corruption.

Theo's voice was quiet, hopeful. "Could the Elders help us?"

"No," Ryan murmured. "They abandoned mortal concerns long ago."

A castle crowned the center — dark towers, windows shuttered to reality.

They found the only inn. One room.

Ryan inspected food. Only he ate first. Only what he trusted.

Night fell heavy.

Mia spoke into blackness.

"What about Kalon Highfield? The vampire who loves Alexandra. Could he help?"

Ryan sighed. "Alexandra toys with him. He has no power over her."

Theo whispered, "Then what hope do we have?"

Mia answered before Ryan could. "We find him anyway."

Ryan hesitated — then relented. Exhaustion was claiming them.

"Tomorrow," he murmured. "We seek the sorcerers. And Kalon. For now — rest."

Theo curled beside him, trust and fear mingling.

Mia lay inches away, sleepless, jealousy a tiny coal burning quietly.

Outside, unseen creatures watched the inn's windows.

In the Dark Dimension, night was never safe.

None of them slept deeply.

None of them dreamed kindly.

And none yet knew that only one would return.

Dawn bled cold violet light.

They left Enchers behind and walked toward the City of Sorcerers, shadows stretching like omens across the dust.

The Dark Dimension waited.
And fate walked beside them, silent and merciless.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: These chapters are very dark and difficult for our beloved characters, leading them to the difficult and dangerous encounter with Alexandra. What will happen?