Mage Chronicles: The Journey.

BLOODY SURPRISE.

RHIAN'S POV.

It was killing me to see her like this. Rhys, the fucking coward had checked out the moment it was clear what would have been happy memories for anyone else were instead destroying her. Killing her will to live.

We had gotten into her head at the request of her phoenix, a feisty little thing. She had convinced us that while not ideal, it would be an effective method in getting her to face reality and accept it. And so had begun the trip down memory lane.

I had been so excited when her memories started from when she had Knox, our son. It was like a window to the childhood we had missed out on. I was certain I was going to replay the image of her singing to our beautiful boy for years to come. The baking saga was one for the books, it had been scary and wholesome at the same time. All her memories made me grateful that she had Raphael and Selene, they had been wonderful guardians who later became the best parents for her. They were there for both of them when none of us could be and I was eternally indebted to them and their wonderful actions.

However, the happy moments were having the opposite effect on her. Wrecking her sanity because despite being stuck in an alternate state, she was still aware of the reality. A reality that was so traumatic for her, that she decided to write her own. One that started off as confusing as it was entertaining, for me anyway.

I loved a good revenge story, and the new Mahina was pulling no punches in these dreams. She was coming for everyone and their pets and I loved to see it. Rhys thought it wasn't very healthy especially when she turned a bit murderous and the fucker decided to pull an ostrich move; hide when things got too much.

"Is she going to beat her up?" Rhys asks finally breaking his silence leading me back to the events unfolding. Mahina was having a confrontation that I for one thought was a long time coming. "Mahina can't fight!" he adds sounding panicked.

"I have had it with you Angeline! First of all, whoever named you was high on some good stuff or they had a warped sense of humour. Nothing in you spells angel!"

We needed to teach the poor girl how to trash talk.

"Shut up Mahina, did you skip your meds?"

I was going to dream walk into this hag's dreams and make her kill herself.

"Don't you fucking dare..." Mahina retorts lips wobbling. If I notice it I'm sure the girl did too. I'm proven right when she smirks a second later and proceeds to drive the arrow in.

"My aunt told me, you are so screwed up in the head, there's no helping you. She was praying you'd be suicidal to save everyone the effort of trying to end you."

"What happened to patient confidentiality, you really are related!"

I'm so tempted to jump in despite the sheer impossibility of the idea when I see Mahina fighting back tears. It was not a good feeling to have your insecurities thrown in your face and in public no less. Before I can test the unspoken rules of dream walking, her instructor walks in no doubt alerted by the commotion.

"Ok, girls, enough with the screaming match."

He did not... just say that.

"Shut up Ian! Just because she lets you and every other dick-wielding organism in this building treat her like a cum bucket doesn't mean you get to ignore all the things she does in this studio and somehow manages to get away with."

Well, maybe I needed the trash talk lessons. Damn!

"She said cum bucket," Rhys mutters sounding scandalized.

"Wow! She went there." One of her colleagues mutters in disbelief.

"What—wha—- what do you mean? I don't—- I mean we don't treat her like a—-"

Poor Ian, he just seemed guiltier.

"You bitch!" the not-angel screams flying towards Mahina intent on smacking her only for my girl to stop her hand mid-air.

"Lay a finger on me Angeline, I fucking dare you!"

The girl pauses looking spooked, a good thing she did too because that wasn't Mahina, at least not entirely.

"That wasn't Mahina," Rhys reiterates my thoughts.

"You don't say!" I mutter eyes fixed intently on the scene unfolding.

"This is not the time Rhian, something bad is going to happen, I can feel it. If her beast is awake it's going to get bloody."

"What's so wrong with that? At least now she won't lose the fight and we won't have to break a million rules to help her. A win is a...Oh shit!"

"See!" Rhys yells coming to the forefront and I let him because Mahina had just punched a hole through the girl's heart, plucked it out and hit her instructor in the face with it, smooshing it on the guy's face for good measure...all in a span of seconds.

"We have to do something, this can't be healthy for her!" Rhys the worry wart continues.

"She's processing grief you dolt! It's not supposed to be healthy—- I think."

"You think? That makes me feel so much better! She's going to end up doing something really awful and get stuck in her head for good. We need help."

"Wait! Don't..."

A bright light flashes as Rhys kicks out of the scape and back into Mahina's room at the Academy.

"What do you mean don't?" Khalil's question is the first thing I hear, his frosty tone causing a chill in the air.

Shit! My turn to check out.

I retreat leaving Rhys to handle the mess.

"Rhysand! What do you mean don't?"

"That was Rhian, he didn't want me to come find help."

"Why would you need help?" Mahina's father asks again and if it were possible the room chills even further.

Before Rhys can answer, the door bursts open and the rest of the family rushes in, anticipation on their faces.

"We felt a disturbance, is she back?" Raphael asks, his wife nodding fervently beside him.

"Where were you?" Keon demands from me before Rhys can answer Rafe.

"Is she okay, did you find her?" Eliane asks.

The boys look on eagerly as the avalanche of questions comes at us.

"Quiet!" Khalil barks and everyone obeys instantly. Thank fates! The cacophony of voices was getting to me.

"Why would you need help Rhys? Rhian?"

"Well..." Rhys starts again.

"Spit it out damn it!" this comes from Axel, disrespectful little shit. But I let it go since these were sensitive times and all. Rhys doesn't, shooting him a warning glare that shuts him up though he still looks like he'd like to scoop the answer from inside our head.

"Mahina just killed someone!" Rhys blurts before anyone can ask us again.

Way to deliver the news Rhys.

"And I liked it," says a voice from the bed and we all turn to stare at a clearly awake Mahina, only it wasn't all her.