۞ Secret Of Magic ۞ [ ʜᴇʀᴍɪᴛᴄʀᴀғᴛ/ʟɪғᴇ Sᴇʀɪᴇs]

10

Gem quickly grabbed the lantern and was heading to follow Grian.

"Don't follow him." Pearl said quietly.
"It won't change anything... We just need to hope he'll be alright."
Pearl felt tears fall down on her cheeks. When did she start crying?.

Gem closed down and sat on the floor.
They were looking at the fire for a while until Gem spoke.
"I should have told you sooner."

"What are you thinking about?" Pearl looked at her trying to put her tears away.

"I knew something bad would happen and I didn't warn you. Grain might be in real danger and it's my fault."

Pearl came close to her.
"It's not your fault."

Gem looked at her with pain in her eyes.
"I ... I don't want to lose another friend to the darkness... " She mumbled.

Pearl embrace her.
"Shhhh.. it's okay."

"No it's not Pearl! I'm a coward who could help her friend and now the other might be k!lled because of that."
Gem left like thousands of rocks were falling on herself.

"Gem , Gem look at me"
She turned to face Pearl. Her dark blue eyes looked like a midnight sky filled with stars from the fire light.

"Can you tell me what happened? Or it's something--"

"I'll tell you...I actually wanted for a while but never was a good time and now it looks like there's no other opinion." She laughed quietly but it was a happily laughing, it was more like the laughing through the sadness onc.

Gem took a deep breath.

"Take your time."Pearl said smiling softly.

Gem looked at the fire again.

"Everything started a very long time ago...

I've lived in this house, in this empire with my parents. Back then it was blooming with people and happiness.

Until an unfortunate accident which its consequences are very noticeable."
Gem lay against the cold cobble wall.
"I think then I was fourteen or late thirteen? ---"

-------------

One summer day Gem left her father  smithy to meet up with her friends.
One of them was named Cub, he was the only child of the local potion maker and healer in the town and the other was called Scar the 'surly not' prince of the Earth Empire.

They were the same age except Gem who was a year younger. Cub and Gen  had known each other since they  were little and they met Scar a few years back, after his first escape  from the castle.

That day they decided to go to the woods. Scar had told them stories and tales about them. The town people warn their kids to never go in there because something really bad was there but no one could explain what it was.

"You sure this is a good idea?"Gem asked as she looked at the dark forest though the crack in the old cobble wall.

"No- but it's for science!"Cub said, he took out a torch form his bundle and lit it up. He walked through and in a matter of second was standing on the other side.

"It will be alright Gem. " Scar  smiled at her. He put in her hands a small dragger.

She looked at him shocked.
"Scar..I can't -"

"Take it. I don't use it anyway, besides with something to fight you'll feel braver."

Gem tightened her finger on the handle. She muttered quietly 'thank you'. Gem wasn't sure if Scar heard if because Cub was yelling at them to hurry up.

- - - - -

"Do you still have it?"

Gem stopped and looked at Pearl. It was the first question she heard from her and she was asking about one stupid dragged?
Gem tried to calm the emotions that started boiling inside her again. She took a look at Pearl who looked really interested in what she was saying.
Gem shook her head.

"No... I've lost it... When we were in the forest..."

Pearl gave her ab understanding look and let Gem continue.

------

The trio were walking through the woods. They looked really ordinary like other forests around, maybe except the thick fog that was weirdly coming from one direction.

And because Cub and Scar were Cub and Scar they decided to go into that exactly direction. Gem followed them, she didn't had any other option someone needed to have those two on eye.

"Maybe we should be getting back is getting dark." Gem said after what felt like ages of walking.

Scar looked at Cub then at Gem and lastly at the sky.
"Gem's right. I don't think I want to face an angry Cleo again." In his voice was hear slightly terrified tone.

Cleo or King Cleo was the ruler of the Empire and also Scar's adopted Mother. They were very wise and caring person who also know what they are worth.

" Just a few more minutes. We are close to something spectacular ! I can feel it ."

Scar and Gem looked at each other. They couldn't leave Cub, so they followed him.

And as he said a few minutes later they reached a what was looking like castle ruins .

"I've never heard there was a kingdom." Scar said out loud. He looked at the groun, something dark and sticky was covering it.
In the corner of his eye he saw Cub waking closer to the what once was a castle entrance.

"Cub! Wait for me!" He ran towards him.

Gem was to concrete to inspecting the weird plants?- dark substance to noticed them running away.
That was pretty much end of her plan to having an eye on them.

Until she here a scream and a flash of light.

"Cub?! Scar?!" She yelled and immediately ran into the ruins.
She saw terrified as she saw unconscious Scar laying on the floor and a stranger fully dark creatures with glowing cyan or blue eyes and horns which were catching every sound she made.
Cub was nowhere to be seen.

"Gem~~? Come here?"
The figure called. It sounded familiar... too familiar.

Gem was scared, she felt her tears falling down. She wanted to run but she couldn't  move, she couldn't leave Scar here.

Gem concentrates the last parts of her mind which were totally paralysed with panic. She pulled the dragged out of her pocket, aim it and throw it directly into the creature.

It screamed with sound she never heard before.
At the moment she ran , took Scar and  ran as far as she could just to escape that place. Gem wasn't sure how long she was running until the world turned black

-------