Riveildian tales

A Stitch in Time II

The winds blew in a spiral that beckoned towards the raven coloured sky. Oliver, along with the three other friends ran as fast as they could out through the forest that surrounded Luciana's home. Ever since Professor Adeline's disappearance, the darkness had consumed Luciana's house and only spread further after that. Now, the trees of the forest protruded spindling arms that reached for the group of friends as they maneuvered through the woods.

"Where are we going to now Olly?" Amice asked as they exited the forest,

"We have to warn everyone," he turned to face the others, "Most of the students should be in the Riveildian institute right now. We should let them know so they know to go back to the safety of their homes. Also, a teacher there might just know a way out of this."

Suddenly, the winds from the forest howled towards them, carrying with it a piecing chill. Luciana stopped in her tracks and held onto her arms tight,

"What's wrong?" Amice asked, as she saw the dreaded expression Luciana wore.

"Mother, I can't sense her anymore," Oliver and Thomas exchanged looks of fear. They reckoned that Luciana's mother was the only reason they had been able to pass through the forest mostly unscathed. They didn't know which was scarier, the fact that they were now left unprotected, or that the darkness had become powerful enough to make a witch disappear without them knowing. Oliver grabbed hold of Luciana's wrist,

"Come on, we need to go." as he tugged gently at her hand, Luciana staggered on her feet. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she looked to Oliver with a horrid expression. She whispered,

"I feel.... strange Oliver." Luciana's body began to vanish into thin air right before the eyes of her friends. Oliver felt nothing but pure terror when the slight warmth of her hand in his was replaced by a cold gust of wind.

"Luciana?" he breathed as though he intended to reject his very eyes.

"We need to go now Oliver," Thomas said as he watched the forest become completely consumed in darkness.

The three friends ran as fast as they could through the street of Riveildia. As they passed through, each fried noticed an air of panic growing among the people of kingdom as they to looked to the sky and saw not the blue that would come with the morning sun, but the pure blackness of nothing. Oliver knew it would only be a matter of time before the screeching winds came forth along with the spindling hands of darkness that would claim whomever it came across. Though his legs cried to give out, Oliver gritted his teeth and ran faster than he ever could, for he felt in his heart that he owed that much to professor Adeline, to Catherine, to Luciana, and to everyone who he had just endangered by his grave mistakes.

What is this​?

Oliver stood aghast as he stared at an empty grassy field. The land upon which once stood their beloved school, now sat an empty unmaintained space save for their favorite cherry tree that stood at it's center.

"Where is our school?" Amice asked unable to believe what she saw.

"It's been erased from time," Oliver turned around at the familiar sound of Professor Hamphyll's voice. He approached the three friends with his eyes still fixated on the grassland that was once the Riveildian institute. "The same is the case for the senior institute." Thomas looked to him with furrowed brows.

"What's going on?" Professor Hamphyll looked to him with a grave expression,

"I take it Professor Adeline has been claimed by the clock." Oliver's lips pressed into a thin line, "Come on, it's not safe here." Professor Hamphyll said to the friends as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cast slip. "A gift from Professor Adeline to you." he said waving it at Thomas with a smile. He handed the cast slip to Thomas, "If you may."