Ethan and Eliza materialized in the castle's main hall, the faint hum of magic still lingering in the air. Eliza pulled away from him instantly, her face red with anger.
“What did you do that for?!” she yelled, her voice echoing sharply off the stone walls.
Ethan blinked, caught off guard. “What do you mean? I got us out of there.”
“I didn’t ask you to save me!”
Ethan’s brow furrowed, his calm tone contrasting her fury. “I don’t understand. Should I apologize for getting you out of there now?”
“We got out, but what about our troops?” Eliza shot back, pacing in frustration. “Those monsters can’t just say shit about my parents—the ones they killed—and leave scot-free.”
Ethan sighed, shaking his head. “We were outnumbered, Eliza. Staying there would have been suicidal.”
Eliza stopped pacing and spun to face him, her fists clenched. “It’s better to stay and fight for my kingdom than hide in my castle like a coward! They’ll still come to finish us off, you know that.”
“Of course I know that,” Ethan replied evenly, his voice tinged with exhaustion. “That’s why I don’t think us arguing is going to get us anywhere.”
Her jaw tightened. “We had you—the holder of the Heartstone—and it didn’t make a difference.”
“Even the guardian of the Heartstone cannot take down a whole army of monsters,” Ethan replied, his voice harder now.
“The last one could,” she snapped. “I thought having you on our side would give us the edge we needed to win this war, but I guess I was wrong.”
With that, she turned sharply on her heel and stormed down the corridor, her boots pounding against the marble floor.
Ethan stood still for a moment, running a hand through his hair with a long sigh. “I guess I should get used to living in the wasteland that Earth is now because I don’t think she’ll help me save earth anymore,” he muttered bitterly to himself. “Where’s Gregory, by the way? He should be helping us, but he’s probably somewhere goofing off. I honestly don’t know what’s wrong with him.”
Ethan shook his head and turned to walk away. Above him, hidden in the deep recesses of the vaulted ceiling, something shifted. A pair of glowing eyes blinked open, faint and red, watching his every move. The creature that had followed him from the shifters' camp lingered silently, its gaze unblinking, its presence unseen.
---
Gregory squirmed in the chair, his wrists chafing against the ropes that bound him. The dim light from a torch in the corner barely illuminated the room, casting jagged shadows on the stone walls.
“Hey, I don’t know who you think you’ve got, but believe me—you’ve got the wrong guy!” he called out, his voice filled with both frustration and panic.
A cold voice replied from the darkness. “That’s what they always say.”
Gregory huffed. “No, seriously! I’ve never been to Eldoria before. This is just my third day here. I know I don’t take long to offend people, but this is too soon, even for me!”
“Rest assured,” the voice said calmly, “you’re the right person. There’s been no mistake.”
Gregory slumped back in his chair, exhaling a shaky breath. “Where’s Ethan when you need him?” he muttered to himself, his voice barely above a whisper.
---
Ethan paced in his room, his boots thumping rhythmically against the floorboards. He couldn’t stop replaying the battle in his mind: the shifters’ taunts, the overwhelming odds, Eliza’s furious words.
YOU ARE READING
Blood
FantasyEthan, a 16-year-old high school student, has always felt like an outsider in his small town. He's drawn to the mysterious and beautiful Emily, who's just transferred to his school. As they spend more time together, Ethan discovers that Emily is hid...
