Changed

Chapter Twenty-Nine

I could see my breath as it puffed out of my mouth in short bursts, syncing to my heart beat. Chills trickled down every inch of my skin, little bumps forming under the clothes I was wearing. They provided very little warmth, the frigid air seeping in through the slightest spaces in the fabric. My feet were uncomfortably damp and cold, the snow ruthlessly nipping at all uncovered skin. I glanced around while rubbing my arms, my eyes catching nothing but white fields; outlined by dense, grim looking trees. With a small struggle, I lifted my leg from the snow, plunging it right back in half a meter away as I braced for the numbing cold again. For a first step, it was exhausting. Slowly I was making my way to the trees, desperately hoping it'd have more to offer than dead wood. My ankles were turning to ice now, and the grey skies and glacial precipitation cloaking everything in sight wasn't exactly helping.  

Why was I alone? My head buzzed, coming up with excuses for what I knew Isamu did. He sent me here with only my shadow as company. Unless the others had appeared somewhere else in Oraoin, they were still on Earth. I guess there could be a slight possibility of them being just as lost as I, but he could control where his participants ended up - obviously not with me. 

A slight scoffing noise made me whirl around, and I was faced with nothing other than the empty field and hollow footsteps I'd molded into the snow. I shook my head; it must have been my imagination. Then again, I'd been proved many times over that reality isn't exactly what you might perceive it to be. Whatever it was, my gut told me to speed up - so that I did, to the best of my ability anyway. I was relieved to find a thinner layer of snow welcome me into the forest, and walking became staggeringly simpler. Again I heard the noise, making my heart pound. My eyes scanned every tree while my mind involuntarily brought up every possible terrifying initiator of the sound. It wasn't dark, but the denseness and eerie forests sent chills down my spine. 

A small flame soon formed within my palm, surprising myself at the ease with which I summoned the fire. I'd forgotten all about my Virtue, and it would've come in handy while I was freezing in the middle of the snow field. My mind kept flicking back to the feeling that something was watching me, and I continuously glanced back and forth between the trees. My paranoia getting the best of me, I suddenly sprinted deeper into the forest; anxious that something could be following me. The whoosh from before sounded again, closer this time, and I bolted through the trees; weaving in and out between the trunks with an accidental speed that amazed me. I let out a sudden shriek as two hands harshly clasped my shoulders while something slammed into my upper back, shooting immediate pain through my body. Before I could inhale back the cold air that was instantly knocked out of me, my feet suddenly struggled to touch the ground. It dawned on me that I was being lifted, and realized that I had cautiously looked everywhere but up; a mistake that now had come back to bite me in the ass. My breath hitched as my hair attacked my face while I was flown higher into the air, my legs flinging about below me. Desperately trying to conjure a fire, I finally caught sight of what gripped my shoulders so tightly. Hail's unmistakable blue-hued wings sent repeated blasts of air into my watering eyes.

I tried calling up to him, but the constant gush of wind stole my words as we flew over the trees. He seemed to notice the lack of struggle, loosening the grip on my shoulders; which almost sent me into a panic attack, thinking he was dropping me. As I literally hung from his grasp, defenseless and unable, my mind whirred. Had Isamu sent Hail after me? None of this made sense, and I went crazy as I struggled to connect the dots whilst I was seventy feet in the air. Within seconds we swooped down to the ground, and I suddenly stumbled onto the frosty surface, my knees crushing frozen grass as I clambered to my feet, ready to tackle Hail with a much anticipated embrace. 

I halted suddenly, my face falling while my outstretched arms did the same, as it became clear that the winged man before me wasn't the one I knew. He was taller, and older. His clothing was well adapted to the bleak weather, and I was envious of his obvious warmth. There were few strands of grey tainting his dark brown hair, and his grey-blue eyes had a certain age to them; as if they'd seen a lifetime of events although he looked no older than forty. He stared at me, as if he were waiting for a reaction. I did the same, warily watching his cheeks dimple as he smiled. He then bowed slightly.

"Welcome home, Princess."

My mind was lost as I stared at him. I almost recognized the man before me? With his welcoming I soon snapped back to reality. Any hints of recognition were probably coincidental doppelgangers I'd seen in my years of live on Earth. I answered him weakly, an eyebrow involuntarily raising. "Uh... Thanks!" Hopefully 'Princess' wasn't a term I'd be called often - it still bothered me. 

"The land you come from; was it safe?" Concern traced the man's features as he watched me shuffle my feet anxiously. I had really thought he was Hail, and I probably didn't do a very good job of hiding my disappointment. 

"Safer than here, I think," I replied, still getting a strange vibe from this man whose wings were now receding into his back. He didn't even flinch, and that scared me. Even Hail wasn't that stoic. "Who are you?"

It was almost as if he sensed the fear in my voice, and he suddenly seemed to panic. "I'm so sorry Amara, I didn't mean to intimidate you!" The sudden mention of my name took me off-guard, but it probably wasn't a secret in Oraoin. "I am Good, do not worry."

"Your blood doesn't matter to me." Again, my thoughts shot back to Hail.

He smiled again, a warm comfortable smile. "You are so much like your mother - the late Queen, I mean. My name is Silas. I am the leader of the rebellion against the evil of this world."

Something about the mention of my mother made my insides smile; it made me feel like I had a family once. I nodded my head understandably. "Malus. He has a friend of mine. That's why I came back."

"You expect her to still be alive?"

"She's pregnant." 

His face paled subtly, but enough for me to notice. "We have hidden ourselves underground. You'll be safe there, as he sends his Scaevus out at night. I want you to feel comfortable, so if you'd rather go somewhere else I won't hesitate to take you. However, we'll be able to properly conjure a plan from down there and you will be fed, clothed properly and well protected."

I nodded in agreement. At this point I'd do anything to get out of the cold, and I suddenly felt oddly dependent on Silas. He beckoned for me to follow him, and I didn't hesitate. Something about him made me feel safe, and I curiously followed him into the depths of the unknown. And I mean that all too literally.  

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A/N: Hello hello to all that read this!! So this Silas dude...  I'm wondering if any of you will guess how important he really is ;) As always, thank you so incredibly much for your support <3 Don't be afraid to check out my second work 'Nefarious' -- It's also a fantasy and I think some of you would really enjoy it :) (I hope lol)

Isamu's being a little bugger, and who knows what he'll be up to next... Will Alec, Novem, Slate and Vienna find their way to Oraoin? Or are they already there? What will Silas' rebellion group be like? We'll see, we will see... 

Until the next chapter <3

-- Nora