Twilight Shadows

Chapter 23

I could barely breathe. I know I saw this man somewhere, but I still couldn't pinpoint where or when exactly. I peered closer at the picture in the book to make sure I didn't miss anything.

It definitely was what I thought.

The metal Minotaur and the Puppet Master. They were supposed to be myths according to the Twilights...

So that's where they came from... I realized. Someone has been summoning them.

I flew closer to the man. I recognized his gray-ish black cloak, and thin body, and then it struck me. I definitely knew this man too.

This man was the same man who Joshua had been talking to all long. All the little details, clues, and little pieces of a puzzle came together. The attack. The Puppet Master attack. How Joshua summoned the Light so quickly to defeat the Puppet Master without difficulty...

Then it struck me. Noah and I weren't supposed to live. But Joshua wouldn't betray us just like that. 

But there was another little piece of the puzzle that didn't fit in. Joshua said he knew nothing about the attack, yet he summoned the Light so quickly and without hesitation during the Puppet Master incident. Could he be talking about... another attack?

All these questions made my mind feel dizzy.

Could this man also be a half breed like Joshua? I wondered. If so, who was this man who he called Lord Seth? Was he the leader of the Shadows?

Suddenly the cloaked figure's eyes glowed red and he let out a harsh, maniacal laugh that echoed all around him; the trees carried the eerie sound all around the mountains.

In the distance, I could hear a growling, cranking sound that reminded me of the Minotaur. Then, a cold wind swept past me, and I guessed that it was the Puppet Master.

So that's where all the monsters are coming from... I realized.

~💖~  

I woke up with a start and found myself sweating. I checked the time on the digital clock on the night table. It was 2:47 AM in the morning. My heart was pounding fast and Nightmare was still asleep.

Somehow I knew I couldn't fall asleep anymore. My hair was matted, so I decided to brush it.

After brushing my blonde hair until it was smooth and shiny, I opened up one of the lamps on the night table. Nightmare groaned and growled something, then went back to sleep. 

If she made a ruckus here, I thought. Then I will have to do a lot of explaining.

I sighed and decided that it was better to have Nightmare as a charm on my magical bracelet. So, I held out my arm with the bracelet on it, and Nightmare disappeared in a bright flash in the dimly lit room.

I sat back onto the bed, staring out the window at the brightly lit city beneath me that was once controlled by the Puppet Master. Thoughts swirled into my head again like a tornado, hitting my mind all at once.

What attack will there be? Who really am I? What will happen to the world? Will we ever get to the nymph? Will the Obsidian Tree be saved? Will there be peace between the Shadows and Twilights? Is the scroll telling the truth? What is the mysterious figure doing with that book? Who's my father? What's going on?

Questions flooded my mind, making me drowsy again. My eyelids began to feel heavy. With my last bit of strength I could muster, I pulled myself into the quilt and fell asleep, again...

~💖~  

I woke up to the sound of banging on my door to the suite. I quickly brushed my hair, slipped into my black diamond fighting boots, and checked the tiny peephole on the door. It was Noah, and he was already dressed and ready to leave.

I immediately opened up the door.

"Hi Noah..." I said, still a little drowsy. "What's up...?" I yawned.

"Steph, are you okay?" Noah asked, concerned. His eyes were always a dark, peculiar shade of blue when he was worried or concerned about something. "Did you have a good night's sleep?"

"Uhh..." I said, trailing off. "Ye - okay, no - I did not have a good night's sleep."

"Well, good sleep or not, we're going to go in..." Noah checked his watch. "In fifteen minutes. Meet Joshua and I in the front lobby. We're going to eat breakfast at the restaurant in the lobby. I'll see you later!"

"Okay..." I mumbled as Noah turned around and left. I closed the door and quickly began to change out of my pajamas into my battle armor. After that, I brushed my teeth and redid my hair. This time, I did it more thoroughly. 

In less than fifteen minutes, I was ready. I stepped out of the door with all my belongings packed tightly into a small backpack. I double-checked the room. Everything was in order. Satisfied, I left the room and headed down to the lobby.

~💖~  

"Mornin'..." Joshua said as I joined their table. I nodded and sat down beside Noah. I looked around. Everything was just as it was supposed to be, before the Puppet Master took control of the city.

Mortals chatting with their friends and family, workers cleaning up spills, cooks cooking breakfast, and the front lobby crowded with new mortals signing in. Everything was back to normal.

"Hey Steph, let's go get some breakfast. It's a self-serve restaurant, apparently." Noah observed.

"Okay then." I said, and got up to leave. Noah stood up and left in the direction of the food. I followed him. Joshua was still sitting in his seat, staring into nothingness and facing his own problems.

I turned back around and found that Noah had already left. I quickly jogged around some mortals and caught up to him.

"There's some oatmeal... some scrambled eggs... sausages... muffins... and a little desert!" Noah exclaimed.

"Sounds nice!" I said. "I'll take a little bit of everything then." I grabbed a tray and started to line up in the line for all the food.

As I was lining up, somebody pushed past me roughly and I turned to see who it was.

Horror filled up my body. 

It was a Grim Reaper from the Graveyard of Hell.