Destiny Island

Chapter 60

It took time for Jade's terrified brain to understand what was happening. Especially having in mind that Mildred was the first one to enter the room.

Jade was ready to fight any way she could to protect the others. It didn't even matter to her that she couldn't feel any powers in her whole being. All she knew was that she couldn't give up.

Before she had the chance to decide which way she would fight Mildred, who she was sure was more powerful than her, she saw who was behind Mildred.

Only then did Jade manage to relax since it became obvious that the elves had Mildred in their custody.

"How did you find us? I thought the portal made a mistake? Or did you mean to send us to the giants' land?" Jade asked the moment her voice came back to her.

"We examined the portal once the storm was over and realized that it had been magically altered to deliver you to the dark side of the island.

Once we arrived in the land of the giants, we traced you back to this part of the island using our superb tracking abilities, and that was when we came across her." Vulluin, the elf, said pointing at Mildred.

Even dazed as she was, Jade could feel how terrified Mildred was, and had it only been her life that she had endangered, Jade might have felt bad for the witch, but as it was, all she felt was contempt.

"Even before we had the chance to ask her if she had seen you, she confessed putting a sleeping potion in your food and summoning Ci Nada.

Ci Nada had blackmailed her with some past infractions, for which she will also be punished now, and here we are." Vulluin said, looking at Mildred pointedly.

That all made sense to Jade, but it still didn't explain to her what Ci Nada's plan was. How could going to sleep with them in the same room help her?

That was when a different elf caught her attention. He was standing beside the others with his eyes closed, and keeping up a constant chant.

"What is he doing?" Jade asked.

"We thought that Avo Jana would be best suited to deal with Ci Nada and stop her from hurting anyone, so he is bridging," Vulluin said.

"What do you mean? And what is 'bridging'?" Jade asked.

"Ci Nada cast spells on you while you were sleeping. The first one was to make your nightmares feel more real, a nightmare spell, they call it, which is a rather potent spell. The second one was to enter Ignacio's mind and torture him by adjusting his nightmare to her liking.

I am estimating that she decided to enter his mind to better enjoy his suffering.

As for bridging, it is a type of magic performed when there is too much distance between two people who need to communicate.

In this case, Avo Jana's meadow is too far away for her to reach us only using her magic, so Lan Mi is bridging because that is his specialty. This way, he is helping Avo Jana connect with Ci Nada and hopefully, she can convince Ci Nada to release the others." Vulluin said.

As he said that, there was a commotion, and as Jade turned around she could see Ignacio waking up. The moment he was awake, his eyes found Amber, and he just sat there, waiting for her to wake up.

After a few seconds, Amber was still not waking up, and worry started creasing Ignacio's face.

"Why isn't she waking up?" Ignacio asked.

Panic was all Jade could see on his face as he swallowed loudly. It was obvious that he cared immensely about Amber, and she was happy that her friend managed to find a man who deserved her.

Although Jade was also worried about Amber not waking up, she was even more worried by the fact that Royce didn't show any signs of awakening. While Amber's eyes fluttered from time to time and her fingers twitched, Royce was eerily immobile, and that was even more worrisome.

"It will take a few moments for her spirit to settle back into her body," Vulluin said after checking on her.

Although Jade and Ignacio were both relieved by the news, Jade was terrified of the next thing she needed to do, the next question she ought to ask, but she needed to know.

So, she picked up the broken pieces of her courage and asked what she had to know, one way or the other.

"And Royce? Why isn't he waking up? Why does it feel like he has a fever?" She asked.

Upon doing a magic check on Royce, Vulluin scrunched his face in confusion. He spent a few agonizing moments thinking before he finally gave Jade an answer she didn't want to hear.

"I am sorry, but he is not going to wake up," Vulluin said.

"What do you mean he won't wake up?" Ignacio screamed at the elf.

Jade said nothing. That was the answer she expected, the answer her heart had whispered into her ear. It was the answer she feared but also the one she sensed coming.

"That's exactly what I mean. He won't wake up on his own. He is too far gone into the nightmare that haunts his very soul. Although Ci Nada has released him for her spell, his mind has trapped him in a dark spell of its own. As far as I can tell, his mind has convinced his body that he is dying.

If we don't find a way to wake him up, he will die." Vulluin said.

"Can we do anything to help?" Jade asked.

"Why don't you send someone into his mind to help him find a way out?" Amber asked, having just woken up.

She didn't have the time to say anything else before Ignacio engulfed her in a warm hug.

"You're okay. You're okay. You're okay." He kept repeating like a mantra.

"I am better than okay," Amber said, pulling back from the hug, and giving him a quick kiss.

"Now let us save your best friend so that we can all finally find some time to enjoy this island instead of fighting it, shall we?" She said.

Ignacio just nodded his head, and to Jade's utter surprise seemed too emotional to speak. It was good to know that a tough guy such as him could feel so deeply.

"Could you replicate Ci Nada's spell and send someone into his mind?" Amber asked.

"Yes, we can do something similar without it being sinister. Who should go in?" Vulluin asked.

"I'll go." Jade and Ignacio said at the same time.

"Let her go. You've been through too much, you are not at your best, you won't be of much help to him. She can save him. Trust me." Amber said.

To everyone's surprised Ignacio, the man who was prone to bursts of anger listened to reason and agreed that it would be better if Jade went.

A few moments later, everything was prepared, and Jade was off to face the unknown to save the one she needed in her life.