The Darkside

Shadow Soulmate

We rushed into Melissa's room to find her at the edge of the bed with her hands held in front of her face. She was in tears.

"What's wrong, Melissa; did you have a nightmare?" I asked, sitting next to her.

"I'm not sure... It felt so real. It was as if Orlando was standing over me with his arms grabbing hold of my neck. It looked and felt too real to be a nightmare. Could he still be alive?" Melissa asked.

"No, that's not possible. I killed him myself; there's no way he's still breathing," Arya replied.

"It's just a nightmare, Melissa. You're safe here with us. Orlando can't hurt you anymore," Aunt Cassie said.

"We'll stay here until you fall asleep, and I'll stay with you even after," I said.

We sat next to her until she fell asleep and, afterwards, everyone except me went back to their rooms. I lay down next to her and we had a long chat before deciding to get some rest. I was falling asleep when, yet again, Melissa woke up screaming.

I turned around to console her, but found myself facing a creature of shadow. It was bending over her and about to grab her neck when I chanted, "Zendanmarishk, Zexa Shariz, Azwae-ra!"

The shadow fled in pain and disappeared into the air in a black mist. Melissa then grabbed me and began to cry.

"Now do you believe me?" she asked.

Everyone else rushed into the room to see how she is and I told them what had happened.

"Wait, was it Orlando?" Aunt Cassie asked.

"I don't know. I don't think so. But whatever that thing was, we need to find out what it is fast."

"If it were Orlando, I'm not sure a spell against shadows would've worked," Anastasia said.

"But if he's in some kind of incorporeal state, those rules might change," Aunt Cassie replied.

"We need to check the grimoire," I said.

"What about Brian?" Arya asked.

"What about me?" Brian said, appearing in a second.

Brian said very few beings could survive the Mavrosard, and that Orlando wasn't one of them. He then said he'll look into the new development immediately.

"I'll be back as soon as I can. Until then, you check the grimoire," he said before disappearing.

"How do you ever get used to that?" Arya asked, making us smile.

We spent a fair amount of time searching for an answer, but found nothing.

"What do we do? There is absolutely nothing here to help us. Hopefully, Brian will be more successful," I said, walking to the living room.

I sat down, trying to wrap my head around what I had witnessed and wondering if Orlando had returned from the grave or sent one of his minions to do his bidding. I must have fallen asleep on the chair as I was woken up again by Melissa's screams. Aunt Cassie said she had gone to the bathroom, but she wasn't there. We looked everywhere, but Melissa was gone.

"Brian!" I yelled.

"Yes?"

"Melissa's missing!"

"Oh, God... But I may have something! Do you know if Melissa still has any jewellery she received from Orlando?"

"Well, there was the engagement ring, but she handed it back to him."

"Was there anything else?"

I thought hard for maybe thirty seconds, and then I remembered that he had gifted her a platinum bracelet a year ago with the engraving 'Soulmates Forever'.

"Was she wearing it today?"

"I don't think so... Do you think it is tethering him to her?"

"Yes, it is a possibility."

We searched her room and eventually, Anastasia spotted the bracelet.

"I've got it!" she said, holding it before us.

We all held it and began to chant. If indeed they were both connected by the bracelet, then there was a chance that we could locate them with it. Moments later, the ground beneath us cracked and swallowed us all in.