The Darkside

Light of the Crescents

I couldn't fall asleep again after that nightmare. Drowned by defeat, I sat there, staring into the shadows ahead.

One of the demon's under Orlando's command brought us some food and slid it towards us. "I see utter hopelessness in your eyes. Good, you should abandon what little hope you have of leaving this place. It'll never happen."

"We'll see about that," Arya replied.

"Try to escape and you'll come to know the true meaning of torture," it replied before walking away.

I was frustrated. 'How are we going to break out of this place in the state that we're in right now?' I asked myself. It made me realise just how much I had taken my powers for granted.

"What are you thinking about?" Aunt Cassie asked.

"I'm worried that Brian may never find us; and even if he does, he might just end up becoming possessed," I replied.

Aunt Cassie stroked my shoulder. "Don't worry, that won't happen; he will save us somehow."

"I really hope so, Aunt Cassie. I don't know how I'd survive in a place like this without my powers."

I fell asleep out of exhaustion and, as I drifted into dreaming, I heard my mother's voice: Octavia, honey...you can't give up now. Stop thinking about the powers you've lost and start focusing on the bond you share."

"What do you mean, 'the bond we share'?"

"The union of the crescents..."

I woke up at once, alarming everyone else. "Aunt Cassie, I think we need to use our necklaces."

"What, why?"

"It's just a hunch, but I think our crescent moon pendants might be way out of here."

"Based on what, exactly?" Anastasia asked.

"I just heard Mom's voice in my dream, and she said we should use them."

"Seems like a shot in the dark, but let's try it."

"But I don't have a pendant," Arya said.

"Don't worry, sis; we'll have your back," I replied.

Aunt Cassie, Anastasia, and I placed our pendants next to each other, and they joined almost instantaneously to form a symbol of intersecting crescent moons. The fused pendants then began to glint with white light, as if the very radiance of the moon had brought us a glimmer of hope.

Aunt Cassie, Anastasia, and I touched the pendant together and, right after, magical energy began to sink into our skin and course through our bodies. Our powers were restored, but only partially.

Brian suddenly appeared before us, but was expelled from the realm right after.

"No!" we screamed as he disappeared.