Who Am I? (Book 1)

Chapter 23

Hearing that I, a clueless newb, had to lead magical humans or whatever against Death was ... not imaginable. I didn't even know what I was (well, I kinda did but still) and I still wasn't sure who I truly am. It felt difficult, Tash seemed to see my kinder side, but Nick only knew my distant side ... which one was I to choose? The old me ... or the new me? I had to figure that out later after all of this was settled. "Ah, are you sure that I and Julia have to lead everyone?" I hoped she would say only Julia needed to, but ... knowing my luck it wasn't really in the cards. "Well, you are still not trained in the arts of magic but you and Julia are linked by fate. One of you will destroy Death because you two are the only ones able to do so". We walked in silence down the obsidian path, our fingers intertwined. 

After walking in silence for a while Tash hesitantly began to speak. "We must tell Julia and the rest of the council what we have discovered ... just, don't mention that we're together". She gave me a small smile, but it was with sadness. I too felt sad. All we wanted was to be able to be ourselves in front of everyone, I didn't want to hide away my feelings again. "Right ... I wish we could return and pretend nothing happened". It was wishful thinking but one could always dream. "We could try, but the chances of detection are high". She gave me a playful smile and ruffled my hair a little. I smiled and ruffled her hair back. "But on a more serious note, do we have to go through the foggy forest or whatever it was called?" It sent shivers up my spine just thinking about it. "We could if you wanna ... or we can take another way".

The answer was obvious, no way in hell I was going through that forest again! Instead of continuing to go towards the portal or whatever we went into the forest that surrounded the lake, and once I got closer I could make out an almost invisible path. "Where does this path lead?" I hesitantly began climbing after Tash. "You'll see", she gave me a sweet and daring smile. "If it leads to a place everyone avoids due to high chance to die I'm out". I said it in a light, joking voice but at the same time, I was a bit worried. Tash stopped and looked thoughtful. "I think you'll love it, but it can be difficult if you're clumsy". I glared at her, trying to look annoyed but ... I also did follow her, so she wasn't convinced and gave me a teasing smile. 

The path was narrow and steep, but everything went fast when I was with Tash and before I knew it we had reached the top. The view was amazing, I could see the forest, lake and a lot more of this strange world. "We're gonna continue this way". Tash led me to the edge of the steep cliff and showed me an even narrower path. I tried to enjoy the view while walking, but it was a bit difficult when I also knew that one wrong step meant death ... The path was old, and it didn't seem to be man-made. I could, after a long torturous walk, see the end. But just as I sighed in relief the path gave away underneath our feet. "You said we wouldn't die!" I screamed as I fell (and yes, it was probably not what most people would say but it was what came to my mind at the moment). Tash didn't answer me, I could see that she was focusing on the cliff. Was she gonna use her magic? That would surely kill us on impact, I mean, we would be pancakes if we hit an overhang ... right? With inhuman reflexes, she grabbed onto a protruding part of the cliff. Luckily for her, it didn't budge. Unluckily for me, it meant I was gonna die all alone.