I sat down on the grass, crossing my legs and taking a few calming breaths.
I heard Yuriel ask something, but I zoned out, centering only on the elements around me: the mossy nature scent, the moisture floating in the air, and the wind that blew by in anticipation as the grey clouds hovered above us. I could see the other side of the world, the view of the two islands based on pulsations of magic.
The island we were on had a gold energy to it, surrounding the ground we sat on. To get a better view of its entirety required an out-of-body experience, as a part of my soul ventured outward like a dove soaring out of my body and straight into the sky.
I could tell that the island we currently were on was bright with life. Animals were prowling, but their focus was on finding shelter from the storm.
The island burned a bright gold and I knew our exact location because the scroll that was still in my hand glowed a light blue that mixed with my pink aura.
The other’s auras were around me, each representing their distinct colors, but the threads of blue that were beneath the golden island caught my attention.
We were right.
Quickly checking the other island, I saw it was entirely a dark purple. It looked a little off compared to how vividly bright our island was, but as I focused a little longer, I realized there was no scroll to be found.
Shit. They fucked up...which means...they're after our scroll.
I considered going back into my body, but I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to try and see how far away the other team was. Scanning for as long as I could, I picked up on one energy, a bluish-purple aura.
Of course I'd pick up on him.
From the looks of it, the aura was in between the two islands, telling me that Callister was making his way to us.
That island has more shelter, but if they lost out on their scroll...they must have not realized. Unless they somehow got it destroyed beforehand. Where's the rest of his team?
I was beginning to feel the long-term effects of my concentration, a sign I needed to get back in my body.
Taking a deep inhale, I let it out slowly before I opened my eyes. The four guys were sitting in front of me, all of them wearing worried expressions.
"That took you longer than we expected," Dimitri acknowledged. I nodded, and slowly stood up. "The other island already lost their scroll. I can't sense it," I declared.
"Meaning they'll be coming for ours," Yuriel stated.
"But we all can't stay here. Not with the weather change," Wolfgang noted.
"Silver? Did you see where the other team is?" Ryuu questioned.
"I only saw Callister, so the others are hiding their aura or something. He was in between the islands."
"He's on his way for our scroll." Dimitri nodded in understanding as he rose up. "We have to split up."
"Oh, no. This is what happens in horror movies and then everyone dies," Wolfgang emphasized.
The four of us gave him a look and he shrugged. "Tell me one horror movie where they split up and actually all come out alive."
"It's a horror movie," Yuriel grumbled.
"Just because it's a horror movie, doesn't mean everyone’s gotta die," Wolfgang countered.
"Can we save this debate for after, please?" I suggested.
"Sure," the others replied.
"If I were Callister, I'd go straight to Silver," Dimitri elaborated.
"Because she's the leader?" Ryuu asked.
"Yes, and also because he'll try to manipulate her." Dimitri gave me a sympathetic smile. "No offense, Silver."
"None taken. I figured he'd try to. Seeing as he did during our relationship, he knows what to do to get in my head. This is an exam and that's allowed," I replied.
"Silver can't hold onto the scroll, then," Yuriel concluded.
"Guess I will," Dimitri announced.
"Huh? But wouldn't it be better for Ryuu because he's a dragon and can just shift and burn Callister?" I suggested.
Dimitri had a playful smirk, and I noticed the others were smiling. I rolled my eyes. "All right, all right. Maybe I'd rather have Ryuu burn him to ashes, but I still have a valid argument."
"Sorry, Silver, but that's a little dangerous,” Ryuu apologized. “Dragons are easy to manipulate in our shifter forms. I've been training to fight it off, but I haven't perfected that yet."
"That won't work then," I commented, looking at Dimitri. "But can you handle the rain?"
"I'll be fine. Hellhounds can survive anything. I do, however, think Ryuu should come with me and you, Wolfgang, and Yuriel should go to the other island and wait till we're in the green zone."
"Why?" I asked.
Wolfgang was nodding in understanding. "If Callister is on the way here, the chance of meeting us is high. If he can manipulate Ryuu, we'll be in trouble. We're not immune to fire, but Dimitri is."
"I think it's a good plan. If any of his other teammates encounter us, Dimitri and I would have a better shot fighting them together while protecting the scroll than Dimitri would on his own," Ryuu agreed.
"Yuriel can fly with Silver. I can go on foot to the other island. According to the map, there are two connectors between the islands. Longer routes, but not hard for me in wolf form."
"All right. Let's act fast." I nodded, handing the scroll over to Dimitri. He leaned in and kissed me. "Be careful. You're already looking pale."
"I'll be fine. That meditation out-of-body spell takes a bit, but my magic is already building back up," I reassured him.
Ryuu was next to give me a kiss, and he looked to Yuriel and Wolfgang. "Keep her safe. Especially from Callister. I'm sure he wants payback for the change room incident."
The other two nodded. "Got it," they said together.
We placed our hands in the middle and promised to survive this exam. We were near the end of this challenge.
Once they were both out of sight, we headed to the edge of the island, following a path until we were on the highest peak of the island.
"Good spot to take off," Yuriel announced over the rushing wind and the crashing waves below.
"It shouldn't take me long to get to the path. It's a little close to the waves, but I should be fine. I'll get there a bit after you guys. Then we'll find shelter," Wolfgang reasoned.
"Sounds good." I nodded.
Yuriel took a few steps forward but paused. I gave him a look, but the hairs on my arms began to stand up as a weird tingling feeling ran through me.
Wolfgang met my worried eyes, and the next second he was running toward me. "Duck!"
He crashed into me, the two of us slamming into the ground while a black shield wrapped around us just in time to protect us from a purple blast of energy.
Wolfgang and I scrambled to our feet. My magic came to my command in a rushing force, bursting into physical flames that wrapped around my body protectively and forming a flaming cobra that hissed with power.
Wolfgang and Yuriel moved back a bit due to the heat, but they both were in an attack stance.
"Are we going to play hide and seek today, Callister?" I taunted.
"No. We're not." His voice came from behind us. We swiftly turned around, and I sent my flaming snake out to strike Callister, who was two steps away from tackling me.
My snake hit him dead in the face but his body poofed into purple smoke. "Move back!" I commanded. Yuriel somehow got to me first, wrapping his arm around my waist and lifting me up and away from the smoke.
I noticed Wolfgang was a safe distance away from it, but he was surveying his surroundings quickly as a growl escaped him.
"Come out, you sneaky asshole," Wolfgang called. Yuriel lowered me to the ground, his black wings spreading out as he flicked his left wrist, creating a sword.
"I thought you said we weren't playing, Callister," I called out. "Of course you'd go back on your word so quick. Not surprising."
"Your taunts aren't going to work on me, Silver," his voice called out from the shadows of the forest. "I already
know what you have. Makes my life easier."
He must be talking about the scroll.
I hadn't told the others, but I'd been mimicking a bit of the scroll’s energy throughout our walk. It would lure Callister out of hiding, which was what we wanted, but now I was worried.
Callister rushed out of the forest, darting straight toward Yuriel and me. Yuriel pushed off the ground, soaring right into Callister, but his body poofed again.
"Fuck, he's using copies!" I announced.
Another Callister copy came out of the forest heading toward me but Yuriel slashed his sword through it, its body disappearing again.
I couldn't even turn my head fast enough before my ears picked up on bones cracking out of place as Wolfgang crashed into three clones that fell to the ground and poofed.
This isn't going to stop.
Biting my lip, I closed my eyes as I began casting a spell.
"Evancho Revealnado Freeze Kasam!"
Yuriel and Wolfgang pushed off the ground, figuring out the spell I was about to do.
A blue magic circle formed beneath me as I lifted my palm to my mouth and took a deep inhale.
Twenty Callister copies burst out of the forest, running straight toward me, but they wouldn’t make it.
I exhaled slowly and snowflakes manifested from my hand. In seconds a gust of freezing wind crashed into the copies and through the forest for a full ten feet, freezing everything into ice statues.
"Did you get him?" Yuriel questioned.
"No," I replied. "Let's get out of here," I ordered, turning around, but I crashed into something hard that knocked me on my ass.
"Fuck," I cursed, but immediately lifted my hands up in defense as a purple orb crashed into me, sending me flying into the ice sculptures.
A grunt escaped me upon impact, but I quickly recovered as I curled myself into a ball and spelled myself to a stop with the help of the chilled wind.
I scrambled to my feet, realizing I wasn't too far into the forest.
I heard a loud howl, and the clashing sound of metal hitting something vibrated through the forest.
What a waste of time!
I darted forward, racing to help Yuriel and Wolfgang.
"Stop, Silver."
My body slowed to a stop as the soft tender voice floated through my mind. "It's dangerous there."
"C-Callister?" I whispered, placing my hand on my temples as my eyes fluttered closed.
Ow. My head.
"Don't fight me, baby. This is the perfect chance. I'm sorry. You know I am. You can feel it."
I began to take deep breaths, doing my best to fight his control.
Don't listen, Silver. He has no control over you anymore.
"But I do, baby." A soft stroke ran down my cheek, and I slowly looked to my side to see Callister's loving smile. "Don't you remember all the fun times? When we'd go out and live. You loved me. Just me. Why are you letting these shifters come between us? You are mine."
I blinked as my body grew weak. Slowly, my hand reached out to him, trembling like the rest of my body.
Fight. I...have to fight...
"I...loved you," I whispered to him.
"You still do, Silver. They've been lying to you. All lies. Those jerks don't love you. They're not powerful enough to protect you. I can get us through these next three years at the school. I have all the connections. All I need is you, baby. You by my side."
"Me...by your side," I repeated.
His eyes lowered to my lips and a small smile formed on his. I blinked, and he moved in front of me. We knelt down face to face, and he reached forward, placing his hand on my thigh — the specific spot that made me flinch.
"You belong to me, Silver. You have the scroll. Let's win together. Join forces and abandon the rest. They're too weak to protect you."
"Join forces? Where’s...your team?"
Callister laughed. "Those weaklings?" His power slipped from his voice as he grinned. "I killed them."
I blankly stared at him, absorbing his words and deciphering them in my fuzzy mind.
"Killed? You...murdered them?"
My eyes grew watery, and he sighed. "Silver. That big heart of yours is not meant for the shifter world. Those pathetic fools couldn't fight off my control. I told them to kill one another, and the last one standing killed himself after seeing what he'd done."
He pressed his other hand against my cheek, wiping away the tear that rolled there. "They screwed us up, but it's okay. I knew they wouldn't be compatible with my knowledge and power. The moment I saw what we were facing together, I knew you'd figure it out. You always figure things out. My smart baby."
"The others. My team," I whispered.
"We'll leave them behind. The storm is upon us. They're fighting my multiple clones as we speak. We can run away together, Silver. We can be together again with no disturbances."
"Leave....yes...leave." I nodded slowly and urged myself to stand. Callister grinned in approval, rising up to his feet.
"Good girl." Callister slipped his hands around my waist. I stared into his eyes, but my heart clenched in fear.
I'm losing the battle.
"Let me go finish them. Then we can take shelter," he whispered.
"All right," I answered, standing in place. His body faded like dust, and I stared into the vast forest of frozen trees.
I loved him.
Loved.
Past tense.
Who do I love now?
I love someone. More than one.
People. No.
Who do I love?
"Mewr."
It took effort, but I lowered my gaze to my feet, noticing the little uni-kitten there.
My familiar. My uni-kitten.
"Star." My voice cracked as I slowly crouched down to scoop her up.
The action reminded me of something. An incident.
You understand me, right, Star? You get it.
"Mewr."
"I'm going...to the nurse's office,"
I whispered the words slowly, the memory slipping through the fogginess of my mind.
"Shit, Silver,"
"Fuck, she's burning up."
"Move. I can cool her down."
"Shh, Blossom. "
"It'll be okay, Silver. Rest."
More memories began pouring through my head. Little words, phrases, and emotions pushing through the tiny crack between reality and the cloudiness taking control of me.
"You...you just kissed me,"
"On the cheek, yes."
"Is that like your way of showing thanks to anyone where you come from?"
"Nope. Only to someone you like. Hope to see you soon. Bye, Blossom."
"My name's not Blossom, it's Silver!"
That person. Stalker. Sniffing stalker. Hellhound Stalker.
"I come off as an aggressive individual. It takes me some time to analyze a person before I know whether to build a taller wall around me or if it’s safe to lower it for that new person. Dragon shifters are one of the many species who can't trust easily, but I'll apologize for my rough behavior when we met. I don't do friendships often."
"I don't have many friends either, so it would be nice to be around you guys during this new beginning."
The one I kissed. With a kind heart. Sexy...Dragon Butt.
"If he does bother you, just tell us. I'll let Ryuu turn him into ash."
"You know that's murder."
"Not if it’s an accident."
"That...hmmm. Guess I'll let you all know.”
"Awesome. Let's go before we're late."
Joyful person. Protective and loyal. Cutie Wolfie.
"I...just don't want to lose you."
"You won't lose me. Just like I won't lose you. The four of you guys are stuck with me. No one is allowed to die or fail."
"That sounds rather harsh."
"But you love a challenge like me.”
"True."
The one who feared being loved. Light cradled within the da
rkness. Never-Smile-Hottie-Angel.
* * *
"I promised. I said I'd fight," I whispered to myself.
The fog began to fade, and I finally heard the voice that was calling to me.
"Blossom. Our Silver. Come back. We love you. We still have three years of memories to create. Follow my voice. Feel my love for you. Our love for our leader, friend, and lover. Silver. Come back to where you truly belong."
"Yuriel," I whispered. "Dimitri. Wolfgang. Ryuu."
"Mewr!" Star snuggled against me, her body beginning to glow brightly.
I noticed the air around me was condensed with thick purple fog.
"An illusion. The fog was manipulating me."
"Silver. What are you doing?" Callister's voice commanded, but I shook my head and began charging forward, my magic boiling in rage.
Star jumped out of my hold as I closed in on the opening of the forest, where I knew Yuriel and Wolfgang were.
Her body began to shoot out jolts of electricity in different colors and soon her body faded while the electric pulsations wrapped around my body, charging me up even more.
My eyes caught onto the flickering barrier that was surrounded with Callister clones, all of them fighting to break the shield that I knew was protecting Yuriel and Wolfgang.
"No! I won't be a fool again. I have people who love me! Who never used me for their own gain. I don't belong to them. I don't belong to ANYONE!"
I screamed, outstretching my left hand and sending as much energy from within my body to my fingertips as I could.
The golden ring on my finger glowed brightly, the pearl and the little stones around it adding to the glowing mass.
A large staff formed in my left hand. A diamond that resembled the one in the ring floated on the top of the scepter and was surrounded by four balls of light that matched the ring’s jewels.
I had no time to admire the newly created artifact in my hand, as I slammed the bottom of it to the ground.
An energy wave burst outward, attacking all the Callister copies and vanquishing them at once. The barrier around Wolfgang and Yuriel vanished, and they both looked at me in shock.
SSS: Year One (Supernatural Spy School Book 1) Page 40
