Dawn Of The Dark Dynasty & The New Inhabitant

Chapter Fifty-four

Beware! He's coming... (II)

Shawn felt his heart skip a beat when the abysmal darkness enveloped him. For a second, he felt all his five senses elude him. Then one by one they returned, starting with his sense of sight. When he expected bleak and barren plains covered in endless ashes, what he saw was a contrasting dense and lush jungle, though dyed in a bizarre and complete greyness. Not an ounce of greenery could be spotted anywhere.

"What is this? Is this that horrid land?" he wondered aloud in bafflement.

This was no illusion. The scent of the foliage around mixed with the stuffy and humid air was proving so. Shawn could even feel the rough wet ground underneath his feet and the gentle breeze kissing his skin. The tall trees created a canopy overhead, but he knew they didn't block any sun because there was none existing up there in the sky. It was just a world covered in shades of black and white.

Shawn soon noticed something amiss. What he saw, smelled and felt before him was this bizarre jungle, but there were no sounds. There was a creepy graveyard silence that shrouded the entire place. Even the minute sounds of birds chirping in the distance or the small critters crawling in the nearby undergrowth bushes were nonexistent. Another troubling thing he noticed was that he was completely alone!

"What the hell... Where are the others?" he asked himself in fret.

The boy began musing if they were perhaps teleported to different places. If so, then how was he find to them in this vast jungle? From the beginning, he knew this was a complete bad idea. Now he was left stranded in gods-knows-where.

Suddenly, some rustling sounds alerted him. In a place shrouded with grim silence, those sounds resonated so loud and clear. Shawn's fear kicked in and he vehemently prayed it wasn't some wild animal approaching. At this time, he wasn't sure if he had the guts to face one right now. The place was already scary enough.

"Shawn! Shawn! Where are you?" The familiar voice of Graciela calling out sounded and the boy, who was almost shitting in his pants, couldn't be any more relieved.

"I am here!" he called back and the steps rushed to his direction.

The young fairy appeared before long and without any sort of warning, crashed into his body and pulled him into a tight embrace. Shawn's body stiffened straightaway. What the hell was happening? These women were just embracing him from without prior notice.

Graciela realized her actions and detached from his body in a flash with her face blushing beet red. Shawn scratched the back of his head awkwardly. No coherent words could form from his mouth and was left opening and closing it like a fished out fish from sea. Graciela also stood there, her head lowered and hands fidgeting with her linen robe dress. She just acted on impulse once she saw the boy safe and sound.

A voice filled with intense venom and mockery abruptly interrupted them, "Oh my, my... is this not a touching scene?"

The two quickly turned and gasped in surprise to see Brendon Saki hovering nearby. How and why was he here? They could only wonder.

"Brendon...?" Graciela reflexively stood in front of Shawn protectively.

Brendon glared at them with a cold, sinister grin then snarled at Shawn, "When he said that you are in here, I had my doubts. But imagine to my great surprise... Heh! Nobody will save you now, vermin. Not even your fairy girlfriend. Today I shall rip you into pieces and reduce you to ashes!"

All at once, he unleashed his powerful might and summoned his Ash Fire, which gathered together and formed several ashy tendrils. Without holding back, he lashed at both Shawn and Graciela with the aim of taking down two birds at once.