As Vladim moved to turn the locks, I heard Genya whisper. "You definitely owe me a kiss after all this, Don't think I won't hold you to it."
I laughed lightly. "We'll see."
"There is no seeing, you will, if I have to be the one to do it then so be...
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I WAS BACK IN THE SHADOW FOLD STANDING IN the dead sand of the Tula Vally. The cold bleak blackness of the fold brushed against my hair, I brought my hands together and tried to summon up light, but nothing conjured. I felt a spike of horror rush through me when I saw movement in the fold, a figure appeared, hunched over, holding his side.
That's when I realized he was wearing black, the darkling looked up, and when his eyes met mine. I recoiled back in horror, no, this is a dream, it isn't real.
"My Freya..." the Darkling spoke, tauntingly and then he was limping over towards me, "How you thought you could run from me..." he said, and then he was standing in front of me, grabbing the back of my head and whispering, "Thank you." into my ear.
I cried out in horror when I freed myself of his grasp but he was no longer there, I was standing alone in the darkness. The fold rumbled, and the Volcra screeched, batting their wings and scrambling towards their only source of food, me.
I had no protection, no power to cover me, I had no sunlight to save me. I could only run and when I did the cries of the Volcra only got louder and louder the faster away I got, but I could not outrun them. The fold rumbled and began to swirl as I ran. I heard screams from afar and that's when I realized they were people crying out. The fold was moving forward, toward the town and I couldn't do anything to stop it.
I thought I might be hallucinating when I thought I saw the Darkling again, and again the farther I ran until I was in a village surrounded by running men, women, and children, "They are going to kill us!" A woman shouted as she took hold of a child's hand and ran.
The Volcra weren't too far off, but their cries were still distant. I looked around the darkness, they didn't have a chance. The Volcra would slaughter them with no hesitation, they were monsters made by the Darkling, he had no mercy and if he had no mercy then the Volcra didn't as well.
The screeches only got louder and then that's when I saw him again, standing on the other side of the village, watching me. I didn't know what to do, I knew I should run but my feet wouldn't allow me, I stood frozen as he began to walk in fast strides towards me, pulling his hands together, "Look at what you've given me, Freya." said the Darkling.
I watched in horror as darkness slowly began to take the form of a seven-foot-figure dark figure, darkness pooling under its feet. The creature grew fangs grew as its head did inky blackness, and claws so sharp they almost looked like knives, the shadow monster cried out as the Darkling smirked at me, "Look at the very thing your power has given me."
I swear in the darkness of the creature, I saw a flash of light. The Darkling summoned up a faint ball of sunlight, my power. "Again," said the darkling a malice look overcoming his features, "thank you."
