Fantasy Forest 2 (Yandere boys x reader)

10. Ash

Standing at the tree which was our portal back to the castle was Patty's servant Artur. He stood there with his hood pulled down revealing his coarse hair and sunken eyes that seemed to whisper of hints of death in an otherwise living body. The only thing that assured me that the man was in fact dead was his arm where the sleave had been ripped open as well as the skin revealing pure white and clean bone. When Melody saw him she bristled slightly and held tightly to my hand as we slowly advanced. Upon reaching the tree Arthur looked up at us and sighed.

"I thought you might be here." He said in a voice that was cold and distant.

"How?" I asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Patty stopped by for a visit and when we couldn't find you two I figured you might be here." He said as he looked down at Melody. He must know about Melody's house being nearby.

"Does Seally know we left?" I asked nervously.

"Not if we head back quickly. I told him I would go look for you two in the garden."

I nodded and quickly pushed by him as the three of us walked through the portal and hurried back around towards the castle garden.

"What happened to your arm?" I asked as we stopped by a grape vine growing along the back wall of the kitchen.

"Your dog." He answered simply.

"Mutt?"

"Yeah. I opened your bedroom door and the damn thing attacked me. He was one pissed off pooch."

"I'm so sorry."

"Its fine. I don't feel anything anyway." He said as he directed us back into the kitchen where Christian was sitting with Mutt at his feet.

"Where have you been?" Christian asked as the dog left him and ran to me, wrapping itself around my legs and whining sadly.

"...the garden." I answered sheepishly.

"Really?"

"Yes."

Christian sighed. He probably knew I was lying but he didn't push it any further. He seemed to be bothered by something else as his eyes darted back and forth towards the door uncertainly.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I caught on to his strange behavior.

"Something happened...last night." Christian began.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I don't want to say. It would be better if Patty explained it." He said as he motioned for us to follow him out into the hall. We walked down the hall and into Seally's study where Patty and Seally sat n opposite chairs from each other. Patty had her legs crossed and her arms folded on her chest as she leaned back in he chair while Seally leaned forward with a stressed and angry expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I surveyed the tense air of the room. Patty looked up at me and smiled but her smile was forced and hid darker more cold emotions behind it.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news." She stated as she gestured me closer. I stepped forward hesitantly, stealing a glance at Seally who in turn didn't, or perhaps wouldn't, look up at me as he starred at the floor. 

"What is it?" I asked again as I stood next to Patty. Her purple hair appeared unkept and fell over her shoulders in a manner that told me she must have rushed here.

"I'm afraid something terrible has happened." She began. "There was a monster attack last night and I'm sorry to say that they burned down your old village."

"What?"

"The whole village is nothing but ash."

"No...that can't be right..." I muttered absently. "What about the people?"

"Some of them escaped to a neighboring town but a good portion also perished in the flames." Patty stated and I stood there starring at her stonefaced as my mind wandered to all my old friends and family whom I had left in the village. Were they safe? What about my parents? What about Damen? I silently choked as I thought of Damen and how I had been so quick to kick him out last afternoon. If I had just let him stay a bit longer...

"I have to go." I stated quickly as I darted from the room and ran down the hall.

"Y/n, wait!" My brother called after me. "Where are you going!?"

"I need to leave. I need to make sure he is okay."

"Who?"

"Damen."

"And how are you going to do that? Do you plan to walk all the way back to the village? There is nothing there anymore and either way you arent allowed to leave the woods."

"I have to do something!" I cried out as a sudden jolt of anger and guilt welled up in my stomach. "I have to go!"

Christian grabbed my arm to stop me but I pushed him away and ran. I ran out of the house and back towards the portal circle where I jumped through the very first one and opened my eyes to find myself back at the shrine. The scent of smoke was thick in the air and a small rain of ash fell from the sky like snow covering the trees and bushes in a small cloud of gray. The shrine itself, which was like a symbol of humanity's connection to the forest, looked dead as it lay dirty and surrounded by gray ash. Just the previous day I had been attacked here and Damen had laid bleeding at my feet and now here I was in the same predicament but this time I had no clue as to whether he was alive or dead. I felt some tears well up in my eyes as I considered the odds of him still living. They were slim. He had told me himself that the monsters targeted the messengers first.

Slowly I wiped away my tears and walked forward until my steps became that of a run and I was running through the woods getting closer and closer to the village and with each step I took the air grew thicker and smokier until it was hard to breathe. Finally, I reached the forest entrance and when I did I stopped dead in my tracks and stared out at the landscape before me. The whole field was like a blanket of black. The entire village was leveled and you could see for miles in every direction. I held my breathe and stifled a gasp before breaking down into pitiful sobs. I knew I was not supposed to ever return here but I always thought that someday when I was old I would return and see my family again. Now all hopes of that were shattered and blown away with the ash.