Lost in Worlds

Peaceful Dreams

Avery sprinted down the alleyway, her breathing not yet caught up with her long legs. 

She may as well have been a triathlon runner, considering how often life found her a need to escape from a particular situation and use her now aching feet. Connor ran alongside Avery, claiming to have been taught combat at the Queen's palace and that fitness was key to survival and to avoid shame.

Still, both of them looked like herds of elephants had tramped them, hair ripping out of Avery's braid as her thirst grew. Mila's face had shown this upon seeing them, and Sam had given them a low whistle.

"God, you guys look like shit," said Clyde, giving them a once over, frowning.

Connor shrugged, "We feel like it, too." Clyde only chuckled, but too soon it turned into a coughing fit. They really needed water, and fast.

"I think the real question is, what made them look like shit." Avery sighed, shaking her head. Mila squealed and the rest of the group, besides Avery, stiffened considerably. Avery crossed her arms against her chest, "Besides scaring the life out of my friends, what the hell are you doing here?"

The group gaped and Clyde stuttered, "Y-you know who this is?" All Clyde's former courage gone in the presence of the Dark Creature. Avery shook her head as if to deny it, and Clyde narrowed his eyes slightly. But Avery said, "I think it's more like what it is." The Dark Creature hummed its agreement and looked to the now unconscious Mila.

It had taken all but one word to exit the creature's mouth before Mila's vision had gone black. Her side looked seized up and she seemed in enough pain that her breathing hitched. She remained disoriented as the creature made a move towards her.

Clyde threw his hands out, standing protectively in front of Mila's limp body. Little did he know the Dark Creature could just float through him. Still, it was a sweet gesture between the two humans. Yes, the Dark Creature could read Clyde's mind even with his mental shields up, a perk of being magical. But the creature didn't care for love, such a foreign human concept that most things similar to it ignored it, and it merely swam through the human's body.

"Chill, boy, I wasn't going to kill her but since you gave me the idea..." Avery glared at the Dark Creature, giving a look that said don't even try it chuckled. "Only a suggestion." Not a joke.

The creature placed an onyx swirl on Mila's forehead. Sweats broke out on Mila's face and she trembled viciously. Clyde got all up in the Dark Creature's essence and snarled, "What are you doing?" He gestured to the violently shaking Mila. Streams of spirals circulated her head and rested peacefully on her chest.

The Dark Creature ignored Clyde's comment, much to the boy's luck, and it said, "The human hit her head hard, but she'll be fine in a couple of hours. Now onto why I am here." Avery opened her mouth but shut it, to her credit, once the creature raised his hand as if to say, shut up and listen. "I need you all to go back to your cave and stay there for now."

Clyde snapped. "That was the bloody plan before you disrupted our once-clean," he gestured to the blacked-out Mila, continuing, "And swift journey." Will watched silently, the only one not flinching at the Dark Creature's actions, the only one not opening his mouth–not even a slight twitch of the mouth. The Dark Creature noticed this and had to refrain from nodding its head in appreciation. It wasn't that bad, was it?

The Dark Creature's magic, once in massive spread-out whirls, retreated back into one smooth sphere and up above the sky darkened. Even the universe couldn't handle the creature's colossal power. It grumbled, "It was vital for you six to meet me before several future events. Now that this is done, we need to separate. Go, now. I'm sure you've been told this before by Portal but it isn't safe here." And that was that. Avery and Connor inclined their heads in understanding whilst the rest of the group, besides the unfathomable Will, furrowed their brows in confusion.