The Soul Catcher (Harry Styles)

32 - The Study Hall

"I would like to uncover the secrets of the universe."

- Megan Fox

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I felt an intense wave of fear as I stared into the blank space in front of me.

Everything started spinning and I felt like throwing up. My body was shaking and I couldn't catch my breath.

"Leon?" I called quaky, hoping he was just hiding.

Silence met me.

Swiftly turning around on the edge of the bridge, I thought of the little boy and crossed over, my boots hitting the stones.

My eyes were on the ground, watching the radiant pattern of the stones which soon transformed into grass. Radiant green grass. Like in Shimmerland.

I looked up and just saw the familiar flowers that suddenly made me sick. Taking a few deep breaths, I tried to calm down.

I needed to think clearly.

Leon had literally just disappeared. One second, he was walking in front of me, the next, he was gone. The bridge wouldn't take me to him, which meant he had to be in Shimmerland.

But where could he have run off to?

"Harry?"

My head snapped up at the sound of my name, the voice all too familiar.

Within seconds, Elaine came to a stop at the other end of the bridge, looking at me with wide and glassy eyes.

Pushing my worries for the young boy aside, I rushed over to her and grabbed her face in my hands, my palms nearly swallowing her cheeks. "What happened?"

Elaine blinked rapidly, trying hard not to cry. I could tell that something had really shaken her up, so I just wrapped my arms around her shoulders and tugged her into my chest, letting her sob quietly.

After a minute or two, she had calmed down enough to speak up. "It was ... horrible."

I looked at her sad eyes, feeling the hurt she was experiencing without knowing the exact reason for it. "What was?"

"Talking to Azura... Gosh, she was so hopeless, Harry." She bit her lip and looked down at our feet.

"Did she cross?" I asked, unsure of what to do. It was obvious that the encounter had left a burning imprint on her brain, and there was nothing I could do to make the images disappear.

Elaine nodded. "It didn't take any convincing. There was just sadness in her eyes."

"I know this place hasn't exactly been heaven so far, but it will probably be better for her." I put my index finger under her chin and tilted it up. "She'll be happier, she isn't alone."

Elaine took a shaky breath and forced a small smile on her lips. "You're right."

"Am I ever." I kissed her forehead and took both her hands in mine, looking down at the gorgeous girl in front of me. Life surely wasn't fair.

"Now, what happened to your assignment? The Council just told me to get you and Leon, but here you are." Her eyes wandered over the field as if she were looking for someone.

"He just disappeared." Saying these words out loud made them sound surreal.

"What do you mean?" She dug deeper.

I gave her a recap of what happened, getting worked up once again. A frown pulled at Elaine's face as she pondered over the incident.

After arguing for a solid five minutes, we decided to go back to the Council Hall, hoping they could tell us what was going on.