26

Roland quietly made his way through the forest. He was in no hurry. As to where he was going? He wasn't entirely sure. All he knew was the forest was quiet. Too quiet...

The sun shined through the trees as his feet crushed fallen leaves. For some reason, something felt familiar and wrong about this place. Something he couldn't put his finger on. In the distance, Roland could see something flashing. A bright orange light was pulsing just past the trees. It was forcing him to come closer with each step.

Should he investigate?

He was suppose to, wasn't he? It was his job. He walked faster towards the light. As he walked, the light seemed to move father away. Was it moving?

Feeling annoyed, Roland walked faster towards the strange light, but it kept moving away from him.

He gritted his teeth angerly. What was with that thing? Do I seriously have to run after it? Roland seemed to have no other choice.

He broke into a run and charged towards the light. He wasn't going to let it get away. Suddenly, the trees disappeared as he entered a large field. Roland nearly fell to his knees. The green grass that would've filled the field was dead and covered in ash. Small patches of grass were on fire all across the field, sending smoke up into the air. But that's not what shocked him.

Bodies. Hundreds of bodies must've been spread all across the field. When Roland looked closer, he realized that they were the bodies of everyone he has ever known. All his family, his friends, and of the girl he loved. His hands trembled as he fell to his knees. How? he asked himself. How could have let this happen?

Especially to everyone he held dear to him?

It's because you didn't protect them, a voice said inside of his head.

"That's not true! I protected them!" Roland shouted.

You, apparently, did not, said the voice. You desserted your friends. And in doing so, they perished. All because you weren't here to save them. To protect them.

"No..."

Oh, yes. You weren't here... You weren't here...

The voice faded away as Roland screamed, rocking the whole world.

Jen suddenly found herself in a room filled with people. Everyone around her was dancing to the heaviest rock ever imaginable. What luck, she thought. Her favorite type of music. She looked at the others carefully, realizing that they were all dressed gothicly or emo like. She absolutely adored their choice in hair style. She looked down at herself and gasped.

She was dressed in the same fashion. Was was wearing a black, ripped up shirt that had a skull in the middle and a black and gray plaid skirt. Her stockings were ripped, making her outfit seem more gothic. She was sporting the cutest black converses and letting a belt hang from her waist. Her arms were covered with netted gloves and over them were black bracelets that had her favorite band's names on them. Feeling her ear lobes, she realized that she was wearing cross boned earings. She pulled a lock of red hair from her high ponytail and examined it. The tips of the red tresses were tinted with blue. Funny. She did't remember dying her hair. Then again, she didn't remember changing outfits either.

But she looked totally awesome!

One of the many songs that she knew started to play. She quickly realized what song it was and started to dance to it. She normally didn't dance, but none of her friends were around to see her, so it wasn't embarrassing. Where were her friends anyway?

Suddenly the singer started to scream.

I AM FUELED BY ALL FORMS OF FAILURE I PAID THE PRICE, SO I'LL TAKE WHAT'S MINE

That was weird, Jen thought. One of her favorite songs turned into another song she knew in an instant. But the lyrics sounded...deeper. As if they were being burried into her.

The singer continued, but Jen couldn't really understand what he was screaming. The lyrics slipped her mind. Then, he sang:

Where were you when my walls came falling down?

You tried to run, you stood close by and didn't make a sound

Wait, that voice sounded familiar. Way too familiar... Jen looked up and gasped.

Where were you when it all came back around?

The reasons why you passed me by will always hold you down SAY SOMETHING

Roland was on the stage, singing his heart out. While he was singing the sorrowful song, he was looking straight at Jen, sadness in his eyes. As she stared into his eyes, each word cut her deep like a knife. Each word made her feel more depressed by the second. Something terrible happened. She just couldn't figure out what.
As Roland started the second verse, Jen could feel pain, physically. As if the words were injuring her for real.

MY HEART IS FILLED WITH HATE

When Roland sang "hate", Jen stumbled backwords. The pain was becoming unbarable. Roland stared into her eyes, his eyes filled with the last word he screamed.

Jen's chest began to ache. What did she do?

Suddenly, the song switched.

WAIT YOU'RE AFRAID LIKE I MAKE MY DEALS WITH THE DEVIL

This time, the words caused more pain than the others. They literally buried deep into her skin.

IS ANYBODY ELSE LISTENING?

The crowd turned towards Jen and, along with Roland, sang the next part together with him.

OUTTA SIGHT, OUTTA MIND IS WHAT YOU'LL ALWAYS BE

"Roland," she screamed. "Stop! I don't even know what I did!"

I SPEAK THE TRUTH AND EVERYBODY ELSE KNOWS IT

The song changed again. Roland grinned evily as he held up his hand, pretending that he was holding a cup.

CHEERS TO YOUR FUTURE MAY THEY BURY YOU ALIVE

Suddenly the crowd turned. Their eyes glowed red as they charged towards Jen, burrying her under a pile of goths. She was in too much pain to even move a finger, let alone save herself from eternal sorrow.

Emily hovered over her sleeping friends. They were all either shaking, breathing heavily, or screaming at the top of their lungs. What could they be dreaming about? she wondered. It must be horrible.

"Indeed it is horrible," the Dark Sorceress said, predicting the healer's thoughts. "They're dreaming up their worst nightmares."

Emily hung her head. There was absolutely nothing she could do to help her friends. Nothing at all. All she could do was watch them suffer.

Adriane and Kara stared down the Dark Sorceress as she just smiled. The warrior glanced out the windows. The dark magic was moving dangerously close to the edges of the Otherworlds. Soon, they will go to the home of all magic and overrun the web with dark magic only. Leaving no more good magic anywhere.

"Stop that magic or else I'll take you down!" Kara snapped raising her hand.

The Dark Sorceress sneered. "I simply can't. And there's nothing I can do."

Frustrated, Adriane turned towards her sleeping friends. Tears threatened to explode from her eyes.

"Come on, guys! Fight it! Fight back! Wake up!"

Then dark magic flooded the room.

Malikai laughed evily. His animal like eyes flashed purple as the black void began to disappear. The black void was shrinking when a hand emerged from it. It reached up and grabbed the edge of the disappearing void, as if it were a flat surface.

Malikai's smile vanished as Shelby emerged from the void. Her black hair covered her face as she pulled herself to her feet. She coughed and sucked in air for her asthmatic lungs. The boy couldn't believe his eyes. Didn't he just condemn her to eternal darkness?

"Silly boy..." she stammered. "You forgot one very important detail..."

"Oh? And what's that? You obviously can't control your dreams. So what is it?"

Shelby pulled her hair from her face and pushed her glasses back into place, a look of black fire in her eyes.

"I am darkness."

Dark magic exploded from her, slamming into Malikai like a tsunami. He disappeared as the magic flew wildly around the space, striking down anything that it comes into contact with.

Emily, Adriane, and Kara shielded their eyes as the dark magic flew from Shelby's body.

"She must be giving off large amounts of dark magic in her dream!" Adriane said.

"No way someone's this strong!" Kara shouted.

"Don't you remember?" Emily pointed at their friends. "Zodiac Mages have unlimited power!"

Shelby's eyes flew open at that moment, her dark magic still pouring from her. She stood up slowly, rubbing her eyes under her glasses. She looked around the room, settling her eyes on the Dark Sorceress.

"Looks like your done."

The sorceress laughed. "Not likely."

The Dark Sorceress waved her hand. Shelby disappeared and reappeared on the highest point of the palace: the upper roof, which is only about the length of half a football field. On the other side of the roof was Malikai, his deep purple cloak billowing in the wind.

"The dark Zodiac Mage arrives," Malikai said blankly. "Finally."

"Am I suppose to fight you or something?" Shelby asked. Although she already knew the answer to that question.

Malikai laughed. "Of course, my fellow mage. Why else are you here?"

Dark magic surrounded Malikai's hand and it pointed outward, becoming like a tiger's claw. He grinned as the aquamarine stone on his choker flashed deep purple. Shelby tensed. She sent dark magic swirling down her arms and legs. The magic around her arms spiked out to become more like protective armor. A long, sword like blade formed above each of her knuckles as weapons. The magic around her legs dug into the roof to make her have more speed if needed, which she was sure that she was going to need it. After a moment of staring at each other, the dark Zodiac Mages charged at each other, weapons drawn at each other's throat.