Sup.

Hazen should have been dead. There was absolutely no reason for him to be alive. But he rolled over, pain in every single one of his arteries, and groaned. But then he saw the house, or what was left of it, and felt fear and adrenaline burn away whatever pain he had.

Irene was next to him. He shook her, his eyes wildly searching, scanning anywhere and everywhere for a heart-shaped menace, and she finally stirred under his hand.

"Get up," he breathed, pulling her up. "Get up, Irene. Now."

"Why?" she slurred, but once her eyes were properly open, they widened, and she scrambled to her feet with him. "Where's everyone else?"

Shit. Hazen glanced around, but there were people screaming, and there was fire everywhere, and he still couldn't find the damn mask--

He grabbed Irene's hand and dragged her through the crowd, shouting their names. It was a mess of chaos, and he'd nearly succumbed to the rising panic when he saw a flash of white hair, bright in the night, and a familiar figure. Then something slammed into him, and he staggered back as Saval grabbed his other hand and yanked him along the path.

"Where's Tessen?" Hazen shouted.

"I don't know!" Saval screamed. He could hear the fear in her voice. She led them to an edge of a different forest--how he knew it was different was due to the fact that there was no chicken coop next to it. He'd passed the damn thing enough times by then.

Hazen pulled his hands out of the girls' and drew his sword. "Stay here," he ordered before leaping back into the fire.

Almost every house was aflame now. There was smoke everywhere, so thick he could hardly see a step in front of him, and he smacked into people running all willy nilly. They had no idea what was happening, or where they were going, and it made getting to Sahasrahla's house near impossible. Hazen growled through his teeth, covering his mouth with a scrap of his cloak, and shivered from the heat of the fire.

He knew the mask was here. He could feel it, feel the negative energy where it had been. It was looking for him. And the girls--Saval was by no means defenseless, and Hazen was fairly sure Irene's sharp tongue could do some damage. But he still didn't want to leave them alone.

He reached the remains of the house. By now the village was silent but for the sounds of flame and the crack of thunder. He burst through the door and ducked. The mask flew past him and disappeared into the smoke. Assuming it had gotten lost, Hazen leapt inside and pulled the cloak down.

"Tessen! Tess--" He coughed, covering his mouth and nose again, and stumbled over furniture and wood planks. He tripped over a piece of wood and, looking down, realized it was what once had been the table. The table they'd all be sitting at not even ten minutes earlier.

A few steps later revealed the door to the back room hanging off its hinges, and by now the flames were starting to catch on Hazen's cloak. He coughed again, and as wood crunched under someone's feet, he whirled--

--only to come face-to-face with Tessen, covered in soot and burns, and supporting Sahasrahla on one side. The old man's arm was filled with books, and he had a bag over his hunched shoulder. Hazen took his other side and pulled them through the door, keeping an eye out for the mask. "Get him to the woods! I'll watch your backs."

Tessen pulled Sahasrahla away, following Hazen's direction, and Hazen backed away, his heart rate kicking up every time a shadow flicked past, every time a house collapsed in on itself, every time thunder boomed overhead. It cast everything in an eerie red glow, adding to the inexplicable feeling in Hazen's chest.

He swallowed it down as it crawled up his throat, and followed Tessen and his charge to the edge of the woods. As soon as they came into view, Hazen finally turned his back to the destroyed village and caught up to them.

No sooner had he opened his mouth to announce themselves did a dagger come flying at them. Hazen deflected it with a quick swipe of his sword, sending it slamming into a tree trunk. Saval swore and went to retrieve it, leaving Irene to stare at them.

"What--what just happened?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

"Our hunter found us," Hazen said, scanning their surroundings. Saval took the books from Sahasrahla and Tessen took the pack. "I guess that means the mask actually does have more practice than us," he muttered as Irene numbly took Sahasrahla's arm. The old man spoke, his first words since they'd found him. "We need to get to a Sacred place," he huffed, pulling them towards the woods. "The Lost Woods! Go!"

They ran, swords drawn, hands clasped. The woods were silent until something crashed behind them, and Hazen turned around to find a tree falling down, flames licking up the sides. "Faster!"

He dragged Irene with him, hearing her sharp breaths spike when she jumped over a log, when she crashed through some ferns, swiped a branch out of her face. He felt strange, some of that earlier feeling coming back to him, but also different. He felt like there was fog in his brain, confusing him. He shook his head and kept running, but the feeling persisted.

Hazen realized something was wrong when Irene leapt over another log. He glanced at it as he passed, seeing a strike in the bark. "Stop!"

Tessen and Saval stumbled to a halt in front of him. "We're lost," Hazen gasped, scanning the trees behind him. There was a path of fire, but no mask. Yet. "We already leapt over this log."

"How?" Saval asked, holding her stomach. "We've been running in a straight line!"

"It's the Lost Woods," Tessen said. "Of course the only Sacred place in this whole bloody country is in a maze."

"So how do we get out of here?" Irene demanded, before swallowing and doubling over. Hazen gripped her hand tighter. "We're figuring this out. Tessen, how did we find our way through last time?"

"Last time?"

"Yes, last time," Hazen grit out. Tessen blinked once, twice, before his eyes widened. "Behind you!"

Hazen shoved Irene out of the way and swiped blindly with his sword. It collided with something, he couldn't tell what, but an unearthly screech told him he at least glanced the mask. He followed it as it spun out of their circle and kept it back with his sword. "Come on, Tessen!"

"Right, right," Tessen muttered. "We . . . we didn't find our way. There was a pulse--"

Wind blew through the woods, and somehow the group knew it wasn't from the storm. "Like that one?" Irene asked.

"Exactly like that one," Saval agreed, and took her hand. "Come on."

"It's calling us," Sahasrahla gasped, under Tessen's arm. "Go to where the pulse is strongest!"

They took off, with Hazen bringing up the rear. He was surprised, though, when Irene joined him. "I might still be an apprentice witch, but I know a few spells," she said, in answer to his look.

Fine with him. "It likes fire," he said, running backwards. "Know any water spells?"

"It's not very strong, but maybe I can augment it with your sword."

"Can you do it on the way?"

"Maybe if you held it steady!" Irene snapped.

Snarling, Hazen ducked a flying tree branch and sent the mask spiralling back with another swipe, then bent double as a pulse went through. "To the west!" he shouted.

The group changed course, just as the mask went flying past. "Here, do it now," Hazen gasped. Irene took the handle without another word and closed her eyes. A circle of light appeared, faintly, but growing in strength until it lit up their spot amid the trees. Strange symbols and lines wove in between the circles, and with a mutter, water spouted from the circle--

--right into the mask's face.

It flew backward with another ungodly screech, dimmed now, its halo of fire drowned out by the spell. "Haha!" Hazen grinned, then grabbed Irene's hand and pulled her away. The group was ahead of them now by at least a dozen paces, but they caught up rather quickly. Another pulse went through, strong enough that it sent a ringing through their ears. "We're running out of time!" Sahasrahla shouted. "We must find it now!"

Hazen scanned the trees, desperate, but it was Saval who found the clearing. "There!" she pointed. A faint glowing between the trees was at the end of her finger; the group plowed through the trees, just barely avoiding the mask as it hurled toward them. Hazen ducked back out and baited it as it turned, waving his arms. "Hey ugly!" he shouted, and the mask faced him fully. He could almost feel the anger and hate emanating from it.

"Come and get me!" Hazen yelled, ignoring Saval and Irene trying to drag him through the trees. "Go," he shoved at them. "I'll be there. Get everyone through, and then I'll come."

They both rolled their eyes, but left, and Hazen turned around to see the mask coming at him full speed, creepy yellow eyes getting bigger with every foot it crossed.

Hazen bounced on the balls of his feet, waiting, waiting--now! He ducked and rolled, using his father's favorite move, and before the mask could turn, he slammed his sword into the mask's back. It crashed to the ground, leaving a heart-shaped imprint, and Hazen ducked to the side and kicked it as hard as he could. It careened through the trees, disappearing from sight with a last horrid screech.

Breathing heavily, Hazen pushed through the trees and ended up in a small clearing. A pedestal stood empty, and hovering in the air, were the doors.

"The Doors of Time," Tessen whispered, going as close as he dared. The white glow from the Doors illuminated the ash and burns on his skin, and the awe in his eyes. "I never knew it could . . . change forms like this. Can you imagine how our parents would react?" he asked Hazen, who let out a tired smile. He came up to his best friend's side, clasping his shoulder.

"Let's go tell them."

Branches snapped behind them as Irene stepped back. She was staring at them all, shaking her head. "I--I can't go with you," she said, her voice hoarse. She was caked in blood and ash and her right hand was burned. Hazen felt guilt stab at his gut.

"You can't stay, either," he said quietly, at which Irene shook her head harder. "I can hide," she whispered. "I can use spells against it."

"You saw what it just did to the forest, to the village!" Hazen argued. "What it did to me. This thing is intelligent, Irene. This isn't the first time it's attacked us, and only us. Now that you're here, and Sahasrahla . . . it won't leave you alone."

"You have to come," Saval said softly, laying her hand on Irene's shoulder. It was shaking, Hazen noticed. He bit his lip as tears formed in Irene's eyes. "Don't worry," Saval said soothingly. "You have a much better chance at staying safe if you're with us. We won't let that thing hurt you anymore."

"How?" Irene said bitterly. "It's coming after us again and again--he said it himself." She pointed accusingly at Hazen.

"We know that," Tessen interjected. "So our only option is to stop it. We have to get home and tell our parents. They're experienced in fighting wars, and I get the feeling this mask isn't going to go down without a fight." He gave Hazen a look, and they both nodded.

"Now are you coming?" Hazen asked, gestring at the Doors. "We're running out of time."

True enough. The Doors were getting smaller with every second they spent arguing, and it seemed that was enough to change Irene's mind. She swallowed a couple times and wiped her eyes, then took a breath and stepped forward.

One by one, each of them went through. Tessen still had Sahasrahla's books, Saval had the old man's arm, and as Irene's crooked witch's hat disappeared in the white light, Hazen took a deep breath, praying to the goddesses.

"Please, take us home," Hazen murmured, putting one foot in the Doors. All went white, and he was free-falling.