Chapter Five

The tower in which they entered was in fact the first one on the street, the one BlackHope used to haunt back when Unicorn Way was young and swarming with the undead. The amount of Light Wizards who occupied it was more than Amberly could ever have expected, the vibrations from the music could be felt on the floor as the dancing in the center matched the sound. Amberly stood by Robyn's side for the first few minutes, still a bit nervous to meet new people after failing to get along with so many so far. She followed her to the left of the circular room where tables were set up with food and drinks, she helped herself to some hors d'oeuvres to sooth her grumbling stomach. She felt a tap on her right shoulder which made her turn her head to see a group of girls approaching her.

"These are my friends," Robyn said as she greeted them all with hugs. "Hey guys, meet Amberly. She's new here."

"New?" One of the girls spoke as she looked Amberly up and down. "No one new ever comes here.

"Who would even want to?" Asked another girl towards the outside of the group.

"Are you sure she's even a Light Wizard?" Added a third, soon they were all speaking negatively about the new girl that they didn't know or trust.

"Relax, you guys," Robyn defended, getting in between her friends and Amberly. "She's cool."

"So where did you come from?" One of the girls in the group asked Amberly, not afraid to reveal how little she trusted her.

Just by being in this world for a short amount of time, Amberly was able to tell that the people living here didn't have minds of their own so speaking of her own world or who she was has yet to bring thoughts that such a thing could be possible. She knew that trying to convince the Wizards trapped in this mirror that their world isn't real was futile but she wanted to try. This was part of her mission and she refused to fail Ambrose or these people who don't know where they were. She took in a deep breath and prepared herself for what was to come of her speaking the truth. "I come from a place called Wizard City, it's an exact replica if this world."

Instantly, the girls who stood before her glanced at each other with more than just doubt and confusion in their expressions.

"In that world, I'm known as The Savior, I travel to many worlds across the Spiral saving them from the evil that has taken over. I go on missions to learn about the people that inhabit those worlds so I can better understand the way they live so that I can fix the problem," Amberly continues, hoping that something she said would spark something in her audience but before she could speak again, she was interrupted.

"Is that why you came here? Because you thought we needed to be saved?" It was Robyn, who stood at her right, that had spoken. Her face looked betrayed.

"Yes, but…"

"So you were using me to get information about my city? Is that all I was to you?"

"No! Of course not!" Amberly said with deep sadness in her voice. She knew that she had messed up but didn't know how to fix it, the way that Robyn looked at her now was heartbreaking.

"Don't listen to her Robyn," spoke a girl in the group. "It's clear that she doesn't care about you, she's just here for our city."

"No, that is not what I meant!" Amberly said, trying to make them understand but it was too late, they were already backing away from her. She reached out her hand to Robyn, hoping to stop her from leaving but it only made the situation worse.

"Don't touch her!" Yelled one of the girls. "Just stay away from us."

Amberly felt crushed by the words as she watched her first friend in this world disappear in the crowd, leaving her there all alone. She buried her face into her palms, trying to keep herself calm and preventing herself from crying in front of a bunch of people who probably had seen what had happened. She turned her back to the crowd which danced in the center of the room, leaning on the table of refreshments with both hands pressing down on the cloth. She breathed deeply then took a cup and drank whatever juice she could see in front of her until it was completely gone, glancing back at the bowl was what convinced her to pour herself a second cup.

"Well, what do you know? You're as much of an outsider as I am."

Amberly turned her head to her left once hearing the familiar voice, her eyes widened when seeing the person who stood before her. "Killian?" He was still in his hooded cloak which covered most of his face and body, the only difference was that it was a dark green which she could only assume was so he could blend into the crowd of Light Wizards. "What are you doing here?"

"Heard there was a party, decided to crash it," he said nonchalantly.

She watched as he reached for a cup on the table and noticed that this cloak was different than his other one, it had sleeves which allowed him to be more mobile without revealing what he wore underneath. "But you're a Death Wizard, aren't you?"

"Death? Is that what you call it in your world?"

Amberly broke eye contact with him for the first time since he had arrived at her side when she realized that she had messed up again, revealing more information about her world. "Oh, yeah. Sorry."

"It sounds so morbid," Killian answered, placing the cup to his perfectly smooth lips and drinking.

"What do you call it?"

"I'm a Dark Wizard," he said, staring into her eyes intensely.

Amberly smirked now understanding once hearing the name. This world truly was the same as her own, even the names of the Wizards are complete opposites. "And is this what Dark Wizards like to do? Sneak into other Territories and break the rules?"

"Pretty much," Killian answered quickly, turning towards the center of the room, and leaning his back onto the table of assorted drinks. He then crossed his arms and turned his head to the left to look back into Amberly's bright green eyes. "But that's not why I'm here."

She tried not to sound shaky when she spoke, the way his intense expressions watched her always gave her butterflies. Even though most of his face was covered, she could see his eyes more clearly in this light, they weren't dark as she had assumed they'd be. They were in fact an ocean color; she knew the longer she stared into them she'd be at risk of drowning in them. She finally opened her mouth to speak, hoping she could locate her voice. "So why are you here?"

"I had to see you again." Killian tilted his head only slightly when he heard the music change to a slower tone, he then turned back to Amberly and held out his hand. "Care to dance?"

Amberly didn't say a word, she merely took his hand and allowed him to guide her to the center of the room, mixed in with all the others until they reached the middle. Knowing how awkward it would be to dance so closely with a large backpack dangling behind her, she decided to leave it behind, kicking it under the table just before walking with him to the dancefloor. She stared up at him as he placed her right hand around his neck as his other hand took her waist and pulled her closer. She followed his lead as they glided back and forth in perfect rhythm of the music which surrounded them.

"So, you say that your world is an exact replica of ours?"

Amberly felt her heart drop once realizing that he was referring to the moment she tried to explain to Robyn's friends about where she comes from. She lowered her head in embarrassment. "You heard that?" She didn't want to raise her head, she didn't want to look back up at him, she was too afraid of him judging her or possibly reacting the same way as Robyn's friends had. She had to find out though, she needed to know what he thought of it but when she looked into his confused eyes, she felt confused herself. "I'm not crazy."

"I never said you were crazy," he said calmly.

Amberly exhaled with a hint of annoyance in her tone. "Yeah, but the way that you're looking at me says it all."

"I mean, the idea of a world being exactly like this one does sound…"

"Crazy, I get it," Amberly interrupted, looking away with sadness in her eyes.

"But that doesn't mean that it's not true."

Amberly looked back at him, shocked at his response. He believes me? She thought to herself, unsure how to reply. She could feel their stance shifting awkwardly as the people around them bumped into them as they danced or walked past. She looked around, watching as everyone selfishly pushed their way through the crowd without a care for anyone they hit along the way. She then turned back to Killian, noticing that he had not taken his eyes off her since he last spoke. She cleared her throat. "You're staring at me."

"I'm sorry, I'm just trying to figure you out," he said sincerely, pulling her closer as he backed deeper into the crowd, swerving around each person without breaking eye contact with his partner. His goal seemed to be to find a space in the crowd that allowed easier movements during their dance. "You're nothing like anyone here. You're so different."

Amberly chuckled as he took her right hand in his and spun around then pulled her back to him. "And what about me makes me different?" She asked, their hands still locked together as their dance continued. "My magic? How I dress? The fact that I appeared out of thin air…"

"No," Killian said calmly, interrupting the joke that she was making. "It's the way you think."

Amberly kept quiet, he was doing it again. Making her feel completely weak in the knees, bringing forth the feeling of butterflies fluttering in her stomach uncontrollably, a tight breath in her throat that escaped so swiftly as her heart pounded. Listening to his words, his perfectly manly voice, just made her want to melt, falling into his arms and feeling his strength around her. She blinked several times, stopping her daydreams before completely losing concentration.

"Everyone here is exactly the same, they only care about themselves, they stay within their own territories and think that anyone who isn't part of it is an enemy. Eventually, they become cruel people that treat others in disgusting ways. But you're nothing like that," Killian continued as he raised his left hand from her waist and brushed her blonde hair from her eyes but left it lingering by her face a few moments longer. "Your kindness is as radiant as your beauty; you care for others even when you don't know them."

Amberly loved the feeling of his soft skin against hers as well as the warmth of his voice. She didn't want him to stop talking but the longer he did, the more she was impressed by how he was able to keep their dance going even during a conversation.

"You rushed over to those Lightning Wizards only with the mindset to help that girl, not caring which Territory they belonged to, you stood up against your own Territory to defend you and your friend, you even spoke to me. No one ever speaks to me, even when I try to start conversations myself, but you did. You even asked for my name."

Amberly almost laughed at the name he gave the Storm Wizards but decided to ignore that part of his comment and focus on something else instead. "You try to talk to other Wizards?"

"With great difficulty," Killian said almost sadly. "No one ever responds, I'm always ignored as if I'm not even there."

"So why do you try?"

Killian lowered her into a dip, taking her by surprise as he brought her back upright. "Because I'm sick of the separation between us, we should all be free to choose who we want to be friends with, or who we want to be with." As he spoke, he brought his face closer to her ear until their cheeks were touching and he could smell the wonderful sent of her hair. Before speaking again, he brought himself back so he could look her in the eyes once more. "The Dark Wizards are the worst of the Territories; they are the most despicable people I've ever known."

Amberly gave him a very sincere look before responding. "You call me different but I can say the same about you." She could tell that he wished for an explanation so she willingly gave him one. "A Dark Wizard who doesn't want to be associated with his own Territory, who wants to befriend everyone in the city."

"Yeah, well I guess I'm different too," he admitted.

Amberly shook her head. "I don't think that makes you different." She paused, waiting for him to bring his beautiful ocean blue eyes back into hers and when they eventually did, she smiled. "I think it makes your special."

Breaking eye contact was something she never liked doing, she just wanted to stare into his eyes forever but the crowd seemed to be getting larger and more thoughtless as they pushed passed everyone, including Amberly who had almost fallen forward. Luckily, Killian was there to keep her on her feet.

He noticed that she was getting more uncomfortable and didn't like seeing her distressed so he planned to change that. "Wanna get out of here?"

Amberly smiled and nodded in response. She felt the familiar butterflies as Killian's right hand met with her lower back as he guided her in front of him. They began walking towards the exit, being as polite as possible when making their way around each person blocking their path.

Killian kept his eyes on the people in front of her, noticing that they were approaching a group of boys who were exchanging words loudly which would indicate that they were fighting. Soon there was shoving which gave Killian a flush of worry once he saw the fight become more intense. He could see it coming, one of the boys pushing the other which caused him to lose his balance and collapse backwards; however, he was falling right towards him and Amberly. Without even thinking, he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her to his right just as the body came crashing down on top of him.

Amberly kept her balance and apologized to the people she had been thrown into so suddenly. She then turned and searched for Killian but there were too many people around her, it wasn't until she heard a familiar voice that she realized what had happened.

"What the hell? What is a Dark Wizard doing here!?"

Amberly became very worried for Killian; he has been undercover all this time and now his secret had been revealed. What will these Light Wizards do to him, now knowing that he was trespassing in their Territory? She pushed passed the crowd, no longer caring if she was being rude, she needed to get to Killian. She was relieved to see him unharmed, he had collapsed to the floor, his hood had fallen back and his cloak revealed his dark attire underneath.

Killian sighed as he stood gracefully. "Well, I guess my cover has been blown so I won't be needing this stupid thing anymore." He ripped the green cloak from his back and tossed it to the ground, shoving his hands into his pockets as everyone around him stared in awe.

"How dare you come here!" The same angry Light Wizard shouted at him.

Amberly was in full view of him, she had already known that he was a Dark Wizard, unlike everyone else who stared at him. What had her in awe was how handsome he was, she couldn't believe how someone could be so perfectly structured, how his hair looked so amazingly soft as it rested so neatly on his head. She noticed his tattoo; it was her first time seeing it and it looked great on him. A curved black spiked swirl that hugged the outer portion of his right eye, she loved how it complimented his features. When she met his gaze for the first time, she felt worried once again. She knew it was dangerous for him to be here, who knows what crazy things these people would do to him. She needed to get him out of there quickly.

Killian removed one hand from his pocket when he saw Amberly pushing passed everyone to get to him, holding out her hand for him. Just seeing her wanting to help him put a smile on his face.

"Are you okay?" She asked sweetly, once she was close enough for him to hear her voice over the crowd. She let out a sudden cry once her wrist was grasped strongly and pulled away just before she could reach him. "Ah!"

Killian's eyes glazed over with anger the moment he saw Amberly's fear as she looked upon the face of the one who held onto her.

"Don't touch him! He'll infect you with his darkness!" Reed shouted at her, pulling her away and closer to him. He then smiled once getting a better look at the green eyes that he was so familiar with. "Well, look what we have here! I've been looking all over for you gorgeous."

Amberly's heart dropped when seeing Reed's twisted grin, her fear only grew.

"Take your hand off her." Killian said strongly, clenching his fists as he glared at Reed, hoping to intimidate him with his darkness.

Reed chuckled, revealing how unafraid he was. "And what are you going to do to make me?" At that moment, his Surge was activated, creating a strong light which surrounded his entire body and poured out of him ferociously. This caused the people who were watching to back away quickly, keeping a safe distance but staying close enough to still be able to hear what was going on.

Amberly began to grunt and moan, closing her right fist as she tried to pull her wrist free but was not strong enough. The power that Reed was releasing felt like fire on her skin, like an electrical shock that never stopped and only got worse. She began to lose strength in her limbs, no longer able to use her muscles to pull away, even her own legs were becoming weaker. She bent over in pain, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to endure it as long as she could but felt that she might lose consciousness very soon.

"Do you feel that sweetheart? My power coursing through your veins? How does it feel?" Reed asked, leaning in close as she whimpered beside him.

"Stop it! Your Surge is hurting her!" Killian shouted as he watched in horror. He was trying to hold back his power, not wishing to make the situation worse but knew that he couldn't stop himself for much longer. The moment that Reed had reached out with his other hand to touch Amberly in a more inappropriate location, he lost all control of himself.

Killian grunted loudly with anger that almost sounded like the growl of a dog. His dark Surge sparked around him like a black flame as it rose higher the angrier he got. Without a warning, he lunged for Reed, tackling him to the ground and knocking Amberly from his grip. He began beating him as hard as he could, ignoring the gasps that he could hear around him. He knew that with his strength he'd be able to kill him with only a few punches but he couldn't get that many in for he was quickly attacked from behind. Many Light Wizards had grabbed him and pulled him from his enemy, soon dragging him across the floor and away from Amberly who had been left there unconscious.

"Get the hell off me!" He shouted, trying to pull from the force of all the Light Wizards that were hauling him out of the tower. Before he could get to his feet, he was tossed out into the sunlight, rolling across the cement sidewalk roughly. "I need to get back to Amberly! She's hurt!"

"She's not your concern!" Shouted one of the boys who now guarded to door to prevent him from reentering. "She's a Light Wizard, she doesn't belong to you!"

Killian stood angrily, clenching his jaw as well as his fists which rested at his side. "What?"

"Never come back here again!" Another shouted as they all went back inside, locking the door behind them.


At this point, the party had come to an end, after such an intense situation no one really felt like dancing anymore. It wasn't long before they all began to leave, soon to forget what ever transpired there that day.

Reed wiped the blood from his mouth as he was helped to his feet. He walked past everyone who dispersed and knelt beside Amberly who still lay unconscious on the floor. He brushed her hair from her closed eyes and stroked her cheek, then trailed his fingers slowly down her chin and towards her chest.

"What do you think that Dark Wizard wanted with her?"

Reed quickly pulled his hand back to his side when he was startled by his closest friend who had been with him the night, he had first met Amberly. He grinned then glanced up at him with the perfect answer. "I have no idea but we have to make sure that he never finds her."