Rise of the Darkness — CHAPTER 30

"Calla…" Calla slowly opened her eyes when someone whispered in her ear. She looked around and found herself laying on the grass. She sat up and tried to remember how she had gotten here. She stood up from the ground, the weather was very foggy and everything around her was blurry.

"Hello…" Calla called out but got no response.

"Can anyone hear me?" Calla asked again and heard a chuckle in response. She turned around and found Dalton sitting on a rock by the river. He turned around to look at Calla and smiled. Calla stood there, her feet glued with the ground. Dalton chuckled and patted the space beside him on the rock.

"Come my child, sit with your great grandpa?" He asked her. She nodded her head and slowly made her way towards the river. She sat beside Dalton.

"I thought you would be visiting Ethan, not me. He was eagerly waiting." Calla replied in a sad tone. She knew Ethan was excited to meet his master again.

"Right now, I can't visit him, but hopefully some other day." Dalton replied with a smile.

"Is it because he is losing his powers? I know he'll be like me very soon." Calla asked.

"You can say that my child, it is because he is losing his powers. But you don't know what future holds, neither do I." Dalton replied.

"You know I can't see him like this." Calla said as a tear escaped her eye.

"I know dear, neither could I. But it's fate. We can't do anything to beat fate. Yes, but if we try changing it." Dalton replied.

"You mean, there is a way to change that too?" Calla asked excitedly.

"Maybe, maybe not. I don't know." Dalton replied.

"If you don't know then why did you say that?" Calla asked and huffed in anger.

"I said it because I know. This is life we all live. Until we are alive, we can do anything to change our lives. Once we are dead, then things become impossible. So tell me, are you alive or dead?" Dalton asked with a chuckle. Calla finally smiled hearing him.

"So you know the way but you can't tell me." Calla replied and Dalton laughed.

" You are getting smarter day by day. I can tell you or not, that's the discussion for some other day. Today, I'm here for something else." Dalton replied.

"What is it about?" Calla asked.

"Come on, follow me and I'll show you the path. You will find your answers there." Dalton replied. He stood up and offered his hand for Calla. Calla accepted his hand.

"Where are we going?" She asked as they started walking.

"There, where the Sun is rising from." He replied and pointed his finger towards the East. Calla watched the Sun starting to rise and the sky changing its colors. Dalton kept walking and Calla saw the end of the Cliff. Her heart skipped a beat when Dalton kept staring at the sun and kept walking.

"Do you trust me, Calla?" Dalton asked as he felt her palms getting sweaty. She looked at the sky and took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"Yes, I do." She replied confidently as her nerves were calmed. Dalton nodded his head and kept walking. It was almost the end of the cliff. Calla's heart was beating wildly in her ribcage. But she didn't stop.

"It's okay if you want to close your eyes. But remember, you are the one who will be showing the way to others." Dalton replied. Calla shook her head and decided to keep her eyes open. Her first step in the air and she saw everything around her changed. It wasn't the cliff she was standing upon but a beautiful magical land. She couldn't believe her eyes, it was like a wonderland. A place she had heard stories about by Ethan. She was looking at the scenery in front of her eyes with her mouth agape.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Dalton whispered in her ear and she jumped.

"Yes, very." She replied as her eyes shone like stars.

"Don't fall for the lies in front of your eyes, Calla. What you are seeing is just what you imagine as the perfect wonderland. The image in your head is in front of you, nothing else." Dalton replied in a serious tone.

"So it's not real. Just an image I have in my mind?" Calla asked and Dalton nodded.

"Close your eyes, Calla. Close them tightly, then open them again in a flash, not slowly." Dalton replied. Calla closed her eyes tightly and opened them quickly. The breathtaking view was long gone. She saw a place darker than night.

"There it is, now you can see it as well. You have to bring Ethan here. This is the place where he hides. And I brought you here because you are the one who can remember it. The pendant you have Calla, it will keep all the spells away from you. Visiting Ethan would be nothing but a waste of time, both his and mine. It isn't about him losing his powers." Dalton replied. He raised his hands and clapped.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice and they were back at the river. Calla looked at the sky, the sun was shining brightly in the sky.

"It's time for me to leave and you to wake up. I am leaving you with the answers. Remember Calla, all you need is right here in your heart. You just need to listen to your heart and it will show you the right way. Believe in yourself Calla. Ethan was not wrong when he said, ``You are stronger than any of us." Dalton replied and patted her head. He turned around and started walking away. He didn't look back and in a minute, he vanished between the woods.

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Calla felt a feather-like kiss on her forehead and she slowly opened her eyes. She smiled when she looked at Ethan, a sexy smile on his handsome face.

"Good morning." He greeted her and pecked her forehead again.

"Good morning." She greeted back and inhaled his masculine scent deeply.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked worriedly.

"As long as I am with you, I can sleep without any worries." She replied. He smiled hearing her response. He sat up on the bed and looked out of the window. Calla did the same and she realized, the sun hadn't risen fully. She looked at him and found him in his deep thoughts with a disappointed look on his face.

"What is it Ethan?" Calla asked him.

"Nothing to worry about." He replied and tried hard to hide the pain that was clear in his eyes.

"Is it because you were expecting your Master to visit you last night?" She asked and leaned her head over his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. He didn't reply but nodded his head.

"There must be a reason behind it. You said yourself that your Master never did anything without a strong reason behind." Calla replied

"What could be the reason behind this? Not visiting me last night. We need answers." Ethan said in a sad tone. Calla leaned up and kissed him. He froze at first then kissed her back with the equal passion as hers. They broke the kiss and he smiled.

"Just what I wanted to see." Calla thought.

"He didn't visit you because he visited me last night. Now that our dreams are not connected for some reason, he could only visit one of us." Calla replied with a wide grin.

"What did he say to you?" Ethan asked.

"Everything we need." She said and she jumped on him. She pinned him on the bed and captured his lips in a long, loving and passionate kiss.