Out of the World

35. Darkness In

Lola

“Zorion!” I tried to hold him in the best way I could to prevent him from falling on the ground, which only made us both fall. Unable to lift him up, I adjusted his head on my lap and called for him, “Wake up, please!” I shook him gently, but nothing happened.

Panic was building up in my chest fast and in a scorching way. Taking a deep inhale, I tried to contain the fire flowing in my veins and convert it once again into blood. In an attempt to relax, I hummed a little lullaby inside my mind.

“Everything will be fine, and nothing will be fire,” I repeated to myself, successfully preventing my blood from completely becoming liquid fire in my veins.

Touching my brother’s face, I noticed how cold he was. Something was definitely wrong with him. He had never fainted before, not even gotten sick.

“Zo, please, wake up. We will find Nina. You will both be fine,” I promised, as a few tears streamed down my cheeks.

“Lola, what is happening?” Mum’s worried voice made me look up and I saw her and Dad running towards Zorion and me.

“Little Sweetie, are you feeling alright?” Dad asked, kneeling down beside me and looking intently at me and Zorion, “It’s Zorion?”

I nodded in response as my dad wiped up my tears and placed his other hand on Zorion’s forehead.

Immediately, Mum was beside us as well, trying to call for Zorion and wake him up. It was still early in the morning and they should have just arrived from the Ball, like me a few minutes ago.

“He said that Nina was gone and he couldn’t find her anywhere, not even in the Human Realm. He was acting oddly, aggressive and even yelling. Then he suddenly collapsed. Oh, and the white part of his eyes was red,” I explained.

“Devilicious, can you feel something?” Mum asked Dad, his hands were still on Zorion’s forehead.

“He is strangely cold and I’ve seen these symptoms only a couple of times before, and never in someone as young as him,” Dad exhaled sharply.

“What are you talking about? Spill it out, Laius! For the panicking-Goddess-of-the-heart-attacks' sake, tell me everything!” Mum urged.

Dad breathed deeply, I think I have never seen him so hesitant to say something, “As you know, darkness and death itself grow within those who take centuries to find their mates, consuming their souls and driving them mad, depressed, or even killing them. Like it almost happened to Avalon. We had a case in Hell. It happened to a young demon. He was barely two-centuries old. His mate was a succubitch and she left him. The darkness grew faster in him, devouring him in a matter of weeks and causing him to lose his mind.”

My eyes blinked many times in ultimate shock. It wasn’t supposed to happen to Zo, he was way too young. That was impossible! Tears rolled down my cheeks as my mind swirled with thoughts. I knew well about that. The Goddess of Death wasn’t so happy about how the being in the Six Realms could trick time and be immortal. Hence, at some point in their late lives, after they lived for centuries, a curse of Darkness and the seed of Death itself started to spread within the souls. Eternity was too heavy of a burden for one to carry by themselves, they needed the person who beheld the other part of their souls, to make eternity lighter.

Only the mate bond’s light could cast the Darkness and Death itself away.

“No! No! That’s not possible, he is a baby. He is only twenty. It can’t happen, Laius! It just can’t. We need to find a way to undark him, kick the Death away from his soul!” Mum mumbled, her face growing paler.

“We will, Sugar. We have to find Nina. As you know by experience, being closer to one’s mate and ultimately consolidating the mate bond is the only antidote to the all-consuming Darkness,” Dad said, squeezing Mum’s hand in reassurance before he scooped Zorion up and his arms and placed him on the sofa.

“Nina! Where is she? I have to get to her!” Zorion stood up with a jump and opened a portal in mid-air he waved his hands and pushed the armchair through it. To our surprise, his portal started sucking the things from the living room into it and teleporting them to the Goddess knows where.

“His powers are out of control!” Dad said, holding Zorion’s arms and trying to stop him before we were the ones to be portal-sucked next.

“Zorion, sweetie, please, listen to me,” Mum tried, cupping his face and looking intently at his now half-grey and half-red eyes.

“Get away from me!” In a fast movement, Zorion freed himself from Dad’s grasp and pushed Mum with a lot of strength, sending her a few feet away.

Gasping, I looked at them, my whole body petrified with shock. I couldn’t do anything, only calm myself and keep my fire at bay, “Everything is fine, nothing is fire.” I whispered to myself.

“Out of your mind or not, never dare to do this again!” Dad’s words came out in a guttural grunt as smoke left his ears. Forming a firm thread with his smoke, Dad made it move around Zorion and wrap around him, immobilising him completely and making both his portal disappear as my brother fell on the sofa.

Dad took Mum in his arms, sitting her on the armchair with him and checking if she was okay.

“I am fine, Laius! Zorion is the one facing a huge problem. We have to find a way to neutralise his magic before he hurts himself or someone else,” the pain in Mum’s eyes and voice was evident. Escaping from Dad’s embrace, she rushed to Zorion and caressed his pale face.

Dad’s smoke thread was working, and despite Zo’s struggles, he could hardly move.

“You will be okay, my Baby. We will find Nina,” Mum cooed at him and he squirmed violently in response.

“Let me go now! I have to find my mate! She might be in danger! I will destroy it all, everything that is preventing me from being with her!” Zorion growled like a beast. I could hardly recognise his voice. I couldn’t recognise him at all, he seemed like a completely different person. A heartfelt sob broke through my lips as I tried to keep my tears only water drops rather than sparkles of flame. If we didn’t find a way to either slow the Darkness down or find Nina immediately, I knew that my brother would be lost forever.

“The smoke thread can’t hold him for more than a couple of hours, he is much too powerful. We have to find Nina soon,” Dad muttered, exhaling a stream of smoke. Coming closer to me, he wrapped me in a hug, “Are you feeling alright, Little Sweetie?”

“Yes, everything is under control with my fire,” I sighed, my gaze roaming towards my brother. I had to contain my fear and my desperation, and keep myself under control when all I wanted to do was to cry flames and help him, help Nina. Have them back together and happy again.

“I will take a cold shower,” I told my parents. We all knew that it was one of the things that helped me most with my fire-issues.

“Go, Sweetie. I will take Zorion to his room, find a way to control his magic and make the darkness grow slower,” Dad exhaled an even thicker stream of smoke. Mum was so lost in her worry that she didn’t even hear. She was still knelt in front of the sofa with her fingers intertwined in Zo’s blond locks.

As soon as I reached my room, I felt a presence; something or someone was there.

“No! That couldn’t be! Why doesn’t he just leave me alone?” I wondered, looking around and trying to catch a glimpse of his shadow.

*

Please suggest the name for this chapter :)