Oasis: Zarah and Royalty

5: Dying not allowed

I am on the ground and I don't think we moved all the while I was out because we are still in the same spot and I don't think Vixan has moved either. I pull myself to sit down and rub the back of my head which is slightly aching. I look to the other side and I find Vixan, sitting on a cut down tree and staring at me with a scowl on his face. I notice that his hair is no longer a complete white which I think I saw before, but rather the parted white and black and I'm wondering why it keeps changing.

"How long has it been?" I asks dully, still tenderly rubbing my head to ease its ache.

"Long enough," he replies and gets up from his seat and walks up to me.

"Did you wake me up on purpose?" I asks because I can almost say the voice that yelled 'wake up' sounded very much like his.

"You might keep people out of your head when you're awake but you can't always do that when you're sleeping. I could tell you were having a nightmare."

I bite my lips hardly and hiss, "So you decided to mess with my head, make me live my worse nightmare?"

"I do not have the power to manipulate your subconscious, someone else did, I merely woke you up, but I think whoever got into your head might also know where we are. We need to leave here." He grips me by my arm roughly and helps me up.

I wince out in pain, but I decide to keep my reaction to myself. I look around for a while, taking note that we are one person less, "Where's he?"

"Who?"

"Your conscience."

"He's gone." He replies bluntly, sounding like one who is in no way interested in the talk.

I decide to drop the subject about him even though I have a dozen of questions I want to ask and I decide to ask a question of my own instead. "Did you kill my parents?"

His eyes darkens for a while, before finally replying. "No, I didn't kill them. I was sent for you and only you."

"Okay," I nod and I look into his eyes, and I see it flare with mixture of red and black, "Do you at least know what might have happened to them?"

He looks away from me, "No I don't and you will do good to consider them dead and move on." He bluntly replies, before pulling me along with him.

My heart aches still and I don't know when I'll have the time to properly grieve my parents death but I hope that this is over soon. I need to get time and properly say goodbye to them. I also need to tell Sean to stay safe where ever he is, he's all I have in this cruel world now.

I notice that my hands are no longer tied up and I wonder what changed his mind into untying them and this would have been the perfect time to make a run for it, but I don't know where we are or if we are still close to the city and he said something about they are here and I don't know who 'they' are, but I don't think 'they' are good.

I didn't like the ropes, I felts like a slave and a ptisoner in them, but I think I would pick the ropes over being held by his hands like a little child. Yes his grip is loose and his palm from what I feel are soft, yet I don't want to be touched by a stranger who is dragging me to someplace I don't know, and is probably going to kill me soon.

"Where are we going?" I asks, speaking up for the first time since we started walking again, dragging my feet as I follow him on the path.

"Somewhere far away from here."

This is going to be an exhausting day.

I look up to the heavens and I wish some sort of miracle would happen, "If you're planning on getting as far away from here as possible, shouldn't we at least use the modern means of transportation? Like a car?"

"Why would I want to use a car?" He asks in a ridiculous voice, like that was the worse choice ever.

"Normal people use cars when they go on a long distance journey, cars planes and jets." I force myself to say without adding dumbass at the end of the sentence.

"Okay," he says and we both go into silence.

I think it might be time to address the elephant that has been in the room or my room since forever now. "You said you were supposed to kill me, why?"

"Because those were the orders I received from my Lord." He responds with no emotion presenting itself in his voice.

I stop walking, making him stop as well, "Why does he want me dead? Did I do something wrong to him? Are you some kind of trained assassin or some kind of heartless killer?"

"You ask a lot of foolish questions lady and those are the types of questions I don't asks my Lord, I just carry out the orders he gives me." He coldly answers.

I feel deeply hurt at his reply and this is the second time in less than ten minutes red flashes in my vision how dare he? Asking why my life is going to be terminated without reasonable cause isn't a foolish question, but it may be to him since he knows nothing about me and has no feelings of pity or sympathy towards me.

"Why am I still alive then? If you're going to kill me, dragging me along is pointless and I'm tired and I'm in pain from the loss of my parents and I need time to grieve and I don't know if you understand what I'm saying, but it is a necessary human feeling and I need time to do that." I grumble and halt in my movement.

"Can you stop talking?" He request in a voice that says I'm tired of listening to you.

"No, I can't stop talking, my parents were the only good thing in this life and they were taken from me before I could even say goodbye and I still can't find the time to grieve them because I've been fighting to live since then. If you have any conscience you will let me grieve them." Tears run down my face and my wall breaks down and I can't help it and to an extent, I really don't care anymore. I'm tired of everything and I just want it to end.

"Are you done grieving?" He asks, showing no emotions or sympathy for my situation, after a long moment of silently watching me cry.

I sniff and wipe off the tears, running down my face. "No, actually I need to do one more thing." I say, and before I know what's happening, I throw a punch at him.

My fist lightly grazes his jaw before punching into the air and before I can react or make my next move he takes my hand captive, grabbing me by the shoulder and twisting my hand to the back so he has the arm locked at my back and between us.

He's bigger and even stronger than I thought and I begin to wonder what I was thinking, but the anger of the moment made me do it and it still rushes through me.

"Let me go, let me go! You are an asshole and I have had it with you!" I yell at him as I struggle to set my caged arm free.

"Stop shouting!" he hisses, sounding a bit more annoyed than angry. "We are not alone," he hisses into my ears which sends shivers down my spine.

"Let me go you asshole, you're hurting me." I say through gritted teeth. I am not in any pain whatsoever because although he has my hand locked up, he isn't twisting it in a way that would cause me pain.

He immediately let me go, but offer no apology to me, not like I was expecting any from him.

He leads the way somehow I find myself still following behind him.

We walk for another long time and now I'm tired, hungry and my feet are worn and it's still a miracle that they haven't been pierced by thorns on this path yet. This walk is so pointless and the day is slowly ending anf he wouldn't even talk to me unless I start the conversation.

"Where are you taking me to?" I ask, rubbing my arms slowly as I begin to feel a little cold, but not wanting to get angry and transfer all my aggression on him again, last time didn't go so well.

He's never hurt me since we started this endless journey and if I can remember right, his conscience said he healed me and the grip he has on my hand isn't one of a person ready to kill the other.

"No where at the moment. Earth is not safe and I can't go to Oasis that's not an option, we just have to keep moving."

I sigh in annoyance at the crazy man, here we go again, from where I stand, he's the only harmful things around. he's as delusional as my first year's student Yemi if not worse. Yes he isn't like other men, but that doesn't mean he has the right to talk rubbish and expect me to take it.

"Listen darling," I begin to speak, in the gentlest of manner, "Oasis the alternate universe of magical creatures who are capable of wielding magical powers and causing chaos on Earth without being notice. They are worshipped as gods and the power of one Noble makes him stronger than one million humans on Earth combined. As enticing as it sounds, it's not real, Oasis doesn't exist, it's a folklore created by men of old to amuse readers and entertain listeners, and Dr Martin was delusional as well, there cannot be-" he cut me off before I can finish babling.

"How dare you call my universe a folklore?!" He thunders murderously, the impact of his word taking me back in a very violent manner. "Oasis is better and in all aspects superior to Earth!" His eyes are red and glazing, "I've had it with your side comments and attitude and I do not know why Lord Lox finds you important and a threat to his throne, but all I've felt since I've been here is weakness, vulnerability and powerlessness!" He spits out those words at me like fire in my face. He's already incredibly tall and huge, so having him thunder at me is intimidating and might I add scary.

I must have struck a cord to cause this much outrage, but he doesn't know the first thing about me and has no right calling me weak. I may not have the ability he think he has, but there's a long line between being weak, vulnerable and defenseless and going through what I've gone through in the last twenty four hours. I've had moments I've cried but that's just because of grief.

"I'm sorry for calling your universe a folklore." I mumble my apology to him although not really feeling sorry because he has crossed a lot of line with me as well. "But you're so wrong about me I am not some vulnerable, helpless girl and I may not have as much strength when compared to you, but I am strong and tough in my own way."

"I do not want to be here with you, but this is what it is for me now and I have to see this through." He says sounding somewhat frustrated and I don't know if it's with me or if he's frustrated with himself and he looks away from me.

He begins to walk away and I find myself following him yet again, but this time, it is because I need answers, "You said you don't ask your Lord questions when he commands you, but I think you know why your Lord wants me dead, it is because he sees me as a threat to his throne."

"Yes, but he didn't tell me that, I know that because I heard some of the warriors talking about it when he summoned me."

I try to slowly digest what I've heard in the last three minutes because it is a lot to take in. "How am I even a threat? I am a nobody."

"You're not a nobody, you're a powerful witch and I'm sure that's why he sees you as a threat." He conclude almost certain of himself.

I groan and clench my teeth tightly, "For the last time I'm not a witch!" I exclaim in fury, "if I was a witch do you think I would have let you come near me?"

He pauses and turns to look at me, his eyes glittering with light red colours and the fascinating thing about this flicker is that he isn't outraged and I wonder what the colour in his eyes now means, as though sensing my suspicions, he looks away from me.

"You wouldn't have had a choice, I'm not that vulnerable to you yet." He says quietly.

His reply renders me speechless and I don't want to read too much into it, but I think that from his reply, there is something happening to him because of me and I might be crazy but I want to know what it is and what's behind the changes in the colours of his eyes.

This revelation strengthen me in a weird way, to know that such a person is vulnerable because of me. I know that I don't know much about him, but he seems like someone who's incredibly strong and different from what I'm used to.

"How am I making you vulnerable?" I ask quietly

"Telling you that would be making it worse." He says with a little smiles and this is the first time I'm seeing him smile and it is a very breathtaking sight.

Keep it together Zarah, there is no guarantee that he's not going to end up killing you.

"Common what harm have I caused you since you took me captive?" I ask, and almost slap myself in the face because more than an hour ago I tried punching him in the face.

When he doesn't reply I continue, "Alright fine, at least tell me what you plan on doing to me."

He stays silent and I don't know if it's because he's also in a dilemma about it or if it because he doesn't want to talk to me.

"I think you know what I intend to do." He flatly replies, a little distracted from me.

"You intend on killing me, but you haven't done that yet so-"

He raises a hand, "Be quite!" and hushes me up.

I stop walking and I watch him carefully walk ahead, "Why, I already know I'm going to die, why not make it n-?"

He pulls out his sword and as he turns to me, he throws it towards me and my breath stop halfway in my throat. My life immediately flashes before my eyes and this is the end, I tell myself. I have anticipated my death in the last twenty four hours, yet I still can't help being taken off guard by it. I admit I didn't see it coming, I got so used to Vixan's death threats that I ended up calling it a bluff but I was so wrong.

My eyes close and when they open, I see his sword sliding over my shoulder, tearing my red shirt up a little, and I hear a body hit the ground from behind me.

I gasps and turn to see the man in a grey armour, chocking on his own blood and breathes his last and immediately shreds away like the burnt pieces of paper the same way it happened to mom, dad and Sean did in my dream. Once the last shredded pieces is taken off the ground by the wind, Vixan's sword falls to the ground.

"This is real. This is real! Oh god death is here!" I cry out, tears running down my face uncontrollably.

Vixan takes my hand possessively and pulls me towards him, "Did I hurt you?" He asks, reaching out to tenderly touch my shoulder now exposed to him.

I shake my head, trembling all over from fear of what just happened. "No I don't think so." I find my quivering voice and reply.

"Get behind me," Vixan orders as he picks up his sword from the ground and takes his stand in front of me like one would when he's on the battle field. I notice his hair is now a pure white and I turn back and I see his conscience in a black armour and black hair looking down at me.

He makes a shh hand gesture to me and I swallow hard. I knew he wasn't gone but I didn't want to push or ask too many questions. Before I could stop myself, I wrap my arms around him and hug him tightly and I don't know why I suddenly did it, but a part of me just needed that.

"Come out where ever you are Oasians." I hear Vixan call out and I snap out of my actions and unwrap my arms from around his conscience and he immediately turns from me and pulls out his sword, falling into line just as Vixan has.