The tournament

1200: Shore

The esoteric transparent transport bubble delivers Cuthbert and me safely away from the sea to the shore.

Whereby left is a continuation of the dark forest, by the right is a red deserted land, carpet with what looks like a sea of soft red sand, and high cliffs from distance.

It's a remarkable perspective from here but I know it wouldn't be anything but misery and another wave of a nightmare as soon as we step into its gracious territory.

While Cuthbert lays flat on his back, exhaustedly staring at the clear blue sky, something came replaying in my hearing, it's like a whisper of a familiar voice repeatedly in my head.

It is something I am used to hearing ten years ago, it's like a song that came with the soothing voice of my father.

‘Dry, green, water, hills, bridge, my child.’

And for the first time in sixteen years, I finally solve the phrase; It was nothing but a map. Father kept iterating those words often to get me memorized them but he never interpreted the importance of it.

Surely, I've passed the dry parched land, the tropical green forest, and made it through the bait look-like sterile water that's completely contaminated, and now forward is the hills, therefore the dark forest by the left is a wrong turn.

"Stay low," Cuthbert whispers.

I move to my side and look over at him. "What?" I ask the cautious boy.

"They're moving." His voice is silent, he plucks my shoulder down until I'm laying straight on the ground.

They?

When I peep from here to the shoreline of the sea, everything Cuthbert said simply makes sense.

Canoes are arriving on the land.

Some lucky participants head for the mountains and some thorough yet uncertain with no chance make way into the thick dark forest.

An angry girl I remembered arguing with back in the headquarters, came past in front of us, she has one backpack hang around her shoulder, she looks nothing like exhausted but absolutely seething. She proved that when two participants came into her perception.

At the moment, I witness how powerful evil magic is. It's something very discomforting, bringing my heart to an abrupt stop.

The angry girl's eyes shifts from human nature to a hue of marble red, blazing everywhere she inspects till they landed on those two innocent civilians trying to run for their lives.

"No..." They yelped.

But it's too late because whatever she's doing with her fingers is the reason the two participants pass out and drop to the ground. Scratch that, for when I look closely through the face protector among the victims, I see red.

Blood flowing through their eyes and nose and every other hole in the body of the probable deceased person plopped across us.

"She's a witch."

"You know her?" I asked Cuthbert, my voice was shaky just like my whole body.

'Is okay to be afraid' I keep telling myself mentally.

"No!" He whispered while watching the girl use her knife to expose the wristbands of the victims, pushing the stack of their belonging in her hazmat suit pockets, before replacing her oxygen tank with another and stealing their bags of food.

Bag of food, which Cuthbert and I lack right now.

She stood up and shove back the pocket knife into her sleeve, her eyes are back to normal as they scan the area. "f*****g Rees, you have to make me do this." She cussed and turn on her boots, advancing towards the hills.

We seem invisible to every human that passes, even while laying on my stomach staring at every scene.

The last canoe reached the sand area some moments later after the girl had disappeared into the red-looking desert. Cuthbert and I watch three passengers moving out of the floating object, before bringing out someone, however, concealed with some cloth over their head.

The three participants push their hostage ahead, taking the forest path.

Until then Harper's protection was relinquished and we both know we can be seen just like every other individual.

Harper...

My eyes instinctively shift to the dark forest and I immediately know who the hostage of the three participants is.

Harper.

"We need to go back for her," I uttered even with fear erupting in my body.

Cuthbert instantly rises to his feet, his eyes lowered down on me when he sputters: "What? Are you insane!"

He can't possibly be thinking otherwise?

I shoot up, standing in front of his taller frame.

"She saved our lives." I remind him.

"You heard her, she is going to die anyway." His hands' moved to the forest path.

"No one life is a guaranteed here, Cuthbert." I sternly reciprocate.

I don't understand why he won't give her a chance.

Harper has become one of us, she saved us from getting scorched by the corrupted sea, she protected us. If not for her, we would be dead by now. For us, she's out there in the hands of some ruthless warlock.

"Well, at least ours isn't written in some none visible book." He scoffs.

"You're unbelievable." I exasperatedly throw my hands around and shook my head. His behavior is starting to annoy me.

"I am trying to get us to the bridge, Daphne."

"Is clear you still don't know what I am capable of, I am not leaving her with those barbaric sorcerers," I remark and began making my way for the wrong path.

"She can handle herself." He irritatedly yells behind me.

"It doesn't look like it."

"Stop being stubborn, we are running out of time, we need to find the bridge not getting out of the game, Daphne."

I turn around, facing him, and remind him. "You went out of the game when you came back for me three times."

His eyes shift from mine to the crashing waves from the sea: "That's different."

"What's different? Every soul deserves that chance." I said.

Harper does.

"You're different." He mumbled. "I wouldn't forgive myself if anything happens to you, Daphne."

I step closer until my fingers circles his wrist. I look up to his beautiful eyes and plead: "Then come with me, please? Because I am not leaving Harper without trying. She'd do the same for us."

"Oh, Daphne."

"Will you?" I pressed.

"I can not go anywhere with you out of my sight. Of course, I'm following you." I sigh and a smile takes over my lips and so I sink into his chest and hug him tightly to myself.

"Thank you," I whispered and turn away quickly not letting him see my heated cheeks.

‘The right path is behind you, don't take the forest direction again, my child.' I heard my father's voice in my head but I shook it off and head for the wrong path.

Kindness is all that matters, I know what it feels like having someone to depend on when everything goes wrong. Bella provided me that feeling underneath the soil, right here Cuthbert and Harper did too.

They all deserve the same, someone to count on.