Page 27 of Isle of Beasts and Shadows

Chapter 18

“Why save me? Again?” Sirius asked the blonde, his voice tinged with a mix of confusion and gratitude.

She simply stared at him, her eyes reflecting a mixture of emotions—concern, relief, and a hint of fear. Her legs shook underneath her as she let out a weary sigh, her breath forming a small cloud in the chilly air, before she leaned against the rough bark of a nearby tree.

Then, as if out of a nightmare, she gasped as a hand landed on her shoulder, its touch sending a shiver down her spine.

The owner of the hand let out a chaotic, unsettling laugh as he pulled himself forward to reveal his face—Jonathan, but his once familiar features were twisted into a sinister mask. His eyes, once warm and kind, now glowed with a pale, otherworldly light, sending a chill through the air.

“Father.” Sirius muttered, his voice barely above a whisper as he recognized the malevolent presence that had haunted his nightmares for years.

The shadow that had taken residence in Jonathan seemed to revel in the fear that emanated from both Sirius and the blonde girl. With an eerie calmness, the shadow spoke throughJonathan, taunting Sirius about the girl’s seemingly fragile appearance, in contrast to the looming threat she unknowingly faced.

“This is the girl?” The shadow’s voice resonated with a hint of amusement. “She’s too small to be defeating someone like you in battle, Sirius.” The shadow chuckled softly, the sound weaving through the manipulated redhead’s form as he scrutinized Airella with an unsettling posture.

Airella, a mix of defiance and apprehension in her stance, locked eyes with Jonathan’s possessed gaze, her determination unwavering. The atmosphere crackled with tension, each passing moment lingering as they confronted each other, ensnared in a perilous interplay of destiny and choice.

“Jonathan?” Airella’s voice trembled with confusion as she searched Jonathan’s eyes for recognition, but found none.

Father, with an enigmatic tilt of his head, flashed a crazed smile that sent shivers down Airella’s spine.

“No, this is Father,” Sirius declared with an air of mystery. “Well, he’s not my biological father, and that’s not his name. His real name is—” Jonathan silenced any further revelation by gently pressing his finger against the reaper’s lips, abruptly halting Sirius’s words.

“No, no, you must tell no one my little secret.” Father chided with a mixture of amusement and warning, giving Sirius an affectionate pat on the head. Despite the playful scolding, there was a hint of malice in his eyes that hinted at deeper secrets yet to be revealed.

“I suggest you exit my friend’s body,” Sirius responded nonchalantly, his voice carrying a peculiar mix of authority and nonchalance.

Father then shifted over to Airella, his steps deliberate yet unhurried. As he placed a hand on her head, a surge of energy seemed to pass between them, causing a shiver to run down Airella’s spine. She fidgeted at his touch, her mind racing with a myriad of questions and doubts. Despite her confusion, a strong intuition told her he probably was not the friendliest person here. The surrounding air crackled with tension, hinting at an impending clash of wills.

“Not her,” Sirius stated in a tone that differed from the rest of his small conversation with this ‘Father’ person. At his words, Airella took an immediate step backward, accidentally bumping into the tree she had been leaning on just minutes before.

“Hmph,” the voice came from Jonathan’s body as they watched him turn back to Sirius. “It’s been quite a while since I’ve had any contact with humans. So many years.” He let out another somewhat psychotic laugh.

Confusion flowed through Airella. He seemed like a friend of Sirius’s, but something about their dynamic felt off.

She watched with wide eyes as a black essence escaped from Jonathan’s mouth, swirling and forming into a humanoid figure. It almost resembled a shadow, but with a strange three-dimensional quality that sent shivers down her spine.

Jonathan’s body collapsed as soon as he returned to himself, and Airella caught his upper body before he hit the ground. She landed on her knees, cradling Jonathan’s head gently in her lap.

“Jonathan? Jonathan?” Her voice echoed softly as she gently shook him by the shoulders, a mix of concern and fear clear in her tone.

“Oh, he’ll be fine.” A faint smirk played on Father’s shadowy lips as he observed, his presence casting an eerie aura.

She shot a wary glance at the figure, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. Her fingers reached for Dawnbreaker, only to realize it wasn’t there. She realized she must have dropped it when they were ambushed. She then glanced back to see that Father appeared to morph into nothing more than a swirling black fog, sending a shiver down her spine.

“It’s no use, anyway... He’s a shadow,” she murmured in frustration, quietly talking herself out of a reckless situation. A sense of helplessness crept into her.

Her attention drifted towards Sirius and the ominous Father, engrossed in a discussion that seemed to bode ill for the humans caught amid their plans. The air grew heavy with uncertainty as she silently prepared for the challenges that lay ahead.

Jonathan took a quick gasp of air seconds later, quickly capturing everyone’s attention. His heart raced as he frantically shot up straight, his eyes darting in every direction, searching for any sign of familiarity.

“Where am I?” he uttered in a mixture of confusion and urgency. “Where are the others?”

“I’m not sure,” Airella responded hesitantly, her gaze shifting around the dimly lit space, only to realize that the dark figure known as Father was no longer in their presence.

Sirius remained silent, his expression unreadable as he observed Jonathan’s every move.

Airella’s mind jumbled with questions, the encounter with the ice hellion leaving her unsettled. How many moremiscreants like him lurked among them? The urgency of finding the others weighed heavily on her mind, knowing that being separated was far from ideal in their current situation. Despite her reservations, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Sirius held the key to some answers. For now, she allowed him a chance to slip away, focusing instead on regrouping with the rest of their party.

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