Page 194 of The Wishing Game

"W-what was that?" I mumble numbly.

She shakes her head, confused.

More people have appeared by the side of the road, coming out of their houses after hearing the commotion. But no one tries to help. No one asks us if we're okay, just as no one tried to stop the man assaulting us.

They're just watching the show, their expressions completely blank, as if this is just another everyday occurrence.

"Where the hell are you, Cer?" Thea screams out as she wobbles to her feet, shaking the remains of the man off her. I try to do the same, but my entire body is trembling, the fear I experienced locked inside of me and running in a loop.

"Are you all right, Luce?" she finally asks, breathing hard.

Her red hair is caked with a mix of blood and some of that blue substance, her clothes ruined. I glance down at my body, finding myself equally dirty.

Raising a hand up, I feel bits and pieces of organic matter stuck in my hair and on my hoodie, and I barely stop myself from heaving.

Slowly, I shake my head.

"What the hell was that?" I whisper.

"Thatis why I'm not allowed to go out on my own." She sighs. "Gahh, where is Cer when I need him?" She stomps her foot on the ground.

But not a second after she utters his name, Cer appears in front of us. He looks us up and down, his nose wrinkling in disgust.

"I cannot leave you alone for one moment, can I?" He shakes his head.

"You could have come to get us! We just ran into an addict."

"You did that?" He raises a brow as he points to what's left of the man on the ground.

"No." She frowns. "He just exploded."

"Hm." He narrows his eyes. He scans the surroundings and notices the amassing crowd, as well as the glares he's receiving from the other people. "We need to leave."

Without waiting for us to reply, he grabs our hands and teleports us out.

Just like going through the portal, one second we're in the middle of the road, the next we're in a lush foyer the likes of which I've seen only in museums.

Marble columns are on each side of us, flowers in all shades of yellow and red curling from the ground up to the ceiling.

"Mother and Father don't know you're here yet. Make yourself presentable before you meet them," Cer says, turning to leave.

"Wha—" Thea blinks, grabbing his sleeve. "Where are you going?"

"I am needed. Aethon has gone missing."

"What do you mean?" She frowns.

Cer purses his lips.

"I don't know. It's not like him not to respond to summons."

"But he'sAethon. How couldhehave gone missing?" Thea pales.

"I aim to figure it out. Ze sent him to look into the demon incursions into the intermediary realms you witnessed." He nods at me. "Something is going on, and I don't like it."

"You don't think he's... dead?" Thea whispers.

He doesn't reply, his features taut. Removing her hand from his sleeve, he takes a step forward before he disappears.

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