I looked around. I saw the stars, the night sky. Clouds blocked out the moon. I sat up. I had been lying on the ground. I was in the woods. The small clearing I was in had a large stone in the centre. I pressed my hands into the soft earth. It was cool, and got under my nails. The fabric of my clothing scratched my skin. It took every bit of willpower in me to not tear them right off. A slight breeze danced across my face. I could hear the sound of animals scurrying around in the darkness, searching for food. A stream was gurgling somewhere nearby. Somewhere in the distance, there was the rumble of thunder. Great. I took a deep breath, cleansing my lungs with the early morning air. I smelled smoke. Smoke? I jumped to my feet and turned around. A bright fire was crackling in the trees. I covered my mouth with the hem of my shirt. I didn’t want to be breathing in smoke. I walked to the centre of the clearing, getting away from the smoke. I climbed up onto the rock and sat down. Only then did I notice that I was… normal again.
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The fires continued crackling, small pieces of ash swirling up to the sky, and disappearing. Then about a dozen people stepped out from the fire. I squinted and started to recognize some of them. There was Gabe from the archive centre, Cleo, the girl who’s given me the axolotl in the snow, Juliet, the girl from the roof, and Alex, the person who’d started my entire journey down the path of the demons. And lastly, I saw Jade. Her blue hair appeared pink in the fire. Next to her was Logan. He wasn’t in his demon form, and I could almost pretend that nothing had happened to him. Then, Jade walked up to me, Logan hanging back near the edge of the clearing. “Welcome, Elias, and congratulations. You are finally ready. The Elite have been waiting for this moment for a very long time,” she said calmly. “What am I doing here?” I asked. “I don’t understand.”
“You will, when the time comes. It took me a while to understand who I was. After I was taken out of the field, I changed myself completely to try and forget. I changed my hair, my style, my hobbies, and even my name. But then I learned that I could never forget. It was a part of me. I could never forget my life from before, when I went by the name of Marlene. Good luck, Elias. It will all make sense soon. This is your purpose. This is why you are here.” Jade turned away and started walking back to Logan.
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Once she was back in her original position, my heartbeat quickened in anticipation of what would happen next. All dozen people who surrounded me raised their hands above their heads in unison, then spun in a circle. When they stopped, a flash of light nearly blinded me, and the people disappeared. In their place, 12 demons stood. I bit my lip, taking a breath in staccato. They slowly walked forward, towards me. Once they were close enough, they joined hands, and a crack of lightning cracked over the sky. I looked around wildly, terrified. Just then three people burst out of the fire-filled woods. It was Maggie, Sammy, and Mariah. “No,” I whispered. “No!” Mariah locked eyes with me. “Elias, is that really you?” She asked. I nodded, tears flowing down my cheeks. “It’s me,” I said quietly. Maggie looked at me. “You!” She shouted. “Where have you been? We’ve been so worried.”
“I’m sorry. If I could have come home I would have. I wanted to come home, to you guys. I wanted to-'' my words got cut off. No, I thought. Not now, Eliet. I need to talk to them. Please. No matter how hard I fought it, I couldn’t talk. My words were being held back. “What are you doing?” Sammy shouted at me. And then, something happened in my mind. The words started flowing, all thanks to Eliet.
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I laughed, my voice amplified by some mysterious force. “Maggie, Sammy. Mariah. You three were always there for me. You supported me throughout everything. So don’t you see? I’m doing what I was always meant to do. Just wait. Just you wait.” My face contorted into an evil grin. “I understand who I am now. I understand what I am supposed to do. Everything makes sense. I’m different now. Something inside me… changed. For the better. I have control. I have power. I have everything anyone could ever want, and I get to keep it forever.” I stopped talking, and dark smoke spilt out of my eyes. It didn’t feel like anything, just like a tear. The smoke engulfed me, then dissipated. The ringing made another appearance inside my ears, and robes fell around my body, magically tying themself around me. I looked out at my friends, and in a gravelly voice that I’d finally learned to understand said, “Do you see it now? Do you want me to spell it out for you? I am Reaper!” 189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGhh8KCGLJ
