~MARCUS~

^“Karen and I will make sure everything goes smoothly with the check-in. All of you will need scans and re-evaluations to make sure you’re fit to go back on duty. As for the royalty mark, Arthur can easily rid her of it, replacing it with her rightful birthmark. I don’t think Mako will disagree with pledging to her father.”

I listened in to Winterlya’s statement. I sat on one of the desks in Matthew’s office. Kai and Matthew stood on my left, conversing with Karen and Winterlya of the plans in place for when we returned to Heila.

Ryder leaned against the wall next to Winterlya’s bodyguard, Vincent.

He appeared to be six-five and skinny, but looked like he was hiding muscles under his professional attire – baby blue dress shirt, black pants and black dress shoes. His hair was tied in a ponytail, a few strands falling to his side due to the shortness of the silver-white locks.

His shirt matched those vivid bright blue eyes which held wisdom as he concentrated on the conversation, his crossed arms rested on his chest.

We had yet to be properly introduced. Both of them listened to the discussion, not adding in any of their opinions or thoughts.

The current game plan involved Kai teleporting Winterlya and Karen to Heila in preparation for our checkup and clearance into Heila. It was standard procedure for most realms and even with our ranks, we couldn’t escape such rules.

Kai would return and teleport Makoto, Elias and Daniel, leaving Ryder and I behind to finalize things. We would be taking the slower route to Heila, which would be less than a day thanks to booking the transportation ship ahead of time.

We’d get our medical scans and regroup with the others, before going directly to the castle. Kai had used his foresight every hour to ensure the future remained clear. He had seen nothing getting in our way and Leo’s exam would go smoothly. Even though we all despised Leo, including Ryder, at least he’d pass and be one step closer to becoming a knight, even if he would be a lousy one.

Leo’s exam was in less than an hour. Makoto, Eli and Daniel would be heading to the exam by now. There was no way for EliaseAnne to take her place; due to the fact the headmaster knew they were the same person and EliaseAnne was a spirit – the exam policy emphasized no spirit usage was allowed.

“I guess that’s it. I have another meeting with the headmaster before we get ready. I’ll—” Ryder began, but froze, his body flinched before his eyes glazed over and he fell forward.

“Ryder!” All of us called out. Vincent caught him before he hit the ground.

Karen was already next to him, helping Vincent turn him over to rest on his back as her eyes emitted a strong, gold light and her hand pressed against his chest.

My eyes locked with Kai’s amber ones. Only one thing could cause Ryder to blackout.

“Daniel.”

“Sensory overload. He’ll be awake once his senses stabilize. What’s wrong with Daniel? Ryder hasn’t had a reaction like this since you guys were teens,” Karen complained.

“Give us a minute to find out.” I opened our knight bond, the feeling of regret hitting me so hard I flinched. Fuck.

“Daniel! Calm the fuck down! You knocked Ryder out!” I yelled through our bond.

“Shit! Is Ryder okay? Did anyone see?” Eli’s voice was a pitch higher, worrying me.

“No one saw. He was about to leave to see the headmaster when he passed out. Karen and Winterlya are here. Elyion why is your voice so high?” Kai questioned.

“Um...Midnight and Daniel got into an argument and she stormed out...after kissing me,” she revealed.

There was a moment of silence.

“Daniel,” Kai called out again. His voice held no emotion, but power. I knew Daniel would be in deep shit, if he didn’t reply to the phoenix’s liking.

“Sorry. The words left me before I could stop. Give me a moment.” His low voice was filled with sorrow. Kai and I sighed in relief; the pressure that hit us at full blast dulled.

Ryder let out a groan, struggling to move.

“Easy Ryder. Relax for a few minutes,” Winterlya urged. His body relaxed, giving up on trying to wake up.

“What did Midnight say?” I probed, needing to know how mad she was.

“Was she crying?” Kai questioned. I tilted my head in confusion at his question, but realized he must have seen this coming. It made his recent warning clearer.

“She called me out on being an ass to Mako. And she informed me that I needed to figure out if I loved Mako and wanted to be with her or if I was only going to serve as her knight. And some other things…but, it’s the whole Claire thing…” Daniel trailed off.

“Daniel, you need to trust yourself more. Makoto is a fierce woman who knows what she wants. If she didn’t care about you, she wouldn’t be so worried about you. I think Midnight just doesn’t want her getting hurt. She trusts all of us even though the world has been so cruel to her. Stop thinking you don’t deserve her love, unless you want to lose her,” EliaseAnne lectured.

We were all silent until she continued.

“We need to go. Makoto’s probably at the exam site getting checked already. Kai keep using your foresight if you have enough energy. Be careful not to push yourself. Marcus make sure Ryder’s okay. Let’s go, Daniel,” she ordered.

EliaseAnne rarely got into leader mode unless we were in one of these situations, where we’re all stumped at what to do or say.

“All right,” we agreed, closing out our knight bond.

“I’m assuming you solved the problem,” Matthew proposed.

Kai and I nodded.

“Can you assist me, Matthew? Let’s get Ryder to Karen’s private office. He can rest there. Kai will teleport you guys to Heila. Vincent, how are you going to Heila? I don’t think Kai can handle taking three people.” I turned to face the tall, blue-eyed male.

“Don’t worry about me. I can get to Heila easily,” he replied, a sleek smile formed on his lips before he glanced at Winterlya.

She smiled back.

“They love each other. How sweet,” Ryuu commented. For a fierce dragon you sure do love romance. C’mon lets’ focus.

“Let’s put this plan in action” I voiced.

“Final checkpoint! This is where I have to go alone. Thank you, Makoto, seriously. I know we got off on the wrong foot, and I treated you poorly, but I’m really grateful for your assistance.” Leo’s words rang with truth, and for a moment, I found myself almost feeling something other than disdain for the boy in front of me…almost.

I nodded, looking around the mountain before us. Twenty-five minutes had passed since the start of the exam and we’d reached the final checkpoint. The exam was easy in my opinion, having minimal traps and ambushes.

Leo had kept to his word, focused on doing everything himself. I assumed Daniel and Elias would be here within a few minutes.

They had been held up at the checkpoint, having come a few minutes late. The exam adviser had urged us to begin the exam, not wanting to go past the designated time frame. So, myself and Leo had no choice but to go first.

Now we were facing this huge, ass mountain where he’d have to go alone, and I’d chill down here.

“Good luck,” I stated as I watched him depart. I prayed it wouldn’t take long till he found the black orb he was required to retrieve.

I noticed the clouds began to darken as a foggy mist, that once surrounded just the borders of the exam area, thickened and became a dark grey.

Why am I not surprised? They always got to make everything spooky and chill-inducing during exams. Geez, they could have at least kept the temperature the same. So fucking cold.

I rubbed my arms, and goosebumps appeared on my skin as I paced around trying to keep myself warm. It would have been nice if I could turn up my internal temperature just a tad, but I’d kept Karen’s bracelet on to prove that Leo had done everything on his own.

I closed my eyes, standing in place as I checked in with my spirits. Everyone was asleep; my head felt empty. The silence was calming. I took a deep breath and enjoyed the blissful moments of my last day in Minato.

“MAKOTO!”

I opened my eyes at the exact moment something pierced my chest. I froze; my body’s first reaction was to numb everything as time slowed.

I glanced down; my eyes landed on a purple blade, the tip stuck out of my chest; blood began to soak my white tank as it dripped to the ground.

I struggled to scream, my lungs burned from the sudden lack of oxygen. My body tensed as the blade was pulled from my body. A high, shrilled scream left my throat as I grasped at my chest; the blood poured out of me like a stream, soaking my hands.

I tried to summon my spirits, Midnight coming into my mind, but my chest began to blaze; the mark, placed on me long ago, prevented me from summoning her. SHIT!

I shuffled away from my opponent, turning to face them. My eyes widened as familiar, haunting purple eyes greeted me.

“Jeffrey?” I struggled to say his name as I trembled, pressing my hands tighter against my open wound. I realized now why my mark burned…I couldn’t hurt the man that worked for Blair Aspen – my Owner.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Makoto. I’m impressed you’re still standing at this point. I guess our previous experiments proved to give you some immunity to such a substance.” His icy, cold voice sent shrills down my spine.

NIGHTMARE! Get Elias and Daniel! PLEASE.

There was no way I’d stand a chance against him. I knew Nightmare would come to my aid, but I needed my knights. I wouldn’t be able to fight him. I’d be lucky to live long enough for them to reach me.

Midnight continued to thrash in my mind, trying to take control, but failing. I could feel her frustration and fear, my teeth began to chatter as a shiver filtered through me; my body felt cold and weak.

“Substance?” I manage to spit out, before coughing up blood.

“You know how the Owner is. I guess some of his ways rubbed off on me. Insurance is always necessary. Just in case the first plan doesn’t work,” he explained.

Insurance.

He closed his eyes for a moment before continuing.

“It shouldn’t be much longer. The Nephilim poison should be in your bloodstream and begin to spread. I put an extra dose on the blade seeing as I know you have a strong resistance thanks to Aspen’s experiments on you.”

I gaped at him, before clenching my teeth to hold back the scream that begged to escape as a wave of pain wracked my body. It took everything in me to remain standing; my legs trembled like the rest of my body.

“Dammit, Jeffrey. He...sent you.” I struggled to finish my sentence.

“Aspen. No, he did not. He thinks you’re dead and is now looking for another shifter to best suit his plans. He didn’t approve of our demon shifter candidate, so I’m using her for other things. I have to admit, she’d be fond of you,” he admitted, pulling out a white, silk handkerchief as he began to clean the blood off his blade.

“Then why?” I questioned, my eyes stung as another wave of pain surged through me.

He frowned at my appearance; for a moment, he looked regretful before his blank expression returned. “You and your knights are taking too much time playing students. You have better things to do. You won’t be ready for what’s to come if you keep delaying. This should speed up the process,” he confirmed as his blade disappeared with a flick of his wrist, the handkerchief stained with my blood lit up, the fresh blue flames burned it to crisp.

I struggled to answer as I gasped for air, my knees buckled as I fell to the ground. My legs felt numb, the feeling in my toes beginning to disappear.

“Anyways, your knights should be here shortly. Best of luck to you, Makoto. Survive this trial because the darkness is coming. If you don’t, we’re as good as doomed,” he finished before walking away.

I reached out, trying to summon an ounce of power, to do anything against him as he casually walked away, but nothing happened. His figure disappeared into the mist.

I eased myself onto my back, the cold grass didn’t help the immense pain that raged through me, down to my bones.

I felt something vibrate before a muffled sound came from my front pocket. I struggled to reach for it, pulling the phone out of my pocket after the third try. I lifted it in my trembling hand and rested it to my side as I turned my head to face the image of Elias and I, his name in large capital letters. I struggled to slide the answer button, blood smearing the screen as I answered.

“MAKOTO! Mako, are you okay? Where are you?”

I tried to turn my body, but I couldn’t feel my legs, biting my lip to hold back the sobs that broke through me. My hand gripped the phone, my whimpers the only sound came from me.

“Mako! We’re coming just stay on the line. Nightmare’s guiding us. Daniel hold the phone, I need to shift,” I heard Elias shout. I heard muffled noises before Daniel’s voice came through the speaker.

“Makoto! We’ll be there in less than a minute. Just be strong, we’re coming,” he urged.

I could sense his fear from here. I cried harder as I struggled to breathe, my body becoming colder and colder with each passing second.

I had to tell them it was poison. I didn’t have long. I could feel death approaching, the same feeling of impending doom that claimed me when I’d died in the past, being revived by the technicians. This time, however, I didn’t have hope I’d come back.

“Ne–...Nephilim. Nephilim po– poison.” I slurred. I heard Daniel curse.

My eyes landed on the bracelet on my wrist. How I wished I’d remembered it’s significance earlier. It was already too late to remove the piece of jewellery; the poison already clouding my train of thought and making it impossible to lift my other arm to pull it off.

“ELI! She’s poisoned with Nephilim. Tell Kai we need Winterlya and Karen.”

“WHAT! Did you just say Nephilim! Dammit summon your wings; we won’t make it if we run it.”

“Mako, thirty seconds. Just stay with me, okay?”

I tapped at the gallery button, the new picture of all of us, together popped up. Even Elias was photoshopped in the group picture, bringing a smile to my bloody lips. I knew I didn’t have much time left and may not be blessed with the opportunity to see their faces again. Having this photo was the closest I’d get seeing my star knights, one more time.

“I’m sorry. So...sor– ry. I love you, Daniel. Don’t hate–hate me. I–I just want...wanted to know more about you,” I stuttered as the sobs took control and I cried. I had to tell him, even if he couldn’t say the words back to me, I needed him to know that I loved him.

“Fuck, Mako, don’t cry. I know baby, it’s my fault. Everything will be okay. We’ll work it out.”

“The others...I love them, too. Ryder and Elias...Eli and Marcus...even Kai. I love you, my knights...so...much.” I continued to sob, black spots began to form in my vision as I continued to stare at the screen.

“Makoto, we know. Don’t talk like that. I’ll heal you, you’ll be fine. Just keep talking,” he begged.

“MEW.”

I heard Nightmare; her cry sounded far away. Nightmare, my wonderful familiar and protector. I wanted to say goodbye to her as well, to say how fortunate it was to have a god as a familiar, but I struggled to breathe.

I saw a flicker of light in the corner of my eyes, grasping my attention. I blinked, my drifting mind clearly played tricks on me. No, it can’t be.

“Makoto, ignore it.” Midnight’s voice echoed in my mind, but she too sounded far away. I could feel my other spirits struggling, trying to get through the fogginess of my mind, but I was so tired of fighting.

The pain in my chest was too much, my lower half paralyzed as my fingers became numb. I’m going to die.

I looked back at the girl standing a few feet away from me. Her skinny frame and vibrant, orange hair looked as if it were floating in place – those amber eyes held love and longing that gripped at my heart. She looked sad as she stared at me, a soft smile formed on her lips as she raised her hand towards me.

“Mako.”

I cried, joy blossomed in me as I struggled to get the next breath out, my lungs unable to get enough oxygen to allow me to breathe. Her voice was the same as I remembered it. It took so much strength as I gasped for air; my mind urged me to get the word out; to call out to the girl before me.

“Lily.” I whispered with the remaining air I had, my hand dropped the phone as I reached out to her – to get a chance to hold my best friend’s hand once more.

The noise in the background began to fade, the distant shouts dimmed to silence as I reached out. In a flash, she stood before me, her hand gripped mine and the warmth took away the pain. I smiled at her serene face.

“Lily. You’re here. I missed you.” I whispered, my voice returned to me as if my air wasn’t being stolen from me as I laid in the darkness. Lily, my shining light.

“Mako. What have they done to you? My best friend. It’s okay, you’re safe now. Where we’re going no one will ever hurt you again. Everyone loves and lives happily with no bloodshed. We’ll finally be together,” she rejoiced, gripping my hand as she pressed her face against it.

I could feel the warmth coming from her and it was enticing, but my mind wandered back to my knights and my spirits. “But...the others? The guys and Eli? What about my spirits?”

She gave me another sad smile. “They don’t belong where we’re going. One day they’ll come, but not now. It’ll just be you and me. You’ll make new friends Mako. Let’s go,” she begged, gently tugging my hand.

“Go...but my knights...” I looked at the darkness above; my body felt as light as a feather, as if I’d been shackled down and was finally free, floating upward.

Within the darkness came a blink of light, growing bigger and bigger as I rose, Lily’s hand still in my grasp. The light felt warm and inviting; my heart craved for its warmth as we came closer.

“Mako, say goodbye. Your knights will see you again soon. We’ll be happy together in the meantime. Okay?” Lily reassured me, letting go of my hand as she flew forward, my eyes noticed her pure white wings as she soared effortlessly.

“Wings...like Hope....Hope, Rose, Lily, Lexi...Mid- Midnight. Don’t leave me alone.” I struggled with the thought of leaving my spirits behind. I never did anything without their guidance and approval. Couldn’t they come, too? I had to go get them!

I struggled, begging for my body to stop floating to the light, but I continued to ascend.

“No. Please. Daniel, Elias, Marcus, Ryder, Kai, Eli! Anyone. Stop. Don’t take me! I don’t want to go. I can’t leave. I need them. I need all of them. Please.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to face the light. I couldn’t stop, refusing to face reality even as I approached it. But, my mind already knew, and I had to accept it.

I’m dead.