Eternal Echoes: A Dance with Darkness

Aiden approached him calmly, ready to strike, but was suddenly restrained from behind by another man. Aiden was brought to his knees by the new figure, who held him firmly.

The man restraining Aiden had long, ethereal blonde hair that almost appeared white. His fair skin and piercing blue eyes seemed to see right through you, assessing and judging with a sharp gaze. Despite his slender frame, he effortlessly held Aiden in place. He was clad entirely in black, including a hooded flowing cape.

"You see, Aiden, allowing your emotions to cloud your judgment has made you vulnerable. Your soulmate is your weakness!" Easton taunted.

"I would rather be perceived as weak in your eyes than surrender her to Lucien! He is no king of mine!" Aiden retorted defiantly.

Easton simply chuckled at Aiden's response.

"Adam! I am surprised that you would support this!" Aiden addressed the man restraining him. "Would you truly hand Rosie over to Lucien?"

Adam's demeanor turned aggressive at Aiden's question, and he lashed out by punching him. "Never speak Rosie's name, you traitor!" he bellowed in anger.

Easton burst into a fit of laughter before exclaiming, "Look who's come to join the party!"

Ember, the newcomer, stood on the opposite side of the gathering, tears streaming down her face, her hair disheveled, and dirt smudged across her face. She cautiously made her way towards the crowd, with a woman looming behind her, holding a knife to her neck.

The woman had long, dark red hair, piercing green eyes, and pale skin. Her face bore a smirk that was infuriatingly smug. She stood slightly taller than me, dressed in all-black attire with a cape similar to her companions. Despite the apparent scuffle she and Ember had been in, the woman appeared unharmed.

I shifted my gaze away from the two newcomers in the group, turning to look at Aiden. His face had transformed from stern to furious as he witnessed his beloved in a dangerous and helpless situation. The intensity of his expression was almost demonic.

In a swift motion, Aiden swiftly struck Adam, snatching a knife from his boot and hurling it before Adam even hit the ground. Rosie, on the other hand, remained expressionless, her eyes fixed ahead. She dropped her knife to the ground, a throwing knife embedded in her forehead.

"Rosie!" Adam shouted as he ran towards her, cradling her in his arms as he saw the life fading from her eyes.

Ember saw an opening to escape towards Aiden, but Easton intercepted her.

"Release her!" Aiden commanded, his voice tinged with coldness. The transformation in his demeanor was striking, almost as if he had turned into a sociopath. His eyes darkened, his jaw clenched tightly as he locked eyes with Easton. "Let her go, Easton, NOW!"

"Do you honestly believe any of this would work?" Easton questioned, showing no concern for his friends lying on the ground, one of them dead. He glanced over at them and felt irritation creeping in. "Adam, quit your crying. We have a work to do."

As he finished speaking, more people appeared. A group of about five or six people encircled them.

"Aiden, did you truly believe you could conceal her? You are aware that the king would never allow you to keep her," one of the newcomers remarked.

Aiden took a step towards Easton and his Ember, causing the crowd to ready their weapons.

"The king will not be pleased to discover that you have slain one of his soldiers," Easton declared with a smirk.

Aiden only stared at him without making a sound, his eyes narrowed. I stood paralyzed as I observed Aiden in a new, slightly intimidating light. I could comprehend the reasons behind his behavior, yet I couldn't shake the fear that his gaze instilled in me, along with the unsettling aura he exuded.

Easton rested his head on Ember's shoulder, a sinister smile playing on his lips as he toyed with her hair. His gaze lingered on Aiden, a silent challenge in his eyes before he smoothly made his way over to the new arrival at the party. With a nonchalant air, he handed the now-restrained Ember off to another guest.

Continuing his calculated movements, Easton knelt beside Adam, placing a hand on his back. "I regret to inform you, Adam, that with your soulmate dead and the current state you find yourself in, your services are no longer needed." In one swift motion, he drew a knife and plunged it into Adam's chest and lung, leaving him gasping for breath on the ground next to Rosie.

Easton's behavior disgusted me. I never imagined he could be so heartless. "You're a monster!" Ember shouted, spitting at him. "I hope you suffer the same fate one day!"

He chuckled, "My dear girl, I will never find a soulmate! They hold you back," he said as he caressed her cheek. She recoiled from his touch, "They hinder you; preventing you from achieving your true potential."

"Hey, dumbass!” Aiden called out to Easton, interrupting him. "What were you saying?"

Easton's anger flared as he surveyed the aftermath left by Aiden. In a matter of moments, all the people Easton had brought with him were now incapacitated on the ground. The only ones left standing were Easton and the man holding Ember.

Before I could see what unfolded next, I felt a firm grip on my wrist, pulling me away. It was Aiden - my savior, the one who rescued me from the clutches of my shadowy tormentor.

"What is this?" I asked, my voice filled with disbelief.

"We must go," Aiden insisted urgently.

"No! I want to stay and see what happens!" I replied defiantly.

"We need to leave," Aiden demanded as he scooped me up and began to run away from the unfolding scene.

I glanced back at the four figures standing behind us, watching as they disappeared into the darkness. As we reached the edge of the forest, light began to filter through the trees.

My thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a piercing scream - my own scream - that echoed through the trees. A brilliant blue light suddenly caught my attention, emanating from the very spot where the unsettling scene had unfolded moments before. The light expanded rapidly, enveloping the entire forest before vanishing into thin air.

At that moment, Aiden set me down on the ground and proceeded to walk ahead, appearing visibly irritated with me.

"What was that, Aiden?" I asked, slightly shaken by the scream I had just heard. He remained silent, appearing to be lost in his own thoughts as he continued walking. Unsure of how to get a response from him, I reluctantly trailed behind him, feeling defeated.

As we approached the field where the quaint cabin once stood, my heart sank at the sight of its current state - a mere shadow of its former self. The once charming structure now lay in ruins, with a gaping hole in its side and the wood decayed beyond repair. Some parts of the cabin appeared to have been ravaged by fire, while others were being slowly reclaimed by nature. I stood there, struck by the stark contrast between its previous beauty and its current devastation.

"What happened here?" I asked, turning to Aiden for answers.

"Ember, remember when I mentioned that this was a memory?" he began, his voice tinged with regret as I nodded in understanding. "This is just one of the many instances where I failed you..."

“It didn’t look as though you had failed me back there,” I reassured him, hoping to ease his guilt.

“Despite the battle to protect you and prevent you from falling into Lucien's hands, Easton still managed to capture you. The last thing you witnessed before Victor abducted you was Easton landing a lucky blow on me, causing me to collapse to the ground. The scream you heard was actually your own. That scream has haunted me ever since."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I struggled to comprehend the thought of Aiden being killed.

"The blue light you witnessed was him bringing you to Eternium," Easton explained.

I gazed at him in utter disbelief. Why does everything suddenly seem so surreal?

"How does that even create a light like that?" I questioned, then remembered the nightmare I had. "I saw a red light in my nightmare! It appeared right after Sara was murdered."

A sense of unease washed over Aiden before he spoke, "Eternium exists in a separate realm from our own. They possess the ability to travel effortlessly. You and I require a specific object to travel. When Eternium beings move, a distinctive light is visible... I once had the ability to travel freely..."

“You can’t anymore?”

“No.”

“Why not? What happened?”

“That is a story for a different time.” He stated.

"Why did you suddenly disappear earlier, before I entered the forest?" I asked.

Aiden flashed his charming smile before replying, "I woke up." His simple answer made me smile in return. "It took me some time to return here because it's difficult to rest where I am sleeping."

"Where exactly are you sleeping?" I questioned with concern.

“Not far from you.” He stated simply.

I glared at him. “How do I know that you are telling me the truth? How do I know that none of this is just a dream that I made up?”

“I guess you don’t, my love.”