Wiggin Academy and the Forbidden Curse
Chapter 20: The One Who Lives In The Dark

Mako straggled behind Aiden and Penelope, she just couldn’t get that horrendous sight out of her head, the ambient was torn apart and pieces of its body were chucked across the plain field.

“Don’t worry,” said Aiden pulling Mako out of her drowning thoughts that succumbed her to a darkness she had visited before, “You panicked and did what you could to save us,” Aiden patted her slumped shoulder and quickly ran next to Penelope who was getting distracted and wandering a bit too far into the fog.

Mako held a heavy heart but still she smiled.

“Penelope…Aiden…” She waited for a response but none came back.

Misty fog grew thicker and thicker as she scanned the woods but there was no sign of her friends. She wandered deeper down the path they were already on hoping that she would find them again, but she didn’t. Her heart started to quicken as the sky blanketing her got darker and the distant sounds of water droplets grew closer.

She was lost.

-John’s POV-

John strode out of the school halls and wandered down the unstable fleet of stairs made out of stone. His ears perked as the distant rumble in the dark cloudy sky rolled over him, he revived his cigar again and blew a ring of grey smoke out into the air, which was carried away up into the sky, he reached the bottom of the steps. When abruptly, a burst of air destroyed the ring and slightly pushed him back on his feet.

He let out another puff of smoke as his eyes detected black smoke spilling out of his body and forming an ebony stream, the thin line swam in the autumn breeze before teasingly pointing at the ancestor’s forest; he grumbled, “I’ll be damned,” before fixing his gaze on the dark murky woodlands and spotting Bard at the eerie entrance gate; it must be the forest challenge again, he thought and John’s feet moved on their own.

“Professor,” greeted Bard but his face was riddled with deep lines and his hands were shaky.

“Is something wrong, Bard?”

“It’s been two hours and those kids haven’t come out yet,” he said restlessly.

The hollow woods cried as the same harsh breeze rustled the leaves on the massive trees.

“Which kids?” John asked as he watched the trees swaying and dancing.

“Squad 9,” said Bard. “Penelope, Aiden and Mako, the-”

“Black smoke kid,” interrupted John. “Right.” Now he understood why his alchemy was insisting for him to come here, the Hawthorne kid was in trouble.

“I did warn her,” said Bard woefully. “Black smoke alchemists haven’t entered this forest since your time, and since then, who knows what creature is waiting for her now.”

John knew exactly what festered in the darkness of this forest, and if one were to get lost or wander too far, they could succumb to mercy of the monsters that are always ready to devour flesh. But, John knew exactly what the kid was going to face when looking for her alchemy orb. He had to move quickly.

“Open the gates, Bard,” he ordered.

“You’re going to go get them,” Bard said as he fumbled with the lock.

“Inform the wolf,” said John as he drew another breath of smoke.

“Don’t worry, I’ll let Professor Gregor know,” he reassured. “Professor!” Bard called out from behind John.

“What?”

“I don’t need to tell you to be careful, do I?” John chuckled at Bard’s sudden concern for his welfare- that was new.

John fleetingly waved back as he strolled into the woods with his lighted cigar.

-Mako’s POV-

Mako stumbled down the path and yelled for Aiden and Penelope again, but only silence greeted her back, and sometimes an ominous howl would.

As her sore legs took her deeper through the mist, the soft plain grass began to change into sharp jagged pebbles under her feet. She could see her breath right in front of her nose begin to release in small light vapours, Mako curiously scanned the dark area that had only one beam of light blaring from the round hole at the top. The stone climbed and climbed each strategically placed to create a brilliant coved cave. Small droplets of water landed on her shoulders and echo in the spooky silence, she stilled but as she heard a passing rustle behind her, she twisted around suspiciously.

“Whose there?” She announced but she didn’t really expect an answer. She wandered deeper into the cave and couldn’t help but notice the dark vines knitting between the close walls, crawling higher and higher. She walked towards the only light in this dark cold space when the vines above her began to sway slightly, but there was no wind coming in from anywhere. Mako’s feet froze as she felt a wild shiver tremble though her entire body.

“Well, well what do we have here?”

Mako spun on her feet but she found no one standing behind her.

“It’s been a long time since I met one of you,” the cold raspy voice echoed far bouncing off the cave walls.

Mako scanned the ground but nothing showed, all she could hear was the soft scurrying of feet on the rocks, when she felt a gust of cool air behind her, she whirled around and found a giant slithery tail swinging side to side, but it was no ordinary tail; it resembled a creepy centipede. She looked for the head but only saw darkness cascading above her.

“Who are you?” She asked curiously.

Its reply was an icy chuckle. “I go by many names,” the answer slithered up her back. “But you can call me, Nēra.” Abruptly, a large figure dropped in front of her, the massive figure had eight hairy legs holding onto the caves walls for support to stay midair, and beady red eyes stared back at Mako with fascination.

“Nēra,” Mako repeated the name that sounded so foreign.

“So, what brings you to my home?”

Slow crawling echoed the cave, with small pebbles falling from the top.

“I have a mission to complete,” said Mako.

“Oh.”

Mako noticed the slight interest that raised in the creature’s raspy voice. “I have to collect something,” she added.

The quick crawling echoed again. “An orb?”

“Yes,” answered Mako.

“I have it,” the creature’s voice grew closer.

“Will you give it to me?” Mako stood still as the creature wrapped it’s body around her.

Nēra chuckled. “What will you give me in return?”

“Nothing,” said Mako. “I can give you nothing.”

“Well, that’s no fun,” said Nēra. “How will you take the orb then?”

“I guess I just have to defeat you,” said Mako boldly.

Nēra stilled. “Why would you do that?”

“Because you’re an enemy.”

“What makes you so sure?” Asked Nēra.

“Well, you certainly don’t look like a friend,” said Mako with a chuckle. “And you wouldn’t be hiding in the dark like a monster.”

Nēra’s hasty crawling halted. “Tell me, what does a monster looks like?”

Mako quieted.

The creature’s body slithered around to face her, those red beady eyes scanned Mako’s face. “I am not your enemy in particular,” said Nēra. “But there are many like me, but with sweeter faces.”

“So then, are you trapped here?” Mako faced the way Nēra’s body crept away.

Nēra chuckled, “No.”

“Then what do you do here?”

Nēra sighed. “I watch.”

“Watch?”

“I watch the ones that leave the shadows I live in,” said Nēra.

“Who left?”

Nēra crawled back. “Some that are quite interested in that school of yours.”

“Wiggin Academy?” Mako puzzled over who would want to harm her school. “Who would want to harm the school?”

Nēra slimy body swirled around Mako’s small figure. “Like I said, monsters with sweeter faces.”

-John’s POV-

John didn’t need to track any footprints or scream any names because the trail of black smoke steered him wherever he needed to go. He trudged down the steep hill and towards an empty cave, and his feet froze at the dreadful sight; an ambient was torn to shreds, and Mako’s scent was all over the area. S~ᴇaʀᴄh the (F)indNƟvᴇl.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

John knew he was close and followed up the rocky trail into a mask of thick blinding mist. Only to hear hasty feet charging near him. Abruptly, kids slammed into John’s hard boots and landed on their rears, their great big eyes ogled him.

But there was only two of them, Hawthorne was missing and regretfully his suspicions were proven correct yet again, the girl was in danger.

“Who the hell are you?” The boy exclaimed.

John’s brow arched at the Phoenix boy’s biting tone.

“Aiden,” the Primrose girl scolded. “That’s headmaster Wiggin!”

John face grew irate as the two kids began to debate over his identity. “Listen up,” he interrupted but they continued to ignore him. “Hey!”

They both gaped at him, finally.

“Where’s the Black Smoke kid?” He asked hastily.

“I’ll give you the orb,” said Nēra with a shrug.

Mako astonished. “Really.”

“I have no interest in interfering with something so trivial,” said Nēra indifferently. “Besides, there’s a lot more interesting things to watch.”

Nēra’s legs extended out and brought forth a black icky orb that looked tremendously old and quite honestly, dead.

Nonetheless, Mako hastily put the orb in the casket, “How do I find my way out?”

“You found what you came for,” said Nēra and she nodded in approval. “Then let the fog guide you back.”

Before the creature’s tranquil mood decided to change, Mako dashed out of the cave.

She was hit in the face was blankets of blinding fog which made her twisted feet tumble down a steep hill only to slam directly into a sharp boulder. The striking pain thundered up her arm biting through the raw flesh; her scream ripped through the air.

Mako rolled on her back, her shoulder pulsed with agony and then went entirely numb. Her heart raced but not as fast as her mind was when trying to find her a way out of here.

She slightly eased because she expected her friends to come looking for her, but when a growl shook through the very ground she rested on; her heart dropped.

This was it, she thought.

Her eyes widened when a large black figure appeared between the trees that arched like a tunnel, the hound prowled around her before sniffing the crisp air and glaring at her with wild neon green eyes, his jaw was hung open with razor sharp teeth ready to shred through anything, and as the beast stalked towards her, electric green slime began to glow inside its entire ebony body that was riddled with muscles. She didn’t even try to move back with this injured arm, so she laid still ready to take what this beast had for her.

Both the beast’s and her attention were caught off guard when the trees next to her rustled a great deal. Suddenly, Aiden and Penelope’s small forms came rushing out, Penelope dashed towards Mako with an alarming battle cry and Aiden held small fire balls.

“Mako, Mako!” Penelope came roaring before grabbing a hold of Mako.

“How’d you find me?”

“He brought us,” said Aiden.

The beast let out a screeching howl before shifting back on his hind legs.

Mako eyes shifted to the massive built that stalked through the trees, his sword blazing with black energy like hers and his fiery grey eyes glared at the wild hound; it was the man she had met on the boulder- headmaster Wiggin’s brother.

“But why is he here?” She asked but she couldn’t hide the bafflement in her voice.

The three kids watched the strange man stand in front of the bewildered beast, he bravely lifted his black smoking sword, the hound understood that ominous threat and began to sneer viciously.

Mako knew they were about to have a nasty fight and her squad was in the middle of it, this was not a good situation, she thought but none of them made any attempt to move, not from fear but pure fascination; a Wiggin brother was about to have a battle in front of their very eyes, they would never look away from this opportune chance to study this monumental moment.

Unexpectedly, the opposite side of the forest began to rustle and crack like twigs were being snapped in half, and out came Professor Gregor with a deep angry scowl. His furious golden eyes landed on the kids before finally spotting the hound and the younger Wiggin brother, the slight alarm on his face didn’t go unnoticed by Mako or by Aiden.

Professor Gregor strutted to the wild hound and matched the beast’s sneer just as easily, the hound roared before dashing off into the woods where it came from.

The two teachers shared an odd expression, and without any words exchanged, they dismissed one another.

Mako wanted to know more, but her heavy eyes just wouldn’t stay open anymore; all she could hear before drifting off was Penelope’s distant voice shouting for help, and the smoky grey eyes gazing into her eyes before she fell into the darkness.

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