Wizards: Tales Of Arcadia

Safe And Sound

He wanted to talk to her, not just her dream counterpart. The real her who always surprised him, who was stubborn and kind and cared about everyone close to her. Sometimes to her detriment, but-

"Right. First task, getting past the door- should be fairly simple." He walked without wanting to and spoke the same words he'd said over and over. This hell was never changing, no matter how hard he tried to differ from the path. To learn from his mistakes.

So he was stuck in this never ending loop. Trying to open the door with his magic even though he knew it was a futile effort. He expected it to be the same, and it nearly was-

Until warm, familiar hands grasped his shoulders. It was only a moment that she came into his vision, and he heard the very distinct sound of her falling down. If could, if it were any other situation, he would have chuckled slightly.

And made him laugh- something else she did, not always intentionally. But always when he needed it. And he would always need it.

. . .

A blue glow covered the stone door as Douxie willed it to move. It creaked and shifted slightly but did nothing else. As he scrolled through a few runes and tried a stronger spell, Angel got in front of him, trying to put her arms on his shoulders.

He seemed confused and stopped for a moment before she fell through him again. Were it not for Aja, she would have fallen completely. Douxie glanced back at her warily but forced his eyes back to his apparent task.

"Why can't you talk to him?" Aja asked, setting Angel on her feet. "He seems to see you just fin- hey!"

Angel ran to follow Douxie into the temple, Aja following closly behind. He stopped before they entered, looking up at the sky.

"Where's Arch?" He asked. "We can't go in without him."

"I'm sure he's fine, Doux," The girls heard someone say. It sounded like Jim, but faint and weak like they were far off. He continued talking with the other people that only he could see. All the while, a sense of dread fell over the two girls, feeling eyes watching- waiting for them all to come inside.

No, just Douxie. It was like going through a haunted house- the actors where waiting for them to round the corner to start the next phase of the scare.

"We'll get through this," Angel heard herself whisper. "And Archie is a tough little dragon shifter- he can handle himself." Douxie nodded and entered the temple.

"Dragon-shifter?" Angel wondered aloud as the door shut. She had never heard that term before, even though it sounded like that was the actual term for what Archie was. That made her wonder which dragon and which shapeshifter were his parents.

"The assassin will what? Speak little witch," a voice echoed, sending a chill down her spine. On instinct, she reached for Douxie's hand. To her surprise, it was a solid and he grasped hers back. She glanced at him and suddenly realized, as his face blanched and would likely be pale if he weren't blue, that he had gone through this before.

. . .

Douxie hated this part, where Jim got stabbed and he was suddenly rushed to the part with him bleeding out before him, unable to do anything about it. No magic worked in here. His original thought was that only shadow magic would work here. Now he knew better.

This would always happen. He would always be unable to help his friends, he would always mess up what he said and trying to make things better.