The Overworld - The Last Shadowshifter

Chapter 17

"What are they?" Parker muttered as his eyes followed the machine-robot-like things emerging from the lava. His green eyes were now orange from the blazing magma, worry and fear clinging to them.

"I don't know," I replied, too anxious to say anything smart back. My face was burning and I was trying not to choke from the amount of ash and smoke that I was breathing in. Ryder gave some hacking coughs, wincing as he coughed his throat raw.

Hunter, however, was pacing around the rim of the crater, thinking deeply, brows knitted. "Skyla," he finally said, surprising me with my first name. He usually always called me by my last name last time I checked... I guess this time he was more serious.

"Anything that looks familiar to you?" the leader of the Elite Three asked, watching me intently.

I hesitated. "Dark Blaze said that I shouldn't come here..." I murmured, looking into the boiling pits below. "I don't know what he meant by that. He specifically said that I shouldn't come here."

His auburn eyes somehow flashed with glowing scarlet replacing his normal red-brown eyes. I wasn't sure if it was just a figment of my imagination, but Parker and Ryder flinched when they saw it too. "Did you see that?" I asked Ryder, elbowing his ribs.

Ryder didn't reply. I asked Parker the same thing, but he just glanced away. Okay. Things were getting weird; it's like those two knew something that I didn't. Which was probably what was going on.

"Just calm down Hunter," Parker said quickly, stealing another look at me.

Hunter's tightly clenched fists shook, but he unclenched them and breathed heavily, eyes darting around the place. Parker and Ryder shared a worried look, unspoken messages communicating between the two of them. Hunter emitted a low growl which didn't sound too human.

I was seriously worried and scared at the same time. What's happening to Hunter?

Hunter hissed in pain, baring his teeth. I swore I saw something sharp in them, glinting in the pale moonlight. His eyes found mine, flickering between his auburn ones and the mysterious scarlet.

Then they darted from me to the moon above, which was now a full burning red. We momentarily forgot about the advancing creatures, who were already struggling to climb the last leg of their trip up before attacking us.

"Hunter," Ryder said sharply with authority in his voice. "Stop."

"I... can't..." Hunter managed to choke out before crashing to the ground, sword clattering to the side. His whole body shook violently, beads of sweat dotting his forehead. "Not... now..."

Ryder shared another look with Parker. Then the young Imperial said, "Hunter. You go do what you have to do. Parker, Skyla and I will take care of this. Go! You're not to be seen." Hunter nodded rapidly, still hissing and wincing at every small move he made to stand up.

Then he jumped over the side of the cliff.

~~~

Hunter's POV

Something was wrong. I knew what it was, of course, and every person who had enough experience in this world knew. Including in the other Realms. Parker had this problem too, although his appeared more often than mine.

My shifting only took place every Blood Moon. That's what we call it.

It heightens our senses. It takes over every muscle, every cell, every part of our body. It forces us to transform in what we truly are. Skyla doesn't know this, of course. The Overworld is still so small... and so unknowledgeable in what happens in other Realms.