The Descendants Academy (ON HOLD)

Chapter Nineteen

I was floating, no wait, I was flying. There was nothing, only darkness, only silence and stillness.

“Hello,” I called; the echo of my voice getting smaller as it moved further and further away.

“Hello, Sang,” a voice answered from behind me.

With no gravity, no thought to what was possible; I flipped a full circle to face the unknown person.

I had thought the warm black surrounding me was completely absent of light but I was able to make out the shape of an even darker figure. Whoever it was, it was obscured by a shielding cloak and there was no opening for me to peak through the hood.

“Who are you?” I demanded. Surprisingly I was not frightened of the shadow.

It laughed; the sound had feminine undertones but without sight I was not able to say for sure if it was a woman.

“So brave,” it murmured, “but you are not yet ready to face what is coming.”

“What? What is coming? What is this? Where am I?”

The hood shook slowly, “So many questions; they are unimportant at this moment. You cannot stay here for long Sang. Your Oikia needs you; you, who will be their heart; their guiding light and their salvation.”

I didn’t understand, “What do you mean?”

“The darkness is rising once more and you will be the epicentre. Listen, learn and stand by the nine. Never will they betray you, but you must fight for them. Prepare now. Your gifts are beginning to manifest and you will need to be strong and wise to control them.”

“What do you mean?” I asked again, this time screaming at it.

“Go. Answers will come in time. I will be watching. Go, Sang.”

I felt the calm begin to unravel and I spiralled downward, away from the looming presence, “Wait!” I cried.

Falling into the light that suddenly appeared beneath my feet, I heard the voice once more, “Be strong!”

I sat up, gasping and clutching at my chest. The breath was rushing from my lungs as I tried to make sense of what I saw around me.

I wasn’t in my bed; I was seated on one of the living room couches as the nine boys I had met the day before huddled close over my panicking form.

Sean knelt next to me on the floor and lifted a slow hand to touch at my cheek, “Slow breaths, Sang. You need to calm down.”

The dream had been so vivid that my mind was struggling to assimilate to reality; there was too much. Sounds, smells, sights; there was too much light after being enclosed by cushioning darkness.

My lungs felt too small and I knew that I was losing the battle to stay conscious. I reached out a pleading hand to someone, anyone.

“Victor,” Master Blackbourne snapped.

My sight tinted at the sides and it felt like I was watching Victor's approach through a telescope. Sean moved from his position and allowed Victor to kneel in close to the edge of the couch.

He cupped my face in his hands, “Sang.” His voice swept through me, causing shivers to erupt.

“Sang,” he repeated, his baritone voice becoming a thing of beauty, so compelling, “Calm down. Sang, you have to breathe.”

I couldn't refuse his request; there was no option, no choice, I had to breathe, for him!

The dream fog faded and the memory of black nothingness drifted away. Airways cleared and I sucked in an unchecked breath, feeling my body relax as oxygen finally reached my lungs. My sight cleared and my mind settled.