Elianna's eyes felt heavy as she sat on the comfortable leather couch on the first floor of the beach house. She rested her chin on her arm, which was lying on the backrest of the couch, as she peered outside the windows. Her eyes moved back and forth as she looked at the gray sky above and the slow drizzle of rain.

  But, as Elianna's eyes wandered outside, her mind wandered elsewhere. Her thoughts kept returning to the strange dreams she was having, with the five individuals with golden armor; If she could even call them dreams. She couldn't quite place why, but the dreams felt so real to her, as if she were living in that moment. She had never had dreams like this before; it was mind-boggling.

  Then, there was that pull she felt every so often. It was a strange and curious sensation whenever she felt some type of force trying to draw her in. She didn't know what... or who it was, but it was starting to weigh on her mind, and her curiosity was starting to win. Part of her wanted to just go into the forest and figure out where this pull was coming from. Another part of her wanted to remain on the safe side and just ignore it. Though she wasn't sure she could ignore it, as she swore the feeling of the pull was starting to get stronger.

  Elianna's eyes fell as she thought about telling Freya about this. Not just about the pull, but about the dreams as well. It wasn't the first time Elianna had thought about talking to Freya, but every time she thought about it, she convinced herself out of it. She thought about telling her parents, too, since she had been talking with them periodically, but she didn't want to worry them with what she believed was just possible nonsense.

  "Score!"

  Elianna flinched at Nicholas' sudden outburst, and she looked to the side, seeing Nicholas with his hands raised in victory, as he stood on one side of the foosball table. Celine stood on the other side, narrowing her eyes at the game table.

  "Don't think you've won yet, Nick," Celine said as she took the ball out. "I'm still ahead by a point, and you need two points to win." She smirked, "While I only need one."

  Nicholas grabbed the handles and met Celine's competitive gaze, "Then cast the ball, cousin."

  Elianna smiled softly as she watched Nicholas and Celine. She adjusted herself on the couch so she could comfortably watch them.

  Celine and Nicholas stared at each other for a moment before Celine cast the ball onto the gaming table. Nicholas spun his rod, hitting the ball straight for Celine's goal. Celine was quick enough to block the shot before sending the ball back toward Nicholas' side.

  "Not so fast!" Nicholas yelled, hitting the ball back.

  Celine blocked the ball again from making it into her goal and hit it back toward Nicholas' side. But Nicholas was fast as he swiftly blocked the ball while hitting it back toward Celine's side simultaneously. Celine cursed as she just barely missed the ball, as it entered her goal.

  Nicholas raised his arms in the air, "Yeah!" He pointed at Celine, "That's right!"

  "You just tied us up," Celine grumbled, taking the ball out. "Don't celebrate just yet."

  Nicholas chuckled, "I don't know. I think the odds of victory are in my favor." He looked at Elianna, "Right, Lia?" His smile faltered, seeing that her eyes were downcast, and she looked deep in thought. "Lia?"

  Elianna looked up, her brows raised, "Hmm?"

  Celine's brows furrowed as she looked Elianna up and down. "Are you sure you're okay, Elle?"

  Elianna smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

  Nicholas shrugged, "Because you look exhausted."

  Elianna looked at Nicholas flatly, "Thanks, Nick. That's what all the girls like to hear."

  Nicholas didn't flinch, though, as he continued to look at Elianna worriedly, "You sure you don't want to go lie down?"

  Elianna shook her head, "No, I'm fine."

  Though part of her did want to lie down and sleep, she didn't want to have any of those strange dreams again. It's why she barely got any sleep the night before, after having that dream again.

  Nicholas nodded slightly, "Okay." He smiled softly at her, "Just let me know if you change your mind."

  Elianna nodded, "I will, thanks."

  Nicholas stared at her for a moment longer before looking back at Celine, "Alright, cast the ball."

  Celine nodded, giving Elianna one last look before focusing on the game. She and Nicholas took their stances before Celine tossed the ball in. They both began to spin their rods, hitting the ball back and forth to each other. Nicholas had gotten a few good shots, almost making it into Celine's goal a couple of times. But when Celine managed to get the ball over to Nicholas' side, she lined the ball perfectly, spun her rod, and shot the ball straight into the goal.

  Celine shot her arms into the air, "That's right! I win!" She pointed at Nicholas, "In your face!"

  Nicholas grumbled, shooting his cousin a glare, "Best two out of three."

  Celine hummed, then looked at the clock, "Maybe. Let me check on Josephine and Mom first. Dinner should be ready soon."

  Nicholas sighed and nodded, "Fine."

  "See you in a few," Celine said as she walked toward the door and exited the beach house.

  Once Celine was gone, Nicholas looked toward Elianna, seeing that she was looking out the window again, with a distant expression. He looked her up and down, "Want to come play?" Elianna didn't answer and continued to look out the window. "Lia?"

  Elianna looked at Nicholas, "Hmmm?"

  Nicholas sighed, "Alright." He walked around the foosball table, made a beeline for the couch, and sat directly beside her. He adjusted himself so he was facing her fully, "What's bothering you?"

  Elianna blinked, "What do you mean?"

  "You know what I mean," Nicholas sighed. "Something is obviously on your mind."

  Elianna looked to the side, thinking, "Have you ever had a dream that felt so... real?"

  Nicholas was silent for a moment before he cleared his throat and looked to the side, "Uh, what kind of dream are we talking about?"

  Elianna shrugged, "I don't know." She sighed, "I've just been having some weird dreams lately about this group of individuals." Nicholas looked at her curiously. "It seems like they're on a mission or something, but... I swear, it's almost like I'm right there with them."

  Nicholas looked at Elianna for a moment, seeing her troubled expression. "Have you told your parents about these dreams?"

  Elianna shook her head, "No."

  "Why not?"

  Elianna shrugged, "Because they're still just dreams."

  "Still," Nicholas said, reaching his hand out and gently taking Elianna's. Elianna's eyes flicked to Nicholas' hand, seeing it holding hers. Her soft-looking lips curled, feeling the comfortable warmth of his touch seeping into her ivory skin. "If these dreams are bothering you this much, maybe you should tell them."

  Elianna nodded, "Yeah, maybe." She looked up, meeting Nicholas' gaze. Her smile grew, and she chuckled, "No need to look so worried, Nick."

  Nicholas held her hand slightly more tightly, "I can't help it. I care a lot about you."

  Elianna's brows raised, and her lips went partially agape. She looked deeply into Nicholas' eyes as her stomach began to flutter, and her heart began to beat faster.

  "Guys!"

  Elianna and Nicholas jumped before they let go of each other's hands, and looked toward the doorway. Their eyes fell on Celine, who was peeking her head in.

  Celine smiled, "Dinner's ready. Come on!"

  Nicholas cleared his throat, "We're coming."

  "Y-Yeah," Elianna said, as she and Nicholas stood up from the couch.

  Celine pursed her lips, her eyes darting between Nicholas and Celine, "Are you two okay? Your cheeks are a little red."

  "We're fine," Nicholas smiled.

  Elianna nodded in agreement, "Yep. We're fine."

  Celine's brows furrowed, "Uh-huh." She jerked her chin, "Come on."

  Celine stepped back, allowing Nicholas and Elianna to step outside. Elianna looked up, noticing Celine had formed a water barrier around them, blocking the slight drizzle.

  Elianna chuckled, "Beats an umbrella."

  "Sure does," Celine agreed, as she made her way toward the stairs, with Nichoas and Elianna following.

  They made their way to the second floor, where Nicholas slid the door open for Elianna. Elianna shot Nicholas a thank-you smile before going inside, followed by Nicholas. Celine dismissed her water barrier as she followed them inside.

  The delicious smell of recently cooked food filled the air, and they looked to the dining table, seeing it had already been set. Bowls of vegetables, potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and nicely seasoned steak were set up in the center of the table, with empty plates at each chair.

  "Oh, good, you're here," Josephine said as she stood behind the counter, filling glasses with juice. "Go ahead and take a seat."

  Freya placed a couple of cooking utensils in the sink, "Start filling your plates. Josephine and I will join you in a moment."

  The three of them nodded, walked over to the table, where they took their seats, and began to fill their plates. Shortly after, Freya and Josephine joined them, placing glasses of juice in front of everyone.

  Once everyone was situated and had food on their plates, Freya smiled, "Dig in, everyone."

  Nicholas cut and took a bite of his steak, "Oh, this is delicious."

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  Celine nodded in agreement, as she too took a bite of the steak, "Oh my gosh, it really is!"

  Freya chuckled, "You can thank Josephine for the steak. She seasoned it and everything."

  Josephine smiled, "I'm just glad you like it." Josephing then looked at Elianna, and her smile faded slightly, "Elianna, are you alright, dear. You look a little tired."

  Elianna took a bite of her food before she smiled and nodded to Josephine, "Yes, I'm fine. I just didn't sleep that well last night."

  "Maybe you should go lie down after this," Freya suggested.

  Elianna nodded, "Yeah, maybe I will."

  Elianna spent the rest of the dinner mainly focusing on her food, while Celine, Freya, and Josephine engaged in conversations about various topics. Nicholas, however, while he would answer a few questions, mainly paid attention to Elianna, his expression worried.

  Once dinner was over, Elianna placed her empty plate in the sink before she took Freya's suggestion and went to her bed to lie down. Feeling exhausted, she didn't even bother changing before she lay down on her bed. She stayed there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, feeling her eyes growing heavier and heavier. She kept thinking about the strange dreams she was having, hoping she didn't have another one. But before she knew it, her eyes finally closed, and she drifted off to sleep.

  ***

  Elianna's eyes opened at the sound of knocking. She stared straight at the ceiling, noticing her room was now considerably darker. She didn't know how long she had been asleep, but one thing she did know was that she hadn't had another weird dream, which gave her some relief.

  A flash of lightning in the distance had Elianna turning her head and peering outside. She observed as what looked like a storm was forming in the distance. She sat up, observing the storm for a moment, before she looked at her door, hearing another knock.

  "Lia?"

  Elianna smiled slightly, hearing Nicholas whisper her nickname. She whispered back, "Come in."

  The door opened slowly, and Nicholas peeked his head in. When his eyes settled on Elianna, a look of relief crossed his face, and he smiled, "You look better."

  Elianna shrugged, "I definitely feel better rested." She looked at Nicholas curiously as he entered the room and closed the door behind him. "How long was I asleep?"

  "A few hours," Nicholas said as he walked over to her bed and sat on the corner.

  Elianna's eyes looked Nicholas up and down, and her face heated slightly at the idea that they were alone in her room, both sitting on her bed.

  Another flash of lightning caught Elianna's attention, and she looked back out the window. "A storm is coming."

  "Yeah, it's why I'm here."

  Elianna looked at Nicholas curiously.

  Nicholas grinned as he stood up and held his hand out to her, "Come on."

  Elianna smiled slightly as she took his hand, "And where are we going?"

  "You'll see," Nicholas said, as Elianna stood from the bed.

  Excitement filled Elianna's veins as she followed Nicholas to the door. He opened the door, peered outside for a moment, and then exited into the hallway. Elianna looked around as she followed Nicholas out of her room, noticing the beach house was quiet and dark.

  "Did everyone already go to sleep?" Elianna asked.

  Nicholas looked over his shoulder and nodded, "Yeah."

  Elianna followed Nicholas as he looked forward and made his way to the second floor. He walked over to the sliding glass doors, and when he opened them, a blast of cool stomry air flowed inside. The cool air brushed against Elianna's ivory skin, sending a shiver down her spine.

  "A little chilly," Elianna said as she followed Nicholas onto the deck.

  Nicholas chuckled as he looked at her, "Don't worry, I brought a blanket."

  Elianna's brows raised, "You what? What are we doing?"

  Nicholas smiled and jerked his chin, "Come on."

  Closing the sliding glass door behind her, Elianna followed Nicholas as he headed for the stairs. They descended to the beach and walked to the shoreline. Elianna halted as Nicholas stopped a few feet from the shoreline. Her brows raised as he pulled a large towel out from his spatial ring and laid it across the sand. He sat on the towel, looked at Elianna with a smile, and patted the area beside him.

  Elianna smiled as she walked over and sat beside Nicholas. "What are we doing?"

  "This used to be one of my favorite things," Nicholas said as he pulled out a blanket. Her jerked his chin toward the ocean, "Watching the storm build out above the ocean."

  Elianna's smile grew as Nicholas wrapped the blanket around their shoulders. Her cheeks reddened as she scooched closer to him, feeling his body heat seep into hers.

  Nicholas smiled as he looked outward, "The lighting with the clouds above the water... It's just so beautiful."

  Elianna followed his gaze, watching as the lightning danced across the dark, cloudy sky, illuminating the ocean beneath it. Her lips curled as she nodded, "Yeah, it is."

  Nicholas let out a relaxed sigh, "Josephine showed me this when I was younger." Elianna looked at him, seeing the content smile on his handsome face. "I forget how old I was. But the first time a storm had formed in the distance, she took me out here to the beach to watch it. After that, whenever I had a chance, I would sit on the beach and watch the lightning." He chuckled, "It's almost like a living canvas."

  Elianna smiled as she admired the blissful look on Nicholas's face.

  Nicholas looked at Elianna, meeting her gaze, and his brows raised, "What?"

  Elianna shook her head, "Nothing." She leaned her head down, resting it against his shoulder, "I just like it when you look happy."

  Nicholas' cheeks reddened, and his face turned hot, as Elianna leaned her head against him. He looked forward and cleared his throat, "O-Oh."

  They both fell silent for a moment, taking in the beauty of the distant lighting. Then, Elianna asked, "What did you all do after I went to bed?"

  Nicholas shrugged, "Nothing really. Just stayed up and talked. I was mostly drawing, while Celine was reading. Josephine and Aunt Freya were worried about you, though. They asked me if something was bothering you."

  "What did you say?"

  "Just that you had a bad dream and didn't get much sleep."

  Elianna nodded, "Close enough to the truth."

  "That's what I thought," Nicholas said, then looked down at Elianna. "I wasn't going to tell them about the dream, unless you wanted me to."

  Elianna looked up, her head still on Nicholas' shoulder, and smiled, "I know."

  Another flash of lightning in the distance illuminated their faces. A gentle wind crept over the beach, caressing Nicholas and Elianna as they snuggled up beside each other, looking into each other's eyes.

  Slowly, Elianna's lips became agape, becoming consciously aware of how close she and Nicholas were. Then, when his eyes flicked to her lips, her heart practically jumped into her throat. Her heart began to beat faster, and she found herself beginning to lean toward him. Her eyes flicked to his lips, leaning closer, and—

  Elianna sat straight, and her head whipped toward the forest, feeling the pull again.

  Startled, Nicholas looked at Elianna, confused and worried, "What's wrong?!"

  Elianna sat there silently for a moment, feeling that pull. Slowly, she shook her head, "I-I don't know."

  Nicholas pivoted to face her, "What do you mean, you don't know?"

  Elianna's brows furrowed, and she looked at Nicholas, "It's just..." She sighed, "It's more than the dream that's been bothering me. Ever since we got here, I've been having this weird feeling, like something is trying to draw me closer to it."

  Nicholas shook his head, looking perplexed, "What? I haven't felt anything."

  Elianna let out a sigh and looked down, "I know it sounds crazy. It's why I haven't said anything. But, it's bothering me, and part of me just wants to go and see what it is?"

  Nicholas looked at Elianna up and down for a moment before saying, "Where is this feeling coming from?"

  Elianna looked up at Nicholas before looking at the forest.

  Nicholas followed her gaze before he nodded and stood up, "Alright. Let's go see what it is, then."

  Elianna blinked at Nicholas, "You want to go check it out?"

  Nicholas shrugged, "Why not. If it's bothering you, then we can just take a look."

  Elianna looked skeptical, "And if it's dangerous?"

  "We won't leave the wards," Nicholas stated. "If it seems like the feeling is taking us outside the protection of the wards, we'll turn back. If we stay inside the wards, we'll be fine."

  Elianna looked down, thinking. Slowly, she began to nod, then looked at Nicholas. "Okay." She stood up, "Let's go."

  Nicholas gestured to her, "Lead the way."

  Elianna nodded, then looked toward the forest area. She took a deep breath before focusing on the pull. She stiffened as the pull suddenly became stronger when she focused on it, and it was like she knew directly where it was trying to take her.

  "T-This way," Elianna stuttered, before she started to walk toward the forest.

  Nicholas nodded and followed directly behind her as they approached the tree line. "Remember that there are guards out here. So, we'll have to be quiet."

  Elianna nodded as she entered the dense forest area. The air around her began to change, growing slightly more humid, with the sound of the trees and plants rustling in the wind.

  Elianna tripped, but caught herself as she tried to navigate her way through the darkness.

  "Want me to create some light?" Nicholas asked.

  Elianna shook her head, "No. The guards will find us, then ask what we're doing."

  "And won't leave us alone," Nicholas sighed. "Good point." They walked a few more steps through the forest, dodging trees, before Nicholas asked, "Can you tell how far exactly this feeling is taking you?"

  "Not exactly," Elianna said, then looked over her shoulder at Nicholas. "I can just tell that it's close."

  Nicholas nodded, "Got—"

  "Is anyone there?"

  Elianna and Nicholas stiffened.

  The sound of footfalls sounded to their right.

  "I thought I heard someone over here?"

  "Let's check it out."

  Elianna shot Nicholas a panicked gaze as the footfalls started to get closer.

  Nicholas stepped up to Elianna and whispered, "Be as quiet as possible."

  Elianna looked at Nicholas, confused, before her grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around so she was facing away from him. He held her tightly against him and leaned back against the tree before turning them invisible.

  Slowly, an orange light illuminated the area, and two knights appeared. One of the knights was holding up a sword coated in fire magic, using it like a torch.

  "They can't see us," Nicholas whispered in Elianna's ear. "So don't make a sound."

  Goosebumps formed along Elianna's skin as Nicholas' breath brushed against her ear. She felt his chiseled chest against her back as he held her close to him. Then his arms... one was wrapped around her lower waist, while the other was above that one, and was touching the bottom of her breasts. Her heart began to beat quickly, and her face turned molten at the feeling of his arm brushing against the bottom of her breasts. She tried to control her breathing and block out the sensation, but another part of her didn't want to.

  The guard with the sword looked around, "I don't see anything."

  The other guard shrugged, "Neither do I. Besides, nothing can get into the wards." He jerked his chin, "Let's get moving."

  Elianna and Nicholas remained quiet, watching as the two of them walked off.

  Once they were gone, Nicholas let out a sigh of relief and let go of Elianna as he conceled the spell, "That was close."

  Elianna stumbled forward, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her red ear, hiding her reddened face from Nicholas, "Y-yeah..." She cleared her throat before she started to walk off, "Come on."

  Nicholas nodded and followed Elianna as she continued to walk through the forest. As they made their way through, Elianna felt the pull becoming stronger. She continued on her way until she froze, as her eyes fell on a familiar cave.

  Nicholas grunted as he ran into Elianna's back, "Why did you stop?"

  "T-The cave..." Elianna whispered in disbelief. "It's the same as my dream."

  Nicholas stepped beside Elianna, looking at the cave before them, "You're sure?"

  Elianna nodded as more questions filled her mind.

  Nicholas hummed, "Should we—" He stopped talking as Elianna walked forward, toward the cave. Nicholas' brows furrowed as he looked around, seeing they were still within the wards, so it should be safe. After a moment, he followed her into the cave.

  As they entered, darkness covered them, and they couldn't see anything inside.

  "I think it should be safe to make some light now," Elianna said.

  "Mage light, coming right up," Nicholas said, and snapped his fingers.

  A ball of light formed above them, illuminating the area. They looked around, seeing that the cave was vast, and went deeper into the mountain.

  Elianna's brows furrowed, feeling the pull coming from within the cave, before she walked forward.

  Nicholas didn't hesitate or question her, as he followed Elianna into the cave.

  They walked forward in silence for some distance before Elianna stopped and gaped at the scene before her.

  Nicholas stopped, wondering why she had stopped, before he followed her gaze. He raised a brow, "It's just a random stone pillar."

  Elianna nodded, seeing the stone pillar protruding from the ground, almost touching the roof. "Yeah. Almost like it was used to pin something to the ceiling."

  Nicholas's brows furrowed before he looked at Elianna, "From your dreams, I assume?"

  Elianna nodded slowly, "Yeah."

  "Do you want to turn back?"

  Elianna looked at Nicholas, "Do you?"

  Nicholas looked at Elianna seriously, "I'll follow you if you want to continue."

  Elianna smiled at him before nodding and looking forward, "Let's continue."

  Nicholas nodded before he followed Elianna as she walked forward.

  Elianna's head was on a swivel as she looked around, noticing there were no bones or anything that would indicate beasts had been killed here. It made her wonder if this was all a coincidence, or... if their dreams weren't dreams, but something that occurred so long ago that the bones had already decomposed.

  Elianna continued to ponder this as they made their way through the cave, feeling the pull get stronger and stronger, until they reached what seemed to be the end. Elianna blinked as she stopped and looked around, seeing that they met a dead end, with no other paths.

  "Maybe we missed a turn?" Nicholas said.

  Elianna shook her head, "There were no turns." Her brows furrowed, feeling the pulling coming from straight ahead. "But... why do I feel..." She stepped forward.

  "Lia?" Nicholas asked, watching as Elianna raised a hand, approaching the end of the cave. "What is it?"

  "I-" Elianna shook her head. "I'm not sure."

  Elianna looked at the wall curiously before she gingerly placed her palm against it.

  Suddenly, a blast of golden light enveloped the area.

  ***

  The golden light slowly began to subside, and Elianna blinked, letting her eyes adjust. But that's when she noticed it was no longer her hand resting on the wall, but a golden gauntlet.

  "It is done," Elianna said, but it wasn't her voice. It was Senricks. Senrick turned around, which was when Elianna's eyes fell on the other four, who were standing behind her... or him. "The last piece is now hidden."

  "Finally," Haldein sighed, leaning against the wall.

  "So," Veanor began, looking around at the others. "What now?"

  "Now, we go back to Sanctuary," Chadar said.

  "Then what?" Veanor asked.

  "Then nothing," Kaliope stated firmly. "We do nothing but remain there until our final days, for we shall be the last."

  Senrick nodded, "It is for the best."

  "Then let us go," Haldein stated, as he stood up. "And let us fade into history, to be forgotten."

  Senrick blinked, and nothing but darkness remained.