Fire

Chapter 11. The Forbidden Realm

Taking a deep breath, Hope opened her eyes. She lay on the big bed. She tried to get up, but a sharp pain shot through her body. She tried to look around. The girl noticed that this room was barely destroyed. Then she noticed a shadow.

"You'd better not get up just yet." a calm voice tried to calm the girl. "The wound hasn't been healed yet"

"W-what... W-who are you?" Hope tried to make out the silhouette in the darkness. "Where am I? Have I died?"

"You have so many questions..." silhouette came closer and sat on the bed near her. In a bleak light she saw his face. He wasn't Henning. He was a young man, maybe he was 20. He had shoulder-lenght blue-gray hair and gray eyes with a sapphire glow. "Calm down"

Seeing his face, the girl immediately tried to move to the other end of the bed, not allowing him to even touch her. But the sharp pain again did not even allow her to move. The bandage on her chest immediately turned scarlet. The wound started bleeding.

"You shouldn't have moved that sudden" he sighed and put his hand to the bloody bandage, as if healing a girl "And... Are you afraid of me?"

"Who... Are you? And why are you... And why do I...?"

"Call me Eclip. I just want to help you" he smiled "Tell me. What you feel is magic?"

"You are... Black Dragon..." she whispered "Are you going to kill me?"

"What are you talking about? If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't bring you here and wouldn't take care of you till you wake up"

"You did... What?"

"I have no idea about what happened between you and Henning, but my friend and the king of this place, unfortunately represented in one and the  same face, asked me to bring you here. I was late a little, but if The Ghost let you go..."

Hope didn't even remember the events of The Empire of Steel. But, feeling the void inside, she realized: she really died on that day. For her time between her death and her awakening was like one or two days. In fact, she slept  for three weeks.

-----

After some time Hope could freely walk. Wound haven't been healed yet, but they didn't cause so much pain anymore. 

She walked around destroyed corridors covered with snow. Hope felt so much fear staying here. Like she was in her own castle when The Black Dragons destroyed her home. The castle was empty. There were no people who could clean such mess or rebuild this place. 

"Don't be afraid" Eclip suddenly hugged her.

They came to the throne room. Dried flower petals crunched underfoot. A strong current of wind pushed them forward, and then the door closed. The throne room looked completely different, as if what had destroyed the entire castle had not hit this particular room. Everything from the tapestries to the stained-glass windows looked untouched. Hope was surprised to see this.

"Do you like it?" Eclip looked at his guest "What you've seen in the corridors is our castle as well. At first, it always seems that this place has long been abandoned by everyone, but in fact, we live here"

"We?" she asked.

"Yes. We. I and... Um... Where?" he sighed at looked around "Well. Seems like, we will have to wait"

The young man leaned against what looked like a large stone coffin. And at that moment, the girl saw that he had two scythes behind his back, and one was made of something resembling a crystal. But it was his sad eyes that caught her attention the most. She saw in them the pain of loss.

"Um..." she wanted to ask

"Hm? Something's wrong?" Eclip looked at her "If you wanted to say or ask something - don't be afraid to speak. No one will hurt you for it"

"Something happened?" Hope immediately asked "I see, you have very sad eyes. I feel like you've lost someone you loved the most"

"Even if I wanted to tell you about it, I can't. I don't remember anything before my awakening"

"Oh, you should have seen his face when he awoke. It was really interesting to watch him trying to understand where he is and who he is" the strange man went to the throne room. This man was 50, but he didn't look like the king. He looked like he was a crazy man "My name is Ahriman, and this is The Forbidden Realm. I am the king of this place and I'm the father of that idiot who killed you. Welcome, Hope... Oh, and... You haven't offered a tea to our guest, Eclip? That's so rude of you. Really"

"Um... No, thanks" feeling awkward, Hope replied.

"If you tried to joke. You have failed. Again" he sighed "Anyway. We have other things to discuss."

"Yes. But not now."

-----

A crimson moon rose over the Forbidden Realm. Every night it got brighter and brighter.

Ahriman let Eclip go, and he remained alone with Hope, saying that he had a serious conversation with the girl. The young man did not argue and silently left the throne room. The king followed his friend with a sad look.

"I feel sorry for him..." he said sitting down on the throne "Another night full of nightmares and screaming."

"I don't understand"

"He only looks like an impenetrable wall" the king explained "But every night it's the same... He has the same nightmare... And every night he screams one and the same name."

"Name?" she repeated after the king

"Abby" Ahriman replied shortly "He calls her over and over"

"But who is she?" Hope asked. She heard this name for the first time in her life. She knew that there was no one named that in the Crystal Kingdoms

"She is a Creation living so far away from our lands. She is The Curator of our stories. She sees you, She can control everything in our world. Except of The Empire of Steel and The Forbidden Realm. We could make our home unreachable for Her radars"

"Nonsense. This cannot be!"

"You may stay here for one more night" ignoring her words, Ahriman said seriously "When the sun arises, I want you to leave. Don't think I'm rude, and there's nothing personal either. Your friends are waiting for you. They already know that you've been defeated. But they will be happy to know that John Ward let you go"

"John Ward?" Hope asked again

"He has many names. You may know him as The Ghost. He wants you to find The Key... We all want it"

"The Key? How it looks like?"

"No one knows. But I will tell you that when you find the Key, you will already know the truth. And you will recognize The Key. You will know how to use it. Now go. The nights in my kingdom are shorter than in your worlds"