CHAPTER 1 (3rd part)

On the right was a beautiful lady wearing a white and sparkling dress which was until her knees. She was tall with her hair a little darker than gold and skin so white you would think she was glowing. She was staring at him with her eyes of majestic shade of blue and her beautiful face was expressionless. Her gaze --- cold though it may seem --- gave him a little peace and his heart almost stopped moving wildly inside his ribs.


On the left stood a man in a black tailcoat and pants. His skin was white and noticeable because of the way he dressed. He was a head taller than the girl standing like a model with his hands inside his pockets. From that distance, Daniel saw him looked at him through his dark green eyes and smiled which sent a high voltage of energy which went down from his spine until every fiber of his being. And the sight of him drained out every little ounce of peace which was given by the lady in an instant.


Daniel stood up slowly, his eyes fixed on the beautiful maiden and then shifted to the man. He couldn't even make a guess who they were and where they came from and he thought that he didn't want to know.


''Daniel, what would you do?'' he heard a faint whisper from the wind. Daniel looked at the lady and something in him knew that the faint voice belonged to her. ''Help her, Daniel. I know that in your heart, you really like to help her.'' The lady sighed. For a moment, Daniel thought that he had already heard this voice from before but he just couldn't tell where. Her blue eyes was still on his and he couldn't look away, then she slowly lifted a hand as if urging him to go on.


Daniel was about to move but another lightning struck which made him jump in shock again. His eyes saw the man standing in front of the lady as if to block her from view and talked to him.


''Stop butting into other people's business. It's so uncool.'' He was shocked because the lips of the man were barely moving as he spoke. It was as if the cold but calm voice was not spoken but thought.


Again, even though he wanted to speak, scream and run, he just couldn't move his lips and his body. His body wouldn't follow what his brain and his heart were ordering it to do. He just wished more than anything to be woken up from this... this nightmare (as he still refused to believe everything was happening) which seemed so real he felt crazy about being so afraid of it.


In a flash, the lady was behind him. Closer to him with her hands, surprisingly soft, wrapped around his shoulders as if encouraging him to go on. Gradually, her pinkish lips journeyed the few inch distance toward his ears.


''Think about it this way Daniel. You are not only saving her but also yourself. You know what I mean. Good always triumphs over evil. I know you know what is right---''


The man interrupted her speech. ''Sweet words won't cover the fact that you want Daniel to help her because you want to go back to where you came from. Admit it and stop playing all good and mighty and saintly.'' The green eyes turned to red as they met the blue ones.


''I don't want to argue with you. The most important thing is that Daniel might not survive the consequence.''


''He'd love to be with me... not with you.''


Daniel felt the intensity of the conversation despite their calm voices.


''I don't care about myself or the battle. All I care about is his future. He's not just our subject.'' The lady replied putting an emphasis to the word just. Daniel didn't know what to think. His brain could barely interpret their words. His body was too busy trying to calm itself without much success.


He found his voice at last.


''I - I'm dreaming.... R - Right?'' Then everything went black again. It was like somebody pitied him too much that that somebody covered his eyes with blindfold and his ears with plugs. He wished to thank whoever was responsible of sending him to darkness which was... always waiting for him. He heard a thump as his body touched the ground.