Chapter 17

Navigating forbidden realms wasn"t my idea of a leisurely stroll through mystical landscapes. Desperate times called for diving headfirst into the proverbial cauldron of chaos. The air crackled with an eerie energy as I stepped into the otherworldly plane of Glimmerford. Shadows danced on the periphery of my vision.

"Are we sure there will be an exit to Eris's personal realm through here?" I muttered as we landed in the clearing where we'd been held captive the day before yesterday. There was no structure there now. And there was no one to greet us.

"We need to stick to the tried-and-true methods of facing off against the enemy on our turf to save the day," Stella said. "Forbidden realms are overrated."

Our group moved quietly through the area. It was as abandoned as the last time we had been there. "Can you feel that vile creature?" I whispered to Aidon.

He narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Yes. I"m glad she's still predictable. Follow me."

Stella and I shared a look and then shrugged at the same time. It was good to be able to silently commiserate with my best friend. It made our journey a little less terrifying.

"We still need to discover Eris's weaknesses so we can use them to make her stop this bullshit," I whispered as we passed through the empty town and headed into the park.

A towering figure emerged to bar our way as we tried to travel through the grassy area. This creature stood at an imposing height, its form a blend of celestial energies and shadowy mystique. It had to be another one of Eris's goons.

Cloaked in iridescent cosmic robes that seemed to absorb and reflect the light of a thousand stars. Surprisingly, it emanated an aura of ancient wisdom and authority. Its face, or what could be perceived as a face in the ever-shifting tapestry of celestial energies, bore no discernible features. Instead, it was a blurry mask.

The one thing I could discern was its eyes. They blazed like galaxies in the night sky and locked onto us with a knowing gaze. Its limbs seemed more like pure energy, but it had hands. And in one, it held a staff that glittered as if coated in stardust.

"To know Eris"s weaknesses, you must face your own darkness," it intoned in a voice that reverberated through my bones.

"I"m sorry, but we're going to have to reschedule this session for next week," I retorted, though a gnawing realization lurked beneath my sarcastic facade.

The entity moved to the side and we continued our journey as if it hadn't stopped us. We moved through and encountered landscapes that seemed to defy the very essence of reality. A forest of floating trees, each branch adorned with luminescent butterflies, hovered above our heads. Ethereal waterfalls cascaded upwards, defying gravity"s relentless pull.

A peculiar being materialized before us. It was a shimmering entity that seemed to be composed of the universe"s discarded stardust. "Greetings, travelers. I am Lumina, guardian of the glowing forest of Glimmerford."

Stella grinned at the tiny creature. "Nice to meet you, Lumina. We"re on a quest to save our friends and our world. Can you help us find Eris?"

Lumina"s small form twinkled as she laughed. "Your path is fraught with challenges. Persevere, and you will discover how to stop her."

"Challenges? Well, that"s a given. We"re practically experts in overcoming weirdness," I retorted, sharing a knowing look with Stella and Aidon.

Lumina zipped away, leaving behind a trail of silver dust, and Aidon continued on the path only he knew how to follow. We hadn't gone far when a creature resembling a cross between a dragon and an abstract painting approached us. "Welcome. I am Zephyros, the Windweaver. To progress, you must harness the currents of Aetherial Breezes."

"Aetherial Breezes, huh? Does that come with a manual, or are we winging it?" I couldn"t resist a smirk. Zephyros exhaled a gust of iridescent wind that carried a melodic hum. "Wit may serve you well, but attuning to Aetherial Breezes requires finesse."

Stella hid the smirk she shot my way. I rolled my eyes. Everyone was a critic. What was going on with these people? Shouldn't they be stopping us? It made me incredibly uneasy to have them doing little more than watching us.

They had to be manipulating reality because I couldn't see Eris letting us through. Not to mention straightforward villainy wasn"t en vogue anymore. Stella gestured to the area around us and said, "Seems as if we"re dealing with an overachiever."

Overachiever, my foot. Eris wasn"t content with summoning a demon or concocting a potion. No. She was aiming for the grand prize... rewriting the laws of existence to benefit her. We came across evidence of a Dark ritual, complete with makeshift altar.

I made a face and kept a wide berth from the magical accouterment. Tilting my head to the side, I asked Aidon, "How do you fight someone who can rewrite the rules whenever they please?"

Stella, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder, replied, "If it's with a dash of sarcasm, a sprinkle of determination, and maybe a pinch of dumb luck, we're all set."

A chuckle made us swivel to our right. Eris looked at us from across the circus her Umbra cult members left behind. "Your powers won"t save you here, Phoebe. And neither can Aidon. This is a realm where reality bends to my will."

I hid the tremor in my gut and rolled my eyes. "Right, because doing the reshaping is so last season. I hear all the cool villains are that lucky these days."

With a flick of their hand, Eris sent a barrage of illusory creatures our way. I was unwilling to take the chance on these odd monsters. For I couldn't tell if the large, ocher-colored monster of nightmares was nothing more than a daydream. I conjured my powers and threw a fireball at them. As the creatures lunged, I unleashed a wave of witch fire and followed it up with a magical bomb. The latter shimmered in a wave that dispelled the illusions like smoke in a gust of wind.

"Nice try. I"ve dealt with scarier things in a big box store on Black Friday," I taunted, rubbing my hands together with a theatrical flourish.

Undeterred, Eris intensified the battleground, warping the very ground beneath my feet. Reality shifted like sand slipping through my fingers, and I found myself standing on a floating island surrounded by an ocean. "Enjoy being adrift in the sea of your own illusions, Phoebe," Eris sneered.

I scoffed as I wondered what was different about Eris. "You"re a walking cliché. You really need a new scriptwriter."

What happened to my friends? They were no longer standing there with me. Where had Eris taken them? My heart started racing, and my throat went dry. They couldn't have been sent far. That would take a lot of power. Perhaps that was why Eris felt different.

"Reality manipulation," I muttered. That's what this was. So how could I reverse it and find my friends? We could fight Eris's chaos and discord if we could connect to one another.

Eris"s form flickered. When I saw an expression of uncertainty on her shadowy visage, I questioned if it was really her. She didn't seem like the type to doubt herself. I focused with all my might on the feel of Aidon's hand in mine, the smile on Stella's face, and the twinkle in Tseki's eye.

The air in the pocket realm was thick with a surreal stillness at that moment. It had to be thanks to the illusionary landscape that Eris had woven to isolate me from the others. I refused to let her win. I would break through this illusion and make Eris regret her actions.

My senses tingled with a hint of distortion, revealing the false reality around me. The meadow I saw was nothing more than an intricate mirage concealing the true chaos that awaited. As I walked through the illusory scene, I glimpsed familiar faces. A smile spread over my face when I saw Stella, Aidon, Tseki, Murtagh, and Todd.

They all seemed engaged in a mental battle, their expressions frozen in a perpetual moment. Yet, I saw through the veneer, the stagnant facades that Eris had crafted to deceive. Aidon"s eyes held a flicker of desperation, a silent plea for me to reach out and grab hold of him.

Suddenly, laughter, mocking and eerie, echoed behind me. I turned to find Eris, her form materializing like a sinister wisp from the shadows. The goddess of chaos reveled in her illusions. Her laughter was a dissonant melody that resonated through the pocket realm.

Without warning, Eris wrapped her arms around me, the touch sending a shiver down my spine. I felt her presence, an oppressive force that sought to claim me and my babies. Every instinct I had geared up to fight her. Aidon"s visage twisted with horror. The next thing I knew, Eris was pulling me through time and space. The last thing I saw was the fear and rage on my friend's faces, along with Aidon's roar of outrage echoing in the surreal expanse of my mind.

Bile burned the back of my throat, and I stumbled as we reappeared in a cold, damp dungeon. That was what my mind came up with as I stumbled away from Eris. There was no other explanation for the clichéd cells, stone walls, and dirt floor. Oh, and the torture implements.

The walls pulsated with Dark energy. The cold air clung to my skin as she unleashed a torrent of magic at me. My magic reacted before I could process what she was doing and erected a shield around my body. Excruciating pain made me cry out as she attempted to seize not just me but my unborn children. I felt the tendrils of her power reaching into my very core, a violation that sent a surge of protective rage coursing through me.

The talismans Stella and I had made for the safety of my babies flared to life with a radiant glow. They formed a barrier against Eris"s invasive magic. They made a resilient shield fueled by the love and determination we'd embedded within them. It pushed her out and refused to allow her access.

I fought against Eris"s grip, resisting the magical tug that sought to wrench my children from their haven. The unseen battle within me was a tumultuous clash of wills. It was a struggle for the safety of the lives growing within me. Eris grew more frustrated with each thwarted attempt, her threats escalating as she tightened her hold on me. "Stubborn mortal," she hissed, her voice a venomous whisper against my ear. "You cannot escape me. Your defiance only fuels my determination. I will have my babies."

Despite her threats, I stood my ground, drawing strength from the love and protection embedded in the talismans. The mother bear in me rose with a vengeance and became a formidable force. It fueled my defiance against the chaos that sought to consume me.

With a furious growl, Eris vanished, leaving behind a lingering promise that resonated in the chilling air. "I"ll wear you down, Phoebe. The babies will be mine, one way or another."

My legs crumpled, and I fell to the cold floor as terror overwhelmed me. The ominous echo of her words hung in the dungeon"s shadows as she disappeared. It left me to ponder my fate and that of my unborn children.