"Lior! Lior, answer ! Where are you?!"
Ezra ran.
He ran faster than his legs could take him.
Branches whipped against his face, sharp and fast, leaving stinging lines across his skin. His boots kept catching on roots buried beneath the ground, but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t.
The forest was too dark.
Not just night-dark.
It swallowed everything.
His breath ca out wrong, too shallow, like sothing heavy was sitting on his chest.
Every inhale scraped his throat, but no air seed to reach his lungs.
"LIOR!"
His voice broke.
The sound didn’t travel. It felt like the trees swallowed it whole.
His sword swung wildly in his hand, cutting through whatever got in his way. Branches. Vines. Sothing soft that shouldn’t have been there.
It clung to the blade.
He didn’t look.
"Maman!"
Ezra froze.
That voice—
It was Lior.
And judging by his tone was crying...trembling.
"Lior—!"
He turned too fast. The world tilted with him.
"Maman, help !"
The sound ca from everywhere.
Behind him.
To his left.
Right.
Above—
Ezra spun, heart slamming against his ribs so hard it hurt. The trees looked wrong now. Too close. Too tall. Bending inward like they were watching.
"Maman! Maman!"
"I’m here!" Ezra shouted, his voice cracking. "I’m coming, little one, I’m—"
BOOM.
The ground shook.
Light split the sky open.
For a second, everything turned white.
Then he saw it.
A shape.
Small.
Being dragged.
"LIOR—!"
SHREEEK—
The sound tore through his ears, high and wrong, like sothing alive was screaming right next to him. Ezra dropped, his body hitting the ground hard as pain shot up his side.
His sword slipped from his hand.
He couldn’t hear himself anymore.
Just ringing.
It was loud, and almost felt endless.
His vision blurred. The trees stretched and twisted, their shadows crawling across the ground like they were reaching for him.
"Li... or..."
His voice barely ca out.
His hands dug into the dirt as he tried to push himself up, but the ground felt soft. A little too soft for dry ground.
It shifted under him.
Like sothing was breathing beneath it.
"Give my baby back to –"
"Maman!"
Ezra’s eyes shot open at the sound of Lior’s cry.
’It was a nightmare.’
Relief hit him for a second, sharp and quick. But it didn’t last.
Not when he realized Lior was already in his arms.
Crying.
"Maman... maman..."
Lior shifted restlessly in his sleep, small fingers clutching at Ezra’s shirt. Tears slid down his cheeks, soaking into the fabric.
"He’s having a nightmare too," Ezra whispered, his brows pulling together as he pulled Lior closer against his chest.
"Ma... man..." Lior murmured weakly, his body trembling.
Ezra ran a hand through his hair, slow and careful, trying to soothe him.
"Lior, wake up," Ezra said gently, giving him a small shake. "It’s just a nightmare."
He brushed his thumb across Lior’s cheek, wiping away the tears.
"Maman..."
"Lior, it’s just a nightmare. Wake up. I’m here," Ezra repeated, softer this ti.
After a few more gentle shakes, Lior’s eyes finally opened.
Ezra stilled for a mont. His breath caught.
For a split second, Lior’s eyes were bright gold.
It was glowing.
’What—’
"Maman!"
Lior cried out and threw himself against Ezra, his eyes shifting back to their usual orange as if nothing had happened.
Ezra wrapped his arms around him automatically, holding him tight. But his mind lagged behind.
’What was that? Why did his eyes... no, maybe I’m just seeing things.’
"Shh. I’m here," Ezra murmured, pressing Lior closer. "You were having a nightmare, my little one."
"Yes..." Lior whispered, his voice small as he continued to cry.
"What was it about?" Ezra asked quietly.
Lior sniffled, rubbing his eyes. "I was... I was being taken by a lot of shadows. There was a lot... a lot of shadows."
Ezra’s chest tightened.
"I was calling out to you, Maman, but you couldn’t find . I was crying a lot."
"You... were taken?" Ezra repeated, slower this ti.
His grip around Lior tightened without him noticing. His heartbeat picked up, loud in his ears.
Lior nodded. "Uh huh. There was lots and lots of trees... the trees were really big, and it was really dark. I didn’t know what to do."
"That sounds horrible, Lior," Ezra whispered.
Because it was.
And what made it worse—
’It’s the sa.’
Almost the sa.
The forest. The shadows. The voice calling out.
Just... different sides of it.
’What does that an?’
Ezra swallowed, forcing himself not to spiral.
’Don’t overthink it.’
"I’m scared, Maman," Lior said, his voice shaking as he clung tighter. "I don’t want to get taken."
"No one’s going to take you, Lior," Ezra said imdiately, firm despite the unease still lingering in his chest. "Not while I’m alive. And even if I’m not... I’ll still make sure no one takes you. You’ll live happily. I promise."
That, at least, he could control.
Lior pulled back slightly, looking up at him with teary eyes. "You promise?"
"I promise."
"One million promise?"
Ezra let out a small breath, managing a faint smile. "One million, billion promise."
He shifted Lior a little and tickled his stomach as he said that.
"Nooo, stooppp!" Lior whined between small bursts of laughter.
"Are you happy now? Are you happy?" Ezra asked, continuing until Lior squird. "I promised you a lot."
"Maman, stoppp—"
"AGH!"
Both of them froze almost instantly.
"Don’t run away!"
Ezra’s head snapped toward the sound outside.
"Huh?"
Lior looked up at him, wide-eyed.
More voices followed.
"Where did they co from?!"
"Call Captain Aamon!"
"Maman, what is that?" Lior whispered, gripping Ezra’s sleeve. "There’s screaming."
Ezra slowly sat up, pulling Lior with him, his body already tense.
"I don’t know, little one," he said, his voice low. "But I think I should call Fizzy so I can—"
"Captain Ezra! Captain Ezra!"
Fizzy’s voice ca from outside the tent, urgent.
"Fizzy?" Ezra said, quickly setting Lior back onto the bed as he stood up.
His heart was already racing again.
’Not again...’
Ezra pushed himself to his feet. "Stay there," he told Lior.
Lior nodded quickly, clutching the blanket tighter around himself.
Ezra turned and strode toward the tent flap, his chest already tight, his mind bracing for the worst. He reached out and pulled it open.
Fizzy stood there.
Pale. Breathing hard. Eyes wide in panic.
"What’s going—"
Fizzy grabbed him by the arm, his grip shaking.
"Dark Ones," he said, voice cracking. "There are Dark Ones!"
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