Charlotte tried to scream out her pain, but nothing came out of her mouth other than choked sound, like someone was wringing her neck or like she was drowning and noone saved her.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion now. She saw Dad and Michelle still stand stiff, and Emily was holding her mother and screaming on top of her lungs.

The first person that came to her was the man with the bow and arrows. The tall solid warrior who had shot the arrow to warn Nerra just now, though his second shot failed to change the trajectory of immora and the dagger stabbed her.

He came kneeling, holding her body, and she could feel the warmth of his broad chest. He wore a silver necklace and from which hung a golden sun pendant, just by looking at it made Charlotte feel warmer, like there was a distant glimmer of hope still for her.

Oh, what beautiful light blue eyes ... Charlotte locked onto his blue eyes.

What does that tattoo on your face mean? Charlotte felt pain that spread all over her body. She stiffened, her hands flailed and the man caught her hands and brought them to his chest. She could feel his heart beat fast in there.

Who are you?

Please stay with me. Please do not let go of my hands. I am scared.

She spoke in her mind because her voice had simply gone. She collected her strength and tried to squeeze the man's hands that were clasping hers. She did manage a gentle squeeze, and the man squeezed her hands back.

Then he whispered to her,"Please hold on." Deep, consoling voice that lessened her pain though just a bit.

And she saw immora on her shoulder.

It melted into her as if it was made of candlewax. It melted fast and soon it disappeared into her.

She could not make sense of anything and started sobbing softly, though through her tear-stained eyes, she could still see what was happening to Nerra.

Nerra grinned. "Ahh! Immora took its victim! I am stronger now! Rogh is stronger!" Then Ellie fell forward, and Nerra came out of Ellie's body in the form of a black wafting smoke. She took her original shape: A tall voluptuous woman with green eyes, her hair was long and platinum blonde, wavy to her waist. She wore tight-fitting purple dress that showcased her curves. Her plump lips were fresh red. Even in her pain, Charlotte must admit Nerra was one beautiful demon.

Sylve did not waste her chance to attack Nerra now that she was out of Ellie's body. A shot of bright white light flew to Nerra from Sylve, but Nerra flew high to avoid the light, the light hit a tree behind her and the tree burst into flame. Nerra floated down to the ground again, and spoke in her lilting melodic voice, "That poor girl will only have 30 days before immora finishes consuming her from inside! She will turn into a demon and in 30 days I will come and take her! I will present her as a sacrifice to His Majesty Rogh, my beloved demon king of the abyss, when he comes up here in 30 days."

Her hazy mind could still process it. Thirty days. Immora will consume me from inside. I will be a demon. In 30 days, Rogh will come up here from the abyss. Rogh, a demon king. I will be sacrificed.

Her mouth opened, she tried to scream but failed. Only her tears that fell like rain in the storm. She struggled to find the man, and she found his eyes staring straight back at her. Worry was engraved within those mesmerizing eyes.

"Nerra! How dare you taking an innocent human as a victim!" Sylve raged.

But Nerra did not care. She walked backwards with an ugly grin on her face and disappeared when Sylve was going to attack her again. Her shrill laughter was heard all over the plain.

Charlotte shuddered, her body temperature seemed to have droppped by a couple degrees. The tip of her fingers began to turn blue. She opened her mouth, but only gurgling sound came out. The man who was holding her looked into her eyes, and she could hear him whisper. "Please hold on. Stay with me."

Sylve shook in anger and frustration. She had not used her full strength and sorcery in attacking Nerra just now. She was too worried that a full blown attack with all her sorcery strength would endanger the human beings there and provoke Nerra to do something catastrophic to those human beings. Her frail body bowed at the pressure of her worry. After a few seconds, she and her followers walked to the human beings: Dad, Michelle, Ellie, and Emily. Sylve patted Emily's forehead, and she whispered something to the girl. Emily let go of her Mom, and fell laying down on the ground. Sylve did the same to Dad and Michelle. Both fell on the ground. Ellie was already on the ground, passing out from her ordeal because of Nerra's possession of her, but Sylve went and checked on her anyway. The sorceress nodded after checking all the human beings on the ground.

"Wha-what—" only those that Charlotte managed to mutter.

Sylve walked to Charlotte, and she kneeled. "I promise that I do not harm them. They cannot see us. They are asleep now and when they are awake, they will not remember that they have experienced such strange, scary happenings at the hands of Nerra."

Charlotte blinked a few times, trying to process everything.

Sylve sighed. "We will take you to our abode. Though I am not sure I can get immora out of your body," the old sorceress looked like she was about to cry,"I am so sorry you fall victim to this whole madness, young lady. I saw what you did just now. You have saved the little girl by pushing her, and you were stabbed by immora instead. You are brave." Sylve took a couple deep breaths, her wrinkled fingers caressed Charlotte's cheek, and she said,"You are not going to see your family until you are healed, until immora is out from your body. They will be looking for you, but you cannot go back to them. It is too dangerous."

At the mention of her inability to go back to her family, Charlotte shivered harder and she shook her head. Tears streamed down her face as her body grew weaker, the coldness that had ravaged her made her feel weaker, her mind went fuzzier and fuzzier. Images of Dad and Mom flashed in her mind as the last faces she saw before she shut her eyes, and her body went limp in Arran's embrace.

Arran checked her pulse, and nodded to Sylve. "Weak," he muttered.

Sylve closed her eyes, then opened it again. She saw that Charlotte still have her slingbag slung across her body.

"Keep the bag. The content might help her hold on to her memories as immora eats her from inside. I do not know if it is possible to prevent her from becoming a demon ..." Sylve stared at Arran, she tilted her head like she was examining the warrior.

"You have seen her before today."

"Yes, Lady Sylve."

Sylve's gaze lingered on Arran like she was trying to delve into the depth of his heart, then she said,"Keep your heart steadfast in light, Arran. She will need you."

"It is my fault. I failed to stop immora just now."

"Blaming yourself is not going to help her."

Sylve stood up, motioning for Arran to carry Charlotte, and Arran complied. He lifted Charlotte and carried her in his arms.

They went back to the enchanted castle on top of the demonic chasm.

<<<>>>

It was like a long, grey dream for Charlotte. She walked in the middle of thick mist that did not seem to end. She kept stumbling and walking, she felt pain all over her body, and cold, she felt so cold like she was walking in the middle of winter with no jacket.

Memories of warmth and sunshine and spring seemed far away, as were memories of her parents, her friends, MissCharLee, Emily, all that had brought smiles to her.

The mist grew thicker, and she could not see the tip of her shoes in front of her.

Tears began to flow on her cheek, and her lips shivered from the cold.

Time had passed though she was not sure how long.

When her legs trembled too much to walk, she fell down.

But she did not fall on the solid ground, she just kept falling and she started screaming in horror.

She screamed till her throat hurt, and she felt someone grab her hands.

She awoke from the dream—still screaming.

An elderly woman sat in front of her, it was the sorceress' hands that held hers.

"You are awake," the woman nodded.

Charlotte sat up on a bed with four wooden pillars and a lace mosquito net that hung from the pillars. She shivered, tears had not stopped streaming down her face to her neck, and she was cold.

The woman in front of her was old, with a charisma that both scared her and calmed her. Her eyes were grey, and her lips thin. Charlotte could still see the beauty of her youth, youth that had passed so long ago, though the traces, the shape of which had lingered long after.

Then Charlotte took a look of herself. She wore a simple seamless white gown made from thin, almost see-through fabric. There was no bra or underwear underneath the knee-length sleep gown. The gown was actually too big for her, it had wide, round neck with some red cotton straps that tied in the front, her bare cleavage peeked from in between the ribbons. There was a bandage on her left shoulder, a black cloth bandage that contrasted her skin.

"What is your name, young lady?"

Charlotte shook her head, trying to claw back some basic memory in her mind. Her name.

"Char-Charlotte." She shook her head again, her hands were trembling."Where-where am I? I-I am c-co-cold..."

"You have passed out for two days, Charlotte. Immora has planted itself within you. It melted into you, it made you cold. No amount of cape, hood, or jacket will change that," the old sorceress answered matter-of-factly. "I dressed you, one of my followers helped me. Don't worry, my follower is a woman too. Thin gown like what you are wearing now help your skin breathe better. Let it be exposed to as much fresh air as it can while immora works its demonic effect within you. We hope it helps slow the ... the process."

Charlotte shook her head. Her long hair fell all over her face. "No, please help me. No, I-I don't want to be a demon." She paused and realized she had not asked an important question."Who are you?"

"I am Sylve. I am the leader of the Order of the Guardians of the Abyss. I am a sorceress."

"Sor-sorc ...wh-what? How—"

"There are much more to tell, but not now. I am preparing a potion to help get the immora out from you. Though I—" Sylve sighed.

"Wh-what?" Charlotte tilted her head, trying hard to get her voice out as clear and solid as possible, it sounded like she was shivering.

"I am not sure if it'll help."

Charlotte cried, a weak cry because she was just so cold, so scared, and so tired. Her eyes looked around the room. A high ceiling room with windows that were covered with thin red curtain, grey stone walls, and stone floor with dull red carpet. There was a simple oak table next to the door, and she saw her slingbag there.

"We keep your bag. Its content—may be important to keep you remembering who you are when immora eats more of your humanity."

Sylve just sounded too honest, too stiff and Charlotte cried louder. She did not plan her vacation to end up with her being a demon, Dad and Ellie and Michelle and Emily must be worried out of their mind now looking for her. This was not supposed to happen, not like this.

Her eyes scanned the room again. Someone was not there.

"Where is-where is he?" she looked at Sylve.

"Who?"

"The man who held me when I fell."

"Arran. He-he is the guard in this castle."

Arran. Charlotte repeated the name in her heart, and she remembered, her whole body remembered his warmth, his blue eyes, his worry.

"May I-may I see Arran? I would like to see him ... please," she was not sure why she had asked specifically that or if the sorceress would find it impolite that she asked that, but she could not care less. She lifted her chin up to boost her confidence. She just wanted to see him again.

Sylve's lips looked like it stiffened at the mention of Arran, her gaze lingered at Charlotte before she said, "The potion will be ready for you soon, Charlotte. Try to rest," Sylve did not seem to hear her question, instead the sorceress patted her hands, stood up, and walked out of the door as if she had done this every day of her life.

Charlotte sat up and trembled with tears that refused to stop falling. Strange how her body seemed to have grown slightly more adjusted to the coldness that came from within. The tips of her fingers had turned bluish but her shivering became a bit less intense.