Chapter 40: Darkness

DANICA

I quietly retreated from the bed, returning to my room that now felt shrouded in a gloomy darkness. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, the most pressing of which was the whereabouts of that damned scarf. Why had I stopped wearing it?

I rummaged through my closet, searched every drawer, but it was nowhere to be found. I gave up, but the thoughts and dreams wouldn’t let me rest.

I pulled on a pair of comfortable jeans and a loose sweater, the first items I found in my closet. Descending the stairs, I found Celeste in the kitchen. Something about her seemed off. She looked troubled.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” I asked, choosing not to mention her late-night coffee habit.

She looked up at me, her eyes serious. “Darling, it’s nine in the morning,” she said.

I smirked, glancing out the window at the darkness that reflected my own image back at me. “It’s dark out…” I tried to reason with her.

She stood and walked into the living room. Before following her, I checked the clock in the corner. It read nine a.m. I couldn’t help but think this was some practical joke she was playing.

In the living room, Celeste turned on the TV, a rare occurrence. She only kept it for the sake of having it. The news was on, and even there, the clock read nine a.m.

“People are disturbed by this phenomenal event,” one anchor said, her face a mix of amazement and fear as she tried to continue her report.

Celeste switched channels.

“Scientists have no explanation for this…,” another anchor said before Celeste sank into the couch, looking defeated.

“What does this mean?” I asked, noticing Hugo had joined us.

“It means the sky is down,” she said, her voice flat, her gaze distant.

“You mean the mythical sky?” I asked for confirmation.

She nodded lazily.

“Well… then what does this mean? Can people now see mythical?” I asked both Hugo and Celeste.

They were silent, their frowns deepening. The room was so quiet, I could have heard a pin drop.

“What can we do?” I asked again, but they just stared at me as if I’d lost my mind.

“What?” I asked again.

“Danica… you’re the only one who knows what to do,” Hugo said, barely meeting my gaze.

I laughed, but he wasn’t joking. “But I have no idea what I can do,” I protested.

He nodded. “I know. And that’s the problem.”

I sat down next to Celeste. “It’s my fault,” I whispered.

“Has this ever happened before? And what about Astra? Can’t she help?” I asked.

“A case like this has never been documented. If Astra could help, she would have already done it,” Hugo said.

“She can help me then, there must be something she can help with!”

Hugo snapped at me. “If she’s not here, she can’t help! Danica, she can’t help you with what she doesn’t know. All she can do is say what we can say. Just try your best to figure this thing out.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “Do you really expect me to know?” I asked him, my anger flaring. “I don’t know anything about what I’m supposed to do. It feels like yesterday I was living my normal life and now you want me to save the world?”

He buried his face in his hands, letting out a heavy sigh. “I’m the one who doesn’t know anything now!” His frustration was palpable. “All I know is that somehow you’re supposed to save mythical. You should have another voice in you that should guide you. I don’t know what else,” he said.

Yesterday, there had been a voice. But now, there was only my inner voice, pleading for someone to speak, to guide me.

I felt a lump in my throat, guilt washing over me for something I hadn’t even done. It was the fear of failure that was eating at me. If I failed, it would be my fault.

“But shouldn’t it only affect the sky in mythical? Why is it affecting the human world?” I asked.

“It’s still one sky, darling,” Celeste said.

“Then… what now?” I asked. “Do we just wait? Or am I supposed to do something now?”

“I’m clueless. But right now, I need to do what I can… Creed won’t stop hunting,” he declared, striding out the door.

Despite his anger, I trailed behind him into the darkness, the distant howls of dogs echoing in my ears. Our neighbors were cautiously stepping outside. A man, briefcase in hand, was heading to work, his gaze constantly shifting upwards as if expecting something to fall from the sky.

Hugo was about to climb into his car when I tugged him back. His face was a mask of frustration.

“You’re angry with me,” I said, stating the obvious. “I’m sorry that I don’t know what to do… I’m clueless… I wish I could help but… I just don’t know.”

“I’m not angry at you,” he replied, finally meeting my gaze. “Danica, this could all lead to war and nobody knows what to do… that’s the problem. And if there is a war, that might be why you have a guardian angel. I need to get to Creed’s, try to prevent what I can…”

“I’m coming with you,” I declared, sliding into his car.

The drive was short, but it gave me time to think. Something was nagging at me. A feeling in my chest. It reminded me of when I was a kid, singing in the choir. The butterflies in my stomach just before we stepped onto the stage. That same feeling was back.

“Hugo…”

He glanced at me briefly.

“Can you stop the car?” I asked.

He gave me a curious look but complied. I immediately got out and walked a little distance away. I noticed Hugo also got out, watching me warily.

I tilted my head back, looking up at the sky. It was pitch black, not a single star in sight. The only sources of light were the streetlamps and the headlights of Hugo’s car. The sky seemed empty.

I took a deep breath, feeling a heightened sense of awareness. I stared at the sky as if I was peering through binoculars, traveling through space to a vision. I saw women, many of them, crying and almost crawling under the weight of the sky.

It wasn’t clear until I saw the Eudora Atlas. They were all Celestial rulers, their faces adorned with stars and their hair sprinkled with stardust. Hundreds of them, all pleading for help.

One face stood out. It was similar to Daisy’s, it was Elena. But she hadn’t completed the transition… could they still bear the weight of the sky without fully transitioning?

I looked closer and saw that they were trapped. Trapped beneath the sky. They were holding on as best they could, but some were already on their knees, sweat pouring down their faces.

Why were they trapped…? I wondered, looking deeper. It was too much for them, they were burning out. Like stars, sacrificing their energy for the sky… but something had caused it to collapse.

My vision continued and I saw the end of the sky. An end I never thought existed, but there it was, tearing open into nothingness.

The Celestial rulers weren’t just holding up the sky… they were also pulling it down. There were too many of them… I needed to free them or the sky wouldn’t last.

Somehow, I had to reach them.

I snapped back to reality. Hugo was already by my side.

“I need to see Astra,” I said.

He glanced at me. “I’ll bring her to you,” he replied, about to get back in the car when someone tapped my shoulder lightly.

“Hello Danica, I’m your guardian angel, here to guide and protect you,” said a young woman dressed in black workout gear. She smiled at me confidently, a sense of pride in her eyes.

I had no idea what she meant, but she didn’t back down or say anything else.

I looked at Hugo, who was staring at the ground. Did he know something?

“I was sent here,” she said, breaking the silence.

“Why are you…” I began, but stopped when I noticed seven others approaching, exchanging knowing glances.

“What are you all doing here?” I asked.

“I’m your…” one began, but three others finished his sentence.

“Guardian angel,” they said in unison.

I looked at my hand, the symbol of my guardian angel glowing bright red.

They all exchanged looks before one spoke. “I’ve only heard of one person being assigned multiple angels. But we were taught that was a myth.”

“What does it mean?” I asked.

“It implies you’re in a much deeper peril than we initially believed.”