A haunting, but beautiful song played through the thick frenzied battlefield. Rusty smell of blood clung thickly in the air, while the aftermath of the battle was over. Bodies littered on the floor, stacked on top of each other like dominos as the haunting quiet scene was present as if the god of Death himself had graced its presence.

In the middle of the field stood an angel, basking under the sunlight in her full glorified form. Black hair fluttered behind her, while the sun hit against her golden armor that shimmered like diamonds. Her hands were clasped around a simple sword decorated with soft round sapphires on its hilt entwined like leaves.

Wings slightly opening, it flapped lightly and ruffled as it closed gently behind her back as she let the warm breezes ruffle her pristine white feathers. Her left hand slowly reached up to her chest, resting as it clenched into a fist.

A strong, but sweet voice, sang an enchanting tune as if it's honoring the fallen warriors that died on the battlefield.

Her eyes were soft with sadness, but a hint of pride and kindness swirled in it, hidden behind her façade that she put up. A single jewel-like tear dripped down her lovely face. Eyes closed tightly, her chin tilted up into the sky, basking in the warm sunlight.

Far away from her, a pair of red hungry eyes gazed coldly at the young angel. It's dark silhouette slowly crept a bit closer to listen to the angel's song. Every step it took, a slow hunger twisted in the shadows face, staring at the angel like a predator hunting its prey.

Watching and waiting, listening to the haunting song that would endlessly drift in the air as it carried through the wind. All life forms and elements seemed to stop to listen to the angel's song.

From the shadow's lips, words formed, whispering its hatred as the world swirled and clashed between light and dark, disappearing like a dream.

#####

Snow woke up with cold sweat. The dream felt real, especially the cold red eyes that seemed to burn in her memories. Those eyes made her feel uneasy, almost as if the shadow was staring at her instead of the angel. For her dream to shit, made her wonder what had caused the sudden intrusive change that it worried her. Still, she cleared her mind. With a deep breath, she let out a sigh.

"Snow?" Dairen asked; he woke up when he heard Snow's sigh. He was next to the bed, concerned. Eyes crusted with eye booger, and his hair messy as usual.

Snow stiffly turned her head towards Dairen, who looked handsome. All his wounds and cuts were gone, and his skin was healthier than before.

A slight movement made her body freeze up in pain. Her lips tighten as the shock carried throughout her body down to her toes, where she felt a strange tingle. Muffled pain was heard from her lips as she swallowed stifling from crying. She didn't expect the pain to be so bad that it took a moment for her body to eventually relax as it finally went away. She then breathed in and out, opening her eyes.

With a tight breathe as if she was having difficulty speaking, she spoke. "Where are we?" Snow asked. She didn't expect her jaws to be hurting as well, making the conversation awkward.

"Your room."

"My room?" Now that she realizes it, scanning around, she was in her room just like he said. Her paintings were on the wall, while a small lamp that changes color every minute as it glowed gently was next to her on the stand.

"Yea, Heather and I brought you back here. She healed you while I carried you to bed. We thought you were going to die…." His voice trailed off.

"What exactly happened?" Snow tried to recall, but she couldn't remember. The last thing she could remember was shooting off her magic at the Manticore, and in exchange, getting hit.

Hit? Snow moved her hands to feel around the areas she got hit. Her fingers trailed from one wound to another, but only felt a sharp sting that dissipated like a slow throb.

"The manticore poison your system," Dairen continually spoke, watching her. "You started to go into cardiac arrest and eventually stopped breathing. I honestly thought you were gone." Guilt was ridden on Dairen's face.

"I'm guessing Heather came just in time to heal me." Snow understood right away what happened. The Manticore poison was deadly. She should have died, but it seemed that Heather's sea power countered the poison effectively, which impressed her. Heather's magic in healing wasn't as powerful as hers, but it was enough to do the job, which she felt that Heather has grown stronger.

"Yes, but…" Dairen uncomfortably shifted in his seat. He took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.

"She said she couldn't get rid of the poison completely because she wasn't strong enough. The chances of it rearing its ugly head is a high possibility, you already went into shock three times in the past three days."

Snow didn't expect it to be bad enough for her to get knocked out for so long. "Then, how am I still alive?"

"Well, that's the thing. You healed yourself." Dairen stated as if it was a normal everyday thing. "Every time you went into shock, a white energy enveloped you, subduing the flare."

Snow was surprised to hear that her healing ability improved dramatically, something like that had never happened before that she knew of. Then again, she was never put in such a dangerous position back.

"I…." Thinking over everything, she was then wondering why Dairen was still here. He could have escaped and left without his memory getting erased. She turned her gaze towards him, taking her time to actually make a good look at him.

Dairen flinched, a bit unsettled by Snow's fierce gaze, he wasn't sure what to do under her scrutinizing look. Finally, courage set in; he stood up a bit straighter and stared back with an equal amount of intensity.

"Thanks." He replied.

"For?" Perplexed by his sudden words, she was confused.

"For saving my life," said Dairen. Snow could tell that he was sincere about it. "For that, I'll repay you back, somehow."

Then it hit her, the answer she was looking for dropped on her lap without asking. Dairen wasn't the type to leave his savior just like that. He stood by her side when she was wounded badly and took care of her. She felt a warm, pleasant feeling of gratefulness as her view on Dairen had slowly begun to change.

"It's fine." She replied, trying to hide her embarrassment. The pleasant feeling was like a warm summer breeze that warmed her, giving her a vibrant feeling that she had never felt before.

"I mean it, Snow. Thank you." Dairen softly smiled, he then got up from his chair and started to head out the door. "I'll get you something to eat. You probably starving right now."

Like a sledgehammer, the moment Dairen stated such fact, she realized that her stomach was rumbling in a riot that it was hungry. At the rate it was going, she felt like she could eat three whole steaks without a problem. Dairen disappeared, leaving her behind, contemplating on what she really wanted to eat to wondering what he was going to cook for her.

Loud clunking sound of dishware hitting each other could be heard as Dairen was fishing up something for Snow to eat. A distinct smell of bacon cooking slowly crept into her room. Her hunger increased, even more, making her uncomfortable.

With a struggle, she pushed herself up into a better position. Her foot dragged out from under the cover. It landed with a thump on the soft carpet that tickled her toe. It took another great effort to pull her other foot out and let it drop onto the floor.

Who would have thought that it would take so much energy to move out of her bed? She realized that she made it for granted and felt a lot more respect for the people who were bedridden for life and grateful that she wasn't.

Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself onto her feet. Her body wobbled, her hands tightened momentarily, eventually allowing her to be able to stand. Her muscles were tight and sore as if she ran a long marathon.

On the other hand, taking her first step was a struggle. It took a few minutes for her to take her that step, then it took less and less time as she moved out of her room. Her hunger was the only thing that was keeping her mind occupied and driving her to move forward.

She felt pathetic and weak from the slow movement, making her feel helpless and out of control. She grit her teeth, temper slowly rising at the outrage of her pitiable circumstance, but she pushed forward to her destinations.

Her hand gripped the back as she pulled it towards her so she could sit down. A loud, scraping sound was made as she hoisted herself with great pain. She suddenly felt as if she lost all her energy from that short walk, making her frustrated.

Dairen turned around, holding the pan and a spatula, surprised to see Snow sitting down at the island. She was half leaning forward on her hand, propped. It was as if all the life in her had escaped from her body, leaving behind an empty shell.

"Snow? What are you doing here?" Dairen scooped the egg and bacon onto the plate. The toaster popped, bringing in a sweet smell of toasted bread as he reached over, placing the pan on the stove. He then grabbed the toast and put it on the plate.

Just when she was about to speak, the only sound that escaped her mouth was a tired breath. She slunk forward, even more to the point where her head was resting on the marble counter. Her energy was spent from that short walk, making talking difficult. Closing her eyes, she let the cold cool her down a bit, because her body was lightly sweating.

"Here." He placed the food in front of her. He then went to get the orange juice out from the fridge. "I was going to bring it to you."

Snow's nose flared from the sudden strong scent of food. Her eyes opened as she turned her head towards the welcoming hot food that was placed before her. It was a simple breakfast: scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast.

Dairen placed a glass of orange juice next to her. He walked over, shaking his head at her bent out shape. Gently, he reached over, pulling her back.

"Heather said you won't get your strength completely back for another three days." He frowned at her stubbornness to walk over to eat. "I'm surprised you even able to move." He grunted, displeased at her actions.

Snow arched one eyebrow at Dairen, then squinted at him. Silently, telling him that she was going to win against this pain.

Dairen rolled his eyes, he reached over to pick up to fork and handed it to her.

Snow shakily grabbed the fork, but the moment she attempted to pick up the fork, it felt like it was over fifty pounds, making eating extraordinarily tricky. With a loud clang, the fork fell onto the table. Silence followed after as they both stared at their fork on the ceramic plate.

A warm blush erupted on Snow's cheek, realizing how weak she seemed in front of Dairen. Hell, she felt pathetic.

"I'm guessing you need help," Dairen spoke, a small peevish grin erupted on his face. Snow glared at Dairen. That smile infuriated her to the point where she felt like his help was not needed, and she could tackle this problem by herself.

With great effort for such a small movement, she feebly reached over to grab the fork. Before she could grab it, Dairen reached over and picked it up himself.

"Here, let me help you." Dairen chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't bite." A smirk erupted fully on his lips, his eyes mischievous sparkled, waiting for Snow's reaction.

Snow gritted her teeth and gave him the fiercest angry, peeved glare, all mixed into one bundle, at Dairen. She was just too embarrassed to admit that she needed help but answered by baring her fangs at Dairen. It was like a rabbit feeding a wounded tiger, and she was the tigress.

"I-" A scoop full of scrambled eggs entered her mouth before she could finish her statement. Her mouth automatically started to chew, realizing that food was a lot more critical than her embarrassment right now.

"Good girl." Dairen snickered, enjoying. He couldn't help but continually feed her, chuckling.

Snow silently chewed, taking a bite after another. Now that she thought about it, it wasn't bad being personally fed. All she had to do was eat and not waste a single strength. The food that Dairen cooked wasn't so bad at all. Instead, it was pleasant to eat. Taking her time and enjoying the flavor, she eventually finished eating. With a satisfied smile, she leaned back on the chair and settled in, resting.

"Where did Heather go?" The much-needed food was what she really needed to kick back slowly to herself.

"She said she'll be back later tonight." Dairen got up and went to the sink to clean up. "If I understand correctly, she got something important to do today."

Snow knew that Heather had some kind of meet up that she needed to go to today, mainly because it was her clan meeting. She remembered hearing from Heather about how strict they were, and missing one was out of the question.

"She also told me to inform you that you don't have to worry about tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yea, about meeting someone at Cantasoa."

Instantly, Snow remembered the note that Mr. Jay had left behind. She was a bit disappointed in not being able to go herself. The reason was to figure out why her powers didn't work against him. On the other hand, the thought of erasing his memories had become less important than before. Instead, the reluctance of the idea of erasing his memory made her feel a bit regretful.

"Apparently, she'll be going there herself and just said to rest and get better." Dairen gave a slight chuckle. "She said, she'll bring back Jones, the rabbit, if you need of comfort. Apparently, it's done with its repairs?"

With a quick, sharp reply, Snow answered. "I do not."

It was so like Heather to worry about her. Sometimes a bit over worrisome to the point where she would embarrass her. Though, at the same time, she was part of the family, so she didn't mind.

Bringing up Jones, the stuffed rabbit, was a bit of an embarrassment. She still kept her old stuff animals with her for comfort.

"It's fine. I have one too. Mines called Sir. White, the terminator."

Snow wasn't sure if he was joking or not, but she tried her best to not get continuously embarrassed by him. This wasn't like her at all.

"My brother used to steal my stuff toy when I was young." He chuckled light-heartedly. "He would always say that it was his protection against the boogie man. I thought he was exaggerating at that time, but now that I think about it, maybe he wasn't."

Opening up the dishwasher, he put away the dishes. With a push of a button, the loud sound of the whirling machine cranked to life.

"Are Boogie Man's real?"

Snow replied. "Yes." Her throat felt dry. She reached over to take a sip. The sweet taste of orange slipped down her throat, giving the much-needed relief.

Dairen was silent as he walked over and took a seat. "You serious?"

She nodded her head. "The Boogieman is deprived of Middle English 'Booge' or 'Bugge,' which associates to hobgoblins. But, Boogeyman had popped up from all over the culture as a formless creature that came to terrorize young children. If they misbehave, they will go and get them."

"I remember my mom telling me the same thing…." His voice trailed off, reminiscing about the past.

"But you see, those Boogeyman are dark spirits or shadows that actually passed away. They are either harmless or dark spirits that actually came to do more harm than good."

"They can hurt you?"

"Yep." Snow yawned. Her eyes felt droopy from eating as she felt drowsiness slip in. Her minds were starting to haze out.

"Snow?"

"Huh?" Snow blinked a few times, but she was getting too tired to reply. She started to nod off. Soft, warm hands wrapped around her legs and shoulders, lifting her off from the stool. Startled, she snapped out of her sleepiness. Her head snapped upwards, staring straight at Dairen.

"W-what?"

"Get some rest." He quietly spoke, "this is just me thanking you."

She was flabbergasted at his reply. Never in her life was she so easily picked up by anyone, especially from Dairen, who did look like he would blow over with an easy push. To see that he had the strength to pick her up surprised her. Gazing up at his smooth skin, light pink lips, and eyes that stared forward into the distance with stern dedication, she realized that he wasn't bad looking at all.

"What happened to your glasses?" Her hand wrapped around his neck from the sudden jolt, where she felt like she was going to fall. The immediate thought of slamming into the ground wasn't something that she wanted to experience at all. What was worse was that it caused a sudden shock of pain that ran up and down her body. Her muscles tense up. A muffled groan broke out.

Dairen gazed down at her concerned. This time, he pulled her into his arm a bit more slowly in the hopes to not hurt her.

"It broke." He frowned. "I'll buy another one later."

"Actually, you look better without it." She complimented. This was the truth, the horrid glasses made his eyes look smaller, while without it freed up his looks, bringing out his natural long eyelashes.

Dairen didn't reply to her response, he gently placed her back on the bed. "Get some rest, Snow. I'll see you when you wake up."

Snow snuggled underneath her blankets, wrapping herself completely. She loved the soft feel of the sheet as she started to lull into sleep. "Thanks…."