Violet Eden Chapters 04 - Endless

squinting into the light. One of them was there, I just couldn’t tell which one.
    ‘Is this it?’ I asked, still struggling with each breath as I tried to get to my knees. I didn’t care who it was, I just couldn’t let my guard down. ‘Is this the freaking “bright light” everyone talks about? Because if it is, let me tell you, your customer service desk is going to be overflowing with unhappy clients.’
    ‘We don’t provide service beyond expiry.’
    Nox.
    My eyes began to adjust and confirm just that, then they widened. ‘You look ridiculous!’ I said. I couldn’t stop staring. He was dressed in full leathers, very different from his usual suave and sophisticated wardrobe. I wasn’t about to admit it to him, but he looked hot. Like some kind of fantastical creature painted in a shade of honey to match his shoulder-length hair – that was currently blowing freely despite the still air.
    ‘You could make a fortune as a portable wind machine,’ I quipped.
    Nox smiled knowingly.
    ‘I thought you might like this. I believe I spy a tinge of pink in those cheeks.’
    ‘If you’re going to ask me out on a date, the answer is no,’ I snapped, getting to my feet.
    He threw his head back and laughed. ‘I’d sooner throw myself into the pits of Hell.’
    I blinked. ‘That was harsh.’
    ‘That was honest. Though… I will admit that of all humans you do… intrigue me at times.’ He looked me up and down as if he could see Lincoln’s and my bond. ‘I see you’ve made your choice then,’ but his smile was secretive and unnerving.
    I put my hands on my hips. ‘What is this, anyway? Where are we?’
    ‘A dream.’
    ‘You put me under? You can do that?’ I questioned, alarmed.
    He shrugged, looking his outfit over. ‘If necessary.’
    ‘Why? Why didn’t you just cross the realms?’
    ‘The Hag might’ve sensed my presence. We thought that unwise.’
    ‘Do you think the colour is right?’
    ‘What?’ I asked, increasingly confused with his left-field comments.
    ‘The outfit. Do you think I should’ve gone with the more predictable black?’
    I huffed. ‘Nox, there are children here. At least a hundred of them. Lilith is going to sacrifice them and I can’t save them all! And you’re worried about the colour of your stupid outfit? What’s wrong with you?’
    His eyes narrowed, his usual off-hand attitude gone. ‘I’m eternal. I have time to ponder when it suits me. Do not group us as like beings.’ The desert fell into darkness. Shadows, impossibly thick and opaque closed in around me, rising from the ground and falling from the sky. My throat started to constrict with fear.
    ‘You think you know me?’ Nox bellowed. ‘Can you feel me?’
    The shadows increased, moving through me, tearing at the very fabric of my existence, and somehow I knew that if left to their own devices they would happily hold me for all eternity.
    ‘I am everywhere. I am not one, not many! I am Malign!’ He roared, his voice surrounding me, his menacing power reverberating through every particle of air.
    Suddenly, he was in front of me. I gasped. It would take barely a thought for him to kill me.
    But just as quickly as it had fallen, the darkness receded into daylight. The searing sun returned and he moved in closer than usual, his hair blowing once more in the non-existent breeze.
    He regarded me patiently.
    I swallowed, careful not to make a sudden movement. ‘I like the colour,’ I said.
    He nodded and stepped back to his place. ‘I think you’re right. It stands out. Says I’m a leader, not a follower.’
    Silence rang loud until Nox chose to speak again. A chair appeared from out of nowhere. He sat. ‘You should sit, too.’
    I looked around, not wanting to upset him again. ‘There are no more chairs,’ I said.
    He looked at me like I was an idiot. ‘This is a dream. Create one.’
    I shook my head. ‘I’ll stand.’
    He shrugged. ‘Are you confident in your choice?’
    ‘Well, I don’t know how to make a chair,’ I argued.
    He snapped a wrist at me. ‘Keep up! Not the chair. You are locked in a cage. You are at the Hag’s mercy. Your mother captured. Your love imprisoned.’
    ‘We’re trying to save the children.’
    ‘Where is your army?’
    I shook my head. ‘I don’t have an army. I… We had to come alone.’
    A slow smile spread across his face. ‘Come now, young one, tell me what we both know.’
    I didn’t respond.
    His smile broadened. ‘You have not come alone