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106. Interlude
Last Updated:
2024-05-17 21:47:09
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Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 107. Meditation
Callista."So," I say, leveling everyone with dubious looks. "You guys talked for like, five days, and came to the conclusion that the cure I need is...meditation?"I try not to sound too condescending, because even though the idea seems silly, these guys are witches with immense magical power, and it was never a good idea to cross them.But still, meditation! They had magic and they wanted me to do meditation?!The Headmistress gazes at me serenely, unbothered by whatever it was I was trying to imply."Yes, meditation, while the physicians try to replace the dark magic that resides in your mind with light." She adds the part I conveniently left out.It had been five days since I came to the Witches Guild. After Theon left, I was told by the Headmistress that I could keep on using the room until they moved me to the hospital for my future treatments upon their decision.For five days, all I'd gotten was radio silence. In the meantime, I was told to enjoy my 'holiday' leisurely. Easie
Last Updated : 2024-05-23Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 108. Thunder
Callista. Their voices are deep and melodious, echoing off the building’s walls. As the chanting goes on, I feel the rain looming in, and try not to panic. Thunder rumbles and lightning flashes. I can feel little starbursts appear behind my closed eyes, and pain starts to shoot from the back of my head.Holding onto the lulling rhythm of the chant and regulating my breath, I feel as if I'm falling into another world. The starbursts mold into pixelated pictures, and my body feels as if it's floating. But the chant is always there, I do not let it go. I breathe, I exhale. The misshapen pixels start to get clearer.I'm in a tunnel lit by ethereal lights, and there is a door at the end. It's holding something in, and I feel the pain shooting from there. Something in me tells me to go there and I obey. The chant is ringing in my ears, and I inhale and exhale. I start to walk towards the door.The further I go, the more I feel the pain. I feel it take over my whole head, and it's hard to h
Last Updated : 2024-05-31Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 109. Ring
Callista. With a gasp, I open my eyes to the waking world.The jitters, the shock, and the disconnect is the same as before when I wake up from an episode. But this time, there is a glaring difference.This time, I remember what happened. I remember the orchard, I remember seeing Farris. I remember the blackness.And I remember hearing Theon’s voice. I remember the rope.The chanting had stopped, and so had the storm. The Headmistress crouches next to me, her arm on my shoulder. She peers at me with those deep grey eyes."Callista," she says. "You held on until the very last moment. But suddenly your concentration broke.'"I remember," I tell her, "I remember the episode."Her eyes widen, and she looks at the round candle table. There, near the edge, one single candle had gone out. And half of it is pitch black colored.The Headmistress gets up to walk towards the candle. She picks it up from the white end and tries to touch the dark part. But upon contact, she hisses and draws her f
Last Updated : 2024-07-10Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 110. Burns
Callista.I let go of the ring as if it burns. As soon as it loses contact with my skin, the eerie glow stops."Did you see that?!" I exclaim, glancing at the Headmistress and back at the ring. "Is that normal?"The Headmistress shakes her head, her eyes wide. "No, it is not. It doesn't happen in the hands of non-magical supernaturals."We both stare at the ring for a beat.Now that I look closely, what an ancient piece of jewelry it is. The circular band is a dark color that looks a bit greenish, and the crystal sphere doesn't shine as much as newer crystals do. There are some carvings on the outside, but none is clear enough to be decipherable.It’s cold to the touch now. But when I picked it before, I swear it hummed against my skin."Take the ring to your hand." The Headmistress instructs me. "It might just be a fluke, but it never hurts to rest again.”I heed her order, and the crystal begins to glow. I lift it off the chest.Then I feel it.A tiny vibration emanating from the ri
Last Updated : 2024-07-10Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 111. Origin
Callista. "A stealer?" The Headmistress repeats, as if she's confused. And then in a moment, realization dawns upon her. "Ah, yes, you are a stealer too.""Yeah," I admit, a little ashamed of my condition. "People consider me a taboo, and my previous pack basically exchanged me for land when they found it out.""I'm very sorry to hear that, Callista. No creature, whatever their circumstance be, does not deserve to be treated as such." She looks sincere and her tone is fierce, so is the indignation in her eyes, which I am stunned to realize is on my behalf. I shoot her smile of gratitude, and nod, which relaxes the set of her shoulders. "That being said, stealers are very specific to Were kind. You cannot find such creatures in other species. And throughout the years, I've noticed that most of the stealers to exist are born into wolf packs.""Have you met a stealer before?" I ask, taking a bite of my salad which I upgraded with salami and chickpeas."No, I can't say I have. I only bec
Last Updated : 2024-07-10Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 112. Gaul
Callista."She killed him?!" I cry out, my pitch squeaking. Werewolf legends are particularly rife with copious amounts of violence, so I should’ve expected that, but still!"Indeed so.” The Headmistress responds, calming arranging her food to be consumed. "And then she avenged her fallen pack and decimated the rival pack by enticing them with her scent."Not going to lie, Lucienne was kind of a badass."And then what?""Then she disappeared. Legend says she died soon after. Her love for her mate drove her to be maniacal, and before she could go fully rogue, she killed herself." The Headmistress finishes the story. "Legend also says the soul that resided in Lucienne's body latched onto a newborn baby girl as soon as she passed, who was in the vicinity. A soul can never die, and the woman cursed herself to never reach the afterlife. Her soul roams the earthen plane for an eternity, and whoever it gets latched onto becomes the stealer."I'm truly speechless after this story. I've never h
Last Updated : 2024-07-12Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 113. Phone call
Theon. I’m making an inventory of the tower ammunition when I get a call from an unknown number. "That's strange," I muse, staring at the screen and trying to flit through all the contacts I knew in my head to see where it was coming from. Werewolves never really got unknown contacts like this; we pretty much knew everyone around.Kellin walks over to me and takes a look of his own at the screen."Huh. Isn't that your personal number?" He asks, "The one you only give to your most trusted and guard like a dragon with an egg?"I roll my eyes, "I don't guard it. I’m cautious, aren’t you the one who used to rag me about having a sense of self-preservation worth an Alpha King?""Well, I sure am glad you’re taking me up on that so well.” I decide to ignore his sass and press the green call button."This is Theon Rexellen," I answer, instead of saying 'hello', "Who is this?""Theon?" A familiar female voice comes from the other side, and I stand straight up, "it's Callista. Sorry for the n
Last Updated : 2024-07-12Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 114. Heal
Callista.As the days go by, fragment by fragment, I heal.I honestly did not think it would be possible, but turns out, I shouldn’t really question the experts no matter how absurd their methods seem. After all, they were experts for a reason.I was moved to the hospital after the first session, where I got my own level of room. The same wards that were in the tower were placed here and they kept the nightmares at bay.The room I got was not open like the rest of the hospital was, but surrounded by linen curtains that were a light beige draped around cherry wood pillars that supported a circular roof. My bed was in the middle of the room, and at the foot of the bed, there was a chest, which was full of the robes worn by the patients of the hospital. They were a very light aqua color, and as everything in the Guild was, enchanted so they were warm when it was cold and vice versa, light and flowing. Some preferred to wear pants underneath, some didn't. Anyone was free to accessorize th
Last Updated : 2024-07-12
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Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 322. Epilogue
CallistaTen years later.I stand in front of Lily Lane Pup Daycare after ending my workday at Rexellen University, holding a stack of books in my arms trying to shove them into the backpack I’ve taken with me.It’s three in the evening, and the kids should be out in a few minutes.It’s summer again, the weather is pleasantly warm, and everything brims with life. There are bees flying everywhere, suckling nectar out of the numerous fully blossomed Leanderrs.The Rexellen pack town is as busy as ever, with people bustling around after clocking off from work, going on their errands, and their outings.Everyone seems happy, and they’re open and very friendly.Upon noticing me, everyone who passes greets me with a simple.“Good evening, Luna!”“Good evening to you too!” I always greet back.Some parents stop by near the daycare to collect their children, and we start pleasantly conversing with each other.I’ve been the Luna Queen of the Rexellen pack for ten years now, and honestly, those
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 321. Ceremony
CallistaFour weeks later.I walk down the shoveled path with a single lily flower in my hand, a smile on my lips, and my heart overflowing with joy.I’m dressed in an ankle-length, heavy-set gown that accentuates my form as if it had been sewn with me in my mind.It’s a silverish white in color in accordance with tradition, and a million tiny rhinestones create spiraling patterns all over the skirt. The long sleeves and the woolen cloak that accompany them give me warmth on the cold winter night.On my neck, there is a white gold necklace with a diamond as the pendant, the only piece of jewelry I wear, which is a gift from the witches who'd arrived a day before to celebrate the ceremony.The mating ceremony for Theon and me.In the background, a string quartet, comprised of two maids of the Rexellen pack castle and two guards, plays a tune that I can't quite name but can’t help but think is so apt for the situation.On either side of me, my closest friends whom I consider my family s
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 320. Gift, not Curse
CallistaA week later.Valencia Everhart was sentenced to life in prison by the Supernatural Council for assisting the devil in his criminal endeavors such as kidnapping and harboring a werewolf, orchestrating a pack takeover on the orders of the devil, attempted killing of two pack members of the Rexellen pack and the biggest crime of them all, assisting the devil in massacring the entire Galdine pack.I thought the last one was a bit harsh because Valencia never really did know about that charge, but as Valencia had confessed in the court, she’d given the devil the location and information regarding her pack.She had been under the impression the devil was going to protect the Galdine pack from Theon’s retaliation against the pack takeover, but she’d been lied to.We attended the court on the same day as Valencia did, and I’m sure that the cries that ravaged her as she learned the horrible fate that befell her pack would never stop haunting my nightmares.I felt sorry for her, and a
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 319. Afterlife
CallistaQaetanya and Xaveraq reached the afterlife together.One was willing, the other was not. One sacrificed herself, while the other, well, I had to kill the other.Xaveraq’s soulless body lays in the circular chamber, and I don’t look at it again as we exit the room, both of us still in wolf forms.I feel numb as we stumble out of the temple as soon as possible after I release the devil’s and the deviless’s souls into the gateway.None of us speak, although I could feel everyone except Theon patiently waiting for the right moment. They look stunned as we walk through the doorway. For a moment I’d been afraid the doorway wouldn’t be present because of it being only shown with the blessing of a devil and all, but fortunately, it stands.As soon as we all exit the temple doorway, it starts to shudder. And then the most bizarre thing happens.Numerous high-pitched screams ring through the air, and greyish white mist starts to shoot from all directions towards the doorway, getting su
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 318. Defeat
TheonI can’t process half the things that are happening as I stand outside the little circular room, trying and failing to get in.One moment, Callista is being choked by the devil, and the next moment, in the place of Callista, stands a majestic white wolf! The wolf shimmers as if she were the Moon Goddess herself in wolf form, stepping down from the moon to aid us in our time of need.But when the wolf looks at me for the briefest moment and howls in ecstasy, I realize that this wolf is no Goddess.That’s my mate!After months, no, years, of agonizing, Callista has finally found her wolf.But then she turns towards Xaveraq and leaps towards him with no hesitation.My scream deafens my own ears, wondering what the hell she was doing. I witness the whole scene as if it’s unfolding in slow motion.As Callista nears the devil, whose shadows are closing in on her to consume her, a flash of blinding white light erupts from her, filling the room with a glow akin to the sun.I shield my e
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 317. Amazed
QaetanyaHer wolf is beautiful, reminiscent of the first wolfwoman I met in the forests of Gaul all those years ago.She is larger than most wolves, were-creature or otherwise, and when she stands, she cuts a majestic figure, even in the confines of the squat, circular room. Her coat is a silverish white, and it glistens as if it was created by moonlight, as if the Goddess molded the wolf herself.Her emerald eyes shine as she stares at Xaveraq in confusion, and amazement, stunned to her very core.She can’t still process that after years of hope and dream, she’d finally transformed into her secondary form.I had watched her wolf grow from a pup to an adult within her as I was trapped in her mind ever since she was born. Throughout the three thousand years I’ve been with Callista’s bloodline, I’ve witnessed hundreds of pups being born within the babies, but never have I seen a wolf as beautiful as this one.Even I was in awe when she first appeared, sleeping soundly, growing along wit
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 316. Shift
CallistaThe very first time I witnessed a werewolf’s first shift I was just five years old.It was at a birthday party, and of course, it was for Ruelle.Naturally, almost everyone from my adoptive parents’ families was invited. I liked my relatives because they didn’t favor Ruelle over me to the extent my parents did. At this time, all I had were Ruelle’s hand-me-downs. Her clothes, her toys, her books…The only thing I had for myself was a pair of shoes because Ruelle’s feet had always been smaller than mine, and there was no way my feet could fit in her shoes.I loved those shoes so much.That didn’t mean I never got gifts. My parents’ relatives would always give me presents of my own when they came to visit. It didn’t matter if it was Ruelle’s birthday or mine.It didn’t matter if it was a special day, a holiday, or even a plain, random visit to see how we were doing: clothes, shoes, toys, and new books; everything a little girl could want.Granted these things would be taken awa
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 315. Goodbye
Callista“My, my, Qaetanya, you’re actually stronger than I thought. Here I thought that you wasted it all by giving that werewolf a special scent,” the devil taunts the deviless as he circles us, his eyes set on us as if he’s a predator.“I was blessed by the Goddess,” arrogantly, Qaetanya declares, flexing her digits so the electric sparks flicker around them. “Such a power cannot be hindered by anything, least of all you!”“All except the summer solstice,” Xaveraq grins before hurtling another wave of shadows towards her.Qaetanya ducks them swiftly, and the shadows hit the wall behind us, getting absorbed into the stone. Using her momentum, Qaetanya attacks Xaveraq with a light wave of her own, which Xaveraq detracts by a shield of shadows.“I told you that information because I trusted you,” Qaetanya replies to the jab. “Because I believed the man I loved wouldn’t even think of hurting me with that information. But you did exactly that. You might preach about me manipulating you
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 314. Monsters
TheonA pillar monster falls right in front of me, nearly crushing me, but I jump away just in time. The sheer force of the fall breaks its stone arm in two, and the eerie silverish glow in its eyes subsides. The pillar monster stops moving.“I think he died,” I tell Haden, who is panting on the other side of the fallen monster.This is the only one that we managed to fall, and by the looks of it, kill.“Holy shit, did that actually work?” Kiran screeches.He was the propellent of bringing the monster down. Now, he jumps back to the ground from the shield he’s been standing on and jogs closer to the pillar monster.Tentatively, he reaches out and touches its cracked shoulder, where some of the previously seen symbols are visible. I remember them running all around the pillars before the monsters came into being, glowing.I look at him and nod, trying to confer my thoughts via body movements.Yes, I think it actually worked.“Guys, we managed to bring a monster down!” Kiran yells back
