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117. Academy
Last Updated:
2024-07-12 23:50:17
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Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 118. Aspect
Callista.I cannot believe it.There, in between a boy who looks very young and another girl, Jenny stands, staring bewildered at the explosion of light that filled the ceiling of the hall with light spheres, bobbing serenely. Her mouth is open in wonder. She wears the robes of the students, grey colored with pants underneath, with their cloaks held together by iron chains.The light reflects on her lovely dark skin, and now I can see how unhealthy she’d looked before. Her hair and skin used to look dull, her eyes surrounded by more creases, and her face gaunt. But now, she looks different, happy, excited…And she's too busy staring at everything else to notice me.Not that I blame her, because this place is amazing, but I had been worrying about the bears getting to her the last time I saw her, and my protective instincts rise within."Callista!" Ophelia hisses me. "You can't disturb the ceremony!""That girl," I hiss back. "She's human! I know her!""She's not human, she's the one I
Last Updated : 2024-07-13Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 119. Jenny
Callista."Oh my God!" After the ceremony, Jenny runs towards me and jumps, wrapping her arms around my shoulders as she traps me in a tight embrace, I bury my face in her shoulder and take a deep whiff of her scent, familiarizing myself with her according to wolf tradition. I hope she isn’t creeped by it. "You're alive! You're alive!"I laugh with happiness. "I am, alive and safe. I never thought I'd see you again!""I thought those men killed you!" She says in a shaky voice and her arms around me tighten. "I'm so glad they didn't."They certainly tried, but I don't think telling those details to a sixteen-year-old is wise. The last thing I want is to give her more trauma."My pack saved me before they could do anything like that," I tell her instead.She untangles herself and holds me at arm's length, her big, brown eyes scanning my being with awe."You're really a werewolf?" she asks reverently. "And you have a pack?"I nod. "Yeah. It's called the Rexellen pack.""Oh wow," she mutt
Last Updated : 2024-07-13Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 120. Extinct
Callista.The next day, the Headmistress looks at me and hums contemplatively."Perhaps you ought to take a break today."That was after I failed to break a fragment for the third time that day. I don't know what's wrong with me, but every time I try to go into my mind, I get lost, and phantoms make me lose track of the chant. Also, I don't end up in the orchard, I end up in various places of my past.It was annoying the first few times, but I felt particularly drained and exhausted after the last attempt."Yeah," I sigh. "I think that's a good idea.""Come walk with me." The Headmistress invites me as I scramble up from the ground, "Sometimes fresh air is the best cure for a troubled mind."We walk from the meditation room to the hospital. It's near noon, and the sun shines ever so brightly above the clouds, which move like cotton swabs through the clear blue sky. The mountain air is crisp and dry, the fog has reduced a bit today. Witches stroll around, guiding enchanted baskets heav
Last Updated : 2024-07-13Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 121. Manticore
Callista.“What is that?!” I scream, tensing as another roar follows the first.It sounds like the wail of a wounded animal, a strange trumpet quality mixed with the growl of a predator, echoing through us. It's as if an elephant and a lion were sounding at once.From above, we can hear the witches screaming. That cannot be a good thing. During my time being here, I’ve never seen the witches panic like this."Oh, no!" The Headmistress exclaims, and the next thing I know, she’s rushing to the hospital. I know that at the moment, what I'm supposed to do is run far away from the hospital and let the experts handle it. After all, I was just a patient in the hospital, a werewolf who couldn't even transform. There is nothing I can do to help.But logic had never been my strongest suit.So, I run after the Headmistress and enter the hospital. People are all running in the opposite direction, towards the entrance, novice physicians, orderlies, nurses, and patients. It's a hassle to get insid
Last Updated : 2024-07-15Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 122. Amulets
Callista.The griffin never gets to attack us.It squawks as I hear it hit something, a thump coming from the impact, and I raise my head to see.Surrounding me, here was a light purple translucent shield.It is dome-shaped, trapping the students and me inside a large bowl. I feel tingly all over looking at it. The color of the shield is familiar, and my eyes immediately snap to my hand. It’s so beautiful and mesmerizing.My ring is glowing.My ring is glowing purple like a light, and I feel waves of slight buzzing erupting from the crystal sphere on it. It feels as if the ring is alive. The ring was protecting us.The griffin, who'd been thrown backward by the impact squeaks again and charges at us. When it hit the shield again, I feel the impact upon myself too."Callista, how are you doing that?!" Jenny asks, her voice hysterical. She clings to me from behind as I crouch in front of her, holding my crossed hands above my head."I don't know." I grit my teeth as the griffin flies in
Last Updated : 2024-07-15Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 123. Shield
Callista.The smithy is a cave that is located deep in the mountain. It's hidden from the outside with the same vines and creepers that decorate most of the old buildings in the Guild. Two large doors that open upon the touch of a witch guard the entrance to the smithy. They open with a deep groan as the Headmistress touches them."The smithy is run by Master Tsertinand," says the Headmistress when the doors still open. "He's an expert in magical devices, especially amulets. He was the one who made Matron Aldar’s staff. Amulets and sigils help us focus our powers more, and we often wear them to do heavier tasks. But be wary, he's not the most social fellow. He resides within this cave and never comes out unless it's absolutely necessary. I haven't seen him in two years, in fact."That sounds like quite the character. I wonder why he dislikes the company that much. "Are you certain that we won't be intruding upon him, then?" I ask the Headmistress.She scoffs, "oh, nonsense. Even if i
Last Updated : 2024-07-15Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 124. Interlude
Interlude.Hidden by the tall trees that shelter the mountain top, a man watches the Witches Guild. His eyes track what most won’t notice, and his senses perceive the unperceivable. The witches are clever, with their spelled barriers and their cloaking enchantments, but they are still young.None of their little tricks work for a creature like him.He watches as the manticore wreaks havoc in the hospital.He watches as the griffin escapes its confinement.He watches as a brave young woman conjures a mauve shield to protect a group of children.The creature’s eyes narrow, and he watches her closely.After the havoc is managed and the children are safe, his eyes follow the young lady as the old Ksialite leads her away. He follows her as she disappears to the other side of the mountain.Dark hair, emerald eyes, fair skin. Effortlessly beautiful, catching the eyes of all that she meets.Oh, how that never changes. Some things will remain constant until the end of time.The man, the creatu
Last Updated : 2024-07-15Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 125. Defeated
Callista.I gasp as I come out of the episode, and I can still feel that dark monster trying to fight me. Trying to catch my breath, I look around. It’s still storming heavily outside, and rain splatters on the windows. The room is plunged into silence with the notable lack of chanting.It was still raining, but peculiarly, I am not in an episode.Needing to make sense of this, I rush towards the candle table, and lo and behold every single candle was unlit and blackened.Giddiness and joy build inside of me as I stare at the blackened candle. A grin starts to stretch my lips.Is this what I think it is?!As soon as the witches who worked with me opened the door, I let out a yell."It worked! Oh, my Goddess, it worked! I’m free!"Physician Okorie smiles at me."I knew you could do it, Callista!” she says. “Congratulations, you defeated all your demons!"The physicians come toward me, and we embrace, laughing and giggling like crazy. And maybe we were because we did it! Our effort was
Last Updated : 2024-07-15
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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
