"She refuses to accept me as her mate," Xavier explains to another annoyingly beautiful man with slanted eyes, "she's completely different than before."
"Well, I mean, they performed the Sharuken ritual on her," her companion replies... Yi, I think her name is.
"The old witch never finished! I think." He protests rather feebly.
"Honestly, I don't understand why you had to tie her up. Surely she's not so stupid to think she can escape us, weird amnesia problem or not.
"You don't understand, Yi. She's acting like a crazy person.
"I doubt it. More than likely, you're the one acting like a crazy person.
"Oh yeah? Well, you'll talk to her then," Xavier bellows with a note of frustration.
"I think I will."
The slender werewolf stands up and walks toward me, smiling wildly. I feel the urge to punch him in the face, but I can
Without another word, I walk away, heading into the deep forest. I still hear voices behind me, and when I pass through a few trees, I stop."She's almost exactly as she was before I rescued her in the forest," Xavier's voice echoes, "even though she remembers most of what happened afterwards.""I wouldn't give up hope with her just yet," Yi replies, and then a heavy silence fills the air. I listen for another second, but nothing happens. I've heard enough anyway, I guess.Running further into the forest, I find a large tree not far from the clearing. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a small dark shadow leaning against the tree.A Shifter.I try to figure out what the creature is doing and why it is there. The coldness embraces me, and the dark feelings that usually arise after such an encounter are greatly minimized. For some reason, I am not afraid.I don
I made sure to sleep near the trees, as far away from the others as possible without being considered suspicious. Xavier fell first, then Danae's eyes closed quickly, then Yi started snoring like a freight train. Ah, how I love loud snoring.I wait a few minutes, lying on my back and looking straight up at the sky. Not a star is up there, only real black, the same black that covers this whole landscape. I haven't seen real natural light from the sky since we got here.There is always a haze, a thick fog that spreads across the sky and the forest. It doesn't seem like this place ever gets rain or any kind of irregular weather. If this is the same place as my dream, it will always look like this. Which would be explainable, if this place is in fact the land of the dead.I never imagined that hell would be quite like this. I always thought of a world of fire, endless smoke, and screams of terror, and this world seems anti-c
I stare at the body beside me, wondering what I should do.The red-haired man looks like a gangly puppet; bent, broken and lifeless. His breathing has almost completely stopped and his face is a strange shade of purple. How do you revive a dead man? Should I leave him and try to escape?For some reason, I can't put it aside. I walk over, looking at his bloody head and body. It looks like his head hit the side of that well pretty hard. At least I think we fell into the well.He looks familiar to me, as do the other strange werewolves I've seen since I landed in this strange place. There's something about him I can't quite place.I raise my hand to his shoulders and head, twisting his body to rest on my bruised legs. Examining his face and hair carefully, I notice a gigantic gash running down the back of his skull. It doesn't seem to be healing like a normal werewolf wound would. In fact, none of my br
For the first time, it rains.It pounds the stone walls, swirling around the spires and turrets. It caresses the clear windows, dripping from each stone like blood. It must be the wrath of God, coming to us in liquid terror... a symbol of worse things to come.He turns away, overwhelmed by the endless sight of rivers flowing from above, washing the earth with coin. Never before has he experienced such fear, shaking his soul with overwhelming intensity. The old one is overthrown, the regime is coming to an end. But it is difficult for him to grasp - the "end".The end exists only in relation to the beginning, the omega to the alpha, and there is no beginning here. There is only the "is," the simple state of being that extends beyond what the eye can see. No one knows when it began; it was just-was, and is, and always will be.The continuous roar of the darkening clouds as they hurry to take the earth
"Oh! Oh, nothing. It's just... did you feel that? I feel the walls building as fast as they fell; the shaking begins, the nerves jump. How did I fall apart so easily?"Feel what?" He looks at me, then at the sky. His eyes are dark, frightening, with his face darkened by a kind of depression. "I think there might be a little rain shower on our way."It hurts."No, no," I mumble, "well, yes. Rain. But that's not what I'm talking about."It's pounding in my head, my sanity."Mona, please tell me.""It's the...the voices! Don't tell me you can't hear them. I try to cover my ears, but it bursts out anyway, scaring me with its ferocity. "It's so loud.""It's just us here," Griffin tries to calm me down, "there are no voices except yours and mine."My vision blurs, but I can vaguely make out spheres of light bouncing around
This can't keep happening to me. My emotions are seriously out of whack.I don't know how many times I've accepted my death over the past few months and kind of lived to see the next day. The first few times I just thought it was lucky. Okay, I'm saved, what a miracle.But the reality is, I quickly realized, that this stupid idiot is seriously the best guardian angel ever. His timing is also impeccable. He couldn't find us five minutes ago when we were barely swimming in our prison, when we weren't laughing and crying like idiots. No, he has to rush out on his white horse when I'm getting ready to meet Satan. Or God. Or both."It was nice of you to come," I mutter under my breath, feeling more than a little bitter at both the moment of his appearance and the emotions bursting through me."It's nice, isn't it?" Xavier's voice echoes, and I turn my expressionless head toward the water that is rising fu
I face them all, water dripping from my nose and chin, pleading with a resolve I didn't know I had. "Please," I say softly, but it soon becomes more than a word. It grows beyond that, beyond me and anything I could hope to accomplish. I can feel the desperation emanating from that one word, watch the word fade from my ear but grow in its deliverance. And as I watch in amazement, everything seems to come out of the well.I could see everything, every emotion coming together to form a strange essence that rose higher and higher. It shines with a thousand lights to fight the darkness, a life that embraces the land of the dead.A smile graces my lips as suddenly the collective dissipates, flying almost at lightning speed to all the edges of the glades. I can see the Shifters becoming visibly brighter, as if they themselves had received a breath of life. Very slowly, they begin to disappear, fading into the depths of the trees.
He sighs and pulls another small fruit from his bag. "Don't make me come get you." Tugging on the fruit's shell, he waves the treat toward my face.Almost robotically, I walk beside him and slide to the ground. "Good girl," he smiles, patting my head. My hand automatically rises to drop his hand, but the warm feeling that accompanies his gesture makes it stop just short of doing so.He starts laughing again. Why is this crazy kid in such a good mood? I've never seen someone laugh so hard in such a short time. "What's up? You decided to be nice to me today?" he teases me, tapping my forehead with his finger. It stings really bad, and I give him the worst glare I can muster."That wasn't the plan," I mutter, reaching for the fruit as my stomach lets out a particularly embarrassing growl that echoes through the cave. My expression turns to anger as he pulls his arm out of my reach."Let me feed you," he
I don't even know when I woke up, but it feels like someone just flipped the switch and freed me from the state I was in. Because the last thing I remember is falling into the pit of death and now I'm sitting in a patch of grass, staring up at the terribly blue sky.Blue sky. It's bright today. Almost too bright for the...Wait. Is it?I feel the grass on my fingertips, the soft rustling breeze tickling my nose. Am I really back in the real world?I jump to my feet, looking around in the forest, hoping to spot another human being. Anyone who can confirm that this is my new reality. I hope... the one I want to see the most.Yes, this is the real world.I shudder, looking both ways in a frantic attempt to find the source of the whisper. It is the same voice that has followed me in my dreams and throughout my quest. "Who are you?" I called. "Show yourself!"Nothing happens at first, then something around me changes in a flash. The air be
"He's still Ray. Trust me. He's just...slightly different. And a lot older than you think. But I have to destroy this jewel and crown to fulfill the prophecy, and Ray said he had to be cast into the chasm of eternal darkness that surrounds us. The Shifters aren't all bad either. You've seen the ones hidden in the forest.Xavier surveys his surroundings, his gaze cold and calculating. "So, what happens to us? You throw it away, the red stone is destroyed...""Well, the Shifters will be able to pass judgment. Werewolves will cease to exist as we know them. I still don't know what that means. Xavier's face crinkles as I speak the words of fate, and his hands leave the crown to wrap around my body."Are you saying that you were essentially going to leave me forever without giving me a chance to say goodbye? After everything I said to you last night? He asks fervently, his breath incredibly close to my ear. I find myself trembling under the threat of indecision.
Murmurs of judgment.The winds howl in the night, but I am not afraid. I am stronger than anything this world has to offer. She gives me strength... and hope.I lean against a tree, bereft of all my energy. Breaths are a commonplace for my species, but I need them... to keep my identity. To exist rather than fade away into the endless haze.There is no blood here. There are no tears or anger, no happiness or laughter. We are only shells, but we still have hope to live. She must come soon, or I will collapse into the emptiness of this world.I know she will send me on my way to deliverance.My eyes flutter and I wake up to the roar of the wind. I wonder why I'm not shaking, then I quickly recognize the warmth of the man right next to me. It's so nice here. I could stay here... forever...I want to say I'm sorry, but I can't form the words.I mean you don't have to do it, but I can't form the words.Be
Ray begins to speak, weaving a story about how the Shifters dragged him into a dungeon and kept him there, feeding him sparingly. I turn away from his story, paying attention only to the werewolves. They look so strong and determined, but beaten and bruised as this world takes its toll. Not a smile is to be found as the pack listens to Ray, and I realize that true joy is long gone. There is relief - that Ray is okay and back in the pack - but also distrust and suspicion. When did we fall apart at the seams, collapsing into the darkness of our fate?Frightened by my own thoughts, my hand unconsciously wraps around Xavier's arm in an attempt to forget. Having the bandage wrapped around our problems and the singularity of predestined purpose so that I don't have to look at it anymore.Probably puzzled by my movement, Xavier gives me a quick glance. His hair grows longer, cascading over his eyes and down his neck. I feel the urge to push it aside, but I hold back as he tur
I stare at the man before me, my fingers tightening on the crown until my fingertips turn white. My knees buckle as a weight as strong as an avalanche hits my shoulders. I can't tell the reality of it, but right now it doesn't seem to matter. In my delirium, I try to form his name with my lips.The man yells something and starts to run towards me. I feel my body slip as the rocky bottom turns into an eternal void. The weight drags me into the abyss, burying my vision in the darkness. I don't have time to think or even breathe, but my descent seems to happen in slow motion, my arms flailing without command or control. And all the while I'm looking through a camera lens, helpless as a glass wall separates me from my body and reality.Until arms encircle my shoulders, taking me up into an unfathomable heat. The familiar smell disarms me and my eyes blink as I begin to realize what's happening. He has returned. He has found me.I had almost forgotten his face and to
"And now fate says I have to try to kill you... and I can't!" He whispers desperately, slowly tilting his head forward and resting in my lap. "Because you deserve to live, just like the Shifters deserve to be sent back until the day of reckoning. They have waited too long."He looks up at me and his eyes flicker between green and red, involuntarily reflecting his will. "Ray...please tell me what will happen if I fulfill the prophecy."There is silence for a minute as he collects himself. Looking at me, he stands up firmly from his position. "The werewolves, the Shifters, and this world will cease to exist as you know it. The Shifters will be able to move on to judgment and will no longer wreak havoc on the outside world. The werewolves... will be without purpose. You will live. I'm sure you will... because you are tangible, unlike the rest of this world."What are you saying?!" I cry, standing up too. I walk over to him and grab his arms. "You're tangible too. Y
It was hard to go back to my realm. When I did, I went straight to my huge crystal ball to see the Earth and learn more about it. I became obsessed, and for hours I scoured the ends of the Earth for any kind of new curiosity that might strike. But at the same time, I did it with a lot of guilt. Because I knew the prophecy. I knew the wishes of fate. And when the framework is laid out, all you can do is build on it and look down, wishing and hoping for the impossible."I knew, but I was watching, watching the world, watching the Shifters swell with sadness, love, pain and fear. Many more went to join the others, drawn by the sweet promises offered by the Earth. As this progressed, I noticed that the Shifters on Earth had changed. They were becoming wild, dissatisfied with the taste of a certain feeling but wanted it all. Those who stayed in our realm began to be more satisfied with their portions than those who left, staying full for longer periods of time. The Shifters on Ear
"This castle is ancient anyway," Ray says, completely ignoring my question. Looking straight ahead, he walks toward a pair of doors and then stops.I almost ask him why he's being so evasive, but the sight before my eyes prevents me from doing so. Speechless, I examine the narrow hallway, with gold-encrusted stone walls and floors covered with a luxurious blood-red carpet. At the end of the hallway is a magnificent set of doors, engraved with many strange designs."What is this..." I murmur in wonder, staring at the carpet and shaking my foot in it. My feet seem to sink into its luxurious depths as I imagine myself falling on it and flying off."This is the most sacred area of the castle. Everything in this world comes from this room." He grabs the handles but keeps them closed, turning to me."How could this-""You'll see. Just take a look. Ray smiles, his eyes softening as we look at each other. He continues to stare at me for a moment, I almost
The crackling of a fire is the first thing I notice when my eyes open. The faint aroma of cinnamon wafts through the room, though tainted by a heavy premonition that I can't quite shake, though I can't quite remember why this mysterious feeling exists.I blink once, twice, trying to consolidate the swirl of colors into something more closely resembling solid objects. Just to convince myself that I'm not crazy, I bang my head against the floor, then roll awkwardly onto my back."Ouch, that must have hurt," a small, muffled laugh erupts as my vision fixes on long strands of brown hair hanging around my face. Still a little dazed, I let my hand brush the hair, then finally a firm chin, tracing her jaw and neck. As if just realizing my actions, I dropped my arm and my mouth opened as I finally registered who the person was that was leaning precariously over me."Ray?" I asked, my hand reflexively moving up to touch his cheek."After passing out when I saw mys