Prologue - Decision

Rynari's POV

I could hear my parents whispering in the kitchen. My parents, Ruzina and Antonius, are the only people I know in this world. Even though I am about to turn eighteen, I barely know any people. We live so far away deep inside the forest. The reason for that was  unknown to me, however, my dreams revealed the reason why. When I was younger, they would appear frequently. It was like I was brought into a whole new dimension. It scared me and it made me curious at the same time.

I have no friends, no cousins and no relatives. We have no neighbors. In the house, only my mother, my father and me lived. This reality made me realize how lonely it was to not know other people around my age.

The only friend I have is my wolf, Crina. But Crina just comes and goes. I could talk to her but oftentimes, I can't.

"Come on now my dear Ryna. No need to be so gloomy my child. It’s your birthday! You should be celebrating!" my mother exclaimed. I only smiled to cheer her up.

She'll never know what I was about to do. She can't know or I will never be able to escape and search for the answers.

"Mom, why do we live so far away, deep inside the forest?" I asked her before I could stop myself. She stopped cooking and turned around to look at me then she leaned her body on the table.

"This is the only way. The only way we can only be safe is for us to stay here, away from the Lycan King and all the other dangerous creatures that lurk in the forest. Maybe we should just wait for the war to end, it’s for the best," she said as she turned around to continue cooking. I just stared on her back.

That was what she would say, always. She never told me the reason why but I already knew. This fueled my determination to search for all the answers, on my own.

It was six in the evening and my mother asked me to go to the kitchen. She had finished preparing. The table was full of delicious delicacies and many colorful fruits. I loved the effort she always makes on my birthdays, however, loneliness still crept up in my heart.

I would do everything just to live a normal life, away from the danger and the fear.

"Happy birthday, Ryna. Blow your candles and make a wish," my mother said as she caressed my hair.

I know what I wished for, I know what I've always wished for since I was young and for all of my birthdays. Only this time, I won't just wish for it, I would make it into a reality. With that in my mind, I blew all the candles.

After eating, we talked and tell stories to each other while I thought of a plan. I was nervous that dad might be able to read my mind but if I don't make a plan then I am as good as dead the moment I step outside.

I tried to get some sleep as I waited for midnight to come. My heart finally calmed down as I drifted off to a deep slumber.

The scene that was in front of me changed. Gone was the boy who always wailed. There was a man sitting on the throne and he was staring straight into my eyes. My heart pounded. He was beautiful. His eyes are as red as blood, it was glowing.

"Our prince is now crowned as our Lycan king. I present to all of you, the Lycan King Endrée Zion Calder. All hail to the Lycan king!" the man who crowned him proclaimed delightfully. The crowd cheered and repeated what he said.

This is the scene that I have been dreaming since I was fifteen. However, I cannot finish this scene because it always ended halfway.

The boy who always wept inside his room became a cold and a cruel man. When he was crowned at the age of fifteen; he started a war and became a man with no remorse. He showed nothing but cruelty to the witches.

“This is an era of the new Lycan King. Witches did everything to hurt me. My brother whom I adored died ten years ago in this very place where I stood. This is the place where they killed my brother and now, those witches will die in this place and meet the same fate as him!" he roared and the people cheered. My heart dropped when he met my eyes and gave me a cruel smile.

I woke up with a gasp. I stared outside the window and saw that the moon is up and brighter than ever. It's a full moon.

My parents had always wanted me to never go outside, especially if it's a full moon. But I feel like I woke up at this time of the night for a reason. At the back of my mind, I knew why. It’s been bothering me since I was young. If I have a choice I would just ignore these dreams; the dreams that kept on repeating inside my subconscious ever since I was a young girl.

I really need to find out what these dreams are all about and I can’t find the answers if I stay here forever. I need to go outside and wander the forest where vampires and werewolves prowl; the Crimson Forest. I quickly change my clothes and went to the forest.

I went into hiding for five years while trying to search for answers. I asked strangers after strangers. I was searching for the palace of the Lycan King. As of now, I am at the age of twenty-two. It's hard to believe that I survived for five years without my parents but I believe that it's because of my sheer determination. 

The only way we can go to the land of the werewolves is through a portal. I can't believe that the only way to get there is through magic but then maybe it's the strategy of the King so that he may have an advantage against his enemies. 

After obtaining this information, I decided to go back into the forest. I have to do this. It's now or never. When I found the portal, I quickly went through it but so that I would not be detected, I used the magical tool that I acquired during one of the days that I wandered. I met a lot of people and they helped me acquire these things. I am grateful to them.

When I went through the portal, I was met with a scenery. It's the forest again. I can't believe that it's the forest! I have to wander again? Maybe I just went through the wrong portal. I looked around and realized that this forest is entirely different. It gives a mystical vibe to me. I don't know what to do so I just moved my feet and started to walk in quiet and calculated steps. Even if I don't know what to do, I still have to do something. I must not be stuck in the same place.

“You can do this, Rynari. You had always planned to do this when you turn eighteen. There is no reason to back out now,” I tried to convince myself. I nervously exhaled, my breath is shaky. I rubbed my hands.

I suddenly heard a sound. Something snapped from behind me. It sounded like a someone stepping on a twig. I quickly hid behind a big tree. I tried to take a glimpse at where the sound came from but there was no one.

Probably just a small and harmless animal.

I began walking again and my heart beat faster when I snuff a salivating scent. I stepped closer to where the scent came from. I was suddenly frozen still with what I witnessed. There on the altar, stood a witch and she was being burned to death. My heart could not bear the sight of it and I was frightened.

I suddenly remembered my dreams the moment I saw it. This scene always appeared in my dreams many times more than I can count.

I suddenly realize that the scent that I was following came from this place.

I look up and my eyes met with pure red blood eyes staring back at me. It gazed at me with a dark, almost menacing gaze. I was so scared and without a second thought, I ran as fast as I can. I forced myself not to look back. I did not want to look back!

I could feel them. They are right behind me. My parents were right. I shouldn't have went outside and wandered the forest.

But now, it was different.

I was not the young girl who had always wondered what it was out in the forest. I was not the woman who was desperate for answers. I was now different. My life is rapidly changing. I was desperate for my life to change.

What do you want to do? Do you really want to do this? These questions are what I always ask myself whenever I doubt something. I never knew what could be more confusing than asking these questions to myself.

Sneaking out of my house on my eighteenth birthday scared me more than ever. My heart could not bear the fact that as my mother and father continued to suffer as I was forced to stay in my house, completely oblivious to my past.

I knew the past of the man in my dreams but I never knew about mine. The moon goddess gave me a power which is a mystery to me. I was not prepared to do what I had to do, but who knows? No one really knows what happens next.

The moment I finally knew about my past and the truth about my life, I made a choice that made me wonder if I could go back to the way I was if I were to do this. But I have a mission, I wish to stop this war.

I made a choice to accept what I am and I allowed no one to stop me. I just accepted the scars and all the hatred. All of it and what was to come. It turned me into the woman that I am right now.

"Remember that you can't take back what you did so from now on, promise me that you will use this power that you have for good and to make this world a better place."

My mother told me those words before I finally made a choice and I became stronger than ever. I learned to face all my fears, hatred, past and my heartaches and because of that, I was able to conquer all that made me weak and used them as my stepping stone in facing myself and my enemies.