"I don't get it…" I felt dumb walking into the woods alone; there was something wrong about this side of the trees. Father never wanted me going to this side of woods; I thought it was because he didn't like Lulu. Now I knew there was something dark here. It felt like it was hours since I last heard a sound."It's like the trees are dead…"
'Perhaps they are.' I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard it, a deep voice that echoed through the silence. I looked around me seeing nothing but the endless dark trees.
"... That you god?" I wasn't expecting a reply. Honestly I thought I was just hallucinating or hearing something in my mind.
'Not a god… but close.' When I heard it again I turned and alit my hands on fire ready to roast whatever dare try and maul me. The fires lit up the darkness and a familiar sight befell my eyes. There next to a tree stood Crest.
"Oh weird… I didn't summon you did I?" I walked up to him and patted his fuzzy head. He leaned into my touch and smiled as much as a wolf could. "I guess I just imagined the voice haha…."
'No you did not.' I jumped back beyond confused when I saw his muzzle move along to the words. Now I've heard and understood Crest before but I never heard actual words! I just understood what his yips and barks meant. This was all too strange.
"You… You can really talk?" Crest just sighed and nodded his fuzzy head.
'Of course I can speak.' He said walking in front of me and through the path. 'You act as if I am just some ordinary hound.'
"Uhh…. Good point. But why talk normally now?" Crest turned to me and lifted his paw pointing into the darkness of the path.
'We are close to our birth place. You can hear me because the remnant of our former power rests within the center of the forest. I have decided to see my former home for myself… with my own eyes…' he continued walking until he started walking away from the path. I was about to follow him when he turned around and barked angrily.
"What is it!?" he snarled and pointed back to the path with his paw.
'You are to follow the path alone! This is your test not mine!' I was going to argue but he just scoffed and walked away into the trees.
"Dang…. What's up his tail?" I sighed and stopped walking just feeling alone. I thought if I had Crest with me this would be a bit less lonely. I scoffed and just kept walking down the path. "Great he chose now to be a little bitch… ha funny… I really shouldn't be alone with my thoughts."
I have no idea how long I have been walking, it felt like hours since I saw any light other then the small ball of fire I had in my hands. The blue fire felt real nice and warm in my hands, it gave me a peaceful feeling in my chest, like the light would guide me through the darkness. Yet something was wrong, the flame began to die out and fade away. I had no idea what was going on, I started to panic. My breathing sped and my heart thumped hard in my chest as more and more light faded from sight. The darkness started so surround me and engulfed me until there was only a little flame no bigger than a candle light.
"What's happening!?" soon I felt something come over me like a wave. It burned in my stomach and tingled in my feet and hands. It rushed over me making every nerve in my body echo in pain and when the light from my fire snuffed out and was lost I knew what it was that plagued me…
It was fear, my true fear, the fear that I always dreaded since the day of my family's death. The fear that caused me to run from the orphanage when on one would believe I was being hunted. The fear that I felt when they told me Skylar was gone. The fear I felt when Logan walked away from me that night. The fear I felt when Magneto placed me into that machine. My breathing hitched and I felt my lungs close up only being able to say one solitary word.
"Alone…" I couldn't take it anymore; I screamed out in fear and scratched at the ground in desperation. I don't even know why I did anything at that moment. I was acting out on fear and could do nothing that my baser instincts didn't allow. I felt through the dirt finding nothing but grass and twigs. I closed my eyes just denying that I was lost in the dark. "Someone… anyone… Don't leave me alone!"
"You're not alone." I opened my eyes and a flood of light filled my sight. I blinked away the light and saw him. Sitting there on a wooden chair was my father. No not Logan, my birth father, Salem Mercer. I'd knew him anywhere, is big eyes shined on me like little suns.
"Dad?" I rushed for him and embraced him in a longing hug. He patted my head as I cried into his chest. "You're here…"
"Of course I'm here why wouldn't I be?" I looked back up from his chest with tears in my eyes.
"Because you're dead!" he looked at me weirdly and just out right laughed.
"You silly little brat, you and your jokes." He ruffled my hair and stood up from the chair and walked away into…. Into the kitchen of our cabin... "Now go get your brother, diner will be ready in a few minutes."
"But… But…" He turned to me and shook his finger.
"The only butt I want is yours in your brother's room. Now go before I make you make do the dishes tonight." Confused I looked around me. The red couch, the flowers outside the window, the smell of my dad's home cooking, I was home. And with my dead… or rather not so dead father. I smiled to myself and nodded my head happily.
"Ok, Sky!" I yelled out to my brother and ran up the stairs to his room. We always had our rooms on the top floor to keep away from any wondering animals. Not that that mattered since the flowers made them too busy with mating to bother with us. Ha… that was fun for my dad to explain to me. I made my way to Skylar's room and found him reading in his desk. He was there… he was alive and well, being his normal self! I couldn't resist jumping onto his lap and bringing him into a big hug. He chuckled and ruffled my hair like dad did. He was so much like our father; he even resembled him with his thick muscled body. I always felt so lanky compared to the both of them.
"Why aren't you frisky little guy… you didn't get into my stash did you?" I chuckled and shook my head.
"No I just missed you so much!" he pulled me away from him and glared into my eyes.
"You have been going through my stash… maybe…" he put me down and walked to a cabinet by his desk. He opened it and an assortment of bottles that filled the shelves filled my sight. Skylar was a great Witch just like mom and was a pro at making magical potions that had many various affects. He looked through his stash as he called them and shook his head. "Ok I guess your innocent… but your still acting weird…"
"I… Dad said diner is ready." he gave me a look and nodded his head.
"Ok… but this isn't over…" he walked up to me and easily picked me up in one hand like a throw pillow. I just dangled from his arm and chuckled. "Yah yah laugh it up, but if you don't tell me what's eating you after dinner I'm going to turn you into a kitten."
"You wouldn't… would you?" He defiantly could if he wanted to; his magic was just as strong as he was.
"Don't tempt me." it was weird, how could he pick me up so easily at my new height? Yah he was strong but not that strong… come to think of it my entire home seemed odd… like it was larger then what I remembered. Just then while Sky was walking down the stairs I got my answer, there in one of the mirrors was the reflection of my old self. I was just as small as I was before my transformation. No wonder my powers were not working…
"It wasn't real…" I whispered. Skylar flexed his hand jostling me a bit.
"You say something?" I shook my head and he lifted my over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes. I gave him a little love tap on his head and giggled as he dropped me onto the red couch. I looked back up at him and smiled widely.
"I'm sorry for acting weird… I guess I just had a really weird dream. I think I bumped my head or something." He smiled down at me and lifted me into his arms.
"It's ok bro, your awake now… and I think dad made our favorite." He said taking a deep whiff of the air. I smirked.
"You mean he ordered out?" He smirked right back at me and we both laughed at our little joke. We each took our turns cooking and because our dear father couldn't cook to save his life he always took the three hour trip to town to get pizza. His cooking was his greatest shame but we let him get away with it because he is good at pretty much everything else.
"Yes you smart asses, I ordered out. Now let's eat before I decided to test my cooking skills tomorrow." We looked at each other and ran to the kitchen screaming. "Smart asses…"
We had a wonderful time that morning, after we ate Skylar and I cleaned up and he started his work on a new potion idea. He stood over his potion pot and cackled goofily like a witch would in a cartoon.
"You goober." He just continued his silliness and mixed in a few spices.
"Sorry little bro, I couldn't resist… now go outside and get me one of mom's flowers if you don't mind." I smiled and nodded making my way to the door.
"Sure thing Sky." When I walked to the door I felt something odd about it… I just stood there for a second and stared at the door.
"Dev! You ok?" I felt my heart beating faster as I stood there.
"…Why…" why did I feel so scared of some door? It was like if I opened it, it would explode. My thoughts were discarded as the door opened and dad walked inside with one of mom's flowers.
"Oh hi Devlin, I heard your brother wanted one of these right?" I looked up at him confused.
"Y...Yah… thanks." I took the flower and he smiled down at me and ruffled my hair. I looked down at the floor and stared at it.
"Bro! You got the flower yet!?" I shook my head and rushed back to the kitchen flower in hand. When I handed it to Sky he saw the odd expression I had on my face. "You ok Dev? You look like you saw a ghost."
"…" I couldn't say anything, I just stared at him.
"Bro?" just then I knew the truth; the truth I knew in my heart to be true.
"… You're not real." The moment the words left my mouth Skylar chuckled as if what I said meant nothing.
"Of course I am…" I shook my head when dad came into the room.
"No… you're not… and nether are you." They both had sad looks on their faces. I could feel my heart breaking just by looking at them. I walked away from them and walked to the front door. I reached my hand out and touched the doorknob. The moment I touched the silver knob I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see my father… or rather what acted as my father.
"You don't have to leave…" He had a despite look on his face, like he would give anything for me to stay. "Please… we can keep you happy, we can be a family again." I smiled up at him and shook my head.
"No… we can't… that time is over… I… I see that now… I love you dad." With that I opened the door and fell back into darkness. when the haze of shadows faded I was once again inside the dark woods on my back looking up at the leafy branches. It actually felt better to be alone now… I'm not so sure why but… I just felt so… I don't even know how to describe it… like I unlocked a bunch of emotions I subconsciously tucked down deep into my heart. I stood up from the dirt and felt something odd in my hand; I lifted it to my face and saw an odd looking stone. It shined like a small star in my hand.
"I...Is this the seed?" I took the pouch Lulu gave me and placed the little seed safely inside. I wanted so much to stop there and go back to Logan, this was just so much to take in and I had a feeling I wasn't even half way done. I still had two more seeds to find. I looked at my hand and felt something deep inside me… I had to keep going. There was no question to it. I had to do this and I was going to see it through to the end. I sucked it up and continued on my path.
Once again I walked through the path for hours… at least that's what it felt like to me. After a few minutes I stopped walking and fell to the ground on my knees exhausted. I growled in my throat and punched the ground in a rage.
'Hehehee' I stopped my episode before I could totally lose it when I heard that little snicker. I looked around me and saw nothing.
"Who's there?" All I could hear was that snickering echoing throughout the dark woods around me that is until I heard a voice… a kind of familiar voice.
'I'm you… or should I say… what you want to be.' The voice echoed louder and louder until an enormous pillar of crimson flames erupted in front of me. When the fire faded away, in the center of it was a young man with long raven black hair and burning red eyes, but what made the young man stand out was the flowing tail swaying behind him and the wolf like ears standing tall and confident upon his head.
"W…what are you?" I really dreaded the answer, because even now I could remember the last time I saw those red burning eyes. The guy smiled widely showing me long shining fangs.
'I am what you are; I am the darkness within your heart. I am the true emotions of hate and rage burning within your very soul.' Just looking at that... that, LIE! Made me angry, made me want him gone.
"What makes you think you are me!?" He gave me a funny look and just laughed at me like what I was saying made no sense.
'You are hopeless aren't you? Do you really don't remember me; do you not remember when we faced Juggernaut?' No… I remembered perfectly… just thinking about that moment made me feel sick inside. He smiled widely and snickered. 'So you do remember… didn't you just love it? The feel of power burning in your veins, the taste of the man's blood on your tongue the feel of someone's very life in the palm of your hands?'
"No!" The guy grinned and nodded his head not believing me.
'Sure you do… but… you don't remember our real fun do you?' I looked back at him confused.
"W….What are you talking about?" His smile sent chills down my spine. He knew something that I didn't…. and that scared me.
'Think back… about three years ago… the night of our dear father's death.' I shook my head and felt calmer, knowing the truth of that night.
"Nice try, I know what happened. Dad took us to town to eat and got killed by a psycho on the way back. Skylar took him to the hospital but he died from blood lose." The smile on his face faded away and I felt victorious… until he said it.
'That's not what happened.' When he said those words I felt myself being thrown back as if I was in front of an explosion. When I came too I was in the town a few miles from my home…. That bastard was going to make me relive that horrible night!
"This isn't funny!" I got no reply from the doppelganger. I just stood there waiting for this moment to end. Suddenly Salem, Skylar and I walked down the road. We just came out from our favorite pizza joint, Freddy Frazbear's. Skylar and I loved that place since we were young and we just kept going there for nostalgia resigns. That night we had to leave early because some kid seemed to go missing and because of the chivalrousness of my family we decided to form a search party.
"It's hard to see in the dark…" I said while holding Sky's hand. I was so tiny then, why only when I got my mutation did I ever get taller? Skylar smiled down at me and lifted me on top of his shoulders.
"That should give you a better view… you know what... lets split up, we have a better chance in bigger numbers." Dad smiled and agreed to this.
"Ok but you two have to stick together… you got that? Together! I don't want to see Devlin on a milk box." Skylar laughed and jostled me on his broad shoulders.
"Don't worry! Devlin is on good shoulders. Now you get going before the kid gets hurt or something. We'll meet you back at Freddy's." that was the last time either of us saw our father… alive. We spent an hour looking around ever corner of town just to find nothing but a small teddy bear that belonged to the boy. We sent the bear to the police officer's dog and we all followed it into the part of town dad was searching.
'Bark!' the dog led us all to an alleyway in the middle of two large buildings.
"What is it boy? You found something?" we entered the ally way and I braced myself for what I was not emotionally prepared for.
"No… NO! You can't make me see it!" I turned away from the sight when something wrapped around my body. It tangled around me forcing me to face the direction of the alley. It forced my eyes opened and I had no choice but to see it… there standing over the bloody body of my father stood a grinning man in a purple blood stained suit. The police officer shot at the laughing maniac only for him to fire his own gun at the officer. I saw my younger self running to my father while my brother watched helplessly behind the officer. I caressed my father's face. This was all that I ever remembered. Skylar told me I was knock out when the police officer shot a barrel of oil sending an explosion that burned the man alive and knocked me unconscious.
"I know what happened why are you making me see it again!?" I was so angry that I just waited for the explosion to happen so I could just end this horrible moment. What I saw was forever burned into my memory… I wish I never saw it but I did… I… I…
"Hehe…" I was laughing… I was laughing over the body of my father. "Blood…"
I saw myself lick my hand clean of my father's blood. I saw myself chuckling like a mad man at the taste of his blood…. My father's… BLOOD!
"Devlin?" Everyone even the murderer looked on confused and shocked. I saw the look of pure malice in my eyes… oh… my eyes… they were… red… red and burning. I saw myself leap from my father's corpse and tackle the assailant to the ground and started clawing into his face and chest. The police officer looked on baffled and to stunned to act. My brother rushed for me only to stop in his place when I turned my body making a wall of fire separating him from me and my… victim. I looked back at the thin wall and wagged a clawed finer back and forth.
"Now now… you want him dead to… do you not?" I didn't wait for an answer and continued mutilating the man. After a few seconds I stopped and just stared at the man as he sobbed in pain. "Oh… you're so sad… do you want to die?"
"Please…." I saw the malicious and twisted face that just didn't belong to me smile.
"Well… since you asked nicely." My mouth widened like a snake and my teeth seemed to enlarge until… until I bit down on his throat and… oh…. Oh god.
"DEVLIN!" I stopped and looked back at my brother, still with a huge chunk of bloody skin in my deformed jaws. I tilted my head like a confused dog and… and I… swallowed the flesh. When I saw that I emptied my stomach onto the ground in front of me. The fire wall faded into smoke and the police officer must have snapped out of his shock and shot me with his gun. I fell to the ground with a loud bang. Skylar rushed after me again only to be blocked once more by a fierce fire that consumed both the man and I in a furry of crimson black flames. "NO!"
"… S.. Sk…y.." I stammered out while burning alive in the flames. Despite the flames he lunged for my body and pulled out my charred remains. He looked back at our father and then to the shocked people. He gritted his teeth and faced them with me still cradled in his strong arms and spoke in an not so confident yet deep voice.
"Power and emotion tide
A witch's heart is where it hides
Help me with this agony
Take away all memory"
Everyone except my brother had a look of confusion upon their faces and then just stared blankly as he walked out of the ally with my body in tow. I couldn't believe my eyes. What was happening made no sense! My brother told me it was an explosion! He told me it was not my fault! He told me it was an explosion! He told me the man was killed by the police officer. He told me it was the explosion. He told me I was knocked out... it… it was all a lie… a lie to protect me. Protect me from the truth.
'The truth of what lied in your heart, the fact that you are a killer.' The black tendrils loosened around me and dropped me to the ground. I looked up into the happy face of my double… now knowing what he really was. 'You know now what I really am? No I am not the darkness of the demigod Crest, no I am not some chaotic demon bent on entropy. What I am is without a doubt you. Your deepest need for survival, the flame that compels you to feed and burn all in your path… I am… the untamed beast.
"…." He held out his hand and smiled down at me lovingly.
'You tried to cast me away… you tried to turn your back on me and seek normality… but what good is that? You need me to survive, for you are a beast, a lone wolf with no pack to survive. Your alpha died at the hand of a murderer, his mate died at your birth, and the beta died in search of answers he could never gain. You need me master, so let me back in. let me be the flames that will burn all in our path, the flames that will guard you from all that would harm you.'
"…" I pushed his hand away and stood up on my own. "No."
'What!?' I smiled at him and shook my head calmly.
"You said I was alone… a wolf without a pack… but I am not alone." He looked hurt and afraid at my words. "I have Logan and everyone else in the institute. I have friends that I count on and trust with my life. And not just them I have many friends, Danny and his sister, Lulu and Wakka. People I can count on for anything that would come my way… even without my father and big brother… I'm not alone."
'No… you… you can't. You can't leave me in the dark again!' I smiled at him and chuckled.
"Who said I'm going to leave you alone?" he looked at me confused as I embraced him in a hug. "I wanted to kill that man… he killed my father and that little kid. It may have not been right but it happened. I need my instinct because I am an animal, Crest is a wolf and I am supposed to be him. so if I'm going to make it through this, I need to except that I will have to do not only what my heart commands me but what my instinct tells me… I'll keep you with me and that horrible memory if only to remind me that I'm not just an animal but a human as well." I could hear him crying into my shoulder as he returned my embrace.
'I… I was right to call you master…' his body faded in red flames until he was nothing but a small light in my hands. When all of the fire faded away it left in its place a single seed. I smiled down at it and placed it in my pouch.
"I need to accept my anger and rage… but I need to not let it cloud my heart." The moment I took another step on the path I seemed to have stumbled into a lake. I quickly tried to swim to the top but it was useless, it was as if I sunk so deep into the water that I was miles of feet inside. I held my breath for as long as I could as I desperately tried to rise and break the surface of the water.
'No need to panic young one' suddenly the water vibrated from the intense sound of something trying to speak. I opened my eyes seeing nothing but the endless murky waters.
"Blurph!" I tried to speak out only letting fumes of bubbles escape my mouth and a muffled gasp.
'Fall into my domain little one… just fall and be with me.' I decided to trust the powerful voice and started swimming downward. The moment I did I broke through to the surface into a cave. It was as if the whole world flipped upside-down. The cave was as red as rubies and the water was dark and thick with bile. The scent alone made me want to hurl for a second time. I wanted out of the water so I climbed into the deep red cave. I tried to wipe the unclean water off me only for it to remain; I would have given anything for the smell to vanish. 'The smell will fade in time.'
"Who's there!?" the darkness of the cave was so thick it was near impossible to see anything other than the red allergy glowing on the walls.
'Think of me as a…. collector of sorts. My name is… is… now that is odd, I can't seem to remember.' I looked all over the cave trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from but the slickness of the walls made the voice echo from everywhere.
"Where are you?" suddenly I saw it in the very back of the cave, two deep red orbs shined from the back of the cave where the allergy did not grow. "Oh… well… why am I here?"
'As I said I am a collector and you happen to have something I would like to own… those two seeds.' I felt insulted, how could he even think I would give up my seeds? I went through hell to get them!
"I need these seeds to perform my family's funeral, what makes you think I would ever part with them?" the voice chuckled almost childlike.
'I never said I would take them for free! How about a trade? Now let me think… oh I know! How about I give you replicas of your family?' my eyes widened in horror.
"Replicas!? That's sick! It's like you're telling me you're giving me back a toy that broke! This is my family! They can't be replaced!" I was about to storm out back into the filthy water when the voice shouted out desperately.
'Wait! they would have the same memories, the same bodies, why wouldn't you want that?' I growled at his pulling of my heart strings.
"But they won't have the same hearts the same souls! What you're offering is nothing! LIES! And I will not take them!" the moment I turned away from it the second time I felt a murky sickly hand grab my shoulder. I turned my head and saw a frightening sight; there standing behind me was a blotted muck covered copse of a man.
'GIVE THEM TO ME!' I recoiled at the sight of him and pushed him away only for the frightening thing to cling to me as if his life depended on it. It thrashed on top of me as I tried to push it away. I tried desperately to summon my fire but it was useless. It took all the strength I had to kick the thing away and rush for the horrible waters. I wanted nothing more than to leave this place and never come back. the man was not about to let me leave, he reached out with his sickly yet strong hand and lifted me up by my leg tossing me onto the allergy covered wall of the cave with a loud sickening crack.
"AGHhh!" I fell to the ground my whole body felt broken and useless as the man got closer and closer. I screamed out in pain and begged for someone just anyone to save me from this horrible fate. The man crawled to me with a huge menacing grin plastered on his putrid face.
'Mine… all mine…' his voice changed to raspy needy tones that make my ears want to scream. I tried to move only for my back to creek and spasm in protest. 'Give me the seeds!'
'Enough!' just then as if a angel from above, the horrible man was tossed aside by a… well to tell the truth I couldn't see, my vision was impaired by a multitude of white spots. Everything faded away, the only thing I could hear was the pained screaming of the horrible man…
'Wake up young one; it is not your time yet.' My body decided to obey that voice. I opened my eyes and looked around me; I was surrounded in nice cool water. The water was dark but not entirely, little odd looking fish filled my sight. They all shined bright in the darkness like little moving stars. I smiled to myself; the sight was a nice change of pace from that dark cave. I reached out and touched one of the fish; it was slick and smooth and quite beautiful yet also a little strange. It quickly rushed off into the distance… and that's when I saw it… and so did the other fish. They all quickly swam off when the figure in the distance came closer to me. To say it was large was an understatement; a single of its eyes was larger than my whole body. Its scales reflected the light from the small fish just right enough to make it appear to shine like the starry night sky. Just being near this serpentine being made me feel… safe. As if nothing in these dark waters would harm me should I just be near it; like a shark and a remora.
"It's you…" I cupped my mouth afraid of losing breath only just to feel foolish when I didn't choke. The being seemed to smile at me giving me a good view of its threatening fangs.
'I am honored to be remembered, dear brother.' I grinned; its voice was booming but the vibrations felt pleasant masked by the water. Everything about it felt comforting except for its frightening serpentine appearance.
"What happened? How did you find me?" The serpent's expression turned grim and its eyes closed in shame.
'You were within the depthsss, sssssummoned by a Sssunken.' I looked at the great beast confused.
"A what?"The beast sighed and opened its huge eyes.
'Do not be frightened.' I was going to ask him by what, but I got my answer when it opened its jaws wide and showed me its mouth… I can truthfully say that the cave I was in and the monstrous ghoul of a man was nothing compared to what befell my eyes. The moment the serpent opened its mouth, thousands of screaming bloated murk covered people raved inside desperately trying to escape its jaws. I recognized one face within the mouth of the beast… it was him… the ghoul who attacked me. The moment he saw me he lunged in speed that could just not be real and came from inches to my face, yet before he could touch me he along with all of the other raving frightened people were dragged back into the serpent's maw by hundreds of wiggling riving tentacles. When they were all safely back inside the throat of the serpent it slammed it's great jaws shut and the horrible screaming of the people was gone leaving the peaceful tide the only sound within the depths.
"What in the world was that!?" the serpent sighed and its gaze turned upwards.
'They were the Ssssunken. Soulsss of the dead that have done horrible deedsss that made their soulsss depraved and ugly. Asss guardian of the dead it isss my duty to guide the dead to be in the eternal garden of the moon…. yet to thossse who have brought nothing but pain and harm into the world are to ssssufer for their crimesss for eternity within my jawsss until they are digesssted and returned to the world of the living until they underssstand.' I tilted my head confused.
"Understand what?" the serpent smiled at me.
'Until they undersssstand that they are not alone… that they are beloved and have no need to cause pain and misssery. Until they underssstand thisss they mussst feel the pain they have causssed to the world… you were wissse to not trussst him and give in to temptation… those sssseeds are too important to your growth. I think you have earned thissss take it with my blessing.' One of the tentacles from the serpent's neck uncoiled and pulled out a small glowing stone.
"The third seed…" I placed it in Lulu's pouch and paused. "Serpent… the seeds… what exactly is the purpose of finding them and planting them in the coven's garden?"
'The sssseeds are remnantsss of soulssss; they hold an ssssmall portion of memory and emotion of thossse they belong to. Only thossse who truly love the lossst sssoul can produce and conjure the ssseed by entering the birth place and grave of my older brother. The coven placesss their remnantsss of ssssoulss inssside hiss ressting place to send a fragment of their magic and power to grave in order to heal the tainted sssoul of the great wolf by usssing their light. However now that you have healed hisss ssssoul thisss will be the lassst pilgrimage to the glade.' I smiled brightly and placed my hand over my heart.
"I promise you I will see this to the end." That made the great serpent smile.
'I know you will… now I will sssend you back on your path. You have but one more ssseed to find.' I looked up confused. I checked my memory and counted the seeds in the pouch… there were three.
"but I have all three seeds… are you mistaken?" the serpent shook it's great head.
'There isss one more death you have not yet come to underssstand yet.' Before I could ask him I felt a surge of water spouting me up high until I broke to the surface and fell to the ground on soft grass. I quickly stood up and looked around seeing not a single sight of water not even a puddle. I looked up seeing nothing but except leafs and branches of the trees.
"Who else died…" Before I could even contemplate a loud roar echoed through the woods shaking the branches and trees. "What the heck!?"
Before I could even think I felt something slam into me sending me flying down the path until I landed on the ground acing slightly from the pain. I was glad I didn't hit a tree or I would have been in trouble. I looked back at the path to see something I didn't expect.
"Logan!?" there in his uniform stood Logan claws extended ready to attack. "Did… did you attack me?"
"ROAR!" He snarled at me rushing in great speed cutting down tree after tree in a fit of pure rage. I had no choice, I ran. Why was he attacking me!? What the hell was going on… I had to find out why this was happening; I turned around and grabbed a fallen branch to defend myself if I needed to.
"Logan! What's wrong with you!?" He just snarled and rushed for me. Regretfully I rushed back and smashed the branch on him shattering it into splinters. I looked up to see him grinning, drool running down his oddly fanged teeth. Before I could react he grabbed me by my neck and lifted me off the ground. I pulled at his arm chocking and gasping for air. "W…w..h…y?"
"You…" his voice… it was horrible. It was emotionless and guttural. "You mean nothing to me."
"What!?" I cried out in pain, both emotional and physical. Hearing him say that burned me inside. Like all the joy in my body just faded at that moment. Tears fell from my eyes and I just gave up fighting… I just dangled there waiting for him to just finish me off.
"Hehhehe…" just then I felt a slick thing wipeing the tears from my cheek. I opened my eyes to see Logan licking the tears from my eyes. "You are pathetic." He tossed me to the ground and leaned over me pinning me down with his boot. "You pathetic little fagot!"
"…" I couldn't even say anything; all of this was too much for my heart to handle. I started shaking uncontrollably crying harder and just feeling my heart breaking. He bent down with pulled my hair by the tail and breathed down my neck.
"You are nothing to me… just a toy to be broken." He thrust my head into the dirt and ripped off my shirt. I gasped at the cold winter air touching my skin. I felt his fingernails digging into my back and a wet sensation when he stopped. "You bleed like a little bitch."
"STOP IT!" I shouted out only for him to smack me, my face burned from where he hit me. I couldn't believe this was happening to me, I couldn't believe he was doing this. I was so hurt and scared; I was just completely destroyed inside. "…Please… I… I…" I felt the tears running down my face increase into a river of pain. "I thought you loved me."
"Love…." He bent down and was inches away from my face. I could feel his breath lightly touching me making me feel as if all of this was some sick joke. He smiled down at me lovingly and all my fear just flew away. It was just a joke… just a really stupid joke. "There is no such thing as love."
'Shinck'
"!" then I felt it… I looked down at my side and saw it… three metal knives sticking into my stomach. I ghasped as the blood trickled down along with my tears. I couldn't move… I couldn't breathe… just… I just laid there.
'Shinck' I ghaspd again as the claws retracted back into his fist. Logan… he… he just stood up and… left me there… m…my mind… my heart… everything that I was… all of it… just… fading…
"I… understand… whose death… it meant…" yet… this time there was no fire to save me… there was no wolf by my side… I was alone… I was powerless… I was… human.
'Are you now?' I couldn't move my body to see who was speaking I could only look up at the canopy of leafs and branches… I couldn't even talk back… I was… I am … useless.
'You are? Have you forgotten already?' forgotten? What could it mean?
'You mean to tell me you went through all of that pain previous to this and yet a stabbing is what stops you?…. this is what you fall at?'
"…" my head… I couldn't care anymore… what was the point of all this?
'You sadden me child… in all my time I have seen men fell through pain and misery… falling under the weight of the world… Some fell into madness and now my brother chews on their souls… yet you have been given the chance of rebirth more times than anyone… do you know why?' of course not… I was just glad that I could survive.
'You lived because we believed in you… we believed you could save our brother… we believed you to be worthy of taking his place.' A gust of wind blasted through the trees opening canopy to the night sky… the moon shined down on me and I felt a surge of energy. I breathed out and felt where Logan stabbed me a second time… there was nothing there… a loud cry echoed in the sky along with another powerful gust of wind, I looked up and saw it. There under the light of the moon flew a large raven with wings that shined in the night like two sheets of velvet. It flapped in the air floating over the world with watchful eyes.
"… You sent me through this test… didn't you…" It wasn't much of a question then a statement. "Why put me through something so horrible!? I've felt pain someone shouldn't ever have to go through! Why did you do this!?" The raven had a look of regret that felt truly sincere.
'So that you would know pain… Fire was meant to burn… through anger and hate… through temptation and depression… to survive your flame you must understand that you require this hate and pain… that you require the sorrow and hate… so that you know, that it can never control you. Despite your pain that fire inside you still burns…' … I understood.
"… Then that wasn't real… Logan really didn't kill me…"
'That image was the most traumatic in your life. The very first time you have experienced death for yourself. It was crucial to your growth.' I smiled up at the raven.
"… DON'T DO IT AGAIN DAM IT!" The great bird trembled slightly and lost its balance trying to remain afloat with dignity.
'U…Understood... Now take this and go say hello to my dear brother.' The raven tossed down a seed from within its powerful talons. It landed in my hands and I looked at the small shining thing.
"This has better be worth all of this crud…" the moment it landed inside Lulu's pouch the trees all disintegrated into the darkness until I was left alone in an empty field. It was so odd, as if there was nothing for miles just one big empty plane. The seeds shined brighter and brighter until there was nothing but light eating away at the darkness. When the light cleared I was standing right in front of Lulu. I jumped back confused and frightened.
"What the heck, don't just jump out of nowhere Lu!" The woman just giggled into her sleeve.
"Actually you were the one who appeared in front of me. I was shocked but I knew something like that would have happened." I blinked for a second until I figured it out.
"You knew! You knew it was going to be horrible didn't you!?" she smiled brightly… well as much as was possible for her, and patted my hair.
"I knew you had the strength to ender the tiles of lose. You are after all the rebirth of the lunar goddesses child." I gasped at that.
"Did everyone but me knew I was his reincarnation!?" as expected she nodded. "Whatever… I'm too emotionally drained to care about this… just what tell me what to do now." she chuckled and toward an open glade. The moment I followed her gaze my mouth hung to the ground. "Wow..."
There stood a beautiful lake with crystal water that shined as if it was liquid jewels. In the middle of the lake was a small island with a large tree that looked like none I have ever seen before. The bark of the tree was pure white and shined like silver, no leafs grew on it only round pearl like fruit bore on its glorious branches. Under the tree grew rather plane looking flowers still concealed within their buds. The petals were dark purple and looked rather odd and out of place with the magnificent tree and lake.
"Those are the flowers?" I held out the four seeds and felt a sense of disappointment… they weren't anything grand… but I felt if I planted them in the name of my family… they might shine just like they did.
"Yes they are… they are known as the Mirror's of Heaven, the flowers mirror the light within the entire coven. Now plant then under the tree of the moon and see just what all of your suffering was for." I did was she asked and waded into the beautiful waters of the lake. Thankfully it was not even knee deep and I made it to the island easily. I found a nice space in-between the tree and the water and dug four small holes and placed each seed inside but not without a good luck kiss. I gently padded the dirt down and smiled contently. It may have not been a grand act but it was… fulfilling. I looked back at Lulu who shouted up to the air and raised her arms up high.
"NOW!
WATERS OF THE STAR LIT SKY!
HERE ME NOW HERE MY CRY!
LIGHT THE FLAMES OF HOPE AND MIGHT!
SHOW HIM NOW AND FILL HIS SIGHT!"
Lulu's words filled the air with a surge of power and serenity. The waters of the lake spouted up like a whale taking its breath from hours of deep sea travel. The water shined down like glitter and coated the flowers with wisps of dew. For a moment all was quiet, I held my breath waiting for something to happen… what I received was nowhere near a disappointment.
The buds of the flowers slowly opened; a light began to shine from within them, it was as if they were lanterns covered in blankets that were slowly lifting off and showing a pristine radiant light. A sound echoed from the flowers as if the light itself was trying to sing. The forest chimed with their song. When the buds completely opened orbs of light flew into the sky shining with every color that ever existed and flew right into me. A sudden invasion of names echoed into my head, all names I didn't recognize other then four, Braska, Lunaria, Skylar, and Salem. All of their emotions… I felt all of it in an instance. I felt warm tears falling from my eyes. It was all so much emotion in one moment. I knew if I didn't prepare for it like I did this would possibly have killed me… I was ready for it… I knew now what I was meant to do… what Crest was meant to be.
"I am… the flame of the heart." I felt it again, the blue fire danced around me in a flurry. It burned through everything, the flowers, the tree, the lake even Lulu. Everything felt the fire but did not burn. I turned to Lulu and smiled brightly. She looked so proud.
"You've done it." I waved my hand bidding the fires to fade and walked up to Lulu, confident and full of hope. I embraced her and cried into shoulder.
"This is from Braska and Lunaria." I pulled away and wiped a tear that fell from her eye. "He said he's proud of you." She didn't say anything; she only smiled and led me away from the glade. Before we left I felt the urge to look back, there I saw Crest, sitting by the lake. "I'll meet you back at the cottage. There is one last thing I need to do." She understood and kissed me on the cheek then walked down the path. I walked up to Crest and sat next to him; he turned to look at me for a moment and just stared out at the shining water.
'So… how did it feel? Feeling their fire?' I chuckled and lay back letting my feet tap the water's surface making a ripple.
"Warm, like the first day of summer… what was it like when you died?" The wolf sighed at my cryptic answer and lay down beside me letting his nose touch the water making a ripple like I did.
'It was like a candle going out…' We gave each other a look and just laughed contently. He turned to me and laid his fuzzy head on my lap. '… Thank you… for baring my burden.' I smiled down at him and to his surprise I scooped him up in a hug.
"I know how hard it was for you now… to have to feel everyone's emotions so deeply… why would the goddess give you three such painful jobs?" he chuckled as if it was nothing. "I'm serious! The serpent has to take care of every soul that dies and even has to punish evil souls by eating them alive, the raven has to send people down paths that not only scar them but could very well turn them crazy, and you have… or had to remember the emotions of everyone in the world! If you guys were not immortal I'd think you'd all go nuts…"
'I did if you forgot, despite our immortality we are emotion filled retches just like you humans… we feel pain and... love… just like you do.' After hearing that I smiled slyly and boopped his nose.
"Awh! So you do love someone hu?" if he blushed I couldn't see it but he had that look to him. "Oh my gosh! Who is it!? Someone I know?" He just looked at me and for a moment I didn't think he would tell me… but then he licked me. I just stood there and watched as he faded into smoke and fazed into my body… I just sat there for a while taking it all in… he love me… but In a way I was him… what did that mean? I just laid back and looked up at the moon and the stars. I smiled up at the heavens and slowly drifted off… "What an eventful day…"