Jason immediately turns around, coming face-to-face with an old woman who, to his complete regret, was too well-known.
-"I know it's you. Mother Miranda". He exclaims at last, with a cold, scathing look.
-"No more mom for me?. I see you're still the same...". The old woman began, turning into a flock of crows.
The young man observes with haste the rapid course of the crows, until they are placed in front of him. There, she transforms herself again; this time, in her supposedly usual form. The way he remembered her.
-"You know. I never thought you'd become a grudge, my son". She spoke again.
-"What's all that clothes?". Jason interrupted her, slightly surprised by the mask, and the all-black dress with crow's wings.
-"Actually you're interested?". His mother replies in a mocking tone.
-"No". Jason decides to be frank and direct.
A small pause occurs, with both silent, until the young man cuts it off.
-"So... What's the point of all this?". He says, obviously pointing to the sudden interaction between the two.
-"You'd believe me if I told you I missed you. All these years... Despite all my fake children, none of them could even come near to replace you". She responds, softening her voice.
In these moments, it could easily pass like a mermaid, that mythological beast that sweetened with its voice those who dared to cross the seas.
Of course it didn't end well for them. The so-called beautiful mermaid was a horrible monster who only sought to satisfy his hunger with the unwary sailors.
-"No. I will not fall for your false words, nor for your little-sense affection". The young man exclaimed coldly, earning as a reward a proud look from his mother.
-"At least I tried. You can't blame me for that". She smiled.
-"What do you want?". He practically spat out the hair.
-"You know more than anyone what I want. My children next to me. It's the only thing I've ever wanted". She replied, starting to surround Jason.
-"Do you even know why I let you go that time? I only did it because I knew you'd come back one day, I knew you'd get tired of the world, that it wouldn't be enough for you".
-"And what do you know about that?". Jason interrupted with animosity.
-"You always wanted this place, my son, this will always be your home, here are all the people you ever wanted...".
-"No. Not all...". It practically slipped Jason's way out.
It was a mistake, a small slip I couldn't allow, especially in front of her.
His mother only smiled sideways, enjoying a little of her pain.
-"Poverty. Did my little Jason lose a love?". She exclaimed with feigned pain.
-"Don't talk about things you don't know!". He shouted back.
-"Besides, it was all your fault". He added, almost in a whisper.
-"How can you blame me for something like that?. It's always my fault, isn't it?. Who is the villain?. Me?. No, Jason, I was never the villain. The only villain here is you!. It's always been you".
-"If you'd stayed with me, you wouldn't carry all that useless burden on your shoulders. But no, the young man just left, believing that if he left everything would be all right. That's pathetic".
-"It's your fault!". Jason screamed furiously, losing his temper.
In response, the whole village shuddered slightly. Which did not go unnoticed by Mother Miranda at all.
-"Ah. I see. So that's how you managed to survive... Finally!. My baby is a man".
-"Don't change the subject!".
-"That's what you want to talk about?. Really?. Well then... I see you still remember my promise".
-"More than a promise, it was a threat, a curse you put on me, you damned witch".
-"Don't raise your voice, Boy. That even if you play the neglect, I am still and will continue to be your mother; I will always be that person who gave you a home, raised you, gave you all their love, and who also taught you everything you know".
Jason flashed from the inside, about to blow up again.
-"In fact, I strongly recommend that you never forget her. Because whatever happens after this talk, it's all your fault". She continued, his voice already threatening.
-"I warned you not to come back... And you're here... I'm even giving you another chance now. And you waste it...". She fervently denied with his head.
-"But I'm tired!. I've had enough of that nonsense of yours, believing you to be the martyr. Do you really think that somehow you could redeem yourself?. Ha, sometimes I think you're pathetic".
-"You may show a royal and hard facade, but I know you well; it's all fake, inside you are still that fearful child, the same one who did not accept responsibility, and the one who practically ran away". She spat coldly.
-"From now on I'd watch my back if I were you. You definitely don't know what's coming for you... You'll never escape from here, you won't even have the honor of seeing the sunlight again".
-"Oh, Jason. He swore to you to treasure this moment for the rest of your miserable life. You will regret and remember this day forever. The day you dared to reject your mother for the second and last time".
-"You will not be able to escape your sins, let alone your nightmares". It ended, with an expression of complete hatred and anger.
Mother Miranda continued to look hard at him for a few more seconds, and once she was slightly pleased with the results, she gave a completely perverse laugh.
-"I don't think you got your welcome present. Here's your present". She exclaimed, turning into a flock of crows, instantly disappearing from there.
Jason took a deep breath, and cast his gaze upon the already dark and gloomy sky.
-"This is getting more and more uphill... Damn it". He said loudly, sighing heavily.
All right, until a close roar activates all your senses of danger.
The thing that made the sound certainly knew how to take advantage of the darkness, as it was nowhere to be seen.
A slight sound to his left warned him of the danger, and just in time, he manages to dodge the beast's bite.
From his position on the ground, and in the dim darkness of the night, face to face, Jason was finally able to see his rival; a grotesque, large, four-legged figure, with all-black fur, appeared to be some sort of wolf.
You could say that he was similar to perhaps the most recognized wolf in mythology. The mythical Fenrir. That wolf who would be guilty of killing Lord Asgard in the predicted Ragnarok.
Like him, his fur was completely black, he was large, and his teeth showed extremely sharp teeth.
-"So you were my gift..".
The wolf ignored his words, and tried to take advantage of his supposed advantage in the dark, rushing immediately towards his opponent, only to find the cold snow in his snout.
He wasn't the only one with experience in the nightlight. And now, I knew it.
Jason had left just in time, but the wolf turned out to be very insistent. The young man was already certain that he would not come out unscathed from this encounter.
Still on the ground, he threw a hard kick on the head, causing the beast to retreat instantly, now with rancour filtering through his eyes.
Jason tried to throw another kick, in an attempt to make time so he could finally get up, but the wolf saw his intent, and quickly evaded the kick. With the path clear to reach his target and already with his mouth wide open, he bit meat.
Pain began to seep quickly into the young man, only being able to curse his self-inflicted ignorance from within; apparently nothing here would be easy, no one was a mere idiot beast, the Lycans had already shown him, and now this thing...
The wolf, without even any respect for his rival's pain, began to sharpen his leg, and that's when Jason saw red.
With his good leg he kicked the wolf's head with force, seeking him to set him free, but the beast refused; indeed, such was his strength that it began to drag him through the cold and uncomfortable snow.
In another vague attempt, he finally managed to free his leg, and now the one he saw red was the wolf, who, changing tactics, threw himself at the young man's chest.
As he could, Jason jumped from side to side in time, dodging the bite, and, without wasting any more time, got up. His leg was burning and burning, and the pain was already unbearable; but he was still running, without even looking back, he knew beforehand that the wolf would come for him.
The only doubt he had was whether the beast was fast; he didn't have to think too much about it, as the beast appeared in front of him, cutting him off.
-"You know..". He started, looking around, looking for a quick exit.
-"I don't have all night..".
A growl, and some big fangs were all he got in response.
Bingo. He said, seeing a small opening underneath the nearest house.
Quickly, and at sheer speed he ran there, throwing himself to the ground in time, his whole body crossed the little hole, except for one thing.
I should have known that the wolf wasn't going to stay like this, waiting for its prey to escape. And with a leap, he clung to his wounded leg, pulling hard out.
Jason kicked and kicked, and the wolf kept pulling his leg; with a supernatural effort, the young man finally accomplished his task, and was able to free himself from the grip of the beast.
Breathing with difficulty, he began crawling around, looking for some sort of doorway or opening in the house.
Finally, after a while, he manages to find what he is looking for, and from there he enters the house.
The beast's grunts begin to appear from the outskirts of the house, seeming as if the thing was surrounding it.
Determined to make as little noise as possible, the young man rushed to search the house. He knew he was asking too much, but he still allowed himself to dream a little, if only there was a gun with silver bullets.
Perhaps the beast would be like the werewolves of fairy tales, the kind that fell only with silver bullets.
He fervently denied with his head. Miracles weren't possible in this goddamn town.
He didn't find anything of value, no leg bandages, no wolder guns. The only thing that somehow got her attention was a small staircase that went up from her left.
Without another idea in mind, the young man uses the stairs; the sky is still dark, and the dim but pleasant moonlight receive him, the view is beautiful, but the moment is not.
Another growl is heard, and Jason looks out from his vantage point, where the beast was.
To his already growing indignation, the wolf continued to search everywhere for him.
A few minutes later, the beast finally seems to get tired, and just disappears from there.
-"Well, at last". Jason exclaims, as he turns around.
In doing so, it seems to step on a weak spot in the roof, as it breaks at the slightest immediate contact. And as a result, Jason ends up falling into the house, landing on his back on a wooden table, which, for more pain, breaks immediately.
The blow is hard, it's cold, he's in pain, and the night is dark and he knows it harbors horrors, but Jason, for the first time since he's back, is comfortable.
He begins to nod, and his mind advises him once more that he should not sleep in such a place, but the day turned out to be long and hard, he cannot bear it any longer, and unable to do more to resist, he finally lets himself slowly fall into Morpheus' arms.
-"...I want him in front of me, I want to be the one to kill him myself".
The next chapter will mainly deal with the repercussions of mother-child talk.
She's tired, there won't be any more chances for Jason.
