Chapter 18: Then Kill me

Caelan POV

My eyes opened.

I wasn't dead, not yet.

It took a long time for me to adjust to my environment, but I still had no idea where I was.

I was lying on the ground, my back against the lush green grass of a field. Around me, there was nothing, just a wide space that seemed to go on forever.

I sat up and frowned.

This wasn't the rogue territory. Who brought me here? Idris?

I felt my blood charge.

Suddenly images of the last moment I had before now flashed through me.

The war.

I looked around.

This was not what I expected. I was supposed to be on the warfield, surrounded by rogues and wolves.

But where I was, was nothing close to that.

It looked like something made out of a fairy tale.

As if on cue, a butterfly fluttered its wings and rested against my fingers.

“Why am I here?” I whispered into the air. “Where is everyone, Alpha Idris?. What happened to the war?”

Right at that moment, the sky rumbled. Like a reply.

I looked up.

The clouds began to change from a smoky white to a dark, angry black shade.

It started slowly, from the extreme end. The darkness began to crawl in, slowly, towards where I stood. The butterfly that had been on my fingers flew away.

I stared at the incoming darkness in confusion.

It looked like I stood in the middle of a brightly lit hallway, and the lights started going off from the extreme end. It was creepy.

Soon, the darkness took over the sky, and all I could feel around me was a dead emptiness.

Then I heard it.

A growl.

Deep and angry.

I snapped my head to the side, and sure enough, there were two fiery eyes staring back at me in the darkness, slowly approaching me.

It was a wolf.

Despite the darkness, I could make out the beast's form. It had much darker fur, and its eyes were like two flames. Red!

But something was also weird.

I could see the form shifting, almost as if it wasn't solid, like it was made of—shadows.

Yet it felt familiar, almost like I knew it.

It felt like my wolf, yet different, darker, and demonic.

I didn't move. I held my breath for a second, almost as if I wanted it to assume I was no longer there.

But it only sneered at me, the threat in its eyes clear as day.

Was any of this real? How was it possible to have a wolf shrouded in shadows?

Before I could think it through, the wolf leaped through the air and attacked me. I moved quickly, rolling to the side before I could get enveloped in its darkness.

It roared, angry.

Then it began to dance around me, like a predator scouting its prey.

A voice rang out of the shadows.

“You are weak!” It growled.

I frowned. “What are you?”

The wolf scoffed. “I am you, you are me. This is the greater version of what we can become.” It said,

I shook my head, confused. “You are not me.” I said.

A low laugh. “You lie to yourself, but you know the truth.”

I felt a heavy feeling sit on my chest. “What do you mean?”

The wolf tipped its head to the side. “Embrace the darkness and become one with me.” It said,

I shook my head. “No.”

This was an entity I had no control over. I had demons of my own I was fighting. I would be a complete abomination if I were to succumb to this voice of darkness.

“Then kill me.” It snarled, “If you can't kill me, then you can't stop us from taking over.”

My eyes widened in horror.

Kill it? How does one kill a shadow?

This wolf was dangerous. And despite my strength, I wasn't confident I could defeat it. My blows would be nothing.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through my head.

The prophecy.

Was that what this was about?

I spun around and looked out into the darkness.

That is it!

This couldn't be real. None of this was. And I needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

The wolf charged at me once more, and for no reason in particular, I found myself calling out a name.

“Lyra!” I cried out.

Suddenly, there was a blinding white light that shone bright. I crossed my arms over my eyes to shield them.

And just as quickly as the shadow wolf and the darkness came, it left.

I wasn't left unscathed either. The light came with a force that knocked me back to the ground, taking my breath away.

Next thing.

I woke up again.

This time in a cold and empty space.

This was real.

I could feel it.

The smell of despair in the air, the cold damp feel against my skin.

I sniffed again. There was a faint smell that reminded me of Lyra, along with the heavy sting of silver.

But something was different. I felt different.

Like something had changed.

There was an emptiness in me that I couldn't ignore, a hollowness like something was ripped out from me.

I sat up.

I was in the dungeon.

The cold, hard floor dug into the skin on my palm as I tried to push myself up.

I staggered a little and then fell back down.

I groaned, my head spinning from the quick movements I made.

I gave myself a few moments to rest, and when I was sure I could make it, I stood on my feet once more.

I staggered a little, and I quickly held the wall for support.

Strangely, a new kind of strength along with an anger burst filled me, and I regained myself.

I looked around the dungeon, a hate tugging at my chest.

What was I doing here?

The gate was opened, and slowly, I walked towards it.

It felt as if with every move I made, a darkness enveloped me. My heart grew heavier, and soon all I could think of was bloodthirst.

I needed to kill.