Chapter 4

4

Violet's eyes shot open widely and she gasped on a breath after she stirred to consciousness. She found herself laying on her back and intense brightness made her squeeze her eyes shut. She breathed hungrily as if she was deprived of oxygen.

Her body was aching. It felt like she was pushed deep underwater and she had to fight her way back to come on the surface.

She sucked deep breaths and turned around to lift her body on all fours. Her body had been throbbing earlier, but it lessened with each breath she took. When she felt lightheaded, she raised her head to look around her.

Her breath hitched as she took in the blinding whiteness surrounding her!

Everywhere she looked, as far as her eyes went, it was white. She felt like she was on a cloud. Violet got up and dusted her hands. Though the ground underneath had been flawlessly clean, she dusted her hands out of habit.

"Where am I?" She muttered, starting to walk ahead.

She recalled being forced by two guards in the dungeons. Her steps faltered as her hands rose to touch her body. However she got another shock because she was fully clothed.

"How is this possible? I... I was naked, weren't I? T-the guards were all over me. T-they..." Violet trailed off as she touched a hand between her legs.

She trailed her hand to her inner thighs, fearing that she would feel pain. But there was nothing. Even her vagina was fine like it was untouched and unharmed.

"Am I dead?" She blinked her eyes.

Tears started forming in her eyes. She couldn't come up with a better reasoning. She had to be dead, else why was her surrounding all white as if it was heaven? Why didn't she feel pain between her legs? Why was she clothed?

The clothes! Violet hasn't noticed them before, but her clothes were all leather like a warrior's. A short, sleeveless top revealed a toned midriff and belly button. It was made of supple and shiny leather. Two broad leather straps served as sleeves and it was secured with sturdy buckles at the shoulders.

For the bottom, she had glistening leather pants with a furry belt holding it together on her waist. Although it was a bit tight, it was comfortable. Violet also had an arrow holder around her shoulders and her bow resting firmly against her back.

"What the! It wasn't there when I woke up. I... I didn't feel it under me when I was lying on the ground. What magic is this?" Violet was startled.

She ran her fingers over the coarse fabric. Her clothes had an ancient, warrior-like quality, as if she had been transported to another era.

Overall, it made her feel strong, courageous and gave her a touch of wild beauty. She felt ready for an attack.

She raised her hands to gawk at the thick bronze bracelets on her wrists. They had ancient runes etched on them as if it was a secret message. Violet was unable to understand it, but there was a crescent moon in the middle of the bracelet, which glowed when it caught light.

She was staring at it enchantedly when her eyes caught a glimpse of a black ink tattoo on the forearm of her right hand.

"This... I never had this tattoo. Where did this come from?"

Violet stared at it circumspectly. An arrow was piercing through a crescent moon from the lower left to the upper right, diagonally. The arrowhead pointed upwards, and above it, five stars were aligned in a semi circle. Each star was of a different size.

While Violet was assessing it, a violent wind rolled over.

"Ah! What is this-- a storm? But how? There's nothing here. No sky or atmosphere. The space is empty white!" She winced as she couldn't keep her eyes open.

She closed them and put a hand across her face to protect them. Suddenly the wind stopped and menacing silence filled the space.

When Violet looked up again, her mouth set agape. She stood there blank, amazed and very shaken. Shock filled her to the neck and she found herself struggling to breathe.

"What the... How is this possible?" She remarked because what was just an endless she of flawless white— has now metamorphosed into an otherworldly realm.

Her skin scorched with goosebumps as she gazed around. There were soft fluffy clouds of dreamy mix of pink and white color drifting lazily in the sky.

Tall slender pillars of the color rose-gold lining on both sides of her. There was a fountain flowing overhead. It was suspended in mid-air as though invisible ropes held it in the air. Violet stared wordlessly because instead of water, vibrant rose-gold sparkles flew from the fountain.

When she tore her gaze off the fountain to glance around, her jaw dropped. Because the sparkles from the fountain had filled the air like moon dust. The sparkles shimmered intensely.

The atmosphere had transformed into soft pink and rose-gold wherever she looked.

Violet turned around and her hands rose to her mouth to cover it. There was a garden of flowers in full bloom. Each petal of each flower had a different color. They shimmered too as if someone had sprinkled glitter on them.

The place looked like a corridor of a divine castle, belonging to a rich king— or a deity.

"Lyra, you're here, pup?" Violet's body froze as she heard a melodious voice.

She peered around her as confusion crossed her features. She was alone in this magical place, hence she wondered who was Lyra here.

“Lyra, darling, I'm talking to you. Why are you looking around? There's no one here but you.” The voice sounded again.

It was so peaceful and attractive, Violet couldn't help but follow it.

She barely walked a mile and ceased all motions given a massive cage of silver appeared before her. It was pure silver, and every bar of the cage crackled with visible electric currents.

Inside the cage was a woman with long silvery hair that touched the ground. Her back was at Violet.

"Who are you? And why are you in a cage?" Violet asked, her heart pounding in her chest.

She was smitten by the gown the woman in the cage was wearing. It was, yet again, a blend of pink and white color and it sparkled too. The sleeves were extremely long and they touched the floor.

"You don't remember me, child? I'm your creator. Your Moon Goddess, Selene." The woman turned around, and the face Violet saw made her heart jump into her throat.

Her eyes stilled on her face. Violet felt her skin flush with warmth as the woman's eyes settled on her. She was ethereal. Words couldn't describe her beauty.

"Y-you are the Moon Goddess? I don't believe it." Violet's eyebrows arched skeptically as she moved back.

The woman seemed to be an imposter. How can she be the Moon Goddess? Though she was divinely beautiful, she was in a cage. That was weird. How can someone put her there? And why hadn't she been able to come out?

She was a goddess. She had powers, didn't she? Why didn't she use them to get out if she was truly The Moon Goddess!

The woman's eyes enlarged sorrowfully. Her cheeks turned red in embarrassment as she lowered her eyes. Another magical event unfolded because tiny— very tiny like the size of a water drop— pink and white flowers started falling from beneath her lowered lashes.

The flowers withered and turned to ashes with a small explosion at her feet and disappeared as they touched the floor.

"It's unbelievable, right? I don't feel happy either. My powers are ripped from me and the dark magic used on this cage is suppressing my aura. I'm no better than a human under this cage, child." The Moon Goddess gave a melancholic smile.

"I never wanted to meet you again while I was in a cage, Lyra. But that's why you're here! You have to free me." She said in that honey-sweet voice, except that it was a little raspy, but even then it sounded like music to Violet's ears.

"Free you?" Violet quirked an eyebrow. "Can't you just melt the bars and come out if you're the Moon Goddess?" She moved closer to the cage.

"I wish I could. But as I said, I don't have my powers. Vorgon and Malakai stole them from me. There's nothing I can do. You have to do it, Lyra."

Violet looked at her face and then at the cage. She was about to touch one of the bars sizzling with visible bursts of electricity when the Moon Goddess screamed from inside, "NO! Don't touch it. You'll burn to ashes, child. What surrounds this cage isn’t mere electricity. It is raw lightning which was ripped from the sky and bound around the cage through dark magic. Even though it’s just a fragment of lightning, it is enough to burn you.”

Violet moved back. She sighed as she stared at the currents passing through the cage. Indeed, it was powerful and she could feel the pull of black magic. She can see black smoke emitting from the crackling currents of electricity too.

"Then how do I free you? Is there a way?"

The Moon Goddess nodded in a yes, "Go down to earth and find your allies—the other two warriors, Aria and Kael. You'll have to find them before Vorgon and Malakai and bring them up here. Together with your powers, you will be able to break the dark spell and release me. That's not all, your reunion will also help me gain back my powers. But you need to work on it, Lyra.”

“They could be in any part of the world! You'll have to search for them.”

She suddenly fell back on the floor and hugged her arms.

"It's time for my punishment. You don't have to see it, Lyra. Go back to earth now. You need to be quick and find your affiliates before them. I don't have much time."

"But..." Violet saw a dark angry cloud appear over the Moon goddess' head. Thunder clapped before silvery rain began to cascade over her.

As the droplets grazed The Moon Goddess' skin, they created dark black holes on her skin as though she was burning. But within seconds it would heal and new holes would appear in its place as the rain touched her. It repeated and each time the Moon Goddess wailed in agony.

"This is your last chance, Lyra. If you fail to save me this time, the entire wolf kind will disappear with me. The world will come to an end." She said in a tear-smothered voice.

Seeing her in affliction made Violet struggle to breath too.

It was indeed Moon Goddess because her pain was causing her to feel the pain, after all she was her creation. Violet could feel it on her skin— the burn and hotness. It was as if hot melted metal was poured on her.

"Go back, Lyra. Find the other two warriors and come back soon. You'll have to do that before Vorgon and Makalai find them." She repeated it again.

“But I don't know who Vorgon and Malakai are. Why are they after you? And where will I find Aria and Kael?” Violet gave her a ridiculed look. “I think you're mistaking me for someone else. I'm an omega. I am not strong.”

“You're my warrior, Lyra. You don't know who you are. You'll have to find your true identity while you look for your allies.”

Violet's chest rumbled with growing emotions.

“Warrior? Me? But I am…”

A tornado emerged out of nowhere and sucked Violet in it. She was caught in the middle as she heard the last few words from the Moon Goddess, "They have unlocked their powers but they haven't restored their memories. But it won't be long before they do. So, you'll have to find them, Lyra."

"Remember, Lyra, this is your last chance. After this, neither will I see you again, nor will you. It's the final war. You'll have to win it, child. You'll have to win it."

Violet's mind spun. She was rotating in the middle of the tornado. The force seemed to rip her apart.

Unavoidable pain shot through her body as her eyes ached from the spinning. She watched as the realm vanished and before she could understand anything, the force of the tornado weighed down on her and she passed out.

Tbc...