My nerves got so bad that Wyatt had to yank me away from everyone towards a corner.
"You've got to breathe!" He sighed, holding my shoulders.
I can't! Not without Alijah here! Ah... something like this happened before. Not with the Raiders... but with...
Memories rushed through me again, triggering me to shake my head.
"No! I need to find him!" I growled, pushing Wyatt out of my way and running towards the reinforced wall. Before I could reach it, a guard was there to shove me onto the ground.
"Back off!" He warned, eyes shimmering as I felt my body boil.
The pain didn't matter to me anymore as I glared at them.
If you get in my way, I'll—
"Hold on! She's just looking for her friend!" Wyatt intervened before the situation got out of hand.
"Then tell her to control herself," The man huffed as an orb passed me, grabbing my attention.
That beast's coming here. Oh dear, the soldiers didn't stand a chance, and the one alive is guiding it here! The spirit informed.
What?! If it comes here, everyone will—
"Get out of my way! The shadow demon is coming this way!" I snapped, turning toward the door again.
In response, one of them smacked me on the cheek, sending me tumbling back onto the ground.
"What the fuck do you know, luma?" A vampire guard scuffed.
Ah... those eyes...
This man hated what I was. Of course, he wouldn't believe me even if I had been better at choosing my words. He only saw that I was a hybrid, and that was enough to make me lesser. The blow luckily didn't knock out any of my teeth, but it did lacerate my cheek.
Spitting out some blood onto the floor, I growled when Wyatt intervened yet again.
"Look, forgive her. She's worried about her friend. This is a tough situation for all of us. So, can we all calm down?" The elf got in between us.
However, soon, I wouldn't be the only one who heard something coming. The ghost was proven right when the ground itself shook in its approach. Whatever was coming for us was more significant than the usual beast that came through.
Undoubtedly, it was a demon, a few ranks below Shade herself, who was a high-level Ancient. Mom had classified the demons into five ranks: Lesser, Primal, Sage, Ancient, and Mythic. We were lucky throughout the twenty years that these anomalies occurred.
Only three villages were lost to a catastrophic event like a high-level sage. When Edna ripped part of my mother's soul, she also took out part of the Gate of the Soul cairn with it, which allowed the beasts to come into our realm for short periods—a period that increased over the years.
Crap... my luck can't be this bad, can it?
I glanced around, trying to figure out a way out of this, only for it to go eerily silent before all chaos broke loose. In an instant, the wall connecting to the door gave way as the impact sent everyone near the wall flying back deeper into the shelter, including me.
I didn't even know how I got to where I was as some debris fell on me after I rolled through the ground. Luckily, I could quickly free myself from the pieces of metal falling on me. However, I was bleeding a bit more than I previously was.
The effects of Alijah's affecting injuries were in my system, slowing down my healing factor. Most, if not all, of my stitches were ripped as I struggled to get a grip. Their effects usually took a few minutes to hours to wear off on normal Lycans.
For me, though, it would take a day or more. When wolves usually fought, they had thick fur to protect them, which made it harder for their fangs and claws to do much damage. Flinching, I tried to stand up while screams erupted from everywhere.
I quickly lost my balance and found myself on the floor again. Even though I was unsteady, I could finally get a splendid view of the beast assaulting us. It appeared like a giant lion, with large fangs and two flexible tails that quickly ripped through people.
Horns protruded from its head and back. However, the best characteristics for identifying these monsters were their black, shadowy bodies and big blue eyes, which resembled the color of my right eye.
This one was known as a chimera. It was large enough to make a ruckus, though short enough not to be a sage. Most importantly, it was also blocking one of our ways out. The other exit had some guards struggling to open the door, which appeared to be jammed thanks to some flying debris.
You should've listened to me! Those precious seconds probably would have saved lives! Everything that happens now is in your hands!
The moment that thought crossed my mind. I knew my blood lust was coming out, triggering me to shake my head.
No! Not now!
Wyatt, who rolled close to me, rushed to my side to help me up. The beast stuck its head in as everyone ran towards the exit on the other side. I had never been so close to one of these wild demons before.
Even though Shade was one of them, in her weird way, she never made me feel anything but loved, but this beast was another matter. Shivers ran down my spine as every fiber in my being told me to run away from it.
Sadly, this beast spelled bad news for everyone there.
At least Alijah doesn't seem to be here—a blessing for me. Now, I just need to figure out how to get out of here without dying!
I didn't have the will or strength to shift like I did the last time. Either way, it would've placed all the people here in danger from me instead of the demon before us. The beast within me would kill everyone around me while I kept the shadowy monster away.
Trying to force its way in, one of its tails destroyed the barrier that kept it from coming in fully, allowing entry into the facility where we were stuck. The emergency doors where everyone gathered behind appeared to malfunction, thanks to their negligence.
This was a timed battle, and we were already screwed before it started.
Fighting shadow demons was always a timer-set battle. Lately, though, it seemed to last almost an hour, maybe a bit more. The last time I heard one of my dad's reports was when he was in his studio.
The beast had lingered in our world for an hour and twenty minutes, making the twenty minutes that had passed since it came meaningless. Thus, we had to deal with this for at least an hour.
Wyatt's body trembled when I tried to find my footing, only to push the elf to the ground to avoid one of the incoming tails. It tore through anyone who didn't move fast enough. Blood splattered everywhere while severed body parts fell around us.
If... one slip... I'll...
Memories flooded again while I was on top of Wyatt.
Back at the cave... after we fell into the river... Alijah... I...
Before I could finish that thought, something ran underneath the beast. A second later, it magically disappeared from my eyes and into a building next to us. There was only one thing that could've done that.
Alijah...
The worst was happening. I gazed towards the source to see my beloved wolf standing there. He seemed out of breath, searching around the room for something. Getting off Wyatt, I ran towards my wolf, only for him to receive me with open arms.
The moment I was in his embrace, I snuggled into his chest
"Alijah!" I breathed, feeling safe in his arms.
"Thank the gods. I found you, Rem." He held me tighter, turning my heart into a fluttering mess.
Why do you sound so desperate? Ah... It can't be you're...
That thought made me clasp onto him, wishing never to let him go, though that would've been a mistake. Before I realized it, he shoved me onto the ground with my bag in my hands. One of the two tails of the beast almost hit him from behind, which missed him only by a few centimeters, triggering his body to radiate red again.
Stomping down on the beast's tail, it quickly came charging a second later, only to be met by his fist, sending it up into the air and through the roof.
"Stay here," Alijah ordered, eyes shimmering.
"No! You can't—" I tried to warn him, only for him to turn away.
"Stay here, Rem!" He huffed before launching into the air.
He met the falling beast mid-free fall and sent it away from us. Instantly, he followed it before I could say anything to discourage him. With a brief hesitation, I stood up and ran after them. Pain no longer mattered as I pushed past every single tear of my skin.
You don't know!
It was a fight of endurance, and that beast wouldn't tire. The one unpleasant aspect of the blood moon's power was that we could only use it in momentary bursts. Dad always had to take down his opponent within thirty minutes or crash quickly afterward.
My siblings who were born with it maybe had a few minutes more than Dad. As for Alijah, I didn't know how much he could handle. I couldn't allow that unknown to slip. His power seemed more destructive than my father's or brothers', making it more intense.
Wait... how do I know about that? Ah... yes, the cave... you...
Memories continued to flow through me, running as fast as I could. I almost fell twice, stumbling to keep up with the two Titans clashing. With all the adrenaline pumping through my veins, the pain disappeared.
Sadly, I could barely keep up with the two while they fought against each other. Buildings came down with each blow as even Dad, who had more experience with shadow demons, struggled to take them down.
Mom and Vera did it quickly as they could summon gates to send them back. However, Alijah's fighting style differed from my father's. He was wilder, while Dad's way was less chaotic.
Predictable maybe.
At one point, I ran out of breath and needed to stop to fill my lungs with air before going after them again.
Crap!
No matter how fast I tried to get to them, they were always out of reach. Alijah was letting go of all the aggression he had stored into the beast that threatened us, tearing down anything in his path. At one point, he finally slowed down as I finally started to catch up to them.
It probably had been an hour that I had spent going after them. I didn't keep track, though. My legs trembled from how much I had run. Perhaps it was the lack of blood, too, as my shirt was drenched in blood.
Part of me wanted to collapse, but I wouldn't let myself. My vision blurred as catching my breath became more challenging to do.
No! I can't crash now! Not until I get to you!
Luckily, I wouldn't have to look for much longer when something crashed nearby, almost taking me out with it. It would've splattered me on the road if I had moved a centimeter more. Sweat dripped down my face as I glanced toward where the object hurtled.
Quickly, I noticed it was the wolf I had been looking for. He was a bit of a bloody mess, but he had no missing limbs. Finding my second wind, I ran toward him, ignoring the roaring beast that charged us.
When Alijah saw me rushing towards him, his eyes widened as his pupils dilated. He could barely move anymore, though. His stamina had run out, all while the beast he fought was immortal and relentless.
"What the fuck? How stupid can you get?!? Get the fuck out of here, Rem!" Alijah snapped at me, voice trembling.
I didn't care what he thought when I jumped into him. The strain on his body was too much, though his healing seemed to have sped up. However, all that mattered was his chest rising and falling with each breath.
By the gods... I'm dumb, though.
Even though I ran toward him, I didn't know how to protect him. I was utterly useless.
"Seriously, get out of here, Rem!" Alijah tried to pull me off him.
A soft giggle left me as I hugged him tighter.
Ah... there is one thing I can do for you.
What I was about to do would be one of the most reckless things I had ever done, but losing him like I almost did in the cave would've been worse. If I were going to lose him, I would also lose myself.
I love you, my grumpy wolf. Don't look so worried. Everything will be fine. I promise.
How I wished I could kiss him. Though, I had already done that more times than I could count. My memories snapped together, allowing me to recall everything that had happened.
No more. I won't take anything else from you. I'm sorry for doing that.
"Alijah, sit and stay there until whatever happens next happens," I ordered, triggering Alijah to freeze.
He glared at me when I kneeled to his level while taking my headphones and MP3 player out of my bag. After putting the headset on, I dropped the bag on his lap as the coin pouch was there—something he would need to stay away from everyone after him.
Luckily, he had already learned how to buy things from watching me in this era.
"Rem?! What the fuck are you doing?!" He questioned.
I simpered, knowing full well that I was crazy, yet there was no time to think of a second plan. The shadow demon would get to us before I could figure out another way. The sound of buildings coming down was coming nearer with each second.
"If I die... you'll run far away from me until you're a continent away. Only then will you be freed from me and this bond, but only if I die, Alijah." My voice trembled.
"No, please, Rem, don't." Alijah shook his head, wincing.
Ah... I thought you'd be happy, not like this.
Perhaps I had claimed a bit of his heart—a tiny part- which was good enough for me.
Will I recall the moments we kissed as my temporary death came to hold me? Temporary... but for how long? Will Dad and Mom find me before I destroy Azear, or will they be too late?
At this point, it didn't matter to me anymore. I could've called them by taking off my spell locator inhibiting bracelet. It was the one thing that survived my shift since it was enchanted, but if I had done that, it would've been the end for Alijah.
I didn't want him to be anyone's prisoner.
"Sto—" my wolf went to protest, but I wouldn't let him finish.
I could see the beast become more apparent when it dove in between houses, leaving only behind wrecks where they used to be. At least with wood, there wasn't much dust left behind.
"If I don't die... and the beast is no more. Then you'll move again as soon as it disappears." I finished turning on the mp3.
I took a deep breath, stepping away from Alijah, whose voice cracked behind me.
"Rem don't you fucking—" I muffled him with the music that blasted my ears before he could finish.
It'll be over soon. It's okay, and I'm sorry.
A few steps away from him, I stood between the beast and my wolf. This beast wasn't like the ones my mother summoned as it had no master, which meant its only ruler was the undying wrath after being sealed in the dreadful realm known as the Soul Cairn.
Once again, my feet were a bloody mess, as I had come out with no shoes, making my gait unsteady. Yet nothing would move me from where I was as that beast charged at us.
Alijah... For you, I give the world.