The Girl Who Ran, The Forest That Waits

XXI

"In Search"

Elijah's POV

It had been a week since Lucas left me in that forest. I hadn't seen him since, and a troubling sense of responsibility troubled at me. After all, I was the last person to be with him. So, I ventured back into the forest. It was a creepy place, but my determination outweighed my fear.

As I arrived, the surrounding atmosphere turned icy cold. The trees seemed to bow towards me, as if acknowledging my arrival. Before I could even take a step, I was mysteriously transported deeper into the forest. "What the heck was that?" I exclaimed, shock and confusion coursing through me.

Searching for Lucas, I spotted two figures in the distance who looked familiar. "That woman looks like... Grace? Wait, it definitely is Grace! What is she doing here, and who's with her? Is that.... That's Lucas! Why is he with Grace?" I thought hysterically.

I cautiously approached them, hoping to eavesdrop on their conversation. I could hear their voices, but their words were like gibberish, seemingly outlining a plan for revenge against Sophie, Joyce, and... Alice? Why were they plotting against these people? The more I listened, the more information I gathered. However, it all seemed to be for naught when I heard Lucas' chilling words: "And the body to use is already here, listening to us." He then turned towards me, a smirk playing on his lips, implying he knew I'd been there all along.

Without a second thought, I bolted, pushing myself to my limits. But my panicky sprint wasn't as fast as I'd hoped. He caught up to me in an instant, his left-hand bracing around my throat while his right gripped a book – likely for a spell.

"Lucas... why are you doing this?" I gasped, choking on his grip.

"Your Lucas is dead," he replied, his words sending a jolt of confusion and terror through me. My vision swam, and my body began to feel weightless. What did he mean, Lucas is dead? Who was I talking to then? What are his plans for Sophie and Joyce? What is happening?

"I am Luke Veloso," he spat, his voice dripping with a venomous fury that sent shivers down my spine. It wasn't the voice of Lucas, the conflicted man who wrestled with his humanity. This was a chillingly new entity, born from rage and simmering resentment. "Son of Lucas Veloso and Mashikita Shoko-Veloso," he continued, each word a hammer blow to my already fragile hope. "And soon, you'll all feel my wrath – a storm unlike anything you've ever witnessed. Your friends, this girl, Sophie... everyone will drown in the tide of my vengeance."

He paused, his eyes gleaming with a manic light as he surveyed my terrified form. "I tolerated saving humans before," he sneered, the word "tolerated" dripping with disdain. "Only because of my mother's naïve belief in understanding, in seeing the good in creatures inherently flawed. But I, Luke, I always knew the truth. You humans are a twisted mess of contradictory emotions, a chaotic soup of love and hate, loyalty and betrayal. You turn on those who protect you, who offer a hand in the darkness. No wonder my mother's efforts failed. No wonder peace was never an option."

A cruel smile twisted his lips. "But that charade is over," he declared, his voice rising to a crescendo. "With no one left to restrain me, with the shackles of my so-called humanity cast aside, the true Luke Veloso will be unleashed. And the world will tremble before my fury!"

It was no longer Lucas, but Luke – a cold, vengeful entity.

Confusion swam through me, but what good was it when I was losing consciousness? Soon, I'd be nothing more than a puppet to Luke, following his every command. As he cast the spell, a surge of unimaginable strength coursed through my body. It was a power I'd never known, fueled by a blinding anger. Consumed by it, I became a vessel for his will, ready to follow his every order.

"Perfect vessel," Luke's voice echoed in my fading consciousness, his words laced with a chilling satisfaction. "You'll do great as the new master of the Manglalayak." Those were the last fragments of rationality before darkness claimed me entirely. My body, once my own, now felt alien, a puppet controlled by unseen strings. A chilling dread filled me – a sense of being adrift in a storm, with no control over the direction of the current.

Whatever fate awaited within the depths of this wicked forest, a cold certainty settled over me. I was no longer the person I once was. Hope, once a flickering ember, had been extinguished, replaced by a suffocating sense of despair. Yet, a slice of defiance remained, a tiny spark refusing to be consumed by the invading darkness. Perhaps, somewhere beyond the reach of Luke's control, someone, somewhere, was searching for a solution. A way to break the curse, to sever the spiteful connection that bound me to the Manglalayak. That faint hope, fragile as a spider's thread, was all I had left to cling to. A flicker of defiance against the overwhelming power that now held me captive. For if I could not control my own body, perhaps I could still control my will. Perhaps, even as a puppet, I could find a way to resist the darkness, to become a weapon against the very master who had claimed me. The forest held its secrets, both compassionate and malicious. And within its twisted depths, a silent battle for control had begun.

Joyce's POV

Alice was nowhere to be found. I scoured every corner, but there was no sign of her. Then, behind a vase near the doorway, I spotted something: a note. It read simply that she'd gone grocery shopping. I drove from store to store, searching desperately, until I stumbled upon the convenience store near Sophie's hospital. Relief washed over me as I saw Sophie and Alice in conversation. "Thank goodness I only need to deliver the message once," I thought.

Parking my car, I rushed towards them. Both women were stunned to see me, especially Alice. As far as she knew, I was on a task to retrieve something. I explained that more urgent news took priority.

When I told them about Elijah, their faces contorted in shock. They bombed me with questions about how and why he was in the forest, questions I myself couldn't answer. Just then, Sophie dashed inside the convenience store, only to return moments later, devastated. Her parents were gone.

"So, their plan has begun," Alice said grimly. "Earlier than I anticipated. They must have been eager for this." Her words confirmed my worst fears – Sophie's parents were likely in enemy hands. The war, it seemed, had begun.

Without a word, we piled into my car, our destination clear: the enemy's lair. Theirs might be raw power, but we possessed something far more potent – the unwavering wrath of those who yearn for peace.