Welcome to my Nightmare #Completed #WattyAwards2016

~Expectations~

" It is not always the will of the earth to defeat the half moon. Sometimes it was meant to kill you, Max. The people in the other realms can almost tell when an Alternator will fail. We watch in despair, unable to help. Your pain is our pain. Being your father, I can feel a weakening of my powers just watching you get hurt. But believe me when I say, you my son, were meant to destroy the half moon. You will win and come out a victor. You will save so many lives." The familiar voice was comforting. The numbness I was experiencing through my limbs made me realise that it was either a dream or I was dead and Dad was talking to a man who already gave his all.

"I'm sorry, I let you down." My voice struggled as if I was still weak with pain, but I could feel nothing.

"But you didn't son. I have never been so proud." He replied. I could not see his face. I couldn't see anything but my vision was not jet black either. It was a blended color of the entire forest. A mixture of green, brown and gray blurs.

"Where are you? Where am I?" I asked confused.

I heard a sigh before he replied. "I am not in your realm. Max, I've seen you cry for me. Please know that I am not hurt or in danger. I can't be with you anymore but that's how life works. You know I only wanted a normal life for you." He seemed to be taking this time to explain himself.

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me I was adopted or that you were an Alternator?  Why didn't you train me? Why?" I asked with more breaths than I could manage to take at this moment.

"I was protecting you and your mother. I thought we could leave this life behind us... and for a few years we did. We were normal Max, that's all I ever wanted to be. I fell in love with your mother and though I know the powers and the moon would find me, I took advantage of the normal for as long as I could. Max, if you do not win this battle, I will go to another realm for eternity, but if you do, I think I will be allowed another 50 years on earth with you. I know it will be hard to come back to my old life, but it would be so much better than this. I need you to win, son. I know you can, I've seen you fight.

"How-how do I win?" I asked anxiously. But I knew he wouldn't tell me.

"I love you, please be safe." He responded.

It sounded like he was saying goodbye. Everything in my body protested. "Wait!"

I already felt him begin to slip away from me. Like he was going farther and farther in to the back of my mind. I screamed for him again and again but got no reply. It was such a short talk but I know what I had to do. The question is, how would I do it and how would my body regain the power it needed. I struggled to wake up, to at least climb out of my own subconscious.

As soon as my consciousness came back, so did the pain of the wounds I blacked out from. At least I knew for sure I wasn't dead but that's only because I was pretty close to it. I could feel everything. I know my necklace was aiding in healing, but not fast enough. I felt my arms in an elevated position, tied tightly to something. My eyes struggled to open but when they did, I could see that I was tied to a tree in an odd position. My palms were pressed to it and tied with twigs that were very uncomfortable let alone the position i was in.

I looked around at the dark forest and saw Demetra to my side, on a tree of her own. Her palms were pressed to it as well. Her lead leaned against it like all her power had been drained too, she looked completely exhausted.

"You're alive." The fact that I could hear her faint words completely shocked me. Why was the forest so quiet?

"What happened?" I asked faintly. I began putting a little more effort in pulling power from the tree. I could feel myself getting stronger little by little, but at this rate it would take me a whole day to get back to where I need to be.

"After your attack on the half moon, it really weakened him. It confused him and I was able to attack. I got a few more trees thrown and then I destroyed the half of him that I could handle when I realised that I was the only one fighting. One of his halves are still out there somewhere. But it's not in our radius right now so I took the time to get you better and see if I can pull some power out of the forest."  

"Where is Serenity?" I was so afraid of the answer it barely escaped my throat.

Demetra looked at me with hopeless eyes then opened her palm holding Serenity's necklace. A pain rushed through my body that caused me to cry out and then it was rage coursing through me. I broke the twigs I was tied to and used all the remaining power in me to pull power from the deepest roots.

"Max, don't. You're losing faster than you're gaining." She screamed.

But all I could think about was Serenity and her body somewhere deep into the forest. She wasn't gone, I wouldn't allowed it. She couldn't have been gone. This thing destroyed enough of my life. The power was coursing through my veins, and the wounds were numbed as pure energy ran through my body. I breathed deeply, my anger fueling my adrenalin and when I was positive that I was ready, I shot up into the sky in search of the half moons dark side.

"Where are you?" I yelled as loud and as powerful as I could.

"You ruined my entire life!" I screamed flying to the far east end of the forest.

I heard a low grumbling voice back. Something like the devil himself.

"This is your life, Cyrus."

I turned my head in the direction it came from and noticed a face I knew so well a gaping pain ran through my chest.

"Mom?"