The Wolf

Ch. 39: The Forest for Sinner's Souls

~Nico~

The ground rumbles and shakes underneath me. I'm laying down in the dirt, injured. My leg is broken and there are deep cuts all over. To my right, another person is beside me. Blood is pooling around their body and I can only assume that they are dead. I grit my teeth and pull myself off the ground. My ears are ringing as I look around, taking in the scene of carnage.

Bodies are shredded and blood is everywhere. I look up to see the peak of a mountain with black smoke billowing towards the sky. The forest is on fire. All of the bodies' faces are blurred out, so I can't tell friend from foe. My heart trembles at the thought of Alex being one of them, but something tells me he's not. I glance back up at the mountain, that's where I need to be. Something terrible is going to happen if I don't make it in time.

I gasp, jerking awake. My eyes snap open and I look around me. I'm in my bedroom at the Omega Cabin, safe and sound. I put a hand against my beating heart to try and calm it down. That dream was scary. I've been having it for a while now, yet I can never discover where I am, who those people are, or what exactly is so important about getting to the mountain. I think the dream is a remnant of Nyx's curse, left behind to torture me in my sleep.

Feeling calmer, I swing my feet over the side of my bed. I sit at the edge for a long moment, replaying the scenes of the dream in my head. Every time I see that dream I feel gloomy. It's hard to start your day off right when you just dreamed about death and dying. I shake my head and stand up, there's no point in mulling over a stupid nightmare. I can't let Nyx win, after all.

I stumble my way over to the bathroom to prepare myself for the day. The fluorescent lights blind me when I switch them on. I take a moment to stare at myself in the new mirror-- the shards of the broken one have been disposed of. I look different. My black hair looks shiny and my complexion is healthy and tan, rather than sickly and pale. The bags under my eyes remain as well as chapped lips and haunted eyes, but, overall, it's an improvement.

I turn away from my reflection, still not used to the way I look. Somehow, it's like seeing a stranger where I should be. It's weird that my outer appearance is changing so drastically, while inside I'm practically the same Nico. The only thing that is new would be that I'm happier than I have been in a long time. Luca has helped me through countless nightmares and breakdowns, and he always stays by my side even after seeing me at my worst. I need to be strong because I realize I have more than just myself. I've got Luca, Blake, and Alex.

Steam swirls around the room as I turn on the shower. I strip off my pajamas and throw them to the side. My fingers wrap around the pair of silver bands that are around my wrist as I take them off and set them aside. The burn marks caused by the silver start to fade immediately once the hateful substance is removed.

My outward appearance may have changed, but mentally I'm still the same. I'm weak, I know, and the only way to get stronger is to do something like that. I step into the hot stream of liquid. If I can get used to the effects of silver, and I can use magic, then I'll be an asset to the team, rather than an obstruction.

Under the spray of water, my skin bubbles, and burns. I hiss and turn the water toward the cold side. I may not be able to feel the heat very well, but it still affects me as such. My flesh turns red and angry as my super healing comes into effect. I've realized just how inconvenient Nyx's 'gift' is.

When I'm done, I get dressed and head out of the Omega Cabin toward the training field with my silver bands firmly reattached. Blake is waiting in the clearing for me when I arrive. I look around for Kayla, but it appears she's not here yet.

"Hey, Blake," I call out to him as I step into our little area.

Trees surround the clearing and in the middle is a large patch of dirt, upon which we practice drills and sparring with one another. The ground is worn and beaten from use.