Undying #Wattys2015

Chapter 12: Awakening

As I opened my eyes, the morning sun's light blinded me. My neck ached, and I lifted my head to see the sky. There was a burning pain at the nape of my neck, and I tried to move my hand to massage it. It was then that I realized my hands were chained together behind my back, and I was tied to a rough oak tree. Adrenaline pumped in my veins, and my fearful, weary eyes jolted around, looking for a familiar face. I was no longer at the top of the mountain, but rather in the woods below. After my initial panic, I noticed an ashy clump of wood from a makeshift fire and two tents resting a couple of meters in front of me. I tried to break free from my chains, but as I struggled, the metal linkings dug deep into my wrists. I could feel a pool of blood forming in my palms.

Then I remembered Claira, and I wondered how I had gotten here or if she was safe. She could not have carried me down here, at least not by herself. What if the Waywards had ambushed us while I slept? I yelled, "Who's there? Claira! Claira, are you okay?"

Emerging from the tent, I saw a figure, wearing a dark blue jacket and baggy pants. His short brown hair was messy and his eyes were weary. He turned to me, and I could see the disgust building in his gaze. He walked over and yelled, "Shut up! Do you want to alert the whole forest?"

I continued to shout without any hesitation, "Who are you? Why am I here?"

"The better question is," he began as he rubbed his temples irritably, "why you betrayed us?" His black and empty eyes were voids, trying to suck me in.

"I didn't betray you! Who are you?!" I yelled impatiently, "Where is Claira?!"

"She was sleeping, but with your idiotic screams, you probably woke her up too!" he shouted angrily. He paced around, and lowered his face close to mine. With a mocking tone, he scoffed, "You were sleeping, Aiden Kendlewood. And when you sleep, you are vulnerable."

I noticed his blue jacket had a symbol of stitched over his heart. A familiar symbol.

"That's enough!" bellowed a female voice, coming from inside the other tent. Coming out of the other tent was a woman who had long, honey brown hair that she was pulling back into a ponytail. She was also wearing the same dark blue jacket as well as tight brown pants. Unlike him, she was well-dressed and awake. She walked over with an elegant stride, and I could immediately tell that she was the leader of the two. With her serious and intimidating lavender eyes, she demanded, "Aiden Kendlewood, do you know what you have done?"

"I didn't do anything..." I spoke quietly, "And I want to know why I'm being treated like a prisoner."

"You don't remember, do you?" she realized and came over to me, touching my forehead.

The man argued, "He's lying! Of course he remembers! He killed the Guardian of this mountain. Look at him," and he pointed to my moon-white head of hair, "He is physically changed by the Beast. He is a Wayward, and the penalty is death."

Now I understood. These two weren't Waywards, but rather Aetherial Warriors. And they think I killed the Guardian of Light.

The woman turned to him, and her hair reflected the sun's light brilliantly. She replied, "He has amnesia, Roeke. In all the cases we've learned about or have seen, Waywards don't get amnesia once they accept their new heart. They are the same exact person, except crueler. He is a different case. He didn't want this heart," and she pointed to me, "He was betrayed. Someone killed the Beast, and it was not him. We both saw that the Beast was killed by an Aevenian blade, and that means she was killed by someone who knew how to wield it."

"He probably knows how to wield it-" Roeke began.

She turned to him with an intimidating glare and interrupted, "Not just anyone knows how to wield it or free it from its Rusted state. The Unearthing of the sword can only be done by someone who knows their own power. Therefore the only person who could have killed the Beast" and she turned to me for approval, "is Bane Allensworth, partner of Aiden Kendlewood."

I nodded, and Roeke tried to protest, "Aure, how can you be so sure?"

"Do you not remember Bane? Honestly Roeke... Bane only cared about Aiden. Probably, he wanted Aiden to become a Wayward without any way of protesting. He definitely has no way of saying 'No' now."

With that, she came over and unlocked my chains with a key hanging around her neck. Immediately, I touched my wrists and saw my wounds had healed. She explained, "Being a Wayward has its perks I suppose."

Then I touched the back of my neck. My skin felt bare and smooth like glass. It sizzled as my fingers grazed its surface. "You were Touched," she began, "by one of Bane's Butterflies. For whatever reason, you went into a sleep-like trance as a result. It's called the Lightning Effect, where your mind and his mind became one. Now you are vulnerable to his influence and to his mind. When you went to "sleep", you saw what he wanted you to see. He is calling for you Aiden, and now, he has found you."

I nodded and gulped down my suffering. Were those even real memories? Or just Bane's attempts to have me trust him once more. I pushed myself out off the ground and walked away. Can I never escape his grip? I felt his clingy fingers reaching inside me, pulling out my humanity. He betrayed me, yet he wants to make amends.

As if drawn by an invisible power, I staggered over to Aure's tent and opened the cover. Lying between sheets was an angelic woman - Claira. Still wearing her battle uniform, she was resting from what it seemed to be a difficult battle. Her coffee brown hair was spread-out around her like sun's rays. Her eyes opened slightly, and she smiled tenderly. With a weak and loopy voice, she whispered, "They let you go. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

"It's okay Claira. You did your best," I smiled. My entire body was shaking; I was glad she was alright.