Chapter 18
The Rarest Thing in the World
“There are causes worth dying for, but none worth killing for.”
~Albert Camus~
It wasn’t possible. Her son had died a long time ago; so long that she had barely any recollection of that life. The idea of him being alive pained her, and as she looked into Conan’s eyes—the strange boy that bore his same name—Margery felt herself get angry.
“Does that name mean something to you? Do you…know me?” Conan was eager, blatantly so.
“Get out of here.” The request came off as nothing shorter than a demand.
Margery did not even bother to answer his questions, when she turned to leave for her door.
“Wait!” Conan pleaded as he went to grab her arm, but he never reached it. Instead, her arm stretched itself and grabbed his neck. With a mighty force, she thrust him out and away from her home, making Conan land far into the woods from where he had come.
“My son was not a werewolf…” It was the last thing Margery said before heading inside, and she knew perfectly well that Conan had heard.
Slowly, Margery trotted into her bedroom, and without any thoughts on her actions, she rummaged through her drawers in search of something—something she had buried away along with the haunting memories.
Her undergarments were pushed aside when the feel of a stack of some sort reached her fingertips. In an instant, her eyes dimmed and lost their worry as the overwhelming feeling of sorrow found her once more. Margery lightly grabbed the pile of old photos and fell to her knees. The pictures were very old, having no color in them but the tone of sepia. Some were in bad shape and others were painfully clear and new as day.
Her bobby hair style back then reflected a simpler time, a loving time where all that mattered was the little child that she held in her arms.
“Conan…” In a small moment of surprise, she put her hand over her mouth to suppress a sob when a tear escaped her and graced the picture.
The boy in the photo was a lot younger than the Conan she had met, and one thing she was definitely sure of was that he was not a werewolf. Nevertheless, the familiarity was uncanny, looking into that older boy was like seeing a future that had fleeted her—a future that was lost to her baby boy. They were so much alike, same brown tousled hair and green eyes.
“He did this to you…” The voice came from behind in the direction of her bedroom door, blocking any means of escape.
It was her…
Margery had been too busy mulling over any of the possibilities—any shred of hope that maybe her child was somehow alive—that she failed to notice the arrival of her next visitor.
Composing herself to the best of her abilities, Margery took the stack of photos and put them back into her drawer as calmly as possible. She wiped a few stray tears away from her eyes, and turned around to face the intruder.
“I was surprised to see that you had gotten here after he did.” Margery said nonchalantly.
“You had expected both of us?” Her tone was stern.
“Don’t underestimate me, Anise.” Margery paused when she remembered how Anise greeted her. “Why do speak about your Master as if you dislike him?” If there were any doubts in suspecting of Anise’s intentions before, they were now perfectly clear.
There was a brief moment of silence, but it was enough for Margery to witness her unchanging eyes become riddled with something. Anise, the girl who she remembered to never waver was worried.
“My master…” Her voice trailed off as her dead eyes met the floor. She remembered something, a fading memory that was thought to have been successfully buried within Midnight.
~~~~Flashback~~~~
The blackness was almost consuming her now, but it never did completely. She wished for it to come as fast as possible every time this would happen. The grunts and groans of him on top of her made it all the more unbearable. Not even the drunken jargon of her mother’s slurred speech was enough to drown those disgusting noises.
In what sane world was it right for her body to have gotten accustomed to such treatment? Finally, that last grunt she longed for filled her ears.
“Get dressed Anise; you disgust me.” His palm collided with her face and it roughly brought her back to her senses.
She was completely naked and filthy with her own blood and his bodily fluids. The sounds of her mother breaking another bottle of alcohol did not even faze her, as she wiped herself off with her own clothing. Her face was bruised as usual and her pelvic region was numb. It did not hurt as much as the first time around and she also learned to avoid excessive wounds after giving up on resisting.
He was much stronger than she was.
‘Do you honestly believe that?’ There it was again, an odd voice that urged her to fight.
Looking towards the source, her eyes fell on her Persian cat, Midnight. It was sitting on the rickety old floor board right in front of the entrance that led to that man’s bedroom. The one her mother shared with him. Her precious pet was beautiful, having fluffy black fur and striking blue eyes. How they allowed her to have that one joy in her life was beyond anything understandable.
‘You know you can fight him…’
“Stop it…Stop! I can’t; I have no strength in me.” The thoughts of Midnight had rattled her too much that she was now yelling out loud and crying. The action made her mother stop her babbling and pick herself up from the couch.
“Hey, I can’t hear my show.” She slurred with her speech, and then his door opened.
“What the fuck, Anise! Get dressed, shut the fuck up and get out of my sight!” His large belly that was barely concealed in a yellowish tank top, towered over Midnight.
He was about to approach both her and her mother, when he accidentally stepped on Midnight, making it shriek.
“Ouch, fuck! This damn cat..!” In a fit of rage, he stumbled over to the couch where there were a few empty beer bottles and grabbed one. It did not take long for Anise to realize what was going to happen.
“No, No please, Jim! No…!” Anise cried in dread as she picked herself up and ran to where he was. She tried to grab his arm but instead he struck her with the bottle, making her head spin when she hit the floor. In the background, she could hear her mother try to drown everything out by increasing the TV’s volume. Her way of ignoring Jim—the man she so stupidly married—and the very same man that raped and abused her whenever he had that feeling.
‘Will you do something to protect me?’
The cat was screeching as Jim pummeled the life out it. She was helpless, and yet, she would give her life for that cat, for Midnight.
‘Will you…protect me…?’
The final thoughts she heard made her react.
“Yes.” Her body never once stood but she could feel an odd sensation wash over her. The only image that came to her before she lost consciousness was that of an enormous black cat ripping her step-father and mother to pieces.
Then there was warmth, her warmth…
~~~~End of Flashback~~~~
Anise remembered who that person was; she could never forget Margery’s face after waking up in her arms. She alone pulled her out of that hell and sheltered her even after killing her parents. That day was the first time she had ever used her Active Power and Margery arrived to save her from any consequence. Never once did she punish her or threaten to take her to the law. Margery only showed her love and what it meant to actually live as a witch.
‘Margery was supposed to be my Master not Ezekias.’ But Ezekias was just like her step-father; he abused and sucked the life out of Margery and everyone he set his eyes on.
“My master did not send me here.”
“Then why are you here, Anise? Is it because you wished to see my reaction after learning about that abomination that poses as Conan?” Margery spat angrily.
Anise nodded in denial before answering her question. “I’m here to set you free…”
~~~~********~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~******
“Well, I’ll leave this beast to you.” Ezekias disappeared from where David had shifted, only to reappear in front of the mausoleum. He ignored Mia as he casually picked up the Eye of Horus necklace that Isabel had dropped.
The action did not affect Isabel, as she remained shocked over David’s transition. She refused to believe what had just happened.
However, the powerful roar that came from David shook her out the trance; in addition, the raven-black wolf whisked right past her body and towards its sole target.
Exsavior had braced himself for David’s brusque attack as he dodged his angry bites. He tried his best to avoid hurting David, but the red eyes told him that it would be nearly impossible to make him back off peacefully.
David had shifted for the first time in his life, and that meant that he had little or no control over his actions.
‘It’s simple really; let me have a go at him.’ Ara’s uncaring and selfish thoughts filled his head again as David tackled Exsavior to the ground. The scuffle lasted only a few seconds before Exsavior bit his leg with his large ice-like canines, making David snarl and jump back. He saw how his leg froze over slightly, but David unthawed it by stomping hard on the ground. It caused the ice to shatter but the blood to spew out.
“Exsavior, please don’t hurt him!” Isabel cried out to him.
Her plea went unanswered as he watched David’s feral eyes. He was definitely beside himself, and the more they fought, the more obvious it became that Ara was right.
Exsavior would have to make him submit.
“You know I’ve been really bored out of my skull and this fight is just…” Mia’s eerie voice was the last thing he heard before her claws sunk into Exsavior’s side. She flew at an incredible speed towards the wolves and interrupted their battle.
“…so pitiful…” Her eyes bore an uneasy satisfaction when Exsavior growled in agony. She retracted her claws that had easily pierced his body, and David took the opportunity to tackle him once more.
He roared over Exsavior’s body as he stepped on his neck with one large paw. Mia distanced herself, but only far enough to avoid damage from David’s rampage.
“If you don’t give into your sense of duty, everyone here will most likely die.” Mia’s voice was dead and bore no emotions.
Exsavior growled and panted hard under David’s fierce hold, but when Mia’s words reached him, he stopped breathing altogether. His wolf eyes scanned the demon for any signs of Mia in hopes that he had heard right.
“Stop fighting it!” Samhain ordered angrily, and for a brief second his black eyes lost its hue and became like Mia’s.
Why was this demon helping him? Exsavior could only guess that it must be as Ezekias had said; Samhain was losing his grip on Mia. Then again, Ara was not something he fully understood or trusted, so it was fathomable to think that it was a trap just the same.
“Listen wolf…” Mia began, but was abruptly interrupted when a burning sensation washed over her body. The demon shrieked in a desperate cry of pain as steam threatened to take away its influence.
Mia was drenched and the action made David move away from Exsavior in confusion. Apparently, he feared the liquid and it was the advantage that Exsavior needed to recompose himself. He noticed how much of rookie David was when he realized that the liquid only hurt Mia. It did nothing to him when he stepped on it.
‘Water?’
“Argh! Ahh!” Samhain moaned inhumanly in attempts to reestablish his hold on Mia, or what little he had left of it. Before long, he took flight and fled the scene after realizing it was useless to stand his ground any longer.
“Mia, Come back!” Exsavior’s first instincts was to chase after her and forget about Ezekias and David, but he realized that even if he could act so selfishly, there was no way David would let him go so easily.
“Wolf, forget about Mia for now. I’ll handle my baby sister.” Lynn’s voice brought him back to his senses. He soon realized who had drenched the demon in the odd water.
He turned and looked at her sternly; David was still preoccupied with the puddle of water which gave him a moment of breath.
“I’ll trust you with protecting her, but if you kill her—”
Angrily, Lynn stopped his sentence, as she wrapped her bloodied mantle over her useless arm and on her painful wound. “How ironic, an immortal warning me about killing my own sister.” She scoffed before eyeing Isabel, David and finally Ezekias, who seemed to be lost in wonder over the mausoleum. The old man did not even care to pay them any mind. Exsavior noticed how Lynn sighed in defeat as if resolving an internal battle. She then decided to act.
“In honor of our pact, return my blades, oh noble King Gilgamesh. Bring me the Wail of the Departed!” Without any warning, Lynn completed conjuring her mystical scimitars as they swiftly manifested in her two arms.
“I leave this to you, wolf.” She said stoically, before rethinking her next action.
“Rush.” Her body swooshed past Exsavior and David in chase after the fleeting demon, the action scaring David once more into attacking.
David growled and tried to bite down on Exsavior’s body in a feral attack, but Exsavior outmaneuvered his predictable move.
“Exsavior please, Ezekias must have done something to change David into this…don’t hurt him, I beg you!” Isabel was in tears now but it was obvious that she was not thinking straight. She was in denial of David’s transition.
Nevertheless, he focused his attention back on David. He could see his movements—predict them so very easily—and as the fight swayed with every growl, snarl and nip, Ara kept urging Exsavior to kill or be killed. David’s eyes were still red and the ground beneath his overwhelming strength kept bursting under his pressure; one wrong move and that would be one of Exsavior’s vital spots. It was a known fact that every newly turned wolf was incredibly powerful, but David’s strength amazed Exsavior.
‘He has so much raw energy. It must be due to how long he’s been inactive.’
‘Wouldn’t it feel great to end such a strong opponent? Just to prove whose boss. I mean, all you have been doing lately is losing. You lost to Ezekias.’
Ara’s voice became more demanding now that David was starting to charge at Exsavior with more intensity.
‘Shut up.’
‘First you lose to that witch, then to the old man, then to that angel girl and now you’re gonna lose to this puppy.’
Ara scoffed and the words did anger Exsavior; they made him rage. David lunged towards Exsavior, and instead of dodging, he latched his cold fangs on his neck and thrashed him to the ground. A whimper escaped David but he quickly scurried to his feet to continue his blinded assaults. Behind him, Exsavior could here Isabel sobbing and gasping every time David would get hurt.
‘Good, now show him who’s in charge.’ It was not hard to overpower David and as he did, Exsavior felt satisfaction, until something brought him back.
‘You have such an exotic name…
You’re just going to love my son…
He’ll be eighteen soon and he’s so excited…’
The memory of when Exsavior made it to the city for the first time came rushing back to him. Lily had been the only human to welcome him, and David meant the world to her. The thought of David’s loving mother made him react. Could he really kill David like he meant nothing? Could he do that to Lily? That’s when he realized it, when he looked at David’s seething form, that behind that wolf was a boy who used to be normal—a guy who was thrilled for his eighteenth birthday.
‘Have I ever felt that way over something so trivial?’ He thought in shame at his previous ideas.
‘Mother of Fenrir, you are such a pushover.’
Exsavior smirked at Ara’s comment as he waited for David’s attack once more. When he charged, he let loose the Will of Dominance, allowing it to pummel David to the ground.
He quickly went to stand over David as Isabel attempted to reach him. He knew that there was no other way to make him react. Usually, newly-turns were supposed to be taken care of by the Alpha, in order to snap them out of their rampage. If that did not happen, then they would turn to strays. No matter how Isabel would feel about this, Exsavior knew that it was unavoidable, and being an Alpha meant that he needed to make decisions, even if they did not sit well with his comrades.
“Submit.” The word caused the spirit wolf to seep into David’s unconscious body and then disappear.
“What did you do? Exsavior, is he alright?” Isabel fretted in worry as she made her way to David and gently put his giant head on her lap. Her eyes scanned his wolf body in sadness.
There was a moment of silence before someone approached them.
“This life…this world, it is only filled with pain. That old man knows nothing but to cause strife.” An unknown voice chimed in, making Exsavior turn to face the person that answered Isabel. His gaze fell on a white long-haired man. He had bronze colored eyes and an ominous demeanor. His clothes were in rags as strands of his silvery hair blew with any slight motion of the wind. This immortal was an odd sight and one not to be taken lightly.
“Who are you?” Isabel asked in worry as Exsavior watched the man.
“You are all just so young.” He sighed sadly. “To live is the rarest thing in this world. Most of us just exist. I won’t let that happen again, not this time.”
His words confused Exsavior and Isabel, but they could see some odd emotion reflecting in his eyes. It was a sort of sadness that adorned him.
“Tell me young ones, where do you wish to go? Simply think it and it will suffice.”
“Exsavior, keep your mind blank!” Isabel yelled frantically out of fear, but it was too late. Everything around them swirled and shifted as the cemetery seemed to vanish.
Exsavior had instantly thought of one place when the man spoke those words, inevitably taking them away from the graveyard.
Author's Note
I apologize for the long wait guys, but as some of you may or may not know, I don't have a pc right now. It's under repair. So, please bear with me!
Read, Rate, Review! Sirius-