I just realized Morgiana never answered me about sharing her powers. Either way, it's too late now. I'm already outside the forcefield hiding her little house. Instead, I take a deep breath and feel my body begin to shift, gray fur rushing over my skin as I fall to my feet, the sounds of bells chiming gently through the air as I complete the transformation from human to wolf. The entity was right. I no longer have to change by using spells.
I rush through the forest, each tree where it should be, my memory of the island flawless. I daintily leap over traps set by Wurn, hearing other wolves moving around in the distance. My instincts—the wolf's instincts wants me to be around the pack, but I am an alpha male. The head of the pack wouldn't like me very much.
So I make my way to the entrance of the cave, no one there, but I could smell humans. I could easily move through this island undetected by the people who know me, but the human intelligence reflecting in my eyes could give me away. Tamir, Amawa-na, and Cressa-la wouldn't know about transforming, though... but I did mention it to Amawa-na when explaining things.
So they would, in fact, know. Or at least be aware of my ability to do it.
I look at the lines separating the three tribes, debating on where to go. I need to make an appearance, let them know I'm fine and then disappear for a good while while I build my strength for whatever I decide.
Because I don't think I've truly decided to give back in to the darkness, but I'm not sure if I can completely let it go.
Then, the earth shakes.
I nearly topple over as a loose branch comes down and lands directly before me, forcing me to take a step back. At my paws, an array of colors flash brightly, a strange disturbance rushing through the air and shaking the leaves, a gust of wind nearly knocking me off my feet once more. The colors slowly shift as the wind dies down, the ground still rumbling. They change to a brilliant blue—a cyan. Then, suddenly, plumes of green explode upward, orange and purple rushing over the trunks of trees and taking over their original colors.
Every color turns a brilliant white, and it covers me, filling every shadow as I feel it like the warmth of a spring sun upon the green grass. It soaks into my skin as my body shifts back to normal, against my will. I float into the air as the white dissipates, and I land on my feet, left glancing around. The ground ceases shaking.
MY LAST GIFT, DAMIAN-SAI.
"That was you?" I ask breathlessly, feeling disheveled.
THE PEOPLE YOU ONCE KNEW HAVE RETURNED TO YOU, BUT THEY SHAN'T REMEMBER THE LIVES THEY ONCE LIVED.
Rickety, I plant my feet on the ground, attempting to process what the entity had told me.
"What... does that mean to me?"
THE BONDS AND TIES YOU'D FORGED WITH THE PEOPLE YOU HOLD DEAREST HAVE BEEN RESTORED. EACH PERSON'S CONSCIOUSNESS HAS TRANSFERRED TO THIS BODY, A CONSEQUENCE OF THE DESTRUCTION OF THEIR PREVIOUS TIMELINE. WHAT LITTLE POWER EXISTED IN THE OTHER FIVE HAS BEEN ADDED TO THEIR CURRENT POWER LEVELS.
I'm rendered speechless. "The bonds...?"
DO NOT TAKE THE POWERS OF ANY EVIL FORCE, DAMIAN-SAI, OR THE DIVINITY I HAVE BESTOWED WITHIN YOU WILL DISAPPEAR. YOU ARE STRONGER THAN YOU THINK. DO NOT FORGET THAT LIGHT WILL ALWAYS PREVAIL OVER DARKNESS.
"What bonds and ties?" Then, "Five?"
I counted up on my fingers. Me, Cressa-la, Tamir, Lily-flor. Maybe Amawa-na, but does she really count since she had been dead? If not, then who are the other two?
THIS IS THE LAST YOU WILL HEAR OF ME. YOUR DESTINY IS NOT SET IN STONE, DAMIAN-SAI. DO NOT STRAY FROM THE PATH OF LIGHT.
"Wait, you can't just—"
MAY YOU FIND PEACE, DAMIAN-SAI.
It's like a piece that made me feel whole has suddenly evaporated. The trees stop shaking as silence takes over the forest. Even the animals make no sounds. Then, slowly, things begin to move once more, my legs moving slowly at first, then fast like water flowing over an edge. The sounds of the forest crescendo to what feels too loud for my ears to handle. What did the entity mean? What bonds and ties? Tamir, Amawa-na, Cressa-la... had their consciousness really been transferred to this world, to this new timeline? The entity said they woulnd't remember anything from their past life, but... but what if they do?
What if Amawa-na does? What if Tamir does? They... I... I did unspeakable things to the two of them. And Cressa-la...
Bells ring as fur ripples across my chest, my back. A muzzle appears and I'm rushing at a quicker pace than I'd been as a human. I enter into my tribe, Revli. No sign of Tamir or Amawa-na. No Cressa-la. But I wouldn't expect her to cross the border and head into town. It's a rule. Unless they're invited by a Tribe Leader, no one from another tribe can cross into another tribe.
I rush to their houses, picking up their scents and storing it in my memory.
People begin to shout as I turn back to the densely packed trees. Revli won't attack a wolf.
I make my way down the island and into Initi, following the direction of their scents, but they aren't there either. Their scents go past it, with a third that has to be Cressa-la.
I don't risk going into Initi.
The last time I did as a wolf, I was leading several hungry gifted people, several that actually practiced cannibalism, down to Initi because they were getting too big. They were the largest tribe on the island. I vaguely seeing Cressa-la that day, meeting her eyes, but I hadn't focused on her. I'd been glancing over the tribe, weighing the damage we'd done. My group had taken out at least half of their numbers.
That was more than enough.
Initi won't hesitate on killing a wolf if they feel threatened by it, sacred or not.
I keep heading down to the beach, a sudden pull at my heart drawing my attention. Something's telling me to go to the edge of the beach, like something is pulling me in that direction.
Cautiously, I follow it. It could be a trick... but the only person able to pull something like this would be Morgiana and her thrall... When I was under her spell, she knew exactly where I was, and I would know around where she was, as long as she was on this island. Praying that isn't what this is, I continue forward, pushing my wolf to its limits as I leap around the trees in my way. If it is... and their scents are in the same direction I'm being pulled...
I speed up.
The grass turns to disheveled sand, an I take a hard right, the overhang in my sights. It doesn't take me long to get there, but a wolf's body is not made for running on loose sand and it tires quickly. As I arrive, I see the three people I wanted to see, sitting up slowly from the ground, looking dazed and confused. My eyes search for any signs of Morgiana, but I see nothing. As I turn to look in the opposite direction, the pull makes me turn back, my eyes landing on where it's coming form, pinpointing it.
I take a step back.
Cressa-la.
It's coming from Cressa-la.