CHAPTER SIX (NEW MOON)
Chapter Six: Losing Two Souls
She felt like breaking down.
She can’t determine what’s real between what she was seeing and the memories in her head. Mallory’s eyes throb painfully that she kneeled down to bear the pain. When she thought that she can’t escape the cycle of pain, a small whimper dragged her back into reality.
Mallory gasped at the cold, rusty air in her lungs, finally feeling life breathing into her. The pain disappeared like magic and her memories returned in order. Mallory panted, trying to figure out what had just happened.
She heard a weak voice calling, making her entire body whip in that direction.
“Melita!” Mallory stood up and abandoned her previous thoughts. She ran towards her while carefully avoiding the dead bodies on the ground. Her heart kept on constricting as she sees familiar faces, but she turned her eyes away, focusing on the sole survivor that–Mallory knew—won’t survive for long.
Immediately, she dropped to her knees. Mallory didn’t dare to look down below, afraid to see how disfigured she was. Her hands shook as they reach for her face, her teary eyes glued on her. “Melita…”
Her voice cracked at the end, and she couldn’t hold it on.
She watched as Melita weakly leaned her head on her palms as if she want to feel the warmth on them.
Melita was getting cold. The familiar heat she emit was gone.
Why? Mallory sobbed, her eyes blurred, and she felt hot tears streaming down her cheeks. Why is it happening to her again?
She just lost her biological mother last year, and now her?
Why is the Goddess so unfair to her?
Melita tried to lift the corners of her lips. She saw her hands move as if they wanted to wipe the tears off her face. But alas, her strength didn’t allow her. “Don’t cry,”
She sobbed even more. Mallory scooted closer, putting her weak head on her lap. She heard her laugh, then asked. “Where is he?”
Mallory choked, thinking about how to tell her what happened to her son. She forced herself to be composed. “I’m sorry… Damian had…”
She didn’t finish her sentence, but Melita understood right away. Her lips dropped downward, and she weakly closed her eyes. Mallory reached for her hand, gripping it like a lifeline. If Melita had the remaining strength, she would also grip her hand back. However, her strength was only for maintaining her remaining life.
Damian is probably dead. And it’s because of her.
Mallory knew that Melita thought of that.
Because how can Mallory come here and not him? Simple, he blocked the path for her.
Mallory’s heart ached again. She decided to ask what she was meaning to ask the whole time. “Why didn’t you change and flee? You should have transformed and saved your own life!”
Melita opened her eyes again and looked at hers. Mallory almost avoided her eyes, thinking that she would see her hatred for her in there, but to her surprise, Melita looked at her as she always does.
She’s not blaming her…
“They developed a new drug,” Melita slowly enunciates. “We didn’t know what hit us after it did. I don’t know, but after getting exposed to it for a certain amount of time, you would feel sleepy and can’t feel the connection between you and your wolf…”
“A new drug…” Mallory said to herself, feeling terrified.
The vampire has made another weapon against them!
Melita laughed with difficulty after seeing Mallory scared stiff. “What are you afraid of? Mallory, you are the Blessed! Why didn’t you tell us before?”
“Blessed?” Mallory asked back.
Blessed… Mallory paused to think, What does she mean by that? I’m Blessed? Already? But I have yet to reach the right age! It’s common knowledge that underage can’t handle the Goddess’ blessings!
Equally, Melita looked at her with confusion. “Your… Mother didn’t tell you? About your eyes…”
“No,” she shook her head. Then she paused to think before saying hesitantly. “But she did say that she’ll tell me something when the time was right, but ultimately, she… Left me.”
Melita suddenly laughed. “I see!”
Mallory looked at her with visible confusion.
Melita shook her head slightly and looked at her eyes. Slowly, she uttered with the utmost seriousness. “Mallory, listen, you are the Blessed.”
Mallory opened her mouth before closing it again. She wanted to ask what she meant by that, but then she stopped herself. Slowly, she retraced everything, rethinking Melita’s words to her.
She’s the Blessed.
Her eyes.
What are you afraid of? Mallory, you are the Blessed!
Mallory felt her world slow down. Her mind piecing everything into a complete puzzle.
The memory of herself fighting the vampire.
Her mother’s sad face.
The vampire’s still intact body…
Mallory felt her body run cold.
Melita continued weakly. “Eighteen years ago, a prophecy arrived. The Goddess who had been just passively helping us finally bestowed the race a gift. Her Blessed. Her physical body to walk on earth. The Goddess’ embodiment will help the werewolves escape from the vampires’ rule! And, Mallory, it’s you! You are the Goddess’ Blessed!”
Mallory heard a ringing in her ears. Finally, all the dots were connected. She felt it–the truth.
She is the Goddess’ Blessed.
“That’s a lie…” She said, even though she herself knew it couldn’t be a lie.
She saw it herself. The sudden death of that vampire. How his eyes suddenly burned when he looked at her. When his body didn’t disappear into the air despite dying.
Nothing about that is normal–not at all!
What explanation is acceptable except this?
But Mallory refused to accept the truth.
She doesn’t want to accept it. She remembered all the dying wolves and her running to survive.
She survived everything, but they didn’t! She’s the Goddess’ Blessed! The supposed protector of her race! But she hasn’t protected anyone, much less saved someone!
She sobbed. “That’s a lie… If it’s true, why did my mother have to die? Why do we need to move from one pack to another? Why Damian had to protect me? Why do you have to… End up like this?”
“Mallory…”
“Mallory?” She repeated the name in her mouth, then remembered its meaning. “An unfortunate person? D-did my mom hate me? That much that she didn’t even tell me anything? Make me see many deaths for me to wallow in grief and guilt when I discover I am the Blessed? Did-why–why?”
Mallory’s outburst couldn’t be stopped. She continued mumbling incoherent things, her eyes moving everywhere, searching for something.
“Mallory. Mallory. Mallory!”
The coldness of skin touching hers’ made Mallory stop. Her eyes regained their luster and remembered where she was. What was happening, and what was about to happen. She looked down at Melita, whose eyes were staring at her with eyes as calm as a pond.
“Your mother loved you!” She said, almost gritted her teeth in emphasis. “And you know that!”
“But–”
“Listen to me, listen. Now that you know about it, I want you to promise me two things.” She stopped to take a breather. “Don’t tell anyone about it. No one. Not until you’re strong enough. Second; never use it in front of anyone until you’re strong enough. Never. If someone’s about to die in front of you right now, let them be. You’re not ready to bear the consequences.”
“What do you mean?” Mallory asked in frustration, feeling aghast at her words. Not tell anyone? Not to save anyone? “Why—”
Before her words can finish, Melita coughed violently, coughing out flesh and blood.
“Melita!” She panicked. “No!”
Melita laughed. Mallory was thrown into a pit of chaos. “Please, please, don’t speak. I’ll get someone to save you, so—”
“Don’t.” Melita weakly reached for her hand. “You know yourself that I can’t survive... Everyone had probably fled; instead of finding something that can’t be found, stay here. I don’t want to be alone.”
Mallory bit her lip, not wanting to acknowledge the fact that what she said was true. Her heart remained in denial even after she felt her hands again. They were now ice cold.
Feeling her warm hands against her, Melita smiled. “Mallory, I have a favor. Would you listen to me?”
“Yes, anything!” Mallory immediately responded.
Melita took a deep breath. Mallory felt her heart ache just by looking at her do that. It looks like she was in great pain just by that small action. Finally, she spoke. “... Take care of yourself, and take care of Oddny.”
“Hmm.” She hummed in agreement, also remembering how she hadn’t seen the latter.
“Mallory,” Melita called out again. But this time, her voice was fading away like the wind. She had her eyes closed already, as if the lids were too heavy to open.
“Yes?” Mallory suppressed her voice, not wanting her to hear that she was crying once again.
“… Please, leave well.”
Melita breathed her last.
Mallory closed her eyes. Feeling and hearing her heartbeat stop, she didn’t stop her wails from arising out of her throat.
In the distance, she can still hear the fight raging on. The fight has a possibility of coming toward where she was, but Mallory had no strength to stand up or even think of running away.
That night, Mallory lost two more important people in her life and, and at expense, more questions piled up for her to solve.
CHAPTER SEVEN (NEW MOON)Chapter Seven: Landown Pack, the Halfcrest’s home, and their graveyard.Bang! Bang! Bang!Mallory raised her head in alarm.Far away on a corner, she saw the trapdoor rattling. There was someone trying to push it open. Mallory raised her vigilance and tried to find a weapon to protect herself and found the dagger. However, it was far away from her.She panicked. Mallory released her grip on Melita’s now cold hands.Her sense of self still hasn’t come back. Her emotions were still all over the place. She couldn’t think of anything else, but one thing; escape!She needs to escape. To live. Because by living, she can fulfill her promises–to grow stronger, to take care of herself and Oddny whom she has yet to find, and to live well.Mallory had long
CHAPTER EIGHT (NEW MOON)ARC TWO: Re-journey---Chapter Eight: Traveling with StrangersThe unit had traveled a distance away from the scene in silence.Everyone had one way, or another agreed to travel without a single noise except for the sharp stomps of the horses and the crisp sounds of the dried leaves under their hooves. They would stop occasionally to see if they were still on the right track and to take a break.Oddny and Mallory huddled together whenever that happened, and aside from giving them a few rations, the others ignored them. The two were relieved from the lack of attention and ate the small dinner they had in silence.Someone approached them and sat a polite distance away. Mallory looked up and realized that it was the person who shared his horse with her.Sensing her gaze, he smiled at her. Mallory froze dumbly, unsure what to do. Meanwhile, Oddny retrea
CHAPTER NINE (NEW MOON)Chapter Nine: A Fun Person“Mallory…”Mallory raised her head only to see Oddny looking at her with teary eyes.Frowning, Mallory set her fishing rod aside and held her hands. She asked, her voice full of concern. “Oddny? What’s wrong?”Oddny bit her lips, hesitation was clear from her subtle actions. Mallory caught her throwing anxious glances toward the others who were with them by the river.It’s their first week traveling with the Exploration Unit which saved them from the pursuit of their mortal enemy; the vampires. During this week, Mallory had already adjusted to the atmosphere within the group. She thought Oddny did too, but she didn’t. Not even the slightest.As the oldest of them, she did everything to make Oddny comfortable. She hunted, foraged, and fished for
CHAPTER TEN (NEW MOON) Chapter 10: Facing the Truth and Awakening itContrary to her expectations, she couldn’t find the right opportunity to talk with the man. As usual, he was surrounded by others, making it hard for outsiders to enter the circle. She didn’t push it, afraid that she’ll annoy the only person who was kind to them.Although she was a bit dejected with the situation, she was still happy that he kept his word.There was truly no one who bothered them during the trip. The nasty glances they received were already close to none when they entered the last week of their trip back home. This lifted their heavy nerves, and even Oddny started to smile a bit more again.Because of their slowly opening atmosphere, a certain someone started bringing herself inside their comfort zone.“Mallory, Oddny!”The two darted their eyes toward an incoming figure. She was shorter than Mallory by two inches, her hair is colored like the soil, and her skin was tan. She had an amicable smile on
CHAPTER ELEVEN (NEW MOON)Chapter Eleven: ActivationFirst thing’s first—how?Mallory went closer to the clear river, the moon lighting the place up for her to see her face clearly. She looked at her own reflection closely, but no matter how much staring she did, she couldn’t see any changes. She can’t see the patterns she saw in her memories.Mallory sat by the edge of the river; her mind spun to figure out how.Should I… A minute later, an idea surfaced in her head. She looked up, at the glowing moon. Should I try and talk to the Goddess?Mallory had done prayers of thanks to the Goddess. She had done things that others had too to communicate with the Goddess. Rituals, prayers, and meditating somewhere nice and quiet. However, none of these acts warranted a response from their Goddess.Mallory thought hard
CHAPTER TWELVE (NEW MOON) Chapter Twelve: A Step Closer Mallory woke up with a start. As soon as her eyes opened, the first thing she saw was the leather-colored ceiling. It took her a while to realize it was a tent. Mallory's eyes wandered around, confused. After looking here and there, she realized that it was hers and Oddny’s tent. A question suddenly popped up in her head. ‘How did I get here? I don’t remember walking back to the camp…’ When that question passed through her brain, memories from yesterday night entered her brain without warning. Mallory froze after remembering what happened yesterday. Her eyes widened and she sat up, ‘She saw me! Oddny saw me—’ Her vision blurred with how sudden her movements were, but that didn’t stop her from standing up and walking out of the tent. She ignored the dizziness and the slight pain in her legs. She looked around anxiously, trying to find her shadow. She looked around like a spinning top when suddenly someone patted her on her
CHAPTER THIRTEEN (NEW MOON) Chapter Thirteen: The Gates As the sun dips below the horizon, a town next to a mountain range emerges from a fog. Oil lamps and candles lit up one by one, illuminating the small place. As the darkness truly enveloped the land, the town came to life. A door of a rather simple house creaked open, and a man with red eyes stepped out. One after another, more came out from their houses. Their faces were pale as snow, their eyes red as blood, and the most noticeable feature of them all; their fangs. Long, sharp fangs. Havenbrook town. A small town of vampires. As they can’t be under the light of the sun, vampires only come out at night. And as the moon shone, it was the beginning of their day. Vampires moved about, talking to one another or taking a walk near the fountain in the square. Little noise could be heard, and the town excluded a tranquil atmosphere. Half an hour later, one of the residents of the town looked outside, and with his hawk-like eyesig
CHAPTER FOURTEEN (WAXING CRESCENT) ARC THREE: Gale Pack—New Home Chapter Fourteen: Welcome to their New Home Mallory was surrounded by the darkness. The grasses and the hand on her back were her constant assurance that she hadn’t fallen into a pit of darkness with no way out. With one of her senses blocked, she became conscious of every noise that her ears picked up. She heard the dry leaves breaking under her feet, the murmurs of the crowd, and the whistling of the wind. She doesn’t know how much time has passed, she doesn’t know how much they stopped, turned, and walked again. Minutes later, she felt the hand on her back disappear. Alarmed, she almost voiced out his name, but seconds later, she felt her blindfold tugging. The next moment, Mallory almost went blind from the brightness of the sun. She covered her eyes with one hand, and after a while, opened them slowly. “Welcome to Gale Pack,” said the voice she recognized as the one who was leading the unit. She can hear him