The Destiny of Nexus

Chapter-19

                                                    Now, I started my journey to the Sarman forest. Luther created a sphere that carried me to the entrance of the forest. It had huge trees and thick leaves. I went inside. It was so peaceful there. The air was so pure. The sound of waterfalls added more pleasantness. I kept going inside; I didn't even know if that's the correct way. After some time I felt like I was being watched. Who is there? I shouted. An arrow came out of one of the trees and pierced my hand. I am not here to fight, I shouted. Another arrow came and I caught it with my hand. My name is Steve and I'm the son of Augustus. I came here to talk to the Alpha of the pack. No arrows came this time. I heard the rustling of leaves from behind. I turned to see who it was. A girl walked out holding bow and arrow. The whole surrounding got blurred. She had blue eyes and blonde hair. The rest of her face is covered by a scarf. She looked as fierce as a lioness. For that moment, I forgot my purpose of visit and stood in awe. The reason I was not interested in a relationship is because of this girl, I thought. What is your name? I asked. She didn't answer. She lowered her weapons and walked past me. Maybe it's her way of saying follow me. I followed her, trying to make a conversation. No matter how much I tried, she didn't respond. I came from the other realm you know, I said. She stopped walking and turned. She wanted to ask something but didn't. She again resumed her walk. She took me deep into the forest. It was still afternoon, I had the time till night. Finally, I could see people.

                    My entry there startled them. I guessed they didn't have any visitors from years. I come in peace, I said in a calm voice. My name is Steve Weisman, I said. One person came forward and said, so you are the new king.

‘I am not one yet, but I will be. I suppose you know my father Augustus. Many years ago, he came with a proposition. I am here now to put his unification process in motion again. So you guys in?’

‘Don't give us false hopes, Weisman.’

‘Trust me; you shall have your freedom. I give you my word.’

‘I don't know why, but I want to believe in you, kid.’

                 He came closer to me and said, my name is Maximus, the Alpha and yes we are in but under one condition. Name it, I said. You have to prove that you are special, he replied. What do you want me to do? Tonight, we turn into wolves at the full moon. You have to be here and protect yourself till we turn back into our normal form. Okay, I said. The mysterious beauty at the back nodded her head left and right, signalling no.

                 I have no other option though. I had to do whatever it takes to make them agree. Go and hide, said Maximus. The mysterious girl signalled with eyes to follow her. Now it's confirmed that she wasn't a wolf. But how did she end up here? I followed her with these thoughts in mind. She stopped at a place beside the stream of water. We sat there with our legs in the flowing water. Beautiful, I said. She didn't respond. I thought her to be dumb for that moment. What is your name? I asked. She kept staring at the water. I didn't want to bother her anymore. I stayed silent too for about an hour. I was hungry now. Can I have something to eat? I am quite hungry, I said. She looked at me for a while and then climbed a tree. She plucked some fruits. I was not sure what fruits they were. They were pink in colour and were in the size of a lemon. She handed me 10 fruits. They tasted similar to strawberries. I liked strawberries so I ate them happily. I signalled her to eat them. She nodded no. Suddenly I remembered that I can read minds. But I stopped myself because I didn't want to invade her privacy. It's her story to share. I shouldn't force her, I thought. The long wait and silence slowly put me to sleep. 

                     Aaah! I woke up with pain. She threw a stone at me to wake me up. You could have just asked me to get up. Beating is completely unnecessary, don't you think? I couldn't be mad at her; her pretty cute blue eyes were filled with innocence. What's the matter? I asked. She pointed to the sky. Through a small gap between the leaves, I could see the moon. It was almost full. What should we do? Where should we hide? I asked. She started running in some direction and I followed her. She took me to a big tree. Probably the biggest of all in Sarman. Maybe she wanted me to climb it. The trunks and branches were so thick and high that it became difficult for me to climb. Then we heard the wolves howling at a distance. I am f****d, I said. She showed me how to climb, but my panic and terror made my situation worse and I couldn't climb. One of the Werewolves spotted us. Climbing the tree is eliminated now; I was too tensed to focus with my mind. Running was foolish too, but I chose to run knowing it would outrun me in seconds. The Werewolf chased me and it was about to get me and an arrow whooshed and struck the wolf.                      

                    The thief who stole my heart saved me. The wolf howled in pain. But it didn't hurt it that much. Now the Werewolf is after her, my adrenaline pumped more now than when the wolf chased me. I recited,

 "Winter's cold,

        but your hearts colder,

        now your limbs beginning to freeze,

        Ice is freezing you in place,

        now beginning to slow your pace."  

                   The spell froze the Werewolf’s movement. Now I tried to calm my mind and I created a sphere like the one Luther created to send me here. I then made the sphere to go high to the peak of the tree. She was safe now. I couldn't hold the Werewolf any longer. I recited, Invisique, which made me invisible. The Werewolf couldn't see me now. As per the movies, Werewolves are excellent trackers. They can easily track by sense of smell. Being invisible is worthless, I thought. The Werewolf started sniffing and came in my direction. I remained still. But it didn't attack me, it sniffed around and left. I am a man of mysteries, I chucked. I slowly approached the big tree and attempted to climb. After many unsuccessful attempts, I finally managed to climb it. As I climbed higher, I attained a grasp. After a while, I finally reached the top, where my dream girl was present in the sphere anxiously looking below. Hey there, I said. It startled her. I didn't understand why. Oh! I then remembered that I was invisible. I inactivated the spell and she could see me now. I could sense a relief in her eyes. Thank you for saving me, I said. She nodded. At least now she was responding, I thought. I made the sphere vanish and she now settled on a branch beside me.

                           Hey, I don't want to force you to say about yourself. A person would be silent only in two cases. One, if he is dumb and the other is if they have suffered a tragedy. At first, I thought you belonged to the first category. But now, I feel like you have experienced heartache. It made you cold. I don't know what happened to you, but I promise you that I'll help you in any way I can. I have never loved a girl before, but for some reason, I loved you at the very first moment. I decided in my mind that you are the one for me and if you give me a chance I'll walk with you till death parts us. Due to heavy wind, her scarf opened revealing her face. Though she was in an old dress covered with dirt, she looked like a Goddess to me. A tiny tear came down from her eye. Maybe, I saying these words made her remember the tragedy that she buried deep in her heart. I leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. She didn't resist. She looked at me like she wanted to trust me. She wanted someone to share her pain, stay with her during hard times, and help her overcome the pain and most importantly a person to trust. I wiped her tear away. She leaned forward and placed her head on my lap. I could understand that she didn't sleep properly for months. I caressed her hair and she slept in no time. The whole night passed with me looking at her. We got to get down now. But I didn't want to wake her. I carefully created a sphere and we moved downwards very slowly.

                               Finally, we reached down, she slowly opened her eyes. As soon as she opened her eyes she moved away from me. It's okay. I shrugged. Then the Werewolves in their human form approached us. I could feel a tension in the air. You are dead, shouted the alpha and he charged towards her. I intervened. Get out of my way, kid. You've won the test. We agree for the unification. Now get the hell out of here and let me kill her. I shoved him back. There were around 50 Werewolves over there. I guess love gives us the strength to fight anything. Why do you want to kill her? I asked. She shot one of our wolves yesterday, we gave her shelter and she backstabbed us, she needs to die. He insisted. You got the whole information wrong, mate. She didn't shoot to kill; she shot to distract the wolf from me. She is the reason, I am alive and breathing. An arrow cannot harm the Werewolf as far as I know. If you guys didn't trust her, you wouldn't have provided her shelter in the first place. If you still want to kill her, you'll have to go through me. Being an upcoming king, I cannot allow any unfair executions, Maximus. Your anger is clouding your judgment. Take time and think clear. You have to be inspirational to the younger ones, not a hot-headed one. You are more worthy than what I thought you to be, Steve. If you fulfil all the promises that you proposed, I, Maximus, The Alpha, will bow to you accepting you as the King of Nexus keeping my pride aside and pledge my loyalty to you. I felt proud inside. I will not let anyone down. I’ll give you my word and I intend to keep it. Also, I will need a vial of your blood to work on your turning. They gave me a vial of their blood. I have to return, I said looking at everyone. I looked at my love and said, I am there for you, whenever you are ready. I held her face with my hand and turned to return to the Citadel. She held my hand signalling no. I thought she wanted to share something with me. I smiled and said, Okay.