A candle is the only light inside. In a blink of that sudden darkness, he turns into an adult again. An ax is hurled at me coming from the darkness and I tilt Lanasia with me to dodge it.
"Good reflexes," he praised. The ax flies back to his hand. He stretches his hand and grips his clench. I felt a powerful hand strangling my throat and I was pulled onto the table. I am far beyond the reach of his hand but its shadow on the wall—because of that candle—reaches me.
"Stop this! This isn't going to solve anything!" Lanasia slams the table, and when she is about to do magic, Afvshaganifs casts her out of the room and locks the door.
Given that idea, I pushed the table until he was dragged and jammed into the wall behind him. I ran to him on the table immediately when I got the chance to get away but he enchants the table into two. Instead of crushing down, I shift into a big wolf and bite his arm—if only he doesn't block me with it.
"You're not going to run? You may if you want," he said. His other hand creates a magic circle and he punches me away from him. I crawled and stood on my feet.
"No, I won't run. I know how to ride with excitement." When the enemy expects me to run, I won't.
"Then shall we dance with death~!?" He spreads his arms and a spotlight is focused on me, coming from the dark ceiling. It glared at my vision for a while but I compelled myself to move when he swung his ax against me! The spotlight follows me wherever I dodge the pirate's ax until I stumbled backward to the table.
As he was about to strike his ax at me, I snatched and shoot his face into the plate cover, sock him away from me and seized him but suddenly, my knees felt numb. Fatigue possesses me out of the blue, and I just found myself groveling on his feet. I heard the swift sling of his ax and I quickly shifted into a pup. I jolt in fear when I see my reflection on his ax and I crawl back to the spotlight.
He could've decapitated me if I didn't retreat! The dark confusion was answered with the light of this spotlight: my strength is back as long as I am spotted with its light. I'm still on the floor when he raises his ax and strikes down at me, yet I caught it with my claws. Since he isn't pinning the force down, I swipe the ax into the floor and when it is pinned, I scratch the side of his face.
I made it happen so fast that I even marveled when he was squirming on the floor. I step one foot on the ax and ask, "Sir, what is this spotlight for?"
He staggers as he stands and casually answers, "Oh, that? What else do you think is the purpose of its light?"
"... Highlight?"
"That's right. You are the highlight of all chaos around you. And I, I am always watching you in the dark." The light suddenly diverts from me and he attacks with another ax! I crossed the table and he struck it out of his way. The light is moving unsteadily and somehow, I think, I have to chase that light to fight him! "You will always seek that highlight because that is what you are."
My legs struggle from moving. I pushed myself from the floor to evade his ax, lie down flat to evade more from its swing until I had no choice but to parry it. The ax was flipped away and I got a cut on my hand in exchange. I threw a wave of scratch to his face and while he was distracted; I removed my coat, lifted him, crashed him, and choked him on the table with all my uncovered strength.
"And you," I say, "you are the one focusing that light on me in the dark... because the producer never shows himself on stage." I blessed him with my punches. "I know it was you!! My father knew it was you all along! You opened the gateway of Asfara 300 years ago because of what!? You knew the helpless white wolves were there! You knew my mother was there! You plotted every chaos around me without the stigma of blood in your hands," I vented out. "Now, you're doing this to steal my mate from me!? I will never back off if she'll suffer from your smell again!"
Even those who were once my enemies, are all victims because of him. I stoop down to evade the flying ax again coming from the dark. He blows my left eye twice for that split second of disturbance and then he pins me beneath him to choke me! "You were lucky you didn't die with your mother."
"Why...? My father is your friend, so why did you ruin his life?"
He stands up above me slowly but the tightness on my neck and arms is still here. He pulls out a gun and says, "I will not deny the crimes of my pawns, but you are not worth the truth." He pulled the trigger and all I could think of was defending my face and chest under my hands as my claws harden my whole hand to the wrist. The bullets pierce through!
I kneed his knee pit, and that's when I clawed his gun and punched his face with my hardened fist that even his magic circle defense cracked. I throw him away through his collar. My legs are still looking for strength whilst he could raise himself again, rubbing his aching jaw. "Aaah, I get what you're doing now," he said. "You're avoiding my attempts by killing the root of it, hm? I will be generous enough to warn you not to."
He's confident in his domain. My throat is getting more dehydrated the longer I stay out of the spotlight. I must get to it but I won't. He's only limiting my advantages, catching the prey by forcing them into one decision. Hence it's more exciting to mock the procedure. I took off the bracelet and dropped it. And now... he smells appetizing.
"What if I return the cause of your curse?"
"Show me how!"
I tackle without thinking, only with the thought that he's the only prey I'll be free from guilt. I was one step away from him when the floor and everything spiraled. I'm left with an option to kneel down for my balance in this queasy delusion. Shortly, something hard hit my temple badly! I saw him holding a rod but he was spinning around me along with the motion. He hit me on my back, arms, and upward on my chin!
I fail to touch him whenever I try because of the moving floor that's keeping me away from him. He could've chopped me in this kind of advantage instead of a rod but it looks like he's having fun. I tightened my natural claws and fired giant scratches all over the room, a wall collapsed and the light outside came in.
The swirling ceased but I am down on my knees, chasing my breath. At least, the salty air coming in cheers me up. Meanwhile, he's circling me with the rod that he turns into an ax after he spins it in the air. "I have met countless talented werewolves, yet silver wolves are the most astounding breed. I'm impressed, I'll give you that."
He points the ax at my head so complacently, through that casual attitude I abruptly make a scratch on his chest up to his neck. He falls back, yelling. I generously advised, "One thing you haven't learned yet... is to not let your guard down in front of a werewolf."
His smile is hidden again when he pins his ax on the floor to unleash his magic books. A force pushed me down the floor and my arms were paralyzed, both of my palms were nailed! Now he tramples my chest whilst pointing the ax at my neck. Perfectly helpless until he wields it against me.
...
...
(Dandeline's POV)
It feels so good to come home after all my separation anxiety. On my way too, I've been spoiling Acro with my caresses. The dogs have been waiting for me at the front door and they all cuddle, my only dog who didn't welcome my kiss is Five. He's barking differently and that message quickly alarmed me!
"Hedwelch? Danteleon?" They should've welcomed me unless they were in school. However, Hessuel is also not in his room, which is strange. A letter is pinned on my Golden Retriever's lace and it is a message from Hedwelch:
'Mom, we're going to the sea!' And there is a childish sketch of a blue sea.
"I doubt that this is helpful," I complained.
Why would they go there? Unplanned vacation without me!? No one else is here and I am not in a good condition with my neighbors yet to inquire! Overthinking like a professional overthinker, Acro flies away outside and it causes me to see a light in my dark confusion. I follow her up to the former house of Lanasia where the gateway to the pishnies' home is.
She's telling me to activate it but my attempts have failed. Perhaps I need someone who can open the gateway.
...
...
(Hessuel's POV)
The rumbling caused us to halt until the ceiling collapsed. Lanasia came from up there and not a single piece of shattered ship drops on the floor except her. She pushes Afvshaganifs away with her magic. "I did not come here to shut your door at me!" she ranted. After her is Hedwelch who lands and slaps the ax of the captain with his gauntlet.
The floating mess—along with the rest of the pirates—was thrown on the sea through Lanasia's hand beat of magic. Ophelia's train is circling in the air above the ship. Half of the ship is exposed to the sun. All my body pains reduce when Danteleon puts me inside his magical orb—the only magic he knows so far. He pushes me up and clings.
"Hessuel, are you still alright?" Lanasia asked.
"You just made it on time, but..." I pinch my arm and look around for the bracelet. This is dehydrating me even worse!
"You brought your kids here," Afvshaganifs mocks, "for what? You now have two youngsters snacks."
Hedwelch, as an impulsive boy, attacks the captain with the fist of his gauntlet and when the captain prepares to hit him with his ax, Danteleon surrounds his twin with his protecting orb; resulting in the shattering of his ax and Hedwelch's blow on his face. I want applause for them but this situation is too dire!
"I promised mom," he says, "while she's gone, Dad and Danteleon are under my protection!"
My jaw drops! He's too young to be an adult! In continuation, he chases the captain with his punches until the captain catches his fist. Hedwelch struggles to detach from his clench, and without hesitation, Danteleon runs toward them to rescue his twin; he claws the captain's arm and drags Hedwelch with him on the floor.
"These kids should learn one important moral," Afvshaganifs staggers as he stands up, "they should learn to behave." He inconsiderately tossed a piece of rock at them which instantly turned into a fireball! Danteleon protected themselves in the orb, but this time, the protection was amplified by Lanasia.
"I did not come here to watch," she said.
I must do something to help too but I might be the dangerous one without the bracelet, and I can't find it! Dandeline will surely scold me for removing it. My attention was divided again when I heard Afvshaganifs shout as my kids are working together against him and Hedwelch sock his groin. Danteleon strangles him from behind whilst he's groveling in pain. Then Hedwelch slaps him several times while screeching,
"GET LOOOOOST!"
I sure did a good training for them~ The captain grips the gauntlet and it rots and falls into broken pieces. Then he grabs their throats, making them flail their legs in the air. I swiftly blew Afvshaganifs's chin but he disappeared like a bubble after that short contact. I caught the kids and say,
"You both did well." They are coughing, and Danteleon starts crying. "That's enough for you two. He's an overwhelming monster for you to handle. It's too dangerous." Lanasia assists the kids for me and that's when I gave her the signal for our plan.
Afvshaganifs suddenly appears on the table, relaxing while intoxicating himself. "I am not the monster~!" He fidgets the bracelet on his wrist. "We are yet to see who the real monster is."
And I think he's overwhelming for me to handle, too! Ophelia's train appeared behind, raging toward us. Hedwelch is the very first one the train might run over and all I could think for a short moment is to pull the three of them away! Nevertheless, we were struck by the steel wheel. The powerful collision tossed us on the floor followed by the loud explosion of the engine.
For a minute, I may not have lost consciousness, but I lost sense of my body. Meanwhile, blood paints the floor and it's more painful because it doesn't come out from me, it's from my son. I stretched forth my hand, "H-Hed..." and whispered. I can't feel my legs... I crawled to him but I didn't make it either when the pirate choked me by my neckline, then dragged me farther.
He drops me somewhere else and I am helplessly catching all of his punches. He can do these to me all day... but not to my kids. This might be something my kindness has no room for.
He mocks, "The next time you pick a fight, know your limits first." He raises a silver dagger and before he could bury it into my chest without hesitation, I whisper,
"... Haiban," I flinched when I felt the dagger on my chest. Even my breathing pauses for a second. I keep my head up to the dark sky where the eclipse is watching me. It's pouring me into something I rarely hold, something that burns inside of me. Without noticing how and when my body was stripped with pain and injuries. "I do know my limits," I grab his hand and dagger out of me, "and I know how to decrease those limits."
He's in awe as he steps back and drops the dented dagger. It is when he realizes that he's standing in my father's world under the eclipse. "Oooh, you can perform magic?" he questions. My father's small world will always be my refuge as the guardian. I grab his collar in a blink of an eye and say,
"I'll show you your limits."