Chapter 45 Chapter 45
Mimi dreamed of red first.
Not blood—no, this red was softer, deeper, like wine diluted in water. It spread endlessly beneath her bare feet, warm and humming, as if the ground itself had a pulse.
She tried to move.
Her body felt distant, heavy, like it belonged to someone else. When she finally managed a step, the surface rippled, waves shivering outward in slow circles.
“Mimi.”
The voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere.
She turned.
The world around her shifted—not smoothly, but in pieces, like broken glass rearranging itself. The red dissolved into white stone beneath a vast sky. Columns rose high above her, cracked and ancient, wrapped in silver vines that glowed faintly.
She knew this place. Not by memory—but by instinct.
“Hello?” Her voice sounded wrong here. Too small.
Something moved at the edge of her vision. A figure stood between the columns, tall and still. As Mimi approached, her heart began to race—not with fear, but recognition.
“Luke,” she said. He looked the same. And not at all.
His eyes were darker, ancient, glowing faintly like embers buried deep beneath ash. His posture was rigid, controlled, like a blade waiting to be drawn. A demeanour she had never seen before.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” he said.
She scoffed weakly. “Funny. I was about to say the same to you.”
He didn’t smile. He didn’t glare like he usually does, neither did he shout.
She noticed then—his hands were stained red. Not fresh. Old. Like the colour had soaked into his skin and never left.
“What happened to me?” Mimi asked quietly. Luke’s jaw tightened. “You were attacked.”
“I know that,” she snapped. “I mean—why am I here?”
The sky darkened. The silver vines began to wither, curling inward as if in pain. “You’re between,” Luke said. “Not awake. Not gone.”
“Gone where?”
He hesitated. That scared her more than any answer.
The ground trembled beneath them. Cracks split the stone, and from the fissures rose shadows—shapes without faces, tall and wrong, their eyes glowing the same deep grey she’d seen the night she was attacked.
Her breath hitched. “Them.”
“They’re not done,” Luke said. “They never are.” The shadows began to move, circling slowly and Mimi backed away. “Why can’t I fight them?”
“Because this isn’t your body,” Luke said softly. “This is your mind.”
The shadows lunged. Luke stepped in front of her without hesitation.
His body shifted—bones cracking, skin splitting, something vast and terrible forcing its way out. Fur rippled across his back, dark as night. Claws tore into stone. His eyes burned gold.
A wolf.
No—something older. He roared, and the shadows recoiled, screaming as they dissolved into smoke. The world stilled.
Mimi stared at him, heart pounding. “So that’s what you are.”He turned back slowly, the transformation reversing, pain etched into every movement.
“Yes,” he said. “And that’s why I’m here.”
“To protect me?” she asked. He looked away. “To atone.” The world shifted again.
Now they stood in a forest—trees tall and twisted, their branches forming cages overhead. The moon hung low, red and swollen.
Mimi’s chest tightened. “I don’t like this place.”
“You shouldn’t,” Luke said. “This is where choices rot.”
She noticed then—there were bodies hanging from the trees. Wolves. Humans. Some she recognized. Some she didn’t. “Is this the future?” she whispered. Luke shook his head. “It’s a warning.”
The moon cracked open like an eye. And from it, something watched her. Something vast. Ancient. Female. A presence pressed against Mimi’s mind—cold and curious.
You survived, the voice said without sound. Barely.
Mimi dropped to her knees, clutching her head. “Who are you?”
You know who I am.
The Moon Goddess.
Fear and awe tangled in her chest. “Why me?”
Because you saw too much. And spoke too loudly.
Images flooded her mind—her blog posts, her recordings, her defiance. Blood on pavement. Claws. Screams.
Truth is dangerous, the goddess continued. Especially when it threatens old systems.
“What do you want from me?” Mimi cried. Was this the new era she saw signs concerning? She couldn’t tell but it seemed a bit bazar
The presence shifted—her attention drifting elsewhere.
Not you.
Mimi gasped as another image rose unbidden. She recognized that face—
Zarlia.
Standing in darkness, one hand on her stomach, fear etched across her face as something glowed in her stomach but she couldn’t tell what it was.
Mimi’s breath caught. “No… don’t touch her.”
She is already touched, the goddess said calmly. Marked.
Luke stiffened beside her.
“You didn’t tell her,” Mimi realized. “You know.”
He closed his eyes. “I know.”
The ground began to crumble.
“Wake up,” Luke said urgently. “You don’t belong here anymore.”
“But you do?” she asked.
He met her gaze, something raw breaking through his control. “Someone has to guard the door.”
The forest collapsed inward, light blinding and violent.
Mimi screamed—
—and woke with a sharp gasp, lungs burning, heart hammering wildly.
The room snapped into focus.
Grey walls—an annoying colour. Soft light spilling from the windows. The steady beep of a monitor.
Her body screamed in pain, but she was awake.
And the first thing she saw was Luke, sitting by her bed, eyes red-rimmed, hand clenched so tightly around hers his knuckles were white. He looked like he hadn’t slept for days, his irises were nothing but an endless void of darkness with a hint on insanity.
“Mimi?” His voice cracked. “You’re awake.” It had a certain urgency that made her feel like he was expecting her consciousness for a while.
Her throat burned, but she smiled faintly. “I had the strangest dream,” she whispered, cold sweat cuddled up her forehead, her heart thundering against her ribcage
He swallowed hard. “Yeah?”
She squeezed his hand weakly, as if trying to seek a little reassurance from him.
“It wasn’t a dream,” she said. “Was it?”, his hair clung to his face—he was sweating.
His silence was answer enough.