Chapter 104 – This is the Real World

Blake seems frozen for a second, and then frowns. "It's true then. Are you a Shifter, or a werewolf?"

"Both, it seems. But I'm pretty sure I need judgement more than anyone else in this world and the next. We've all played into Fate's hands, but our own wills and desires dictate our own identities, and no one can rob us of that if you save us. 

I'm probably supposed to fight you right now, but I don't wish to live in such a stagnant world, chained to a role where I have to watch countless souls die to the outside world. I almost forgot about it, though, when I was with you. 

Thank you, Elena and Blake, for giving me the opportunity to have a life worth living." George grins widely, his expression tinged with hopeless insanity.

"Please don't hate me too much. I really like you guys, you know. In fact, I'll take care of these guys for you." 

Shifters burst in the doors like a dark, stormy cloud, taking over the darkness and plunging it into an even deeper, chaotic madness. I can only watch as George starts to morph with the movement of the ever changing cloud, eyes like fire burning into his victims. 

But the mass of Shifters seems to converge upon him, almost swallowing him at the base of the ledge. 

"It's not over! I'm fine, but you need to go now!" We hear the faint yell echoing around the room, spurring us into action.

I race over to the edge of the ledge, or what it appeared to be like, and cautiously looked into the eternal blackness. Blake holds my arm, as if afraid of my movement. 

"It's okay, Blake. It has to be now," I whisper.

"But… I love you. I haven't said it enough yet. And we haven't grown old together, if you could even call it that. And I haven't said half of the things that I wanted to say about you, and we haven't bickered over whose taking the last of the cereal, and…" He pauses as the tears start to flow from my eyes, drenching my face and his chest in sorrow as he pulls me to him.

"We will. I promise." I smile weakly, glancing over at the dark cloud as it starts to separate into individual beings heading in all directions. "I just need to take care of some things first." A small, sharp spear forms in my hand, and I offer it to him. "Take this, and protect yourself. I'm going now."

"Going?" He grabs the spear, looking at the looming Shifters and pointing it at them. "You're staying right with me."

"Not today," I whisper, looking into the chasm and knowing that more Shifters already had flown into them, hoping for a chance to grab the crown. I can't let go of it, because Shifters can grab physical items in this world. Which can mean only one thing.

I will save you, not just for you, but so I will never lose any idea of what I know myself to be.

I back away, and then launch myself in a run towards the chasm. 

"Elena!" Blake yells urgently, but I am a perpetual, moving force, curving around the singular object so that nothing can get to it without getting through me. 

The last thing I see as I fall into the darkness is Blake running after me while batting away a frenzied Shifter. His expression falls as he realizes he can't catch up, and the Shifter pounces on him as if he were a wounded animal.

I'm not sure I wanted a heroic ending quite like this, but I am still unafraid. No one can hurt me now and no one can take this role away from me. Even if I die, I am bringing life to the world and beyond. Besides, if Blake isn't with me, what would be left in the end?

Come home. Be free.

I smile as I fall into darkness so deep that it erases everything, the crown finally falling from my hands into the unreachable, my eyes closing softly as a comforting force embraces my body, carrying me to eternal deliverance.

I'm not sure when I even woke up, but it seems as if someone just flipped the switch and freed me from whatever state I was in. Because the last thing I remember is falling into a chasm of death and now I'm sitting in a patch of grass, staring at the awfully blue sky. 

Blue sky. It looks nice today. Almost too bright for the…

Wait, is it?

I feel the grass with my fingertips, the gentle rushing breeze tickling my nose. Am I really back in the real world?

I jump to my feet, looking around the forest, hoping to catch a glance of another human being. Anyone who can confirm that this is my new reality. Hopefully… the one I want to see most. 

"Yes, this is the real world!"

I shake, looking back and forth in a frenzied attempt to find the source of the whisper. It's the same voice that has followed me in my dreams and throughout my quest. 

"Who are you?" I called out. "Show yourself!" 

Nothing happens at first, but then something around me shifts in the blink of an eye. The air begins to swirl together, forming a sheer outline that solidifies into a pale, beautiful being wearing a long robe and adorned with broad, delicate wings. 

Its face is thin, with white eyes that black pupils, framed by long white eyelashes and small lips. Thick white hair tumbles from its head to its waist, rippling with curls and adding femininity to its, or her appearance. 

I probably should be more scared, but I feel like I've seen everything by now. And there's so something so comforting about her presence, giving me some indication that she wouldn't hurt me.

"I have been your guide over your journey. I guess you could call me Faye, as you have been describing me for quite some time. Please, don't be frightened," she says, smiling lightly.

"You have done well."

I frown, stepping close to her. With shaking fingers, I run my hand down the side of her wing. The soft feathers convince me that I'm not hallucinating. This is actually real. 

"So everything that happened… was your decision?" I ask slowly.

"No, it wasn't my decision, but a part of something even greater than me. My only purpose was to make sure that the prophecy was fulfilled." 

"Okay," I mumble, my hand falling back to my side. "So you have been in my head all this time? What was even the purpose of the entire prophecy then?"

"Well, I wouldn't quite say that I was in your head, but I guess you could call it something like that. I just whispered to you, or created circumstances that allowed everything to happen that needed to happen. 

I knew the basic plot line, but every detail and every choice wasn't already planned, as you possess your own free will." She sighs, somehow managing to make that simple action look angelic. 

"The prophecy allowed for the Shifters the souls to decide their own identity within the threat of an inevitable future. How they responded and grew within the given circumstances will dictate their own judgement. 

Your friend George is a clear example of reaching beyond his confinements to obtain something that resembles a quality of life."

My eyes widen as she mentions his name. "Tell me why am I here when I clearly died? And what happened to George… and the werewolves?"

"You didn't clearly die because I carried you out of harm's way. Throwing yourself into the chasm was pretty heroic I'll admit, but you dying had nothing to do with the completion of the prophecy so I made an executive decision. As for your friends, well, it depends." 

"Depends?!" 

"As soon as the crown was consumed, the world was flooded with light. In that single moment, every being was called to the place where he or she belonged. For different people, that means different things. 

George wasn't actually a part of the werewolf society, so he actually moved on to judgement with the rest of the Shifters. 

In general, the werewolves you know and love still exist but have been scattered, stripped of their powers and given the freedom to find a new purpose for themselves among the humans. 

Today, you have this freedom as well. You have broken your chains, and now you must choose as the Shifters have chosen."

I stare at my hands, squeezing them into a fist. So, I'm never going to see George again. That fact saddens me, but I know I can't feel too depressed because I know he wanted and needed a resolution. He should have the right to his own happiness. 

"I'm normal now, right?" I hesitatingly ask, trying to get her to keep talking so I can get as many answers as possible.

"For that question to be answered, you must define normal. Elena, I believe that you are special. Extraordinary even and you have the power even now to change the world. You don't need supernatural abilities to do so either. 

So believe in yourself, and gather up the people who care about you the most, because now you belong. Embrace your new destiny, not just for what it will be but for what it is." She smiles widely, lifting her hands into the sky.