Chapter 72 ~The Final Test~
(Fiona's POV)
I was all alone in this test. It was me against whatever forces were here, and I was scared to the bones.
But I had to be brave. The stakes were just too high to lose.
So, I sucked in a deep breath and walked ahead. And with every passing minute, I was more convinced that this was indeed the woods that surrounded my home.
My childhood home, not the one I lived in now. Which was weird to me, because if I had been sucked into my home in this Lycan Test, then it should've been the one in Vermont.
It was very nostalgic and eerie at the same time. The hairs on my arms stood on end and my ears perked up, noticing every little sound.
It was very chilly, and quite dark, but not so dark that I couldn't see. The sounds of crickets filled the air.
I clutched the elixir like my life depended on it. It did.
Now, all I had to find out was where the ‘well of life’ was. I hoped there weren't any dangerous mythical creatures here because in this realm, I wasn't allowed to use my powers.
I kept walking for what felt like an eternity. Everywhere was deserted, like after an apocalypse.
Suddenly, the wind began blowing furiously, and the sky changed to a shade that was almost crimson.
Then the heaviest rain I'd ever witnessed in my life began to pour.
I looked at the sky, wondering what the fuck was happening.
Then I felt small pebble-like pieces falling on me. I looked closely and observed that they were hailstones.
‘Great! Just great!’ Now, I needed to find cover… all while still trying to figure out this test.
I ran through the woods, trying to find some sort of covering.
I stopped in my tracks.
I was hearing a whimper in the distance.
I perked up my ears. It sounded like a cry. But from who? A sinking feeling overtook me as I contemplated whether or not to interfere.
The cries were slowly turning to shrieks. Loud, guttural shrieks. I was so disturbed. If I didn't go check that out, it would haunt me forever.
I ran through the woods, trying to figure out where the cries were coming from.
It sounded so distant, yet so close.
Even when I slipped on a wet leaf on the ground, I didn't stop.
I ran until I was panting for breath.
My curiosity was soon answered. But how did I know that I was about to see the most heart- wrenching sight that would haunt me in nights to come?
I hid behind the bark of a big tree, watching the scene before me, gobsmacked.
The cries and screams I heard were from a female. A figure I couldn't make her out under the dim light and covered by the hulk of a beast.
A lady lay on the wet grass, screaming and begging. Hunched over her was the most feral beast I'd ever seen. It looked like a cross between a wolf and a human.
It looked like the shadows I'd been seeing.
Slowly, I began to piece it together. It was a Lycan!
The Lycan was the largest beast I'd ever seen in my life. A mane like a lion's grew from it's neck, crimson to match the skies. But that wasn't what had me shaking…
This Lycan was hunched over this young lady, assaulting her in every way possible.
It was dark.
Vicious.
Despicable.
But, I could do nothing as I could easily be the one in that position, and I hated myself for it. I hated I couldn't use my powers here.
The Lycan pounded into the woman, who was bleeding profusely. It assaulted her for such a long time.
She fought back bravely, screamed for help, kicked, bit, but nothing she did could save her.
My knees suddenly could not carry the weight of my body. I sank to the floor, my bones turning to butter. My tears refused to fall.
I watched as the beast finished and, with one last glance at the woman, galloped into the woods.
As soon as I was sure the Lycan was far away, I came out from my hiding with shaky limbs and a shattered heart.
I walked in controlled strides towards the woman. With each step I took, I tried to disbelieve the voices in my head.
No… there was no way.
“Mom!” I screamed with all my strength as I ran towards her.
She looked at me with confusion in her eyes. She looked younger, less pale but unmistakably, it was my mother.
It was my mother that was just assaulted by a Lycan. Wait… was that how I was concieved?
My real father was the beastly Lycan? A feeling of guilt washed over me.
Tears pooled in my eyes. “Mom, w-” The words caught in my throat.
She looked like she was slipping in and out of connection.
I sat beside her. My feelings were going haywire. I'd never see her alive and conscious, but this was not the reunion I hoped for.
She looked up at me, and with great effort, said. “Fiona… please, heal me… you can save me?”
The sobs were falling from my eyes in torrents now. “I-I can't.”
I couldn't have access to my powers in this realm.
And I knew this was the moment. I had gone back in time to the night of my birth… if I could play the right card, I’d be able to save my mother. She wouldn't be in a coma anymore.
“What can I do to help?” I tried drying my tears. As I moved, the elixir slipped from my hands to the ground.
She pointed at it. “That's an elixir of life. It can save me.”
I looked at the elixir in confusion.
The messenger had said I shouldn't give it to anyone except the Well of Life.
I looked at my mother.
Was this an illusion?
I touched her.
She was real. Everything was real… the blood, the tears, the feel.
Was this my chance to redeem my mother's life?
I hugged myself in the rain.
This was a pivotal moment, and I didn't know what choice to make.
I picked the elixir from the ground and held it in my hand. My mother was slowly slipping away.
‘The moon goddess has given me a chance to finally save my mother.’ I said to myself.
And I wouldn't lose it.
Newly determined, I opened the elixir and poured it into her mouth.
I poured it in until the last drop was gone.
She coughed.
Nothing happened at first. But then the crimson skies turned pitch black.
With my heart thumping in my chest, and tears pouring from my eyes, I looked up in anticipation of what would happen next.