Chapter 66: Faint Signals from the Future

We got ready after I changed my clothes. I remember buying a penknife, so I brought it along and kept it in my sweater pocket. Rion was wearing a dark gray men's hoodie sweater. His black hair with copper highlights in some strands made him look cool but still masculine.

"Are you done admiring me?" asked Rion, then put on a black hat with the initials A boldly embroidered in the center. I smiled at the hat and also in response to his overconfident but valid question. I nodded as I looked down.

"Admiring you won't be enough for a day or even a century; I need forever," I said, which Rion rewarded with a hot kiss that made me get lost in his intimate and sweet passion.

"So do I. Come on, before the night gets too late."

We decided to ride together because Rion's eyesight could see even in the dark, so he was instrumental as a guide. I, who was like a blind man, just stayed where I was, making sure my back felt Rion's front body. It was utterly dark; only the sounds of forest animals could be heard. The cold wind of the fall music felt like shards of ice sticking to my face.

The horse stopped because Rion wanted it to.

"Do you know where we should go?" I asked in the dark. I deliberately didn't bring my cell phone because it was pretty distracting.

"What do you want me to hunt for? There seems to be almost nothing here except-"

Rion held back his sentence, which made me curious.

"Except what?"

Rion made a sound, reprimanding me for keeping quiet.

"Someone is approaching us. Stay still and don't move."

I obeyed his orders, and the tension began to wash over me. I sharpened my sense of hearing and faintly heard footsteps stepping on dry leaves or twigs. Rion jumped down from the horse, making me protest in panic.

"Rion, where are you going?" I asked in a half-whisper, but the tone was noisy. Rion again reprimanded me with the voice he had initially emitted. I swallowed dryly; I didn't know what was happening, but being alone in the dark forest on a horse was not good. I considered calling out to Rion, but just as I was about to make my voice heard, a subtle but heavy growl around me.

Instantly, I regretted my decision not to bring my cell phone. At least I could have used the flashlight. My breathing was labored as I began to panic and fear, but I tried to control myself to remain calm.

Don't move or make a sound.

My mind ordered those two things out loud. I kept staring at the darkness to my right because I felt sure that was where the heavy growling sound was coming from. Then, a few moments later, I saw familiar amber eyes. Still, this time around, the eyes were filled with silver-colored fur. The full moon's light broke through the leaves of the not-so-dense trees above me, so it perfectly highlighted Rion's body in the werewolf version.

This sight was something rare that I had never seen before. Rion looked like a majestic, beautiful masterpiece. Cruelty and beauty could merge and create something as mesmerizing as what was before me.

"Rion," I whispered half-consciously in amazement mixed with fear. I gripped the reins of my current horse tightly without taking my eyes off Rion. The sound of howling distracted Rion and me; slowly, Rion retreated away from the moonlight and merged into the darkness, and then I heard his running steps leaving me.

I dismounted and pulled the horse's reins to follow me toward the moonlight. I stretched out my hand and placed it on the light with my palm facing upwards. My skin was a whiter-than-life color when exposed to this moonlight. I stepped under the light, looked up to reveal my face, and opened my eyes. I thought I couldn't see anything because of the glare, but I was wrong.

My vision was more apparent than I expected. As I was transported through time, I saw a beautiful crown placed on a blood-red square cushion. The crown was topped with a green emerald stone whose gleam mesmerized anyone who saw it. The vision changed to the face of a tiny infant; its two eyes were of different colors: the right eye was topaz, while the left eye was the color of the sunset. However, it was a beautiful uniqueness and an anomaly. The baby's smile made me smile as I unconsciously touched my stomach.

The baby's face changed, and for a moment, I saw only a thick fog of smoke. Then, slowly, the fog lifted to reveal a winter scene with snow so dense it covered the entire land surface as long and wide as my current view. My vision dropped, and near the surface, there was a red patch on the snow and ice crystals. Not far from the spot was the corpse of someone I didn't recognize; until I looked around, many bodies were lying around.

My heart was pounding and making me uncomfortable. Then I saw someone standing among the dozens of corpses, wearing a winter coat made of animal fur. As the figure lifted his face, I was surprised by the beautiful eyes I had seen a moment ago. Still, this time, the owner had grown up with his familiar facial lines. I closed my eyes to break eye contact with the young man; his gaze held anger as well as sadness, making me feel like I was stabbed right in the heart.

I backed away from where I was currently standing, holding my chest as it suddenly hurt there. I thought my body would directly hit the ground, but someone caught me.

"Amelia?!"

I faintly heard Rion calling me, but his voice sounded so far away. My body felt weak, like my energy had been drained until I could no longer stand, and my heart seemed to stop beating. The next second, darkness engulfed my consciousness.

**

"Mom?!"

The call sounded familiar, that voice too, but I couldn't be sure.

"I'm here; you can't leave; I need you."

The voice, again, sounded pleading and hopeful.

Was it for me?

"Mom, I love you, and Dad too. We have to be together forever."

A strong pull made me rise to the surface and open my eyes. At first, it was still faint, but my vision began to return. I saw Rion's face for the first time with his amber eyes.

"Hi, I'm here," he whispered, which made me nod weakly. I took a deep breath of air and exhaled slowly. My body felt too stiff to move.

"What happened?" I asked after making sure I could speak.

"You fainted when I left you to check the surroundings of the place where I left you. Were you hurt? Did someone attack you?"

My forehead scrunched up at Rion's question. I shook my head and remembered what happened to me.

"Something strange happened. I saw the future as I stood in that full moonlight, a future that had to do with someone. A young man with a unique but beautiful eye color."

I turned to look at Rion, who was staring at me with a thoughtful expression.

Does he believe me? Or does he think I might be crazy?

I exhaled loudly and then adjusted my hair.

"Forget it. Can you get me some water?! I'm thirsty."

Rion left without saying anything. I looked around me; this was in my room in my father's wooden house. I had only briefly seen Rion's form but hadn't felt the adrenaline rush of watching him hunt. However, the vision I had must have meant something.

"Who is that baby and also that young man? His face looks familiar," I grumbled, blinking a few times quickly enough to correct my vision, which was still not fully stabilized. My body also still felt weak.

The winter I saw was very dark, with many people dying.

Would that happen later? Did they die of starvation, or did they die at the hands of that mysterious young man?

With too many questions buried in my mind, Rion came over with a glass of water and some toast. I smiled and thanked him. I slowly began to recover as I devoured the water and toast in addition to the chocolate.

"Get some sleep tomorrow. We'll go fishing with your Dad. It's a lot more fun than going into the forest in the middle of the night with no light."

I smiled at Rion's insinuation about my wish.

"Can you sleep with me? I'm afraid I'll have nightmares," I pleaded, still caught up in the visions I had moments ago; I was afraid they would carry over into my dreams.