We charge at each other with our beastly spirits.
I unleash my claws to form my fists. His fist and mine both landed on our faces at the same time, the only difference is my strength that threw him to the table and I almost lost my balance because of his attack. I can't deny the impact of his strength. Yet I'm confident that defeating him is a piece of cake. The only disadvantage I had before was my overwhelming frustration and my messed-up mind.
Now, my mind is clear. My firm goal is to kill him.
I yank his cloth, then push him against the window, it shatters, and I fall with him from the top room of the castle. He's struggling to free himself from my clenches, a sharp cold wind is smacking my face, and as we were about to hit the ground, I detached myself from him. I crashed at the empty tables and he crashed on the tables of books.
Quickly, I came back to my stance. He's confused about the place where we fell; there are several tables, tall bookshelves, and a spiral strained window on the wall behind me is the furniture of this wide library. I hopped and stood on a table, then tapped my right foot. "We can hold our precious killing time here!"
"Hey, you, Hessuel!!" Zaeramil's voice predominates the hall. He's standing at the top of the staircase in front of the entrance. "Where's my prize?"
"You've done well in your tasks. You may leave."
"Wow. You're welcome."
"Out."
He slams the entrance door when he leaves.
"An airship?" Amos guests.
"With no pilot," I added. "Soon, this airship will crash."
"And both of us will die eventually?" he grumbled. A loud rumble sound followed by the quaking of the floor, and gradually, the airship is tilting to the left. "... Your bloody game makes no sense."
"Unless you play it well."
I step on another table, unleash my claws and attack him with it but he dodges. He rushes behind a bookshelf and uses it to block my path when I chase him. He pushes it against me while I hold it with one arm and another on the table behind me for support. The books are sliding and hitting me, and since the shelf was emptied it became lighter, I clawed it into two. These bookshelves are unbearable for humans because of their great weight and height. It's only a toy for Amos.
I was trying to get up from the collapsed shelf until he strikes my head with a book stand, claws me to my right face, and grips my jaw to pin me down! "This is what you want!? the hardest way to end this!?" he yelled at my face. "The world is endued already with the blood of my people!!"
"You chose it first. Stop casting the blame on me!"
I kneed him on his stomach twice and scratched him on the left side of his neck when he got away. He leaps on top of another bookshelf. My wounds caused by his claws aren't regenerating. I glare at him intensely.
"I see... This is how you murdered my kind."
Every werewolf has its own unique power, and his power is quite deadly. Although I've encountered this ability through Elibur's enchantment, Amos' power slowly deteriorates the already opened wound on its own. I knock the shelf he's onto down by kicking it. He leaps to other bookshelves in line and I step on top of every shelf too to chase him. He hops down and I keep on chasing him from above until I get the wide chance to slay him by my claws, and he dodges again as he rushes in between two shelves.
He abruptly slants the shelf from its custom position to block my steps again and he pushes it against me. My back was pushed to a shelf behind me and now I'm jammed in the middle of the edges of two shelves! I slam the one in front of me aside and slash it into two with my claws.
He runs away again and I keep an eye on him while pursuing him. The row of bookshelves is betwixt us, and when he suddenly vanishes from my surveillance, I stop running in a snap and refrained from being hit by the shelf again. I scratch the whole shelf where he's hiding behind but he dodges again and we only circulate around it. I push that shelf with one hand, then the row of the bookshelves fell like dominos. He remains ahead of me and between is the broken shelf.
"What's this?" I mock. "After you play hide and seek, you're playing chase. I'm not impressed with the brevity of your guts. If you keep running, your beloved people will forever be a bunch of bonkers."
"You are no different from your crafty kind."
I hopped on the shelves and he ran towards the tables. My speed is greater than his, I almost got him when he slides down beneath the table, and I jump above it out of control. He pierces his hand and grabs me on my jaw downward, and my head bumped. I hold fast to his wrist and bite it with my silver fangs. Harshly, he left a quick scratch on my right temple and escaped. Yet he's gnashing his teeth in pain, he lost a finger.
I wipe my mouth and say, "Only the hearsay makes me pay obeisance for you. But the truth is you're weak and a coward."
"Kid... I've known you since you were a child. Cormelio never wished for you to be like this."
"... How dare you..."
"I'm asking you one last time!" he outbursts. "We can end this peacefully, free my people and kill me behind them! Make an oath of peace... Think about the future of the little ones."
"You only care about your people. And so will I. After you've caused lamentation to the people in my hometown, killed their children and parents of the children, even your so-called friend died in your scheme, you just wanted to run away from the consequences by signing peace between our packs? Don't make me a fool. My people suffered. And so will yours. I hardly reject your proposal. I hope I made myself clear."
"... You... It's true. I made you suffer. I realized my wrong-doing ever since I heard the answer I've been longing for. It is my fault... why you turned into that. I have nowhere else to go but to face my accountability." He sighs. "Then I presume I'll just have to resist you and devour you alive like how I craved to do before!!" Disappointments in his narrow golden eyes are piercing me.
This time, he charged first which pushed me down to another table. I defended my face with my arms as he cut my skin with those claws and caught my throat again in his grasp when my arms felt numb! I kicked him on his stomach powerfully and made him fall from the table. I cover my right fist with my stretching claws to harden it and beat him on the floor countless times as furious as I can while I'm scratching him with my left.
He suddenly stabs his claws on my left arm and drags it downward. I lost all my sense of control from that extreme pain! I snatch him to his neck and hurl him onto a bookshelf, follow him quickly and showered punches to his body, and slap him with the claw. I chase my breath whilst watching him struggle on the floor. Looking at the blood on my claws. Nevertheless, I never showed mercy.
He's weak and wounded now which makes it easy for me to beat him, claw him, and throw him anywhere. It feels like those dead people and werewolves slaughtered by this man are watching me. It feels tiring, it weighs down my chest, and it makes me guilty! But I want him to suffer even as I did and my people! That sense of justice is bugging me. My fist missed by hitting the stairs instead of his face. He's lying down the stairs and I was beating him over.
I can hardly recognize his bloody face. My hands are trembling and my knees. I was about to end him when he sways his claws that broke the pendant into shreds! Clouds of smoke emerged from it. I moved away. My father once instructed me that as long as I wear this necklace, I can kill the immortal. It contains a dangerous enchantment that can cancel any kind of spell, so if it spreads, it will take effect without delay.
Any kind of spell...
Myriads of memories are exploding back in my head. Memories about Dandeline.
I touch my head tight. My mind is messed up again. I just found myself on the ground because of Amos' fatal attack!
"You always let your guard down, kid. I am immortal. I'm accustomed to pain. It makes me feel nothing no matter how strong you are. But you can kill me. That is your advantage."
My voice quivers in relation to my tears. "Dan... I... harmed her..." It worsens when I remember everything, my every day, with her. It was her, the one who pushed me away, left me behind in ignorant emptiness. She cast a spell upon me to make me forget her... similar to what my father did to me. That mark came from my fangs. That seed in her womb... is ours. And I killed it!
Other than finding myself weeping, Amos is beating and throwing me anywhere. "You were under a spell, too. Now you understand how it felt like to kill your beloved with your own hands!!" He showers me again with his punches. I struggled to defend myself but he broke my left arm! The shout I wailed came from the mixed pains. He shifts into a wild wolf and devours the flesh of my shoulder.
I'm being taken to death by the one who deceived me once again. But my thoughts are filled with her. The happiness I felt with her, the pain of her tears, the yearning of her body; all because she is my mate. My journey led me to Rossy, and Rossy led me to her promise. Her promise is Dandeline ever since the day she blew that dandelion. I remember again. I want to see her. I want to make sure she's alright, and the child.
But I doubt it will happen.
I can't escape from this beast. His weight is pinning me down. His mouth is covered with my blood. The flesh in my chest is being excavated by those greedy fangs. All I can do is scream like a rat being eaten by a cat. "AAAAAH!! Haaa! Nnggh... You... GET LOST!" I put my strength to my very last resolve to fight. Along with my loud growl, I sway my claws upward in the air which hits him as well. The ceiling was damaged and left a giant scratch as if it came from a giant creature.
Amos suddenly stops moving, his blood drops on me so I push him aside. The ceiling collapsed but I just lie down sideways and cover my head. Loud downfalls and destructions of this airship sounded around me, then a strong blizzard came into the airship as well. The quaking of the floor increases.
Carefully, I lie down and look at the situation of Amos. For a moment I was frozen to find out that he was partially smashed up by a heavy piece of ceiling, his blood is painting the floor. The spiral window is broken into pieces, leaving a huge hole in the airship. I don't have the strength to move anymore. I'm alive but dying. I place my hand on top of my chest.
I remember every promise I've broken with Dandeline. I remember how dignified I was to be a hero. In the end, I became the villain. Warm drops are flowing beside my eyes. I remember how proud I was to see the different perspectives.
But the truth is my determination is flawed.
I was confidently marching in the peaceful zone given by my father... not until I stepped out of it and walked in the blood of my pack. Every source of strength I had is taken away one by one; Cormelio, my friends, Dandeline. Fate has dared my precepts and I've failed it. I have failed my beloved. I don't deserve her. I am just the same... A werewolf who will keep the cycle of tragedy in our race.
I let out a whisper, "I-I'm sorry... my love."
At least... the illusion is worth the shot. I buried my claws in my heart.
It's over now...
☪ ✧ ✧
(DANDELINE'S point of view)
In loving memory of Hessuel.