Chapter 144

CLAUDIA.

I wake up with a gasp, putting a hand on my chest as though to check if my heart is still there. I feel it inside me, beating so hard like a drum.

That was a strange dream. Perhaps the strangest I have ever had. I don't even know where it came from and it felt like it hit me like a truck. I don't think I can even breathe properly right now. I'm lying down on the floor with no idea how it happened, how it came to be, and what it all means.

I look around me, and I flinch when I realize that I'm not alone.

Kneeling beside me, looking into my face, are Aristea and Maia. They're holding my arms as though trying to keep me down.

"What's going on?" I ask but barely any sound escapes my lips. "What happened?"

They look at each other and Aristea looks at me, lifting me and letting me sit up. "I heard that you were about to pay me a visit so I went to meet you, and you were... sleepwalking. You seemed to be talking to someone so I stopped you. And you tried to push me."

She subconsciously put her hand around her chest and I see some marks there. She swallows hard. "I asked for help and Maia showed up."

"You were sort of thrashing around first," Maia says, looking at me apologetically. "We had to hold you down because you were quite strong and we were... kind of afraid that you would run amok and maybe even hurt yourself. We're so sorry."

Guilt washes over me, so strong that I almost weep. I didn't know I was hurting somebody. It sounds like it's in line with my dream, because I really wanted to push Tristan who was messing with me using Achilles's form. Maybe that's why I pushed Aristea in real life.

I feel bad about it. I hang my head, ready to burst into a stream of apology, but Aristea and Maia just help me get to my feet.

“I’m so sorry,” I begin to say, but they both just shake their heads and take me to the room where Aristea stays in. “Please, don’t call Achilles over this. He doesn’t need to know. I already told him that the same thing happened this morning and he doesn’t need to worry about it.”

“Okay,” Aristea says after a beat, then he looks at me closely. “So you’re saying that this happened this morning, and what happened in the hallway is only the second time?”

I nod. “Yes, and I don’t know what’s going on. The first time this morning was alright… I was asleep and I thought that I was just having a nightmare. I found Tristan in a mountain clearing with Sahari, and he turned her into a Rogue. At first, no one knew that I was there and it was all fine, but then they found me. They saw me. Suddenly it felt like I was physically there. Tristan saw me. And I think he managed to find a way into my own mind just right now.”

Aristea and Maia stay silent. They both just stare at me without saying anything and every passing moment of their silence feels like a trickle of dread.

I wait for them to say something, deciding if I should break the ice myself or not, but then it’s Maia who speaks. “I think you might have unlocked another power. You got into his head, into his consciousness and maybe he doesn’t want that to be exploited. That’s why he tried to scare you.”

“Excellent observation,” Aristea comments, and Maia smiles. “You will make a fine student for me in the future, when all of this is over. But for now, we need to address this problem.”

She motions to the bed, patting the pillow. I take it as a gesture that she wants me to lie down, and so I do that.

Maia excuses herself and promptly gets out, leaving me and Aristea alone. She dims all the nights, and now it feels like nighttime again. I don’t know if it’s just because I didn’t really get a proper sleep, but I start to feel more relaxed. I thought I would doze off, but for some reason I stay as alert as ever.

Aristea stands at the back of the bed frame and rubs my temples. “Siren Wolves are known for their minds. Control, prophecies, breaking into memories… You are creatures of the mind. Meanwhile, ordinary Wolves are creatures of the body. They are known for their strength and their power. Take Achilles for example. You have seen him in action. You have seen him take down big enemies with his normal form alone. He is strong and resilient. And while you may share similar qualities and even elevate your wolf form, your strength will remain to be your mind.”

I take a deep breath. “So this connection between Tristan and I… this is just a mind power.”

“Yes,” she says, her voice dipping lower as she continues to massage my temples. “He is half a Siren Wolf. And because of that, you both share a bond. A bond that you may not want, but a connection nonetheless. That is the reason why you were able to tap into his consciousness so easily like that. You already share a pathway. That’s why it was also easy for him to tap into your own consciousness.”

“It sounds dangerous,” I whisper.

“That’s because it is. One wrong move in the enemy’s mind could cause your demise, and you must remember that.”

My heart drops, then picks up again in determination. “I still want to learn it. I still want to know.”

“Then you must make your own mind a fortress while you weaken his,” Aristea says, her tone cold. “You must ruin his before he can even step inside yours. It’s a foul play, I know. But with a foul enemy like that, nothing is off the table.”

She is right, and the idea of it excites me. However, it would make sense for him to have an experience in that matter before I even knew what I was. If we begin to battle each other in that arena right now, I would come out as the loser. I will be in danger.

“His mind holds all the keys to end this war,” I say, almost to myself. “I need to know. I need to learn. I need to put an end to all of this.”

“And you will,” Aristea says. “I will help you.”

With that, she brushes her hand over my eyes and makes me close them. She puts her hands on my temples again, but this time, she expands her fingers until she has a full grasp around my head. She begins to chant, whispering under her breath in a language I don’t recognize. Suddenly, a cold feeling washes over me, going from the top of my head to the tip of my toes. It goes back and forth like an ocean wave, pushing and pulling, until I feel myself melting away from my surroundings.

With one exhale, I find myself in an empty sea of possibilities, floating around like a mere ghost. But strangely enough, I don’t feel transparent. I don’t feel immaterial.

I feel powerful. In control.

And so I decide to delve into Tristan’s consciousness once more, thinking about the mountain clearing to see what he’s doing. I find myself soaring into darkness, which is soon shifting and changing into a sea of colors and shapes. I can almost make out the side of the mountain, the shape of the clearing….

However, before I can land and see what’s going on, a tugging sensation pulls at my gut.

And without any warning, I get pulled back. Farther and farther back.

Until I find myself in Tristan’s past, not in his present.