I saw myself floating in some kind of endless void. The vast surroundings were just made of blended white and pink in an ethereal light. I could see no edges, just an infinite space.
How did I get here? Where am I?
Suddenly, I heard a voice from the void, its presence felt calm.
“Zephyrine”
That voice sounds familiar…
I turned, and a figure materialized in front of me. It was the gentle face of my mother, Astrid. I felt so overjoyed seeing her again and reached out to hug her, but my arms passed through her as if she was to smoke.
I was so confused.
“Mom…what’s going on?”
“I am sorry to have left you so soon, my child. But your journey has begun.”
My what?
“Mom…what are you talking about?”
“Be cautious, trust no one easily. Your powers will wreck the world if you’re not careful.”
Powers? What powers? Is this some kind of hallucination I am suffering from?
“Mom, you know I don’t have powers, I don’t understand what you’re saying.” But her form began to fade. I was desperate. I reached out to hold her, but it was futile.
“Mom…please don’t go. I still have a lot to say to you.”
But she vanished, leaving me in the void with a state of confusion and sadness. Then everything went black.
I woke up with a gasp, could feel the sweats on my forehead. Was that a dream? What kind of dream was that? I looked at my surroundings and saw that I was in my room. A servant noticed I was awake and approached me.
“How are you feeling, ma’am?”
“I…I am good. What happened?”
She looked at me, confused, as if I spoke a different language.
“You don’t remember?”
“Remember what?”
The maid hesitated. “You fainted during the ballroom party. It was…quite the scene. You were floating-using powers.”
“Floating? Using powers? You’re kidding, right?”
Am I hearing things?
“I am not ma’am. Everyone has been talking about it.”
I shook my head, “I don’t understand. That can’t be true.”
But my memories came rushing back, and then I knew that she was not bluffing.
Before the maid could respond, the door opened. I turned to see Terran walking in. His expression was that of concern.
“Heard you were awake. Wanted to see you myself. Will you excuse us?” he said to the maid. When she left, he focused back on me.
“How are you feeling?”
“I…I’m fine. I think.” I said, still trying to make sense of what the maid said.
“Terran, did I really use powers?
He nodded. “Yes you did. It surprised everyone that witnessed it. Including me.”
“But how? I have never had powers before. And floating in the sky isn’t something you would call natural wolf powers.”
Terran folded his arms, “It’s possible it's tied to who your current parents are.”
“My parents…”
Terran seemed to have sensed my confusion and cupped my cheeks. :Don’t worry about it too much right now.”
Just then, a knock came on the door. A guard poked his head in.
“My lord, your presence is needed in the west wing.”
Terran sighed and stood. “I’ll come back to check on you soon, Zeph. Get some rest.” He paused before leaving.
Leaving myself alone in my thoughts, I couldn’t shake the feeling of doubt. I looked at my hands, wondering if I could replicate what they said I had done. My eyes landed on a cup of water on the table. I stood up, focusing on my hands, trying to move them. At first, nothing happened, and I let out a frustrated sigh. But when I tried again, the cup wobbled slightly before lifting off the table, floating just a few inches in the air.
I gasped in shock, which broke my concentration. The cup fell and water spilled across the floor. I stared at my hands in disbelief and recalled the dream I just had.
Astrid said something about not using it well. It could lead to the power of destruction. I decided to clear my head. After cleaning the mess, I went to the bathroom and had a long soothing bath.
Stepping out of my room, I politely asked a maid to show me the way out of the pack house.
The cool breeze was really relaxing, but then I noticed that people were looking at me. Is there something wrong with what I wore?
I turned to the maid. “Do you have any idea why they are staring at me?”
She offered a polite smile. “It’s because of what you did yesterday. Everyone says that your power is very rare among wolves. They are in awe of you.”
It felt nice…seeing those people a bit different. But my happiness was cut short when my path was blocked by a group. I recognized a face I wasn’t expecting to see again - the woman who was interrogating me in the ballroom party.
She stepped forward, her expression just the way I remembered.
“Terran isn’t here to save you. So you better talk.”
“What do you want?” I replied, sounding bold, but deep down I was so nervous.
“I heard about the spectacle that happened during the invader’s attack. And I know it's bullshit. You probably said that to get people’s attention. Isn’t that right?”
“What ever you choose to believe.” She scoffed and looked at the dress I wore.
“I wonder what kind of witchcraft you used on my Terran to make him give that much attention to you, but I just know it won’t last.”
Huh?
“I think there is a misunderstanding…”
“There is no misunderstanding,” she interrupted, her voice filled with venom.
“I can see right through your dirty tricks. And I will make sure that Terran sees it too.”
Before I could even say anything, she reached out and grabbed my dress.
“trying to flaunt yourself with these filthy clothes? It’s pathetic.”
She kept dragging it roughly, and I felt the seams strain under her grip. I tried to pull back, but her grip was strong.
“Let go,” I demanded. The people didn’t even bother stopping this. What is wrong with them?
Just as the fabric was about to rip, someone shoved her away.