Narrated by Samuel
"Damn it, damn it, damn it, how did that bastard survive that fall and how did Elizabeth find him after I took him so far away?" I mutter alone in my room, furious, so enraged that I've destroyed everything in my room, all of it, even my bed, which I've reduced to pieces. I hear my stepmother at the door, her voice tinged with worry as she yells for me to open up.
"What are you doing, my son?" she always treated me as her own, raising me since I was four.
"I'm going to lose her forever," I say, almost in tears.
"Lose who?" she speaks, sitting beside me on the floor.
"Elizabeth," I reply, resting my head on her lap. My father enters, surveying the room in shock.
"Samuel, what's gotten into you?" he asks.
"Dear Antonny, let me handle this," she says, offering a comforting look to my father who nods and exits.
"My son, why do you think you're going to lose Elizabeth?" she soothes me, stroking my hair.
"Because Athos didn't die," I say, and she looks at me, astonishment and surprise mingling with the hatred in my eyes.
"You wish death upon someone for your own happiness. Listen to yourself, see your selfishness," she admonishes. I breathe out in anger; she doesn't understand.
"I know I can make Elizabeth happy if she'll just let me, but that nuisance got in the way and ruined everything," I say, and she sighs, as if searching for the right words to comfort me.
"When we love someone, we do everything for their happiness, even if it means it's with someone else, not you," she says, her eyes shining in a way I don't understand. Standing, she turns to leave, pausing at the door.
"Don't do anything you'll regret later, and one more thing, clean up this mess and stop projecting your frustrations on your room," she says before leaving me alone with her words.
I know it's too late for regrets over trying and failing to kill Athos. I won't give up on Elizabeth; she will be mine only, or belong to no one. I won't forfeit my happiness, and I know she will be joyful with me. I start to clean my room; I don't want to confront my father because I totally lost it.
Narrated by Robert
I've prepared the potion I'll give to Elizabeth, along with the others that must surround her. I prepare the candles and now seek the necklace she must wear; I've never used it because this spell is complex, even for someone as experienced as I am.
"Found it," I exclaim upon locating the white gold necklace, a circle with a pentagram inside representing an element of nature, to stabilize her body during her mental journey.
Using the necklace, I can access her blocked memories, letting her open the pathway to her subconscious and sending her there. The return will be the problem; I cannot open the pathway from the outside. She must come back to this exact moment on her own, or she could lose herself, becoming someone else, or enter a coma, or if she rejects her true "self," she could die before attempting to return. Personally, I would avoid this spell, but it's my job, my livelihood, to deliver what my clients want. I just warn them of the risks, and they decide in the end.
It took a while to gather everything needed for the spell; now all that's left is to draw the large pentagram in the main room of my cabin, considering her head must face east where the sun rises and her feet west where it sets. She has the entire night to explore her memories and must awaken by sunrise or I will lose her forever.
This is my first time performing this charm, and worse, on my best friend's daughter, who is quite lovely. It'd be a waste if she didn't return. Her father has known me since birth; I'm 170 years but look like a young man of 27. Yes, I'm a womanizer, but something about Elizabeth caught my eye at first sight. I'd be willing to get serious for her, hoping she remembers me when she turns 17, the age at which werewolves can marry. My unconventional musings are interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Coming!" I call and open the door.
"Hi, may I come in?" Elizabeth asks, seeming nervous.
"Come in, it's almost ready," I beckon her inside, unable to take my eyes off her mesmerizing green orbs.
"I'm a bit scared to not be myself again," she admits, looking at the floor.
"Don't worry, I sense a lot of energy from you. You'll do fine," I reassure her as she looks up.
"And if you forget everything, I might have a chance to ask for your hand," I jest with a mischievous smile, trying to lighten the mood. She smiles back, and this time she doesn’t object—progress. I show her the necklace, and she lifts her hair so that I can put it on her. My hand accidentally brushes her soft, pale skin, and I flush red with embarrassment, hastily apologizing for the contact.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to touch you," I apologize, but she just shakes her head calmly.
"It's okay, it was nothing," she says, and I initiate the spell ceremony.
"Sitting in the middle of the pentagram, I'll get the potion and light the candles," I instruct her as she takes her place. I begin lighting the thirteen red candles, one for each year of her life. Once lit, I hand her the potion and instruct her to wait for my signal. I place a few more potions around the circle of the pentagram and urge her to down it in one go. I help her lie down, and she looks at me with a smile.
"Now, just relax. The pain will start soon," I warn her, and her eyes widen in fear. I secure her arms and legs to prevent injury during the convulsions that are sure to follow.
The surrounding potions start to boil and emit smoke, and Elizabeth begins to writhe in pain as the potion takes effect. It's time for the incantation.
"I call upon thee, under my name, Goddess Luna, open the door to the subconscious beneath the pregnant moon to reveal the path before her."
"Let there be light in your heart that is not from this world's darkness, unrestrained in the dreamscape."
"And as she finds it in the real world."
I chant the spell for an hour, watching her endure the searing pain that will last another half-hour until the beginning of her memory sequence. When the first candle snuffs out, she'll be at the start of her memories. I'm exhausted, and with the first candle extinguished, my job is over; now she has exactly thirteen hours to return to the real world.
I'll just watch her to ensure her safety before fetching some tea from the kitchen to replenish my energy. I didn’t realize it was going to be so draining - physically, spiritually, and mentally drained, my three poles empty. Now I understand why only powerful shamans are suited to perform it. Overcome by fatigue, I succumb to sleep in the armchair facing Elizabeth.
Narrated by Elizabeth
I wake up carried by something, someone. I can't remember how I got here, just the unbearable, constant pain. When I awake, I'm already in motion and try to speak, but my voice fails me. A baby's cry is the only thing I hear, muffled footsteps as if I’m being carried through the woods.
Finally getting a clear view, I see a blurry wolf’s face – she holds me as if I’m a child. My attempts to talk are in vain.
"Hush, my lovely, settle down," she soothes with a familiar, calming voice.
"With all this fuss, we haven't chosen a name for you, let's see," she muses, pausing before returning her gaze to me.
"Born under a full moon – I shall call you Luma," her eyes filled with tears; is she moved naming me? I see a man beside her smiling at me.
"Safira, we must hurry; they will find us," he says, taking me in his arms, and we strike out into the dark forest. She is a fine guide in the darkness.
Suddenly, Safira halts, listening for pursuers.
"They will be here soon, we must rush to the territory of the Supreme Alpha, the only one who can save us from death," she says, already weeping. My heart aches when she says this – I don't know these people, but I feel they are significant. I hear footsteps chasing us, and again they sprint forward. Safira stops one more time.
"Eros, my love, I will lead them away since you can't see at night. I'll return as soon as possible for you and our little Luma," she says, making a lot of noise in the opposite direction.
He carries me furiously away from our pursuers. He halts; Safira's howl warns him to continue.
I don't know why, but he proceeds cautiously through the forest, barely able to see. Dawn approaches and Safira has not returned. Frightened and cold, I begin to cry.
"Oh, little one, don't cry. Mama will be here soon to feed you," he assures, but I can't shake the feeling that Safira won’t be coming back. Her anguished howl of pain and sorrow reaches us; Eros' tears begin to fall on my face, and a profound sadness grips me.
"We'll keep going; your mother did what she could to keep you safe. You’re the fruit of our forbidden love, and nothing will stop me from protecting you," he swears, and I wish for his embrace.
We travel all day; hunger and Safira’s absence agitates me – something tells me she never returned for me. Eros speaks strange words and turns to face me.
"Though you're just a baby now, Luma, when you’re sixteen, you’ll uncover the truth behind your birth. Remember that our sacrifice was made because you are our most treasured possession," his words leave me bewildered.
"We'll keep going; we’re half a day from the Supreme's territory. I hope he accepts a half-breed, daughter of Safira, the most beautiful wolf, and a young shaman who couldn’t even protect his own daughter from a whole pack because I fell in love with the Alpha's daughter," he says, soon collapsing on his knees, hugging me and weeping like a child – I feel his sorrow as my own.
Entering the Supreme's territory, we spot pursuers closing in.
"Damn, I'm too weak to protect her. I can't let them take her," he mutters, wrapping me tightly in a blanket.
"Remember I love you. I'll lead them away and hope someone from the Supreme's pack finds you. This last spell will protect you for four hours – that's all the strength I have left. These past three days I've been the best father I could be for you," he says, his voice breaking as he departs, leaving me behind, disappearing among the trees as about ten wolves follow him.
Lying on the cold, damp earth, hungry and scared, I see a man approach. His voice calms me, and I sense I’ll be safe with him. Soon, I’m carried back into sleep, exhausted and famished...
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