Chapter 23-24 Needs edits

"Get away from me!" I screamed, slapping its hand away from me.

I tried to put distance between us. My ears could not believe what I had heard it say. In the distance, Melody called my name, trying to wake me up from wherever I was. This was not real, yet I was facing down a monster that I could not fathom. It tilted its head, confused why I reacted that way towards it.

For a moment I pondered what I could do to get away from it, but my magic seemed to not work where we were. Almost as if I had been cut off from the source. For a moment, it stared at me before closing the gap between us once again.

"My beloved, does this form scare you?" It asked, bewildered by my response to it.

"Stay away from me!" I screamed at it once again.

I tried to get away, only to hit what was an invisible wall that sent me tumbling down to the floor. Even though the fall should have hurt, it did not. Instead, I was left utterly confused as I peered back at it.

"Ah... I see. Maybe this one will make you feel more comfortable. After all, it seems you care for the wolf." It said before shifting forms into someone very familiar to me.

I could not believe my eyes as I was facing Fenris. He even wore the same clothes he had this morning before he left. Was it feeding off my memories? How else would it know? Just what was it?

"Now... Much better, no?" Fake Fenris smiled, leaving me chilled to my core.

It was his voice too... It dared use his voice! Rage swelled within me, as I knew the man in front of me was not Fenris. He was not the man I loved. His voice, although it sounded tender, was nothing like the Fenris I knew. There was no warmth or life in it.

And his eyes... Were more dead than alive. Even so... It seemed happy to see me.

"Do not you dare use his voice!" I snarled at him, trying to appear hostile.

He seemed unfazed by my hostility. Instead, he closed the gap between us in a blink of an eye and crouched down to me.

"Oh, do not worry, my love. This might be my body soon enough." The man wearing Fenris's skin assured me.

His words made the hair on my skin stand as I pressed myself against the invisible wall. All I wanted to do was to destroy it and make sure it never came near Fenris. But was this even real? Or was I still delusional?

"I... will not let you hurt him!" I declared for it to smile and reach for my face.

In response, I slapped it away, causing him to chuckle.

"You will not even notice the difference. I will be him. Your wolf. Like before..." He smiled, trying to comfort me in some twisted way.

He would never be Fenris.

"You will never be him!" I firmly declared.

He continued to chuckle, enjoying my defiance.

"You will change your mind one day once I purify everything that he has done to you." He said, reaching for my dress, causing me to freeze in place.

A realization came to me while I trembled in fear. If he wanted to do anything to me, I was helpless to stop him. Would I be a victim again?

"Purify...?" I muttered, fearing what he meant by that.

I continued to press myself against the invisible wall behind me to escape, but there was no escaping from him. Without my magic, I was just another human, powerless to do anything. I closed my eyes while he undid my dress before stopping. His eyes twitched in annoyance.

In an instant, he ripped my dress, exposing my battered body to him. All I could do was try to cover myself up as best I could. He stood up, angered by the state my body was in.

"What have these witches done to you?!?! They were not supposed to touch you!" He howled, angered by what he had found before punching the wall next to me, creating cracks within it.

My body trembled while he breathed deeply before releasing a sigh to calm down.

"Ah... No matter... this is not irreversible. I will torture them before I kill them after I am done with them." He whispered, grabbing hold of my chin, forcing me to face him.

"Why would you do that?" I asked him.

I was trying to put up a strong front, but it was useless. I felt just like I did all those years ago when Stella used me. Weak... Powerless. I... was not any different, even after all these years.

"Because they harmed my bride. I will kill anyone who has ever made you cry. Including that wolf boy, who thought of defiling you before I could get to you." He answered, leaving me stunned.

Fenris... defiled me? He was wrong... So wrong... All Fenris ever did was...

"He saved me!" I tried to argue.

He shook his head before shutting me down by feeding on my insecurities. It was almost as if he read me like a book.

"No... That silver blood did this to control you. That boy wants nothing else but to keep his city and people safe. That's all the silver blood want to do." He scuffed, almost as if he were remembering something that happened long ago.

Silver blood...? Why did he call Fenris that? But what worried me more was how he knew what to say.

"How do you know any of that?" I whispered, struggling to cover myself while he tilted his head.

"Because I could see some of your memories when I connected to you here, although not all of them. Most of them are with that stupid wolf you hold too dearly. Something that needs to be fixed." He sighed, unpleased by my affection towards Fenris.

He would much rather it be aimed at him.

"I... will not let you hurt him." I tried to defy for him to caress my cheek.

I tried to hold back the tears that his words caused me. Most of the time, he spoke the truth. Fenris... he did not see me like anything else but his duty. He would marry another soon either way yet I...

"My love, you will change your mind once you meet me. The fake love you hold for that wolf boy will be no more. And if it persists, I will just have to take his form to please you. I will be identical..." He tried to make me understand his view, but it rubbed me off the wrong way.

Fake Love? Be him? He would never be the boy who pulled me into the light. He would never be the person I fell for. My love was not fake, that much I was sure of.

"You will never be like him! He is my light! He owns my heart and soul!" I declared, slapping his hand away again.

In response, he slammed his hands to the wall, pinning me between himself and the barrier.

"It enrages me to hear you call him that! You were born for me! Made for me! That wolf-boy is just but a pass time for you. You will see it once we meet. Everything will be clear! I will be your genuine light!" He announced, face inches away from mine.

"That will never happen," I assured him.

My words caused him to laugh again, enjoying my defiance. I would dare say it turned him on.

"Ah, feisty. I like that a lot." He smirked, sliding one of his hands onto my waist, triggering my body to shutter.

"Though... Why have you not fixed your body with magic?" He added, trying to change the subject.

"I do not know what you mean," I replied, trying to find the strength to survive this.

If it was my mind playing a game or consuming me, I had to fight it. But how... This did not seem like anything I knew. When a lucid dreaming spell failed, most survivors said that darkness consumed them and could not find their way. This... was nothing like they had recounted.

"I am sure you can heal it. After all, you are the vessel for the soul cairn." He clarified, trying to inspect my body further.

Almost as if he were trying to memorize everything that I may have gone through. It seemed he did not have access to all my memories from this place. Just where were we?

"Soul cairn...?" I questioned, lacking any knowledge of what he meant by that.

"The thing you humans call the nether realm has an actual more appropriate name." He informed.

My mind, though, seemed to have enough. I must have been losing my sanity to hear this. Was it my mind trying to piece back my shattered self?

"This cannot be real..." I whispered, trying to look for a way out, but there was none.

Even Melody's voice had died down to the point I could not hear her anymore. Maybe... I had consumed myself beyond saving. Instinctively, he grabbed me by my face and forced my gaze back onto him again. A touch that gave me so much warmth before only left me cold. Even if he appeared like Fenris, the way they were was completely different.

"But it is. Love... This is very real. I hijacked your spell to contact you. However, I am afraid my body is still not here in your mortal realm. It is why I have not come for you yet." He answered me without having to ask him.

He seemed worried for my sanity, which seemed to have been slipping. Maybe it still was, but... on the off chance, this was real. I had to find out more. And he did not seem hostile towards me.

That was one advantage I had. If only I could control my fear. How far could I push him... if I controlled myself?

"You are not in the mortal realm?" I tried to switch gears while I tried to gather information from him.

He seemed to crave chatter as well. His tail was wagging slightly.

"No... I am not. You see, my love, I was trapped a long time ago by the elves. Though this is not something to concern yourself with since I will see you soon enough in the flesh." He answered, smiling happily at some clogs that were turning in his favor.

They were unknown to me, though.

"Soon...?" I asked, feeling concerned about the timing of everything and the dream I had.

"Yes, soon." He continued to answer me, yet vaguely this time.

He had noticed I was too interested in a time frame. Maybe that was my first mistake.

"How soon?" I tried to pin down the time frame, worried I had less than a few weeks to figure out what was happening.

Especially with everything that was going on. For a moment he narrowed his eye before shaking his head slightly.

"A year... Maybe less. It depends on these buffoons if they can manage to... Ah... I get ahead of myself once again. I forget to stop speaking when I am with you. Always happens, you see. You just open me like a book." He stopped himself smirking widely while knowing he was giving away too much.

After all, I was not friendly with him. If he gave too much, I would not hesitate to use it against him. But I could not help myself and neither could he.

"What do you mean by that? Why do you want me? What am I to you?" I barraged him with questions, wanting more.

What he had given me was not enough for anything. It was not even a usable timeframe.

"My beloved." He answered one of my questions, leaving the others unanswered.

He had caught on to what I was trying to do, much to my inexperience or desperation. However, the simple fact that I was talking to him made him happy. Even his tail wagged while his ears made him seem like he was fully attentive to me. I had to think of a better way to get him to talk.

He thought I was his beloved... so maybe that was something I could use.

"If you want me to warm up to you, wouldn't you think a name would be appropriate?" I asked, causing him to close the small gap I had made between us.

All I could do was hold my clothing from falling apart while he grabbed my hand and pulled me towards him.

"I forget. Apologies. My name is Alijah." He smiled, kissing my forehead while I tried to pull away.

Being kissed by another man anywhere, even if it was not reality, made me feel disgusted. His touch alone made me get goosebumps, unlike the real Fenris. But if I wanted information, angering him would not be the best way.

Even though he seemed to enjoy my rejection. Almost like a weird fetish he had. One that was to my advantage. However, it was unsettling to see Fenris and feeling this way towards him.

"Can you stop looking like him? It makes me uneasy." I mumbled, feeling as I had said.

Even if he looked like the man I had been admiring all these years. His touch... was completely different. Almost felt like he was staining Fenris's image, and it upset me.

"I can shift into anything you would like while we are in here. Just tell me what will please you. I will change to it." Alijah whispered, grabbing me by my hips.

I tried to dodge his unwanted affection.

"I rather see your real self," I mumbled, a bit jittery from his touch.

If I could see who he really was. Maybe then I could know how to stop him. I did not even know how it would be possible at this point, though. I had so many questions, but his over-touchiness made me wary. Yet I had to worry about too many things.

"Very well." Alijah complied, letting me go while a red light consumed him, much like the blurry form he had used before to transfer himself in here.

Wherever this was. When it died down, much to my surprise, he did not look like the monster I pictured him to be. What was revealed instead was a Lycan just like Fenris. However, his hair was pitch black and his eyes radiated crimson red, unlike the amber color Lycans always had. His ears were there, though, and so was his fluffy tail.

A pure wolf... His fur surely was soft... like Fenris.

"Hey... if you touch me like that. I will attack you," Alijah warned me, feeling flustered.

I unconsciously had grabbed his tail with one hand while I held my dress together with the other. His cheeks were bright pink, much like mine.

"Sorry..." I uttered out, releasing his tail.

Before taking a few steps back. In response, he turned to me and pinned me against the floor. His speed was just like a Lycan or a vampire.

"Never apologize for touching me," Alijah whispered as he licked my neck, causing me to gasp.

It was not what I expected at all. Nor what I wanted. My body was exposed to him, and I could do nothing to defend myself against him.

"Do not." I trembled, fearing what he was about to do.

"This is what I meant by attacking you. I would never hurt you otherwise, beloved." Alijah purred into my ear, pulling slightly away from me.

I could barely sit up when he grabbed me by my chin and forced me to meet my eyes with his. I had not noticed before, but he was probably one of the most beautiful Lycans I had ever seen. Probably rivaled Fenris.

It just made me angry. Why... Why was he interested in me? I was just a damned girl. He could have any woman he pleased to be his beloved. Why me?

"Alijah... Why me?" I tried to keep myself calm, however, my body betrayed me.

Noticing my quivers, Alijah pulled me onto him while he sat down. He straddled me while he held me close to his chest.

"Ah... hearing you say my name... Makes me happier than you ever could imagine." He chuckled, holding me tenderly.

Even though I wanted to get away from him. His strength was overwhelming. All I could do was give up while he enjoyed himself. Instead of getting away, I grabbed onto his tail to cover my battered body from his eyes.

It was better than having his eyes on me all the time.

"I want you because you are my..." Alijah bit his lip before letting go of something that pained him.

"You were the love that was denied to me long ago." He finally answered, leaving me more confused than clarified.

"What do you mean?" I questioned, bewildered by it all, while successfully covering myself with his tail.

His demeanor seemed to change while my cover wrapped around me. It was almost defensive too.

"I do not know if I should tell you this, my love. I would hate for you to get hurt." He whispered into my ear.

I tried to stay strong.

"I will not understand if you do not tell me," I mumbled, grabbing onto his fur vest.

I tried to put some space between us, to no avail.

"Fine... I will tell you. Maybe it will change the way you are looking at me." Alijah finally gave in, catching my attention once again.

"Maybe..." I tried to coax him into telling me more.

He let go of my head, allowing me to glance at him. His expression seemed one of sadness. It was almost painful to look at him. However, all I had to do was harden my heart. I had to see him as a threat to the one I loved.

That could never change. His words could not sway my heart.

"Very well... You and I were destined long ago before you were taken from me forcefully." He started.

All it did was confuse me even more. Destined? When? I did not remember this man, nor did I care to.

"I do not know what you are talking about," I said, glancing away from him.

My action caused him to sigh.

"And you will not, sadly those memories are long lost, but I... will make new ones with you. When we create this world anew." Alijah smiled, grabbing my chin once again so I would look at him.

It took everything in me for me not to look at him with scorn. After all, he was the one who killed Fenris in my dreams. No matter what Alijah said, he was the man who threatened to kill Fenris. If I kept repeating that in my head. Maybe then his words would not sway me.

"Create?" I echoed Alijah's words, puzzled by what he meant by them.

To create a world with him. He could not possibly mean... No... Shivers went down my spine while Alijah lovingly caressed my cheek.

"Yes, create. You see, the world is unsavable. It must be reset that much I learned when you were taken from me." Alijah informed with a sad expression on his face once again.

Almost as if he had remembered a sad memory because of what he had said. He sounded just like Stella all those years ago. Reset the world...

"You make it sound like you are talking about a past life," I whispered, triggering him slowly to nod in response.

"I am. You are my beloved's soul, reborn anew. It is infuriating how you always must play the martyr though. Always the only one to suffer, but do not worry. I will change that this time." Alijah declared.

I failed to keep up with what he said. It was almost like a madman ranting about impossible things. Yet I was an impossible factor that should have never happened. An anomaly in this world.

"I do not know any of this," I said coldly.

He shrugged in response. My words did not surprise him.

"You probably will not believe me, but in your first life. You were born a moon elf. A healer who worked for others. When I first met you, I had gone as an ambassador of the Lycans to the moon elves, back when there was war brewing. They chose me to be the advocate because I was born under a red moon. I was supposed to bring prosperity for the Lycans." Alijah paused for e moment before shaking his head.

"Even though I was the 'chosen one', blessed by the moon, I felt nothing more than a piece of furniture that was going to be placed. It dictated my whole life. The entire thing rather annoyed me." The wolf echoed some of Fenris's feelings.

Alijah grabbed my cheek in his hand while I reached for it. Did he just say he was born during the red moon? Impossible Fenris... was the first. Wasn't he?

"However, that trip changed my life. At first, I thought it would be just another boring task given to me by the Lycan elders. But then I met you and it was love at first sight. Well, for me at least." He smiled before chuckling and caressing my cheek tenderly once again.

Even his tail wagged slightly, making it quite hard to cover my body with it. The monster that had killed the one I loved in my dream seemed nothing more than a child while he spoke with me. It was hard to see him as a beast when he spoke to me like this, too.

"You could not stand me at first. Hah... You were the first woman to reject me. That was when I knew I had to have you. You treated me like a normal person, with no royalty or special treatment. Hah... You even threw me down a flight of stairs when I tried to kiss you for the first time." Alijah laughed tenderly, remembering comforting memories.

It made it clear why he enjoyed the rejection I lashed out at him. He had fond memories tied to them. Even so... This...

"After many trials and errors. I eventually won your heart. When you finally let me in, oh... I cannot count the times I made love to you. I loved you with my whole being. I was happy, but I was also a fool. My love was dangerous to you and I did not know it." He scoffed at himself, unpleased at how things turned out in the past.

To my surprise, he seemed angry with himself more than anything else.

"Why?" I mumbled, wanting to know more about his life.

Even though it might have all been lies. The way he spoke... It seemed like it was too real.

"The Lycans saw my attraction to you as a threat. You see, wolves and elves cannot breed. No matter how many times I made love to you, no fruit would come out of it. Of course, I did not care. All I wanted was the little piece of life that brought me joy. Something my heart picked instead of being forced upon me." Alijah paused again as he recollected his thoughts.

It was almost disheartening to see him like that.

"But again, I was young and dumb. I did not realize that my love would be the end of you. I had defied orders and even ran away from all my duties. I had hidden you from it, but..." He trailed off, glancing off to the side while he held me closer.

"I thought I was invincible since it was what I was told since I was born. I never thought that they would go after you. You see... the day that filled my heart with hate, I left you... for maybe an hour. I had gone to catch us a meal while you tended to the child who had fallen off a cliff." Alijah recounted.

I listened to him carefully. Even though it felt surreal, it radiated with me. His story and sadness. I could relate. The pain... The hurt... I knew it all too well.

"When I came back to our home the first thing, I smelled was blood. I thought maybe the kid had hurt himself more or something else. Never actually thought something had happened to you. But... the moment I walked into the clinic. I saw you on the floor in a pool of your own blood." Alijah paused again, grimacing at the thought in his head.

"Your abdomen had sliced open. They had left you alone to bleed out on the floor to show me what happened when I defied orders. You were helpless against them. Even now... when I think about it. All I feel is rage." He growled, angered by the memory he retold.

I found it rather ironic...

"Why did that happen, weren't you in the land of elves?" I asked.

My words caused him to bite his lip. His hand trailed down one scar on my back. Even though I wanted to run away from him, I tried to stay strong. He was sharing, and that was something I wanted to keep coming.

"Your own people betrayed you. It is kind of ironic seeing how your body is now." Alijah seemed almost to read my mind.

It was what I had suspected. He soon continued, though.

"You are always the sacrifice. I am sorry I was not there for you this time, either. I am still trapped in this timeless prison, but soon... I will hold you once again. Keep you safe and this time I will not fail." He assured me.

His words, though, brought me little comfort. I understood what he was saying, but I could not relate in that way. The woman he spoke about was a stranger to me.

"What was her name?" I asked to identify the unknown person with a name.

"Her name? Lilith... It was Lilith. The same as you are named now. It is actually an elven name... made popular by the witch who tried to destroy the world. Or so they tell me." Alijah answered, much to my surprise.

Another Lilith... Why... How... Nothing made sense.

"Oh... How do you know about the other human, Lilith?" I tried to understand how he could know about a witch from his prison.

"My followers told me much about your era's history." He answered vaguely again.

I would get nothing else about that from him.

"How many times have I been reborn?" I asked.

He seemed confused by my question.

"Only once. I felt you come into this world, even from this prison. My heart stopped; it gave me a reason to live again." Alijah replied, caressing my back before pulling me closer to his chest.

His tail was the only thing that separated me from him.

"Your essence differs from my... Well, not that it matters." He breathed slightly.

"And why did they trap you in this prison?" I questioned to find out more about what was going on.

"Ah... Back then, I was just a kid when you died. Maybe I was twenty? Back then moon had not blessed me with the full power yet. No... that happened years later. Does not matter. To answer your question, something happened when I finally got the power." Alijah answered, shrugging.

He would continue soon after.

"You see, my heart was full of hate and still is. It warped the power of the moon and made me what I am today." He informed leaving me feeling somewhat saddened by the whole thing.

If he had never lost the one he loved. Maybe he would have lived a happier life.

"A monster..." I mumbled.

He nodded to confirm my assessment of him. My bitter words did not seem to hurt him as he smirked because of it.

"Yes... We both are one now. Vessel of the soul cairn." Alijah pointed out once again.

I still seemed to not grasp what he meant by that.

"You keep calling what I have in me that. What is it?" I pressed onward.

This was a question he would gladly answer.

"That is something you will have to figure out, my love. Even I do not fully understand it. Back in my time, it was more known than it is in your present time though." Alijah shrugged.

His words did not seem to be deceptive. Though they left me back in square one. Even so, he did not seem to lie about him, not knowing what the thing he called soul cairn was. In fact, it seemed like he was not lying at all at any moment he spoke to me.

He just either answered vaguely or did not at all. It was rather confusing, though. Why he was being truthful? Why did he not lie to me? Trying to shake away personal feelings, I continued my query.

"You said... red moon warp you?" I asked to understand everything better.

I really needed more. Especially if it came to the blood moon's power. Fenris would soon be in its light.

"I warped it." Alijah corrected blatantly before continuing.

"The moon responded to my hateful heart and gifted me with the power I needed for my revenge. It made me more powerful than you could even imagine. My beloved, with you by my side I will eliminate all that caused our first love to die." He seemed to go back to his murderous intentions.

His face expressed pure satisfaction at the moment that thought left his lips. For a moment I had forgotten he wanted everything dead.

"Those people died long ago." I tried to convince him otherwise.

He seemed like a reasonable man who had feelings before they trampled them. Maybe... I could use his memory of that woman to my advantage.

"Yet their cruelty still exists. Just look at what they have done to you. All the races are just barely holding themselves together. This peace is a lie." Alijah refuted.

I stood my ground against him.

"This peace has lasted for many years! Ever since Lilith opened the gate, the races gathered together and signed for it!" I assured.

Though all it did was trigger him to shrug in response. He seemed unconvinced by my words.

"Since Lilith? Hah... They never told me it had been six thousand years since they banished me into this prison from where you are at. Interesting..." Alijah mumbled a bit before getting back to what he was going to say.

"How long have they been at peace? A thousand? Maybe less right? Do not kid yourself, love. This world is begging for war at any moment. Just look at your coven. They intend to start a revolution." He finally slipped.

I caught onto something that seemed out of place. He had mentioned he had followers and knew about the revolution. Were his followers the witches that tried to destroy Silverant? Impossible...

Why would a witch help a Lycan that was the exact thing as the one they wanted to prevent? No... that made little sense. He had to have been referring to my memories, but I had to know.

"How do you know about the revolution they are trying to make?" I pressed him for him to smirk, knowing what I was after.

He was not stupid, even though he came from a different time. Everything he had let go of had a purpose.

"Ah... I heard it from a little birdy." Alijah answered, not wanting to let me know how he knew about them.

I had to shift gears again.

"There are good people in this world." I tried to convince him again.

He seemed to not want to answer my question. His reaction though was enough... but I did not want him to know what I suspected.

"That wolf? Or the she-wolf? Do you not know that they would all betray you when it is convenient for them? Do not kid yourself, love. Do you know how we were found?" Alijah countered with his own question.

I seemed to be surprised by it. I had no way to answer him since I never lived it myself.

"Because the elves betrayed her, too?" I answered.

I was trying to see if Alijah would let me in further. He sighed in response to my bleak reply.

"Yes, that... happened, but that was when the Lycans found out about our location. It was not the only thing that led to your death. I had written to a friend, I once thought closer than a brother. I told him to visit us and attend our wedding. He was silver blood Lycan, much like your Fenris, and he was the one who sold me out to my people." He answered, feeling bitter.

"Through him, they found out about you. Just another reason to eliminate his bloodline, as thanks once I am out of here." Alijah threatened once again to end everything I cared for.

Not just Fenris, but Ben, who had helped me through so much. And it would not end with their deaths... No, from the way Alijah spoke, everyone else would go, too.

"They are not guilty!" I tried to defend only for Alijah to argue otherwise.

"Love... everyone is guilty of something. You know that." He pointed out.

I could not deny him that fact. It was true, but even then I was guilty and so was he. We both had ended lives, too. Lovers, mothers, fathers, and children.

"I..." I tried to fight him on it but could not.

He was not wrong. Everyone was guilty of something, but they did not deserve death. But... before I could say anything in return, my body radiated little orbs of light. It turned transparent, too.

"Ah... Seems that our time is over." Alijah whispered, saddened by the turn of events.

He wanted more time, but it seemed it would not happen.

"Wait, I..."

I did not want to go yet either. I wanted to know more, but instead of letting me speak. Alijah pulled me into an unsuspected kiss. One that shocked me to my core. Separating from me only for a moment, Alijah smiled ever so gently.

"I will... make sure you learn to love me again," Alijah promised, kissing me again.

My body disappeared from his embrace soon after. Freedom...