Fated Opposites

CHAPTER 3: THE ALLY

Bella woke up refreshed, the morning sun casting a soft glow through the window. She glanced over the couch where Jayden had slept during the night, but he wasn't there. Frowning, she looked out the window, scanning the surroundings as villagers walked by, but there was no sign of him.

Just as she was about to leave through the door, it swung open, and there he was, holding a tray in his hands.

“Going somewhere?” Jayden asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No…” Bella replied quickly, feeling a little flustered.

“Here. I got you breakfast”, he said, setting the tray down on a table in front of her.

“We leave in the next hour.”

“Where are we going?” she asked as she ate. Relishing the taste of the pancake.

“We're going to meet up with an ally of mine in Mistletoe. I'm sure he knows more of our powers than the both of us combined”.

“Okay then” she replied as she ate quietly.

“I'll go look for a map. Make sure you're ready”.

“Yes, yes I heard you she muttered as he left the room.

After getting ready and thanking the receptionist for the cottage hospitality. Jayden told her they had to reach the outskirts before heading into the thick woods to get to Mistletoe. As they rode a horse to the edge of the village Bella couldn't help but love the scenery.

“This is so peaceful, soft, warm touch of the sun and beautiful flowers. What more could one ask for. If only I didn't have this cursed mark and strangers after her?”. She thought.

As they reached the outside, Jayden tied the horse to a pole, scanning the surroundings as he figured sooner or later, someone would come to get the horse.

“Let's go,” he said, signaling Bella to come with him.

Jayden went into the forest after making sure no one would see him. “Close your eyes,” he told her.

“What? Why?” she asked, puzzled.

“Just do it” Jayden ordered, not wanting to argue as he removed his shirt.

Reluctantly Bella covered her eyes with her hands, but she was curious. She peeked through her fingers just as she heard the unsettling sounds of bones shifting and snapping. Jayden's body began to change – his muscle expanded, fur sprouted along his arms then over all his body, and his glowed dark golden, his claws longer, and his fangs grew larger.

Terrified, Bella held her breath as Jayden came closer, growling softly. He raised his hand, and Bella flinched, closing her eyes. But instead of harm, he lifted her onto his back. “Hold on tight”, he growled.

Bella clung onto Jayden as he sprinted through the forest with an inhuman speed. What was supposed to be a day's journey took only an hour. Jayden reached the edge of the forest as he gently dropped Bella and changed back to a human this time without Bella looking.

“I don't think I'll ever get used to that,” Bella murmured as she fixed her hair, which was scattered by the wind. “And how'd my hair turn to this, not complaining though”. She said as she stroked her hair.

“Let's go”, Jayden said, brushing off her comment.

As they walked through the small city of Mistletoe, they arrived at a cozy coffee shop. The owner, a middle-aged man with a gray beard, looked up from the counter with a wide smile.

“My boy!” the man exclaimed, rushing over and pulling him into a hug. “It's been too long”.

“Yeah, it's been a long time,” Jayden replied with a smile. Where is he?” He asked.

The shopkeeper pointed to a door at the back. “In the storage room”.

Jayden motioned Bella to follow him. She waved awkwardly at the shopkeeper before following Jayden into the backroom. Inside, Jayden bent one knee down as he pulled open a latch, revealing a set of stairs.

They descended into the room, which appeared to look like a mix of a library and a bedroom. Bella's eyes widened in amazement as she wandered deeper into the room, staring at the rows of books stacked on shelves. She picked one up, scanning through its old pages. Suddenly she felt a breath on her shoulder.

Surprised, Bella turned around and saw a huge figure lurking in the shadows, its green eyes glowing in the dark. She screamed and sprinted back to Jayden, grabbing onto him.

“There's something in here!” she gasped, breathing heavily.

Jayden smirked. “Still the same as always, huh”

The figure stepped into the light, revealing a man at least seven feet tall, his muscular frame intimidating. His green eyes glittered with amusement.

“Sorry to scare you, miss,” the huge figure said with a grin. “I'm Henry”. He said, offering his hand for a handshake.

Bella shook his hand in disbelief as she had never met anyone that huge and intimidating except Jayden, but this guy is bigger, she thought.

“Bella,” she replied. “At least someone here knows how to make an introduction”, she muttered, glaring at Jayden, who only smirked.

“The name is Jayden,” he said. “You happy now?” Jayden asked sarcastically.

“Too late for that”, Bella replied coldly.

Henry chuckled. “I like her. She's not afraid of confrontation – reminds me of someone”. He said looking at Jayden.

Jayden shook his head, thinking this dynamic was going to be a headache for him. “Yeah, good for you, a pain for me”, he thought to himself.

Jayden's gaze softened as he turned to Henry. “You were right,” he admitted, his voice barely a whisper.

Henry raised an eyebrow. “About what?”

Jayden hesitated, his mind racing. “About the other half.”

Henry chuckled. “Took you long enough.”

“I'm serious,” Jayden insisted. “She's the other half.”

Henry's expression grew more serious. He nodded slowly, his gaze shifting to Bella, who was still engrossed with the books in the library.

“You're joking,” Henry said, his voice filled with disbelief.

Jayden shook his head. “I'm not. She's the one.”

“Oi,” he shouted at Bella. “Show him the mark”.

Bella looked up, startled by the sudden shout. “Ohh, okay,” she said as she reluctantly pulled down the neckline of her shirt, revealing the black mark on her chest.

Henry's eyes widened in amazement. “Wow,” he breathed. He sat down, his gaze fixed on the mark. “ I have so many questions.”

Bella nodded as she sat down and stopped pulling her shirt. “Me too. Do you know how I got this? I've had it since I was born.”

Henry smiled sadly. “Same with this knucklehead here.” He gestured towards Jayden. “After they captured him, I started looking into more about his power and mark. At first, I thought the higher-ups wanted to lock you up because your power was uncontrollable.”

Henry paused, scrambling through the scroll. “But what I found proved me wrong. Your powers are ancient, dating back to a millennium. And get this, there were vestiges around that era, but more about them weren't revealed”.

“So someone else had this power before us?” Bella asked puzzled

“Yeah, but that's not what I'm confused about”. Henry replied worriedly.

“The book mentioned something about the sun and moon coming together to keep the world in balance,” Henry said.

“That's when I thought if Jayden was the sun, then there must be a moon, and I'm sure that's what the higher-ups thought too”. He continued.

“So that's why those bastards kept me in that hell for years?”. Jayden questioned.

“No, not precisely,” Henry interrupted. “The book mentions putting the world in balance, and I'm not sure you can call the elders world-saving heroes.”

“Now that you mention it, they were trying hard to find the moon vestige,” Jayden said inquisitively.

“They needed the both of you for something and I don't think it's something that'll be of help to anyone but them,” Henry stated.

“But why couldn't they get hold of me?” Bella asked

“Simple, coz unlike Jayden you're different,” Henry answered

“I don't think that's the reason why” Jayden interrupted.”

“You figured something out,” Henry questioned.

“Yeah, she's different, but it's because they couldn't locate her, and her powers were probably dormant. I'm guessing your hair wasn't like that before?” Jayden asked.

“Yeah, my hair wasn't always like this,” Bella replied.

“So why do you think they couldn't find her all this while”. Henry asked

“She was probably hidden, and I'm talking from experience, I don't think she's had any strong emotions to trigger it”. Jayden paused, staring at Bella.

“When did you find out your hair had changed,” Jayden asked.

“Yesterday when you took me from the woods”. Bella replied.

“Resonance,” Henry replied, his eyes widened looking at Jayden.

“You mean….” Bella added.

“Yeah, you were the reason I escaped,” Jayden replied, astonished.

“But I didn't do anything” Bella added

“No, you must have, just that you probably didn't notice,” Henry said.

“Do you remember anything before you passed out?” Jayden asked.

“No, it was hard to breathe and it felt like electricity coursing through me then I passed out.” Bella replied.

Jayden folded his arms. “So, what do we do now? She can't use her powers.

“I think I can help with that,” Henry said, pulling out a scroll. I found a scroll that might help you understand your powers even if it's a little, but".He paused.

“But,” Bella asked, urging him to continue.

“Bali”. Henry replied.

Clenching his fist. "What're you still doing with that traitor". Jayden roared.