Moon Daemon

Chapter Thirteen - Kingdom Come

I wake up and notice that there is still sunlight radiating from the outside, just barely visible through the darkened curtains. I look over at Marrok, thinking about what Raziel said to me about him sleeping all day with me and not tending to the pack. He was right; I couldn't spend my life hiding in the darkness, I have to figure out how I can protect myself during the day as well.

I watch as Marrok takes a deep breath, his eyebrows furrow slightly together, and he shifts his weight and begins to turn his head away from me in his sleep.

That's when I see it.

The mark that I put on him hours ago has changed from the small circular scar on the back of his neck. It's thicker now, fuller; and it looks like its expanding.

"Curious," I whisper, reaching out my hand to lightly run my finger over it. As soon as my fingertip grazes the skin on his neck, my world goes white.

I open my eyes and am standing in what looks like a forrest one would see in a fantasy movie. The trees are swaying slightly in the breeze, but the colors are all wrong. Instead of green leaves, they're a shade of blue I am unfamiliar with, mixed with orange. I look around and see Marrok standing there looking around in awe as well.

"Is this a dream?" he asks, his voice familiar but echoing like we were standing in a chamber.

"I don't think so," I say, walking towards him.

"Where are we?" he asks, just before I get the chance to.

"You're in my Kingdom," we hear, turning us both around to watch as Hekate approaches us.

"Hekate," Marrok gasps.

"How did we get here?" I ask her.

"I summoned you," she explains. "You have initiated the prophecy the moment you two marked each other."

"Prophecy?" Marrok questions.

"It has been written in the stars from the moment Esmeray was born," Hekate says. "That you two were destined to come together to save the world."

"Save the world?" I ask this time.

"It's referred to as the Dissension," she says. "The conflict of opinions between supernatural well-being. Some of the Goddesses have been disputing the fate of the living. Should they all be Human and human alone? Or should they all be supernatural? Either question is a direct line of defense against what happened with Vilark, and how to prevent something like that from ever happening again."

"How-" I start to ask. "How would the g******e of species benefit the world at all?"

"My point exactly," she nods. "One without the other would cause chaos and destruction of everything we've built to this point. Without humans, the next fight would be which of the supernaturals are superior to the rest, creating friction between species. Without supernatural, the world would crumble in the hands of human race, destroying it just the same."

"So why would that even be a discussion?" Marrok asks.

"I cannot convince the others," Hekate sighs. "There is something you both should know."

I look over at Marrok and raise my eyebrows.

"You both know the impression that Vilark has made," she says, gently. "It has affected life as we know it, and will continue to do so; and unfortunately, the rumors of Vilark's demise are false."

"False?" I gasp. "He's alive?"

She nods, grimly. "He does live, however, his defeat took such a toll on his body, he is in hiding, awaiting his resurrection."

"How long will that take?" I ask.

She looks at me, sadly. "It won't be long now," she explains. "Your marking has started the ressurection process."

"How?" I ask, shaking.

"There is more to you then meets the eye, Esmeray," she says. "Your past is key to the success of the future."

"Then tell me about my past!" I snap.

"I cannot," she says. "That is why I sent Raziel, to help you."

"He can only show me what I remember," I growl. "I don't remember much!"

"You've hidden it, deep inside your subconscious," she says. "Your mind is trying to protect you, by blocking out the trauma you've endured."

"What trauma?!" I basically scream.

"It will become clear," she says. "You will have to work hard to ensure it."

"This is bullshit," I spit, watching Marroks shocked expression as I lash out at the Moon Goddess. "You come to me as a child, telling me to hide myself, leaving me to fend for myself in a world that has never been more dangerous. Why didn't you just bring me here?"

"Here?" she asks, looking around. "And what would you have liked me to do with you here?"

"Protect me!"

"Shelter you," she replies, narrowing her eyes at me. "Keep you locked away in a Kingdom where you never have to protect yourself, never have to learn about yourself, never learn how to defend yourself or use your powers."

I stand there, narrowed eyes, staring into hers.

"Never meet your fated Mate," she says, looking at Marrok. "If I kept you here, I would be doing you more of a disservice. The Dissension is going to happen, regardless. Would you prefer you make it to this point and not even know the basics of your existence?"

No.

"You could have trained me," I whisper.

"I could train you to manipulate elements, but I could never train you how to defend yourself and others, not without having actual danger for you to fight against," she explains. "You are the key to success in the upcoming war."

"Then tell me how to win," I say. "For once, just tell me something without any riddles. Tell me how to defeat him."

"I can't," she says, and I sigh. "I can't because your destiny and the fate of the world are not set in stone."

"So, she can lose?" Marrok whispers. "There's a chance that Esmeray will not succeed?"

"Yes," Hekate nods. "And I cannot tell you how you can win because I have not seen it."

"Then how do you know its possible?" I ask.

"Because," she smiles. "Your fate began the moment I blessed you. There was a cataclysmic shift in the world the day I decided to bless you as a Moon Daemon."

"Why me?" I whisper.

Hekate shrugs, smiling. "Seems like a good place to start, yes?"

"You're not going to help me at all, are you?" I ask, my spirits breaking.

"I can tell you two things," she says. "One: you are on the right path, accepting your mate and marking each other is one of the paths that lead to a successful outcome."

"I thought you said you didn't see it?" I ask.

"I haven't seen the vision of the world after," she explains. "Doesn't mean I haven't seen glimpses of paths that lead you on the right direction."

"What's number two?" Marrok asks.

"You cannot, in any way, do this alone," she whispers.

"Obviously," I snark, pointing at Marrok.

"In any way," she emphasizes.

I c**k an eyebrow, quizzically.

"That's all I can tell you, for now," she tells us. "Be safe, be smart, and keep working on discovering your past. Your past is key to your future."

"Wait," I say, watching as the world around us starts to glow brighter. "How am I supposed to defeat someone if I am a shadow daemon? I'm so limited."

"You will find that answer with Raziel," she smiles. "Sun daemons and moon daemons are much more alike than you might think."

With that, our world goes white, and I find myself back in Marroks room, standing in the darkness with him next to me.

"That was new," he mumbles. "I've never met Hekate before."

"She does this every time," I growl. "Every time I talk to her, I leave the conversation more confused than I was before it. What deos she expect me to do?"

I walk over to the fireplace, throwing myself in the chair and staring into the emptiness of it. Marrok walks over, throwing some wood inside of it before striking a match and tossing that in as well, the fireplace coming to life.

"I'm so confused," I say, bringing my legs up and burying my dead in between them.

I hear a gasp, and I look up at Marrok who's staring at me with wide eyes.

"What?" I ask, watching as he walks to the door and throws on the light, blinding me momentarily. He rushes back to me and pushes my head to the side, examining my neck.

"What?" I ask again, growing uneasy.

"I've never seen anything like it," he whispers, running his finger over where he marked me earlier, and trailing down my spine.

"Goddess," I snap, standing from him and walking over to the mirror. I turn my head slightly and see it; his mark has expanded, leaving a trail down the back of my neck. I pull my shirt down over my shoulder and try to see where it ends, but it continues.

"Here," he says, handing me his phone that has the camera pulled up and facing me. I turn my back to the mirror and look into the phone, seeing the massive marking under my pulled up hair.

I hand the phone back to him, and lift my shirt, pulling it over my head and dropping it to the floor. I grab the phone back, just as I hear Marroks gasp, and look into the camera revealing my entire back, now engrossed in dark markings that resemble the phases of the moon, extending and connected by darkness.

"How?" I ask.

"I don't know," Marrok says. "Marks don't normally look like this."

"It looks like a tattoo," I whisper.

"No," Marrok traces his fingers over it. "It looks like a map."