Wolves of War

The Pergola

I wanted to squint my eyes in confusion but was unable to do that small task. This woman is not my mother, my mother is fair skinned and has hair as black as night with lavender eyes. This woman is brown-skinned with silver hair and eyes of green with gold sparks.

“You are not dead, if that is what you are wondering”. The woman said

“You will be if you continue using your powers this recklessly.”

Taking a harder look at the woman next to me, I began to see the resemblance. We both share the same colored skin, the same hair, the same eyes.

I always found it odd that I did not look like my siblings. Everyone, including my older brother, took after our mother. I was the only one born to resemble our father.

Has this been my destiny all along?

Oh, I can wiggle my eyebrows now.

“Words like destiny and fate are truly a funny set of words” the woman said as a light chuckle fell from her lips.

Oh my neck! I can feel my neck! Feelings in my lips are returning as well.

“Wha…at is th..is p…pl..ace?” I asked, forcing my lips and tongue to speak the words.

“It means that no matter what we decide our fate… destiny has already been predetermined for us by powers even more powerful than the gods of this earth.”

That is a scary thought. What power is more powerful than the gods? The only thing that comes to mind is Kaos. Kaos is the reason behind all the energies that will be and that will ever exist. Kaos is the beginning and the end. But… it never crossed my mind that Kaos has a mind of its own. Because it is energy itself, Kaos has to be neutral. Or does it choose to be neutral?

I continued to look up at the woman. My spine tingles as the feeling slowly returns to it. She is wearing a loose-fitting lace sleeping gown. Her hair is down and flows around her waist. Her eyes looked very tired and around the edges I could see the darkness of her ether still lingering there.

She helped me up into a sitting position and dusted the stray grass from my back.

“Kaos has chosen to be neutral and therefore has no influence on the choices of gods and lesser men. So the idea of destiny and fate truly does not exist. We are the masters of our own lives. We decide what comes next. Isn’t it funny that a being like Kaos allows us access to unlimited energy unregulated.”

“Maybe we wouldn’t have all these problems if it were more regulated” I muttered. I’d still be home with my family. Or would I?

“It’s best not to dwell on it. Kaos has its own reasons for doing what it does.” The woman said, poking my cheek.

“Who are you?” I asked her.

The woman nodded her head and in one smooth motion helped me to my feet. I am still a bit unsteady and had to lean on Lumina for support. She waited patiently for me to find my balance before pulling me behind her.

“There is someone else I would like you to meet”. She said the excitement in her voice could be heard for miles around.

We exited the meadow and stepped onto what looked like a pergola. Another women sat in the center staring off into the fields.

I looked at the woman next to me confused. I was going to ask a question but thought better of it. Since opening my eyes in this place, none of the questions I have asked have been answered.

“My name is Terra Noor, the youngest daughter of King Serberus and Queen Lumina. You can call me aunty. Your Earth was named after me.” The woman who first greeted me finally introduced herself.

Earth was named after her?

Terra smiled warmly “I lead the witches and humans to the new world, the world where you were raised. I held open and defended the portal while everyone passed.”

“How did you…”

“Die?” Terra chuckled “A follower of the fire deity struck my heart. But in the end, I held the portal open, allowing all the people of Celestia to enter the new world.”

The woman who sat at the center of the pergola spoke next.

“My name is Talia Noor. The oldest daughter of King Serberus Noor and Queen Lumina Noor. Your father Soren, and grandsires Jedax, Koa, Terris, and Neo are also descendants of my line.”

I met grandpa Jedax once in my life. I was very young and hadn’t noticed he had disappeared until I heard my brother mention it to my mother one day.

“You are the first witch to be born to my line, so your father named you after me,” Talia senior said.

My dad did like to tell me I am named for greatness.

“Our spirits are free thanks to you”. Talia Senior hugged me.

“What do you mean?” I asked curiously.

“Rahjah killed us using his followers, then trapped our spirits within himself, using our power as his own.” Terra explained.

I nodded my head in understanding “Where am I?"

“Your Dreamscape”

I turned at the sound of a delicate voice. A woman dressed all in white smiled warmly at me. Her hair a dirty grey color and her eyes black like coal. Black veins grew from the edge of her eyes, disappearing behind her ears and under her hair line. Her dark skin should be the color of rich ebony but is pale in comparison. Her nails were sharpened at the tip and her fingers looked like they were dipped in black ink.

“Lumina?”

Lumina nodded.

“You’ve spent too much energy and now you sleep so your body can recover.”

Sounds about right, I thought.

Lumina approached me and gently touched my chest. Nestled snuggly between my breasts is a seal in the image of a shinning sun.

My spirit is corrupted. Because of this, I cannot return to the garden of the gods. You, Talia, are my heir and with this seal I give you what remains of my light and all of my power and knowledge.

“What about you?” I asked, concerned.

“I will sleep dormant within you,” Lumina answered.

“I don’t really like the idea of an ether sleeping inside me,” I said.

Lumina chuckles “If I am left to roam the earth, it would be a matter of time before the darkness reclaims me. When that happens, Serberus too will be corrupted again. You may not win against me a second time.”

I looked up at the goddess. “There has to be someone else. I may not stay in this world. If I leave this world, your power you will leave with me”

“You are my heir. The decision to stay in the old world or return to the new world is yours alone to make.” She said.

Lumina pats my cheek with affection “This seal will also help you control your gifts. As a demigod, you will find that control of yourself is a hard fought battle.” Lumina skirted the question.

“A demigod? I’m not…” I began, shaking my head.

“All descendants of Nyx are demigods. Most houses in this world were created because a god laid with a human and produced offspring that's neither immortal or human.”