For the Hate of God

Nethanaiah of Charterwallis

Aralyn’s POV

“I am Nethanaiah of Charterwallis, one of the elder mages of the land of faes. I mean no harm, especially not to the daughter of Malleteagan and Larissa,” she said, watching me with bright citrine eyes. Her eyes sparkled like the eyes of an owl in this gloomy night. Platinum blonde hair falling on her shoulders carelessly made her look angelic.

“How do you know who I am? Where am I?”

“I can smell your father's magic blood running through your veins,” she said, and I cringed.

“I can also smell your Lycan, powerful, primaeval and of the royal bloodline, sitting in the pits of your mind waiting to awake for the first time. She will be awakened tonight. So, to answer your question, it is not hard to put two and two together, Aralyn, especially when you are an ancient, almost primordial mage like I am. In these many centuries that passed by, I have seen it all. There are not many stones that I have left unturned and not many things that I haven’t seen. There are no many things that can surprise me, too.”

“I can feel your magic, little Lycan, which originates from the two most powerful royal lineages of witches. I can sense Noosha’s and Arcanus's blood as well as the blood of Selene and Endymion in you, too. I don’t know if you are aware of this, Aralyn. You are a powerful hybrid of diverse deities. This can be a curse or blessing, depending on how you use your magic. You can be a cure or a weapon, depending on the choices you make in your future. I can feel your Lycan as well. She is very impatient to meet you. Who portaled you here, Aralyn?” she asked me at the end.

“Uhm, I am not sure. I was trying to escape the torture in Wengartria, and some kind of semi-psycho voice in my head coached me to focus and think of a place that feels like a secure base and voila…somehow, I ended up here spilling my soul to you. And of all the places, I ended up in the land ruled by my father. I still don’t get it. How can this be the safest place? Since you know who I am, you probably know about my history and the one that I have with my father. You also probably know that my father wants me dead.

That is why I am puzzled. How come I have ended up here? This is the last place that I would think of as a safe place. Not to mention that I have never been here. So, how come I ended up here is hard to understand. Anyway, when I saw the portal opening, I jumped in, thinking it couldn’t be worse than Wengarthria.” I answered honestly.

She looked at me with eyes wide open as if I had grown three heads and gasped as I spoke. “Astonishing!!!”-she then exclaimed.

She touched my cheek gently, and I twitched involuntarily. She lifted my chin and met my gaze: “You amazing little urchin, are you even aware what you did?” she asked me with awe written all over her face. Well, I wasn’t completely honest. Mom did show me a trick or two before her untimely death. But I was very much a rookie, as we obviously didn’t have time to practice things, you know, hiding from the multitude of people who were trying to kill us and stuff.

She continued, still appearing a little bewildered:

“Yes, you are a mage with ancient blood of elders and deities, but you have no formal training in magic. You managed to portal yourself into another realm, driven solely by a fight or flight response, as I understand. To say that this is admiring is an understatement.” She said.

“Had this happened to you ever before?” she asked.

I hesitantly recalled, unsure if I should share this with her: “Well, I think this also happened on the day I escaped Malleteagan, my biological father, that is. He…” tears welled in my eyes, and I hesitated to continue “…killed my mother in front of me on that day…I was running away from him in the forest of Amaralva when the portal to some desert opened. Malleteagan was chasing me for ages through the desert…” now I choked in tears, unable to form a sentence, memories flooding me. Nethanaiah’s beautiful citrine eyes, rimmed with reddened frame, were glassy and cumulated with tears threatening to fall down. She hugged me like a mother hugs a child, and I sobbed. I sobbed and wailed uncontrollably for a long time. She stood there with me, patting me on the small of my back, embracing me without a word. I felt the warmth and care of a motherly love again. After sobbing and catching my breath, I continued “…after a while, I was exhausted from the chase. I wanted to die and join my mother. I wanted to give in. I wanted him to kill me. As he was about to lunge at me, I somehow managed to paralyse him and open the portal. Somehow, I ended up in Oribus.” I explained.

“That means, little Aralyn, that your magic is more potent than we can imagine, but it needs a lot of training to direct, guide, tame and mediate between demigod, Lycan and mage within you. I am willing to help as much as I can if you want.” she paused for a moment.

“Actually, no, I would be honoured to train you. However, I cannot help much with your Lycan, but I know someone trustworthy who can. Do you want my help, Aralyn?” she asked, looking breathless and excited. I nodded silently, and tears started warming my cheeks again. Oh, for f**k sake, why can’t I control it.

“This may sound a bit out of place, but…happy birthday, Aralyn, daughter of Larissa of Lapiths. You know that today, on the first full moon of your eighteenth birthday, you will shift into your Lycan for the first time. You will meet your Lycan tonight. It will be quite an arduous shift, and no Lycan should be alone when they shift for the first time, especially not the future Lycan Queen. I can stay here with you if you need me.” she said whilst wiping the stupid waterfloods off my face.

“Wait, how do you know it is my birthday today?” I was suspicious again.

She giggled: “Aralyn, I told you I know a thing or two about magic and Lycans. And I can smell your Lycan peeping out and impatiently waiting for your first shift. And although l am not Lycan myself, I know that you Lycans shift for the first time on your eighteenth birthday. So happy birthday to you, little Lycan, granddaughter of Selene and Noosha. God, that sounds strange, to put these two in the same sentence…” she giggled again.

As she uttered those words, I just nodded numbly as new and unknown pain suddenly struck my guts. Did she do this? And, lord, I experienced quite a diverse spectrum of pain recently, but never something like this. It knocked me to my knees, and I started to pant like a woman in labour. It felt like every bone in my body was broken and as if my guts were ripped inside out. I screamed my lungs out. My pain was entwined with screams which lasted for hours and increased through the night as the full moon shone with increased intensity over my skin. Its shine took over all of my being. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Moon. It was as if I was mesmerised and paralysed all at once. Nethanaiah cast a cloaking spell and embraced me tightly as soon as my shift started, so no one in Nerzelis could see, hear me or sense my scent. Nethanaiah held me through the night, humming in my ear and caressing my hair as screams, pain, tears, sweat and blood mixed with the rearranging of every f*****g bone in my body. Ugh, hairs started to spurt uncontrollably all over my body. It was almost dawn when my shift was completed. And f**k, that was pain! Now I see that my tormentors from Wengarthria were as easygoing on inflicting the pain as kids in kindergarten compared to the pain of the first shift. This hurt as f**k, but when I walked to the lake nearby, it was worth every second of it.

“So, you were in my head. Oh my god, I thought that I had some kind of torture-ridden paranoia.” I looked at the magnificent reflection of a white wolf tinged with a mixture of lilac, ash and golden ombré-like shine endings on the fur. It is hard to explain. She looked regal. She shared the shine, colour and shades of the full moon above us. “Lovely to meet you finally. My name is Meena,” she said. “Meena, it sounds as if it was derived from the mean”, I internally giggled. Meena scoffed, visibly annoyed with my smart-ass remark and responded: “Do you know, Missy, that this name is actually derived from Mene, which is one of the names that Selene, Moon Goddess, therefore, your grandmother has used before? Even nowadays, she occasionally uses this name. Do you know anything about the history of Lycans?” she scoffed, sounding very riled up. “I cannot work like this”, she rolled her eyes.

Nethanaiah came close to me and looked as if she was in awe of what was in front of her. She said: “Hello beautiful, what is your name,” she asked. “Finally, some recognition and appreciation for my outstanding beauty!” Meena huffed and scoffed in response. Nethanaiah giggled.

“Come, Meena, let’s go for a quick run. I know you are surely aching to stretch your legs, and I want you to meet someone,” she said. I was pretty weary of meeting more people. Gosh, are they people?

“Oh my God, Nethanaiah, this Earthling is driving me insane. She is unsure about meeting new people. Yes, I would like a run. Can you imagine what horrors I have been through with being locked in the pits of the mind of this Earthling for 18 years? A magnificent wolf, as I need a stretch after that torture”. Oh my gosh, I am a vessel for the most snobbish, sassy and vain Lycan that has ever walked on any realm. Gods in heaven, take her back.

Nethanaiah heard our banter and giggled as we sprinted through the thick and thin Nerzelis forest, protected from the prying eyes by a cloaking spell. “You know that I can hear all your thoughts, right? The one we are to meet will help you learn how to control your Lycan. And by the way, she is magnificent. I have not seen many Lycans able to speak in their Lycan form.”Nethanaiah said. “See, we are special. I told you so,” Meena pouted. “Oh my God, what an arrogant creature.” I rolled my eyes internally. We went for a run through the forest.

As we went deeper into the forest, this bestial side of me became overwhelmed with the freedom she was released into and wanted to devour it all at once. Meena embraced the pleasures of liberty hedonistically and greedily as she dashed into an unbeatable sprint, leaving Nethanaiah way behind. Meena grazed through branches, bushes and shrubbery as if walking through the meadows. She was breathing in the fresh morning air of Nerzelis and soaking the first rays of sun with her tongue hanging gleefully and carelessly. The thick fauna of the forest soon became thinner. The landscape soon changed from forest to slopes, straits and cliffs, with a challenging and narrow road next to the precipice, which framed a lake. We started to walk carefully, and despite her excellent Lycan hearing, Meena barely heard the faded shouts of Nethanaiah in the background. Nethanaiah yelled, asking her to return. Gosh, my Lycan is so into herself that I thought that she maybe didn't want to hear Nethanaiah. I don't know. Meena was exhilarated with the feeling of having lungs full of freedom. She turned around briefly to check where is Nethanaiah. When she glanced back to the narrow pathway next to the river, a massive grey-furred beast was in front of her eyes, looking her angrily and fiendishly with ferocity, rivalry, anger and aversion.

The Lycan before her slashed her, gashing her face, torso and leg. Meena flew away to the lake upon the force of impact. Lycan jumped after her and kept on slashing her underwater.

“Meena, swim to the surface!!! Now!!!” I yelled internally. Godammit, I couldn’t shift back, and he continued to punch and sla.sh me under the water. I tried to deflect his assaults, but I was already slow as his attack wounded me. Also, I was generally slower because I was learning how to manoeuvre in the water, blood pooling around me. As his jaws advanced towards my head and were seconds away from locking on my neck, I could hear a scream: “Merlius, stop!!! She is a friend.” Merlius frantically catapulted himself out of the lake and in front of heavily panting Nethanaiah; he seemed to be in a helluva conflict with his Lycan. I managed to poke my head and gasp for air. I was now in human form, full of gashes and naked. I looked like I was massacred with a chainsaw.

I saw him pulling her forearm forcibly, stubbing his head in her neck and roaring violently: “Mine!!!”

“Yes, yours, always,” she said and pressed her forehead to his. He then shifted back to his human form, heavily panting too.

Fuck, he was naked as on the day he was born. And, hey, he had some severe muscles all over on display. I didn’t even dare to go more south because I heard a loud snarl.

“Hey, stop ogling Aralyn.” now it was Nethanaiah's turn to get all jealous. Ah f**k, will I ever understand this mate possessiveness crap? Mother told me a thing or two about mates. I raised my arms in surrender, beet red in the face and turned around. Then, I became aware that the only thing that prevents my naked body from being on display is the lake. f**k, I need clothes. How will I get out? Before I even finished that sentence in my mind, I heard Nethanaiah’s fingers clicking. With a whoosh of thick wind, she got clothes for Merlius and me.

I quickly tucked the oversized top on and went out. I was bleeding profusely.

Merlius stepped forward and gave me a hand. “Hi, Uhm, well, I am sorry”, Merlius said, scratching behind of his neck, embarrassment written all over his face. “My Lycan sensed the scent of foreign and unknown Lycan mixed with Nethanaiah’s scent and went berserk. He took complete control over my body. He couldn’t put a finger. Are you a physical threat to my mate or a rival, so he went ballistic.” Merlius said.

“Merlius, you are babbling and have not even said your name to Aralyn. This is Aralyn Leto. Aralyn, this is Merlius Medrick, my mate and Lycan that I mentioned before, who can help you in Lycan training. Although, after the scene and nearly missed m******e you caused here, Merlius, I am debating my judgment on this. I am just wondering now, are you fit for the role, given that you can’t control your own Lycan? How could I trust you to train newly shifted Lycan Queen then?” she told him off in a tone with which mothers scold mischievous children they are disappointed. He lowered his head even more and seemed ashamed even more now.

I was still stunned and speechless by all the events, but I managed to utter, “Hi, nice to meet you, Merlius, despite your welcome, which was a tad hostile" I said, panting and trying to fake a smile to give the man a break. Blood gushed all over my body as the water would through the bucket full of holes if one would try to fill it. The top Nethanaiah quickly mustered with her magic was already drenched with my blood, and I started to feel woozy.