THE GOD WOLF’S VESSEL

LUCAS WHITE “I’M HOME,” I said as I entered the house. I closed my eyes so I could hear Mama’s heartbeat. I had the ability to hear it even when she was far away from me. I smiled. She was here. When I opened my eyes, I was too lazy to walk up the stairs, so I simply jumped all the way to the second floor. Mommy had forbidden me from jumping like that. But what could I do when it was so easy for me to do it? She said she was only trying to make sure other people didn’t see me and think I wasn’t normal. Sometimes, I wondered if I really was normal. Ever since I was a kid, something strange happened to my body whenever my birthday came around. I didn’t know why. Sometimes, I noticed changes in myself. Other times, I could do things I couldn’t explain. All I knew was that it wasn’t normal. And every birthday, it felt like something inside my body was slowly waking up. I didn’t know what it was. I didn’t know where it came from either. The only thing Mama always told me was not to show it to other people because they might think I was a monster. Because I loved Mama, I listened to her. Even though sometimes, I also wanted to know what was really happening to me. What am I? Am I really normal? Or is there some secret inside my body that Mama doesn’t want to tell me? Not until today... I used my ability to jump really high because I was feeling lazy. I could run faster than lightning, but I couldn’t just use that ability whenever I wanted. Mama was right. I could get into trouble if someone saw that I was different. I was different from ordinary people. There was something special about me. And I didn’t know where it really came from. Since there was nothing special about Mama—we had been together my whole life—it was likely that this strange thing about me came from my father. That was what I needed to find out. But who really was my father? I grew up without even having a picture of him. When I reached Mama’s room, the door was open. I peeked inside and saw her staring blankly at the balcony. I smiled. “Don’t you have anything to sell at the market?” She quickly looked at me, startled. “You’re here already, Lucas.” I took her hand and kissed it. “What are you thinking about? Is there something I should worry about?” She gave me a small smile... “Tomorrow is your 18th birthday.” “So? Are you worried because we don’t have enough money for a celebration?” She quickly shook her head. “N-No. I would never think about that.” She looked at me. “You’re legally an adult now. I’m just going to miss the Lucas who was still my baby.” I was about to say something, but I couldn’t when I suddenly felt one of my eyes getting warm. I rubbed it because my vision suddenly became blurry. But... I didn’t expect what happened next. It was like my eyes had turned into a camera because everything became so clear. Even though it was already getting dark outside, it felt like there was always sunlight around me. My vision also zoomed in and out on its own, and I had no idea why. “Ma, what happened to my eye?” I asked worriedly. Mama just stared at me, frozen. She couldn’t even move from where she was sitting. “Change your eye back to its original color, Lucas. Someone might see you,” Mama warned. I ran into my room faster than lightning. When I faced the mirror, my mouth fell open when I saw that one of my eyes had turned blue. It looked like a crystal. I stared at it. I couldn’t stop being amazed. I had only ever seen something like this in shows. “Ma, come in!” I shouted. I didn’t wait for Mama to move. I went back to where she was sitting myself. I shielded her. I just had a bad feeling. I could smell something bad around us. Mama held onto my shoulder. “Why, Lucas?” “I smell a dark aura coming. They have a lot,” I said nervously. A few seconds passed before my eyes widened at the sight of six men standing on the roof of the house across from ours. They smiled, and I saw their eyes turning red. “Werewolves,” Mama whispered. The hair on my body stood up. They were real! I thought I had only seen them in some fantasy drama. When they suddenly transformed into wolves, my knees started shaking. I admit, I was scared. I didn’t know what I could do against them. I didn’t know what abilities they had. Whatever ability I had, would it be enough to destroy them? I was sure they were already experienced fighters. Me? What about me? I knew nothing. It would be better if Mama and I just ran away. “Ma, hold on to my back. Don’t let go, okay? We’re going to run,” I said. When Mama held onto my back, I quickly jumped out of the house. Then, I used my ability to run fast toward the forest. I could feel them chasing me. They weren’t as fast as I was, but I could feel their aura. We hid among the bamboo trees to rest. I was already struggling to catch my breath. “Ma, are you okay? Are you scared?” I asked. “I admit I am. A mother can’t simply get rid of that feeling. But, Lucas, I trust you so much. I know you can handle them...” “I-I can handle them? Yes, I’m aware that I’m not normal...” I looked up at the sky and stared at the full moon. “But they’re monsters, Ma. What am I? I don’t know anything about the real me.” I looked at Mama. “Who am I really, Ma? Aside from being your son? Who is my father? Is he like the ones who—” I stopped talking when I heard several howls at the same time... wolves? They were here. My face became impossible to describe when I smelled them surrounding us. And I was right. They had surrounded Mama and me. There were more of them now than before. “Who are you? What do you want from us?” “We need to stop the prophecy by killing you!” one of the wolves answered. “By killing me? No! I won’t let you guys kill me. I still have so many dreams for my Mama!” I shouted. “We’ll just kill your mother first,” one of them answered. As soon as he said that, they were ready to attack me. I shielded Mom and prepared myself to be hit, but it didn’t happen. Someone else did it for me. When I looked... A white wolf.