Second Assault — Bond And Treason —

Chapter 3: - 2 -

I'm standing.

I feel cold, an icy breeze blows through me. However, for some strange reason, my body does not

succumb to the temperature.

I do not tremble, my hairs do not bristle from the cold, nor do I shiver. I just exist.

My hair moves with the wind, I tilt my head upwards and breathe.

I breathe.

I breathe.

I open my eyes and find myself deep in a vast forest.

As I look down at my body, I realize that I am dressed completely in black.

A simple shirt with sleeves so long that they almost cover my hands. I have no shoes, although the dirt

under my feet doesn't bother me at all.

My body feels so light, I seem to be levitating, but no, I can sense the earth beneath me.

It's night and the trees seem to be lifeless. Their branches are withered and no leaves are hanging on.

The sky above my head is completely clear.

There are no clouds, no stars... Only the moon.

Although, it doesn't seem to be. It shines so brightly that it's like a light bulb that someone turned on to

light a path.

A path under my bare feet, guiding me to where I should go. I am not afraid, but: should I?

I do not know what awaits me if I move from here, I do not know what I will find if I decide to continue.

«Xander».

There it is.

His voice... His low, deep, seductive voice.

It caresses my ears subtly and wraps my heart in a warm embrace.

—Wait for me.

I beg him aloud, longing to be heard by him. God, I've never wanted anything as intensely as I do now.

So I place one foot in front of me, then the other, and so on until I begin to walk, following the path that

is leading me into the depths of the forest.

The branches brush against me as I move, but they don't hurt me. I feel small stones under my feet,

but they do not harm me.

The light moves as I go, illuminating the direction in which I'm going. I'm afraid of getting lost and not

being able to find the owner of the voice, but I don't stop.

I keep moving and even though I don't know where I am or where I am going, I want to keep going.

«Xander».

I close my eyes, repeating his voice over and over in my mind, savoring the sensation of my name

pronounced by him.

My throat feels dry all of a sudden. I need to feel his closeness, I need to remember. I open my eyes

and move again.

I feel the light becoming more intense, I raise a hand to cover my eyes a little, but that's when I see it.

There it is.

A wolf.

The light is abruptly no longer in front of me.

Now it points from my back, allowing me to get a better view of the imposing creature in front of me.

It is huge, with eyes as blue as the sea and most of its fur is gray, with white details splashed on its

chest and neck, with black ears and the tip of its tail.

It's beautiful.

I can't stop looking at it.

Should I be afraid? He stares at me too, but he doesn't move. He's just there... Watching me.

What should I do?

«Xander».

My eyes open wide with surprise. The voice came from the wolf. Although he hasn't moved yet, he's

just there, evaluating me.

It couldn't have been him, but then... Who?

—Where are you?

I'm shouting into the darkness, not sure if I'm going to get an answer, though.

«With you».

With me? But where? ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

I am all alone, except for the majestic beast before me.

I'm not sure if I should do it, but I still approach. I walk towards it until we're a few inches away.

He doesn't seem to be bothered by my proximity. He observes me, with his ears down and sitting on

his hind legs. I want to touch him, my palms itching to do so.

Slowly, I kneel in front of him.

«Don't be afraid».

—I'm not.

And I'm not lying, I'm not scared at all.

I'm rather calm. In a deep, constant calm that makes me feel like I'm floating.

«You must resist, Xander».

Resist? Resist what? I almost asked, but now I'm afraid he might answer.

I don't know what I'm supposed to do.

«No matter what happens, you must be strong».

—Why?

I feel my breath stirring. The tranquility is completely gone, now I'm truly scared.

Terribly scared.

I want to leave this place, I want to get out, I want to be with him.

The light slowly seems to be extinguishing and I suddenly fear what will become of me once I am

immersed in darkness again.

«Think of me, Xander. Be strong and resist until I can reach you».

The image of the wolf is beginning to blur.

I try to touch him, hold him in my arms, and stop him from escaping, but his body becomes ghostly.

Like a hologram, slipping through my fingers.

—No!

My eyes become cloudy and tears start to slide down my cheeks.

—Don't go!

My throat is burning from the strength I find myself screaming, begging for his stay.

—Don't leave me!

The great gray wolf disappears and now I'm all alone.

The light is now a faint warning of his existence.

My pupils dilate trying to adapt to the darkness that seems to wrap me more and more in its veil.

«I will find you».

He promises me.

And so, everything around me turns black again.