The Gate of Shadows

When the clock ticked past half an hour, I placed the ring on my finger and wrapped the necklace around my wrist instead of my neck. It would have the same effect, and I didn’t want Fenris to see it in plain view.

To hide it, I draped a bandage around it to secure it in place. Shade grew large enough to challenge a deer to a standoff before joining me by my side. Once I was ready to go, I opened the window to let the night breeze in.

Winter’s only a month away; maybe wearing a robe isn’t the best, but…

I glanced up at the moon to see it was almost halfway red. Getting ready, I closed my eyes, concentrating on what I wanted. Extending my right hand toward the air, I tried to appeal to the realm that resonated within me.

"Nether world, I beseech you. Take me to my beloved! Take me to Fenris!" I commanded.

There wasn't even a spark of a spell that could be felt.

I never expected it to be easy, but time’s running short.

I stared at my hand, wondering what I was doing wrong. All the other times, it responded to my potent emotions but never towards a direct plea. The nerves I had tried too hard to bury threatened to erupt.

Time’s running out! Now isn’t the time to not perform!

"Try calling it by the name Alijah gave you. Maybe he’s right." Shade encouraged me, placing her head on my extended hand.

Ah… Damn it, Alijah... How do you know more about that realm than anyone around me? Was it really more known in your time? Then why…

Even though Shade was a resident of the realm, she had no memories of it. She could only recall that she had to protect me no matter what happened.

Someone else gave that order to her.

Like many others, Shade's memory was inaccessible anymore, but surely whoever gave it to her lived in the Soul Cairn.

"Use me as a channeling stone, too," She added, steadying herself.

I sighed before taking a deep breath to calm my nerves yet again. All the other times, it never responded to being called the nether realm but to my emotions.

However, we’re wrong about many things if it responds to this name. This leads to the question of what Cerberus is hiding and why.

Preparing for whatever happened next, I closed my eyes, allowing Shade's fur to tickle my fingers.

"Soul Cairn, I beseech you! Take me to Fenris Silver Fang!" I commanded as a throbbing sensation erupted from my core, focusing in my hand as a blue hue came from it.

A pulse of energy radiated out of me and towards the window ahead of us, creating different shimmering shades of blue that swirled around much like a portal. It was like the one I opened when I wanted Fenris to be safe.

Shade wrapped her tail around my waist with little hesitation, pulling me towards her as she launched into the swirling vortex before us.

“Wait!” I yelp, thinking we would crash through the glass that shut because of the pulse, but instead of that, we went through something I found hard to explain.

Light warped around us while we went into free fall through a distortion point. It wasn’t like the other time I wanted a place to run away to. It was almost as if the swirls guided me toward what I desired.

“Heh, Fenris, is what you want? You’re such a simple witch.” A female voice erupted from within as I struggled to stay upright.

She sounded nothing like the whispers that usually invaded my mind.

“Who— Whoa!” I squealed as a faint image of what appeared to be a bird twirled where the light blended into one.

Shade appeared unbothered by it all while I, on the other hand, held on to her tail for life. Shadows blazed past us before a hand reached me from the warped light, slightly touching it while we continued our free-fall through the space we were in.

A whisper erupted from within me as I slipped through its touch.

My... Lilith... It called out in a different tone than the previous voice.

This wasn’t the time for a whisper to convince me to do other things. Yet, instead of going away, it continued to echo within me.

I’ve finally reached you. The voice chuckled.

Shaking my head, I reached for Shade. She tugged me closer, allowing me to bury myself in her fur.

That doesn’t belong to a demon but belongs to a man!

One I had never met before. Even though part of me wanted to investigate, time wasn’t by my side. Also, I couldn’t forget the last mysterious man I met, who left me with one of the most undesirable experiences.

Ignoring the whisper, I held onto Shade as we reached the vortex's end, which opened into a forest. Familiar voices erupted from behind the bushes where we fell by. Luckily, we were unnoticed by the two who sat in the clearing.

When Shade shrunk back to her usual size, I took the opportunity to peer through the bush to see who it belonged to. One voice I knew very well, but much to my surprise, the other one belonged to Liam.

The brown wolf was still with Fenris in a forest clearing, and the rising moon was also in plain view.

Wait… Why isn’t it red?! It’s barely turning! Was what I saw in the room an illusion?!

That thought was quickly placed to rest when I was captivated by the silver wolf, whom I hadn’t seen in three days. He seemed on edge, vulnerable, and almost breakable—a side I had never seen him express so openly.

"Are you nervous?" The brown wolf asked his friend, who appeared to be jittery.

Fenris sighed, "Liam," he shook his head.

His words caused the brown-haired wolf to grab his shoulder to comfort him.

"Come on, man, out with it. What’s bothering you?" Liam questioned, triggering Fenris to wince.

Clicking his tongue, the silver wolf shifted his eyes towards the side, "If something happens to me, promise me you’ll protect her for me.”

The moment those words left him, my heart sunk faster than any anchor would.

Nothing can happen to you!

Nothing... Nothing... Nothing... Whispers invaded my mind.

Shade placed her paw on my hand to soothe me.

Lily... Relax. The little wolf’s just worried. Shade tried to calm me.

Liam’s ears perked up before they slanted downward, "What are you talking about, Fen? You’ll be fine. Lilith can’t live without you, you know that."

The silver wolf winced, shaking his head before covering his face with his hands. "What if I lose my mind and become like the wolf from that legend? She won’t be safe with me if I do!”

His voice quivered as I had never seen him in much distress before.

No... You know about... How... Lair! You never mentioned a thing to me, even when you said you’d tell me everything!

Betrayer… A throbbing sensation curved through my body.

I struggled to stay in control as my heart ached.

"Come now, that’s a tale the elders told you to get you scared back when you were younger.” Liam nudged his friend, who winced, triggering a soft sigh to leave him, “Even if it were true, you’re stronger than him. I know it."

This is no legend or tale! Alijah is real. That Lycan exists—oh, by the gods, Alijah’s real.

I hoped he was a figment of my imagination all this time, but he was...

"Am I? How will I protect her if I become like that mad wolf? I’ll probably hurt her! No, I’ve already hurt her enough! I don’t want to hurt Lily anymore. All I want to do is…" Fenris trailed off as Liam guided his head towards his shoulder.

"Man, I’ve never seen you like this.” The brown wolf held his friend as he gripped his shirt. “Fen, I’m certain you’ll still be you when this night ends. You’ve got something that crazy Lycan didn’t. Lily’s waiting for you. I’m sure she can’t stop counting the minutes—no, the seconds left for you to return to her."

Fenris softly chuckled, tugging away from his faithful friend. “You’ve got so much confidence in me.

“Always, man, I’ll always be by your side, Fen.” Liam smiled at his friend, who shifted his gaze towards the shimmering moon, which slowly shifted colors

“Why didn’t I tell you about us before?"  Fenris sighed, clenching his hands into fists

“Because you’re an idiot who thought you had to do everything alone.” The brown wolf shrugged, gazing at his wristwatch. “I can stay with you for a little longer. Seems we’ve reached the half-hour mark."

“I’d like that.” Fenris breathed, letting himself fall against the grass below.

What Liam had said was utterly impossible, yet I knew he wasn’t lying. The moon was halfway red when I had left, and the clock in our room had marked close to seven when the portal finally opened.

Am I going crazy?

Somehow, the soul cairn dropped me at a different time than when I had left.

How... is any of this possible? Ordinary witches can’t use time magic... So how did this happen?!

This night was full of secrets that had yet to be revealed.