The End of Innocence: Book 3 of the Kinstone series

(Me)

A few minutes after separation.

I grip tightly to Diana’s hand as she drags me through the forest while atop her mount. Tree limbs and bushes scrape and slap against my arms and legs, feeling many of them cutting fresh wounds into my skin.

I glare up at her, feeling myself able to summon forth magic again, I quickly transform into a kitsune, wrapping one of my tails around her arm.

She looks down at me, “What are you doing?”

I grin, swinging my legs under and kicks off of the infernal beast, pulling her with me.

We land in a small clearing, bouncing harshly off of the hard ground. My shoulders ache, with one having been dislocated. Pain shoots through my body as one of the ribs Rachel had healed broke.

A side-effect of the pain is that it burned away most of the remaining numbness in my body. So at least I have that to be grateful for.

I stagger to my feet, panting heavily. Doing that was a gamble; heaven knows I could’ve easily landed on something not quite as forgiving as grass. The smell of flowing water fills my nose, thinking a stream or creek is nearby.

I pan around to see where I am now. The forest is incredibly dark, save for the light of the moon shining down. But I still could see perfectly in the dark.

The eyes of a kitsune are very much like those of a fox, able to see in the dark. This trait granted me the ability to run headlong into the forest even amidst the darkest of nights and after having ventured deeper within.

I look back down the path we had just come, still seeing the green fiery tracks of her mount, but I couldn’t hear it or sense it. My fox ears twist and flick, trying to locate the infernal creature.

The green glow of a fireball soon rockets past my face. I pan over to see Diana charging towards me. I roll to my feet and summon several kitsune-bi and fired them at her. She launches her own fire to intercept. The two opposing flames clash and explode into a huge plume of mixed otherworldly flame. The shockwave sends the both of us flying.

I flip in the air, using my tails as rudders in the swirling winds, and lands on the ground. I groan in pain as my dislocated arm dangles beside me. I wrap a couple tails around it, with one against my back. I then yank on my arm, resetting it, resulting in a loud cracking pop. I roll my arm, feeling the joint creak.

I let out a sigh, my heart races as adrenaline pumps heavily through my body. Still couldn’t believe I smiled, but if I was going to do something stupid, might as well. My tails swish around me, softly brushing up against the grass. The smell of oak and spruce permeates around me as I stood in middle of the forest.

A fox in her natural environment, perfect.

Diana soon remerges, firing felfire at me. I duck and dodge through her onslaught, which now resembles machine gun fire. I weave my way through her attack, slowly reaching her. Her attacks reminded me of Mistral, wild yet disciplined.

She too closed the gap between us, launches a series of attacks into the air, some random, a few deliberate. But all designed to knock me off-balance. I leap off of a tree and spin in the air, summoning kitsune-bi at the tip of my tails and fire them at her.

The girl stumbles as they pelt her. Growling, she clapped her hands together, snuffing out the flames. My eyes grow wide, where the hell did she learn how to do that?

The tree I’m standing on then explodes, sending me hurdling to the ground. I look up to see Diana standing over me with her foot crashing down. I roll out of the way, only to have her blast me with a spell, tossing me into a pair of trees. My body bounces off of it, knocking the wind out of my lungs.

“Again you disgust me,” she said, “to…to become something no longer even human? You’re nothing but a freak of nature. You look like something from one of your anime.”

I draw in a long deep breath, slowly getting back to my feet. “I will agree with you that I look more like an anime character,” looking to her, “but you’d be surprised what beings live in this world. My mom is one such person.”

The girl growls, “I am you mother, she stole you from me!” launching more and more attacks.

Many of the blasts were able to find their mark, hitting my body like dozens of punches. My defensive barrier held, if only for the moment. A few again knock me back into the tree, feeling them pummel my body with greenish flames.

I roll away, summoning a few orbs and launching them at her. She dodges the first but was struck by the second. She staggers for moment, and then falls forward as they made their return trip, passing right through her body.

She snarls, looking to me, “You…you little bitch. You are my child, mine and mine alone.” She summoned forth more flames, firing them at me.

I weave my way through them, as before, with a few finding their mark. I stumble for a moment, hobbling until I regain my balance, only to have another attack strike me in the foot. I fall hard onto my face, but again, thankful for the soft grass in lieu of hard rocks.

I rose to my knees where a kick to the ribs knocks me into the air. Again I cough up what little air was in my lungs. I land hard back onto the ground, feeling my ribs pressing uncomfortably against me.

“Pathetic little girl, you are so incredibly weak it’s hardly worth the effort to even try and kill you.”

I draw in another breath, reaching for her with my tails and dragging her to the ground. I roll on top and headbutt her. She groans, covering her face.

I stand up and fling her away, but is soon shot from behind. I stumble forward yet again, quickly turn, and charge at her. She keeps launching attacks; one hitting me square in the face.

I tumble on the ground before getting back onto my feet. I spin on my heel and land a kick to her temple. She responds by punching me in the gut. I wince, but grab her arm, pushing it away from me and elbowing her in the back of the head.

The girl staggers and turns, sending a vicious backhand to my face. I feel the bones my cheek crack, shooting immense pain into me. I try to shrug it off, finding a kick soaring towards me. I leap over her leg and knee her in the face.

She tumbles back a few feet, panting. She swipes two fingers from under her nose as blood drips from it, “How terrible of child you are, making your mother bleed.”

My hands ball into tight fists, “You’re not my mother.”

She smiles, rising her feet, “Oh, but I am. I gave birth to you, raised you, and fought for you during school. I sacrificed so much for you…Clay.”

My eyes glare at her, “You say that Diana is not your name, well Clay isn’t mine, not anymore. Someone else gave me a new life, a fresh start. She brought me into a new world that I now call my home.”

She growls, “Your father gave you your name, a name you once took pride in. You are my child and I am your mother.”

The fur on my tails bristle as they stand on end, “I am not your child. My name is Arianna Lucindel Edge, daughter of Rachel Rivenfeld. I will return to her, and live out the new life I was reborn into. The moment you died I no longer was your child. She took me in and raised me. I am hers, forever and more.”

She growl, watching as flames swirl around her fists, “Ungrateful, petulant, greedy child. Oh how easily you let go of something when it no longer suits you. Fine…you want to be a child, and then I shall treat you as one. I’ll start with punishing you like the brat that you’ve become!”

She howls loudly, screeching like a banshee as she hurls a massive fireball at me, blasting headlong.

I throw up my tails, enveloping them in blue spectral flames. The opposing fires clash and arc, sending sparks around me. I dig in as best I can, trying to push back her assault. I groan, pressing my hands against my tails, drawing forth whatever magic I could from the area to aid my own.

The torrent of flame slowly began to be pushed back, with me taking a step forward. My golden eyes pierce through the converging flames, eyeing my adversary. She is powerful, there’s no doubt about that, but so am I.

I grit my teeth and take another step forward, fangs glistening from the raging inferno. A forceful groan left me as I pressed onward, steadily pushing back her attack. I am kitsune, I am Rachel’s daughter, and I won’t lose to some girl who used to be my mother.

Flames spark and burst around us as they clash. Her torrent slowly recedes with each step I take. I glare at her, seeing her struggle. A smile then rose on her face, as her magic swirls and grows even stronger. My steady advance instantly halted.

A tinge of pain surge through my body as yet another rib broke once more, forcing me to take a step back. My breathing becomes heavy, labored. My injuries from earlier begin to creep up on me.

My body simply just isn’t at full strength therefore, I can’t fight at my best. And she knows it. The potion my mother gave me had completely burned out as the old wounds reopen, sending surges of pain through me.

My ears then flick hearing the neighing of a horse. I look over to see the spectral image of her bonded standing beside her.

I stare at it. It felt…different, standing beside her. There’s no love, no friendship, no sense of family between either of them. It simply stood there, unmoving, eyes burning with an intense hatred towards me.

I glance at her, sensing its hatred fueling hers. The creature then rears, neighing loudly, infusing her with more power as its flames grow larger and brighter.

The new infusion sent a surge of magic into her attack, pushing back against the progress that I had made. My feet begin to slide backwards as I dig in deeply into the ground. I groan, struggling to keep myself from being blown away.

A new wave of nausea floods into me. The infernal flames began to sicken me the more they intensified. Another surge of magic pushed me off of my feet, hurtling through the air.

My body flew for a few yards, watching as the moon hung high in the night sky with the stars shining brightly overhead. If this wasn’t a battle for my life, this would be a nice night out. My body bounces off an embankment, finally coming to rest in the creek bed.

Water splashes and flows around me, washing over my face. I rise up, feeling my arms ache and scream in agony. The cool water feels good against my tired muscles. I cough a little as some of the water had gotten into my mouth.

I slowly stood up, hearing the inferno we had both started begin to consume the forest around us. I turn towards it, lifting my tails in and out of the water. I look around, noting that creek is fairly large and deep.

The sounds of splashes echo around me. I quickly turn, thinking that Diana had followed me to the creek, only to find Fenris standing before me.

Tears flood my eyes as I throw my arms around his neck, “Oh thank God you’re here, Papa Wolf.”

The wolf lowers his head over my shoulder, softly rubbing my back, “I shall always be here for you, my little Aria.”

I pull back, “How’s my mom? Is she okay? And…and what about the others? Is everyone okay back at home?” A thousand questions enter and exit out of my mind, worrying about those I had left behind.

The wolf gently bats the back of my body, “Calm yourself, little one. All are well, only missing you deeply.” He leans and presses the top of his head against mine, “You are not wellm my little Aria. A sickness afflicts you, one which you have encountered before.”

My fingers cling to his mane, “It's Diana and her bonded. Both are really making me feel sick.”

The wolf nods, surrounding me in a cool soothing wind, chilling the air and water. I smile, feeling the gentle cold relax me, my muscles loosen and the nausea quickly subsides.

I let out a soft giggle, “When did you learn how to do that?”

His massive head rose, meeting my gaze, watching as the moon shimmers off of his ice-blue eyes. “I have always known how to soothe a troubled body.”

I grin, leaning in and kissing the wolf on the nose. His lips curl into a fang-filled smile, listening to his tails softly splash in the water.

I peer back over the inferno raging off of the shore. Its glow illuminates everything up and down the creek. I let out a sigh, having had a small yet brief moment to recover. I turn towards the fire. “If this gets too out of control, it might draw some unwanted attention.”

The wolf sloshes beside me, “It is good to see you calm once more, little Aria.”

I wipe the tears streaming down my face. The cold water of the creek flows over my boots, feeling it soak deeply into my socks.

“Where are you, brat?” I hear Diana shouting off in the distance. “I know you’re around here somewhere. Be a good dear and come out, we still need to continue our little heart-to-heart chat.” Her voice steadily grows louder and louder as she nears the creek.

I ignore her and peer down the creek, listening to the water gently rushing down. Marron…please. I wanted her back, for her to fight alongside me. I just wanted her.

My mom is here, Marron, she knows. We can talk, that’s all I want. My hands then ball into fists, as much as I wished for her to just show up here and now…she didn’t. I let out a saddened lament.

I turn forward, unfurling my tails, and close my eyes. I unclench my hands, drawing forth the water from the creek, listening to it swirls around me. I am the river, the river is me. I am the river, the river is me.

I chant the phrase over and over, as more and more water came rushing to me. I could hear it churning and splashing around me. My hands slowly wave, moving up and down, mimicking my tai chi forms that my mother had taught me years ago. The water answers me, drawing towards me at an even greater speed as now my body starts to flow along with the gathering water.

I slowly open my eyes, feeling the magic flowing through me like the water I had been summoning. A soothing calm entered my mind. A thin smile then stretches across my lips. Despite the fact that my opponent is on the other side of the tree-lined embankment, I still manage to smile.

I wish Asha was here to see me do this. I can picture a massive grin adorning her face, knowing how far I had come since my sessions with her and the shirohebi.

I let out a soft sigh, peering over to Fenris, “Get ready.”

The wolf bobs his head, spreading out his legs in the water. I swipe my right leg back behind me and bent down in a fluid motion, carrying sending the massive ball of spinning around me, and hurdling it in the direction of the inferno, watching it crashing into the trees, and snuffing out the flames.

I run towards the cascading water and summon a small stream of water, catching hold of it and letting it pull me along. Fenris dashes towards the embankment, keeping tabs on me while I soar through the air.

I sail over the trees, watching the fires all die out from the torrent of water. Below me, I see Diana attempting to hold back the water using her infernal fire to combat it. I let go of my tether and fall towards her. My hands gather more of the water and send it crashing down on top of her, forcing her to lose focus and be washed away by the torrent.

I land a few yards her as she coughs up water. She looks up at me, eyes flaring with venom. I groan, holding the side of my ribs, forcing me to drop to a knee.

She slowly stands up, wet hair clinging to her clothes, “Dirty trick, sweetie,” summoning a fireball and walks towards me, “but seems it wasn’t enough to take me out.” She then presses the ball to my head, “Goodbye…you disgusting brat,” engulfing me in flames.

She let out a loud cackle, “Finally…I gave you the justice you deserved, you brat,” only for the body in front her soon poofs into a cloud of smoke, revealing a dead tree limb. She stares on in surprise, “What the?”

I reappear behind her, attempting the land a kick to the back of her head. She spins and catches my leg, and hurls me to the ground. I bounce a couple yards, but flip upright, disappearing into forest, melting into the darkness.

“You continue to use tricks against me, such a coward,” she mocks. “Not wanting to face your judgement like an adult. You truly are nothing more the filthy mangy beast, having lost your humanity to whatever you are now.”

“There are a few problems with your assessment of me,” I shout from the forest. My voice echoes around her. “One, I use 'tricks' because I am a kitsune, a race known for being tricksters. This means I fight smart. Secondly, you’re right about me not coming out to face you like an adult. That’s because I’m a kid, and have been one for the past couple of years. So I scheme and hide away when it suits me.”

The bushes rustle around her, as I walk out to face her. A grin rose on her face.

“Lastly…kitsune aren’t mangy beasts. We’re far more than you think we are…Diana. And I am proud to be able to become one of them.”

The girl smiles darkly walking towards me. Only to stop, hearing the rustling more brushes as yet another “me” emerged from the forest. She yelps, feeling a pine cone hitting the back of her head. She turns, seeing a third “me” sitting on a tree branch.

The girl growls, “Tricks…more of your tricks. Just fight me dammit.”

The “me” in front of her glares at her, “Tell me…how is it that you want to kill me? Aren’t you pissed that you were ripped away from Dad, Melissa, Taylor, Nathaniel, Marleen, and everyone else in heaven? Weren’t you happy to finally be reunited with him?”

She smiles darkly, turning to the “me” stepping beside her, “I was happy, and when I was pulled back to the living, I learned of everything you kept from me.”

The “me” from the tree drops down from the branch and strolls over to her, bluish spectral flames erupt in my hands.

The girl spins, looking at me, “And I will be happy again once you atone for your sins for betraying your family, abandoning us once we were killed.”

My eyes turn away for a moment. I walked away because I had nothing left to turn to. My family was gone, with my old life having pretty much ended. Rachel had become my world, my mother, an anchor.

As for betraying you...how the hell was I supposed to explain everything that I had been experiencing in the past year? There were times when I wanted to tell you, but feared what you might say or worse…do to me. So I kept it hidden.

I always keep secrets, even to this day I keep secrets from those I love. It’s just what I do.

I stare into her mismatched eyes, “One last question…how can you fight and obey the very man who killed you and everyone else? Who also has been trying to kill me for the past couple of years? Also…apart from me telling you, how did you know I was in Japan?” A tingle of fear swells in, fearing for my friends in the village.

She glares at me, “I have no idea where I saw you that day, only that I did. I couldn’t believe how natural you look, strolling through the market. The vision was so blurred that nothing was clear. Oh how I wanted to reach out and strangle you, but Selene said that we had to leave out of fear of the local deities.”

It was probably also due my centuries-old kitsune aunt standing there beside me. Yukari would have had a field day with you and Selene.

Diana then glowers at me, “I learned you even prayed to their gods, participated in their rituals and even performed for them. How could you turn away from the beliefs you once held so strongly to? How could you forsake that what you were raised upon?”

I stand motionless, tails swishing around me, “Times change. As I told you before, I’m no longer the person you used to know. I was reborn into the girl you see before you. So naturally, that which I held so strongly to in the past slowly changes because of it.”

She growls, hands clenching into fists, “You ungrateful child. As for your other question…I follow that man in order so that one day I will be rejoined with my family, and you will burn in hell for becoming…this.”

Tears roll down my face, as the other two of “me” surround her, “You’ll never be the same when you do return.”

She growls once more, “Enough talk little girl, time for your spanking.”

Diana raises her hands and blasts the area around her with greenish felfire. The “me” behind her and in front, both burst into smoke, leaving only a fluttering leaf on the wind, which both were instantly consumed by the raging fire.

I fly back, shielding myself with my tails, but choke on the flames. My body lands hard onto the ground, sliding for a moment. She slams her hands into the ground, sending the deathly flames deep into the earth.

I roll to my side, feeling my ribs throb with pain. The soil began to feel hot, and…sick. I stare down at the ground, watching veins of green energy circulating through it. An intense wave of nausea surged through me. The very ground I was lying on was slowly becoming corrupted by her.

I could feel the very life of the surrounding trees being snuffed out, only to then to have their lifeless husks twist and contort, which also pulsate with green veins. I stagger to my feet, thankful Velhemina isn’t here to see this. Her heart would shatter, if not worse.

Diana grins to me, “Now…let’s see you dodge this.”

The trees erupt from the ground and march towards me, swinging their reanimated limbs at me. Dozens upon dozens of trees descend upon me, surrounding, with each swinging their undead limbs at me.

I dodge, climbing up the trees, wrapping my tails around branches, swinging from one tree to the next. The trees groan and whine as they batter into each other. Splinters and broken branches fly through the air, with several cutting into my skin.

I grunt in pain as one branch smacks me in the back of the head, causing me to flip in the air. Another lands across my chest, partially knocking the wind from my lungs. It swung me around, trying to bash me up against the trunk of another tree.

I wrap myself in magic, and Rush out of the way before they smash into thousands of charred splinters. I leap onto a branch and rush towards her, firing a several blasts at the girl. She deflects a couple, only to be hit in the chest by the rest.

My foot lands on the ground, turning to perform a third rush at her. My tails splay out, charging with more magic as kitsune-bi appears at their tips. The neighing of a horse soon fills my ears as something kicks me from behind.

My body fully returns to its physical state. I groan, feeling my back burning, the smell of singeing flesh wafting behind me. I tumble hard to the ground. My arms and legs are soon wrapped by corrupted vines and tree branches. They drag my body off of the ground and hoists me high into the air.

Diana claps loudly, “Impressive…truly impressive. Regulus told me how much you love that ability. To somehow cause your body to become like a ghost and fly through objects like one. But…” she grins, “you can be stopped by certain kinds of magic or beings of a similar type as you.” The sound of stomping hooves echoes in my ears.

“Since you have your bonded, you should really meet mine.” The girl raised her hand and stroke the infernal creature as it strolled next to her. Her hands strummed over its ghostly appearance, fingers raking under its muzzle.

“This is Orobas, someone who’s been quite helpful to me these past few months. He doesn’t speak all that much, well mostly to me that is. I’ve been told his name is derived from some major demon in some book, but Regulus even told me that bring this guy to our world was risky enough.”

I stare at the beast. My stomach churns, tails flailing. Its eyes were nothing but void of emptiness, apart from the glimmer of green set in the very middle of the darkened orbs. She lowers her hand from its muzzle, and looks back to me, “Now…let's end this so-called ‘new life’ of yours shall we?”

She summons a twisted branch from one of the corrupted trees. It contorts into a drill-like spiral. “No more escaping from me.” A grin rose on her face as she hurls it towards me, piercing straight through my chest.

She throws up her hands as my head slumps forward, “Yes…justice at last.” She lowers my body closer to her, wanting to examine my remains. It slowly began to glow a soft blue, erupting into flames.

She grumbles, “Another trick.”

The flames then burst around her, destroying all of the fallen trees surrounding her, and at her as well. She reels back, with her bonded shielding her from the inferno.

The horse groans in pain as the flames batter against it. Its hooves dig deeply into the ground, but it slowly begins to lurch forward, pressing its body against her.

She stares as the sapphire inferno begins to engulf the beast, “What…what kind of fire is this?”

A puff of smoke erupts behind her as I swing around, landing a kick to her head, hurling her away from the nightmare. I peer over to her, feeling blood trickling down my legs, “Dragonfire, hot enough to pretty much hurt anything, living or otherworldly.” I snap my hand back, causing the flames to swirl towards me, battering against the horse even more.

I slowly adjust the flames, infusing kitsune-bi into it. Diana becomes frantic and races over to me, hands swirling with felfire.

“Fenris,” I whisper, shooting the flames into the horse, sending it into the air.

The howling snarl of a wolf rang into life as my bonded rockets out of the bush and slams into the infernal hellspawn. Gleaming fangs and claws bite viciously into the creature, knocking it back along with Diana.

The pair lands hard onto the ground, with the horse rearing back, kicking its front hooves at Fenris, trying to bat him away. It stomps hard on the ground, trying to land a clean shot at the wolf.

He dodges and run around it, summoning forth a blizzard to combat the hellish flames. The opposing magicks clash and erupt, sending shard of ice and balls of greenish flame everywhere.

The wolf leaps around the horse, and lunges at it from behind, biting into the beast’s neck. The nightmare wails as fire vents from the wound, scorching the fur on Fenris’ face. A blast of ice spewed forth from his mouth, squelching the flames and covering the wound.

The horse again wails in agony. The wolf’s jaws bite deeper into its neck, covering the creature in more ice. His prey’s leg begins to buckle from the pain as what might be considered blood pours out of the wound only to quickly freeze upon contact with the ice.

The infernal horse thrashes about, trying to cast off its attacker. It slowly rises to its feet and takes off. The pair plows through trees and brush, with the horse stopping suddenly and whips its head violently, slamming the wolf into a tree, finally forcing him to relinquish his grip.

The nightmare staggers, attempting to regain stability. Its head rocks from side to side, with bright flames engulfing its body, burning away the stinging cold of the ice.

Fenris quickly gets back to his feet, shaking his body loose the pain. He huffs at his opponent, tails held straight and level. Freezing winds churn and swirl around him, drawing forth water from the nearby creek. Ice covers every tree and bush as he takes a step forward towards his prey.

Fangs glisten brightly as the moon’s light reflects off of it. His fur gleams off of the ice. The pair then launches themselves at each other. The clash of heat and cold creates miniature tornados, further destroying the forest. The blast wave created knocks me to the ground.

I slowly rise back to my feet, wanting to go help him. I wince, feeling an intense shot of pain shooting up my legs. I stagger upright, peering in whatever direction I thought I had come. Mom…please be safe, I need you.

Using dragonfire as the medium to create a clone was risky and a massive gamble, but apparently paid off. I fight off the stabbing pain in my legs and start to run towards Fenris.

“Where do you think you’re going missy?” shouts a voice.

Diana appears from behind and grabs me by the throat, slamming me into the ground. Once more, all of the air quickly fled out of my lungs. I gasp loudly, trying to replace to lost air. I grunt and coil as she stomps me in the stomach.

I roll over to protect it only to then be kicked squarely in the face. My head arcs back, feeling my neck screaming in pain. She lands another kick to my stomach, lifting me off the ground. I grunt, gasping for air as she resumes stomping my face.

Another vicious kick to the stomach once more lifts me into the air, to where she spins and kicks me towards the pair of battling creatures. I fly through the air, feeling the clashing of heat and cold coming ever closer to my face. I open my eyes to see the image of the flaming horse rearing back.

I curl my tails into a cocoon around me, sending more magic into them to form some semblance of a barrier. The horse then juts its legs into me, kicking squarely into the wall of fur. The barrier absorbs some of the impact, but the majority easily pushes through and presses harshly into me.

My body rockets away, with it crashing hard into a tree. I bounce off and drop to the ground.

Blood and pain flow from me, as I lay there under the tree. I see in the corner of my eye as Fenris fends off the nightmare.

The wolf summons ice and shadow, blotting out the greenish felfire. The horse stamps the ground, finding its hoof sinking into it. It quickly reels back as the wolf darts around it, spinning and bashing it in the face with his tails.

The nightmare staggers from the assault, to again have its hooves sink into the shadows created by my bonded. It neighs loudly in defiance as it struggles to free itself, but slowly begins to drop further and further into the swallowing abyss. Again I see a pinch of fear rise in Diana. The fear wasn’t like she was about to lose a family member…but something else.

Fenris glances over to the girl as she heads towards where I was lying. He turns and rushes towards her, fangs bared. She steps back as he nears her. Fear flushes into her face, raising her hands to defend herself.

The wolf leaps into the air to pin her down when the nightmare finally frees itself and raced towards him. The horse just barely overtakes my bonded as it surges in front to block the wolf from harming the girl. It rears up and stamps its front hooves into the ground, creating a wall of greenish flames.

My bonded halts his advance, only to disappear into the shadows created by the flames and appears behind them, raining down wind and ice shards before disappearing once more into the shadows. Diana grunts as the icy missiles shower onto her, forcing her to summon forth more flames to melt the remaining shards. She turns and then hurls dozens of fireballs over the wall at me.

I try to roll out of the way before they impact around me, but can’t muster enough strength. The fireballs soon explode around me, hurtling me once more through the air and into yet another tree.

I slid down the trunk and rest hard on the ground. I giggle to myself as blood trickles down my face, thinking maybe the next time I manage to get myself into a fight with a resurrected family member, I’ll have to ask Mom to lend me a couple more potions.

I shake my head, feeling completely wrecked. My hands rest on the ground. A warm breeze brushes against my face, blowing some of my hair long with it.

I feel tired, really tired. Like I want to just close my eyes and fall asleep. I’ve been going nonstop since I broke free of that fake world I had been trapped in.

My muscles ache, my breathing labors as my lungs scrape against my broken ribs. Blood flows down my arms and legs. I peer down to see a something sticking out from the side of my stomach.

I smirk, realizing that it was a branch that must have stabbed me when the nightmare kicked me into the tree. My face grimaces, weakly reaching to the protruding branch and start pulling on it.

I groan in pain as it slowly comes loose from my body. I scream, finally ripping it free of my body. I pant heavily as I toss the bloodied stick away.

I hold my hand over the wound, trying to conjure enough magic to heal myself. I rest my head against the tree, knowing Fenris is fighting alone against two others.

I peer through the brush, watching as the sky brightens. Lightning hurtles down to the ground in a multitude of branching arcs and forks. A smile runs across my face, “Get’m Mom,” I whisper.

I stare forward, still resting motionless against the tree. Fatigue grows stronger and stronger as the urge to sleep became more and more appealing. I just have nothing left to give. My body was thrashed, I had lost too much blood, and I feel myself starting to nod off. Just…sleep…let me sleep.

No…not again. My fingers rake against the grass, digging into the soil. I will not die. I don’t want to die. Adrenaline surges into my body, forcing my heart to race. I grit my teeth. I have a life to live, people I want to see. I have someone that I have to tell my feelings to.

Magic floods into me, allowing me to heal my wounds. I have to a home to return to, a family waiting for me to return. Strength returns to my body as I begin to stand up. I will not die. I will survive!

A cold wind blows against me, brushing against my hair. I open my eyes to see Fenris standing before me. Blood oozes down the side of his face, his breathing is labored just like mine. The smell of burning fur fills my nostrils. I stare deeply into his eyes, which glitter with both pride and worry.

I smile to him, “What a pair we make, eh Papa Wolf?”

His lips slowly curl back into a grin, “That we do, my little Aria.”

I peer over his shoulder to see our opponents surrounded by a wall of shadow and ice. Bursts of green sporadically pulse against the wall, as its occupants attempt to free themselves.

I push off of the tree, finally able to stop the bleeding. Fenris turns and stands beside me, wrapping a tail around my waist to stabilize me.

“There is a way to defeat them, Aria.”

I look to him, my vision already reddened from the blood pouring down from my forehead, “How?”

The wolf peers over to me, his ice-blue eyes bearing deeply into mine, “By becoming one.”

My eyes blink a few times, “You mean like…merging together? Like what Jenn was talking about? Is that even possible?”

The wolf softly bobs his head, “This is the purest and most ancient form of the bond between those bound together.”

I shake mine, “The last time we tried that, I nearly became a feral animal.”

His face leans in and licks away the blood covering my face, “That wasn’t a true fusion of our beings. You merely lost yourself to the connection, diving too deeply into how you viewed to world from my eyes. A true union only occurs when the fear of becoming lost fades from your heart and mind.”

The prison begins to crumble as the frequency of the pulses steadily grows.

“We must have complete faith in each other, creating a balance within our souls. Our bond is strong and unbreakable. I have faith in you, my little Aria. Do you have faith in me, and in yourself?”

I smile, leaning into him, digging my bloodied fingers into his fur, resting my head against his, “I do Papa Wolf, forever and until the end of time.” He smiles, nudging my face, feeling his tail squeezing me gently. I close my eyes, kissing him on the top of his head.

I peer over just as the prison shatters. Diana and her bonded glare over to us.

Fenris releases his tail from me. I close my eyes once more, calming myself. I feel my heart beating in my chest, gradually steadying, becoming serene.

Another heartbeat enters my ears. It was strong and steady, beating proudly and lovingly. Its rhythm sounded like the gentle beat of a drum, slowly matching my own.

I trust my bonded wolf, I trust him with my life, to watch over me, to give me strength, to make sure I don’t become a complete and total idiot. I have faith in my wolf, the one who saved me from the grief and guilt which nearly crippled my heart.

I had to let go of the fear of losing control. I had to have faith in myself, never wavering, never faltering.

Temet Nosce, meaning “know thyself”.

I know who I am. I am the daughter of Rachel Rivenfeld, a child of the Coven of Colburn, niece to a kitsune, ryujin, and alraune. I am the baby sister to a dragon and to one I love, whom I shall forever love, no matter what. My heart and soul are now one with the world I have been reborn into. I will return home to everyone.

I am Aria.

“Fenris,” I whisper.

The wolf beside me howls loudly. Shadows cover his body, which then flies into my own. Power surges through me, empowering me like never before.

I feel wave upon wave of energy, partially healing more of my wounds. My hair flutters around me feeling ice and shadow surround me like a swirling wind.

Something new begins to surface from within, feeling my body stretching or growing. My tails whip and swish as the magic swells and grows. A new source of power emerges, sending a shockwave of raw energy and magic, destroying the surrounding trees and knocking my opponents off balance.