Chapter 23: The Awaken Glow

Slavica could feel the power that was coming out from Gwen and it was very dangerous. Whoever triggered it was gonna pay the price and it was making Slavica excited to witness it. But at the same time she does not want for Gwen to snap and just released her power toward something that was not worth of her effort.

"Vica, be ready. Once the blood flame died down, a monster will appear at the center of the strings. Do whatever you want to do with it because I am not sure if I'll be able to control myself from shredding it into pieces." Gwen tried her best to keep her control and composure as she uses her blood flame to locate the monster that interrupted her.

"Understood. Keep your composure, darling." Slavica kissed the top of Gwen's head as she began on releasing her energy to cloak her whole team. Then started on preparing herself to fight whoever Gwen will managed to catch.

Just for a few seconds, Slavica appeared beside Yui and immediately pulled her out of the spot. As soon as Yui was not in the spot anymore, the bloody strings began to ring in such different alarm that only Gwen could hear. It was indeed a bell ring that only Gwen could hear them sings and nobody else. Hearing them rings through her hearing, Gwen closed her eyes and raised her hands once again. With a press, the bloody strings began on ringing a very powerful and taunting melody but at the same time releasing a very alluring melody.

"Now sing for me, my beautiful prey." Gwen whispered in her sly and taunting voice as she smirked while her eyes were still close. She just kept the orchestrating the strings to made a melody that has a title of Phantom of The Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

In sleep he sang to me

In dreams he came

That voice which calls to me and speaks my name

And do I dream again? For now I find

The Phantom of the Opera is there

Inside my mind

As the song began to echo throughout that woods, the strings began to be violent as if it was being resisted yet the bloody strings kept pulling something it caught. As the resistance kept going on another shift happened that made the movement around the bloody strings finally subsided. There was still some movement but it was not totally resisting the pull this time. Gwen could tell if it caught something and she was the only who could feel it clearly.

"Sing once again with me

Our strange duet

My power over you grows stronger yet

And though you turn from me to glance behind

The Phantom of the Opera is there

Inside your mind…" out of the blue, Gwen suddenly sings the song that was playing around the background of the woods. It was indeed radiating in such a powerful whisper as if it was calling or better to say luring something that was being wrapped around with the bloody strings that Gwen just released. She has the power to lure her prey into a trap.

But none in Slavica's team could really tell what was going inside to Gwen's mind when she suddenly sang the song. At the same time they couldn't ignored the fact that something in them as well began to be affected by the song that Gwen was sending to them.

"She's like a Siren." Yui mumbled underneath her surprised tone as she holds her mate's arms for her to keep it together.

Those who have seen your face

Draw back in fear

I am the mask you wear

It's me they hear

Slavica looked carefully not just around Gwen's energy status but the energy flows around the woods to which she could see where Gwen's bloody string were totally wrapped around. She honestly couldn't tell where it ends and the more she tried to find where it was totally wrapped, it was making her dizzy. She stopped from locating the bloody string's core and just focus on sensing the monster that Gwen's blood strings managed to capture.

(Your) My spirit and (my) your voice in one combined

The Phantom of the Opera is there

Inside my (your) mind

As soon as that lyric came on echoing around the woods, Slavica noticed the bloody strings were still bloody red but it wasn't dripping anymore. She stood up firmly from her spot and prepared herself from anything that would suddenly appear before them. But there was something odd lurking around or to be precise, it was coming in such a rush to where they were standing still.

"Its heading to her way. Not in my watch." Slavica clicked her tongue and quickly appeared to Gwen's side to get ready on protecting her against to the monster heading their way.

In all your fantasies, you always knew

That man and mystery

Were both in you

Then suddenly the bloody strings stopped from moving yet the melody of the song kept echoing around the woods. Just within in five, a very loud explosion made such vibration around the woods that made every living creature around was being disturb and went away. Along with the smoke from the sudden explosion, a powerful roar of a beast suddenly echoed around. When the smoke slowly dying down, a strong chimera appeared before their eyes.

And in this labyrinth

Where night is blind

The Phantom of the Opera is here

Inside my mind

This strong chimera was eight feet tall and had three head beasts in one body, a lion, goat and a snake as its tail. But even though it has very strong features and fearsome aura, it couldn't move around the bloody strings were wrapped around its body and to its surroundings. It might be trying to get away from being pinned down but Gwen was totally not being pleased as all.

"Darling, calm down. You'll be dead if not." Slavica put her hand over her left shoulder before she went in front of her.

"Thanks for reminding me, Honey." Gwen might address her in such an endearment but her face wasn't showing any sign of emotions.

Slavica smirked at hearing those words from Gwen but she knew that Gwen wasn't in the mood for some sweet remarks. She could understand the irritation of being interrupted from having her intense training with them but Slavica wouldn't have any slightest idea on how Gwen managed to turn the table from being a prey to being a hunter. But there was also something that hit Slavica.

"Darling, are you…" Slavica didn't finish what she was trying to ask. She just started to feel so familiar with what Gwen was doing but she could not really pinpoint what it could be. But she decided to help Gwen by releasing all her set-up powers around them but before she could, something distracted her all of the sudden.

Out of the blue, Slavica began to move on her own as if she was lured by something but that wasn't the case. She was acting in some distant memories that she buried deep in her memories exactly she couldn't recall what the event was. Though her body still could remember each run that she made and each mark that she created until the prey was spotted. Slavica reacted to what her body could recall as the chimera tried to move around and try its best to hit her. But she just waltzed around the blood strings that were surrounding the chimera. Then she took a sniff around the air within the woods before she calmly closed her eyes as her heart rate went to a minimal state. It was making her presence turn into zero.

"It's been awhile since I went into this state." Slavica muttered since her presence was not able to be detected by anyone, especially its prey. She was just standing over the bloody strings with such balance in her body. Slavica was indeed one with nature and carefully watching her prey before her. The chimera started releasing something foul around its perimeter which was fear.

"Defense mechanism." Slavica mumbled under her breath as she waltzes around the bloody strings while her eyes fixed only on her prey. She didn't care about anything right there.

But as soon as Slavica made a move once again around the bloody strings, there was a sudden flashing movement that was predicting her movement. Slavica could sense it as well but the flashing sudden attack that she was receiving made her duck and rolled over the bloody strings and kept moving around as she was dancing.

"GET READY!" Gwen shouted that snapping Slavica from being lost in her own world while dealing with her prey before her eyes and just listening to her light, Gwen.

Slavica kept on running almost in a circle around the bloody strings until she saw a perfect diagonal piled up the broken log to where the chimera standing at. She went on charging the eighth feet tall chimera before her and all of a sudden as she jumped to face it. Gwen saw that which made her immediately make a throwing motion toward Slavica's direction and once it reached her, she couldn't believe on what she was holding in her hand. She was holding a small sword that was totally glowing like a bright star that blinded the chimera for a few seconds which made an open opportunity for her to pierce it over the chimera's chest. It was supposed to be just stunning the chimera since it was a small sword but no, the chimera was being sliced up from its chest down to its whole body. The light managed to kill the monster in instant and none of them how it happened.

"How did she manage to get a sword?" Tacker wondered as he saw the sudden appearance of the sword over Slavica's hand as she charged the chimera head-on.

"Gwen." Irina only managed to say which made them look over Gwen's spot and she was indeed worried about Slavica's well-being.

As soon as Slavica managed to smoothly land over the earthly ground, she turned to meet Gwen's orbs. They were having a moment but something made it vanish in a blink of an eye when the sinister snake tail managed to release a hit over Slavica. She was being pierced in front of Gwen which was a very great idea to be awakened for.

How can you see into my eyes, like open doors

Leading you down into my core

Where I've become so numb

Without a soul

My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold

Until you find it there and lead it back home

Gwen was indeed stunned on her spot as she didn't like what she just saw and all the bloody strings around them began to turn nasty. It was releasing a toxic odor that made everything suddenly burst into such a glow. Then a very familiar song began to hit Gwen's mind hard and it was making her blood rush in such hype. The song called Bring Me To Life by Evanescence and it making her blood run wild than the usual flow and then she just vanished on her spot.

Wake me up inside (save me)

Call my name and save me from the dark (wake me up)

Bid my blood to run (I can't wake up)

Before I come undone (save me)

Save me from the nothing I've become

"Nobody hurts what belongs to me." Gwen blankly said as she appeared before the chimera's tail before she made an upward slice hand gesture which made the snake was being brutally ripped in just one motion.

As she does that, Gwen was indeed different as she glows like a bright morning star before the dead creature before her. Raised her palm and let chimera burn into ashes then she turned her heels to get Slavica into her arms.

Now that I know what I'm without

You can't just leave me

Breathe into me and make me real

Bring me to life

Gwen felt that part of the song as she was holding Slavica very dearly in her arms. The team wanted to join and help her but Gwen's bloody and intoxicating strings were preventing them to do so. They even tried to call her attention but she couldn't hear anything as if something was being forced being taken away from her and she doesn't like it one bit.

Wake me up inside (save me)

Call my name and save me from the dark (wake me up)

Bid my blood to run (I can't wake up)

Before I come undone (save me)

Save me from the nothing I've become

Bring me to life

I've been living a lie

There's nothing inside

Bring me to life

Taking Slavica off her arms and letting her unconscious body rest on the earthly ground, Gwen did something that was never done before to Slavica. Gwen took one deep breath and released them carefully over her hand before placing them over Slavica's deep wound and her hand started to glow.

Frozen inside without your touch

Without your love, darling

Only you are the life among the dead

As Gwen's hands began to glow, they magically began cleaning Slavica's wounds before they went on stitching their wounds and then fully healing them as if nothing bad happened to her. Gwen really does care for her deeply which totally scares her if she loses Slavica just like that. She knew it was too soon but she just couldn't help it. She felt everything just being around her as if she was once again alive.

All this time, I can't believe I couldn't see

Kept in the dark, but you were there in front of me

I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems

I've got to open my eyes to everything

Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul

Don't let me die here

There must be something wrong, bring me to life

"Vica, please…I need you here with me…" Gwen sadly muttered as she caress Slavica's face delicately when something suddenly happened.