CHAPTER 9

NOW

Eventually, after what seemed to me a few minutes felt like hours looking at the cabin picture. our once happy moments were just minutes taken by a flash of a camera. I ripped out the photo from the frame, folding it in half and placing it into my back pocket.

"Found anything?" I asked Jason as he stood still in the corner of the living room. He turns around to face me, holding yet another happy photo of us all.

"Just this" Jason smiled as he waved a photo at me. " you actually look quite happy here."

" I was… it was one of those happy family memories together" I chuckled. " I was about twelve there, it was Nathan and Melinda's birthday. We had such an amazing day, we were able to go back to our home, where we were once born. It was unfortunately cut short but I managed to see how beautiful it truly was"

"Nathan and Melinda are twins?" he asked. "How comes it was cut short?"

"Yeah, they were the first set of twins in the family. The first one over six hundred years. There was this story about twins being cursed. Apparently, While in the womb, one of the twins would fight the other for power but only one would survive. As the surviving twin, it would become obsessed with power, using unforgivable magic. If they both fight each other, during the womb they both will become stillborn. This always occurred at like six months of pregnancy. No one knew why it was happening but Nathan and Melinda are the only twins, firstborn. I once found a book that explained the story. It went on about the curse being put on anyone who would carry a set of twins. it was believed that twins were most powerful when together. The truth is I'm not too sure, how true that story is or not" Jason stares at me. Listening to me, he actually listens. "Whereas, the answer to your second question is the only thing I do know is that at the moment and ever since the death of my parents. There's been a war between my kind and all other beings. Some type of civil war. There was this place, the only place that hasn't been touch was this giant lake area filled with trees, cliffs, and this beautiful sunset but of course, since the war, a lot of places have been either overrun or destroyed. I guess you could have called it no man land in many ways"

"Wow is all I can truly say" Jason laughed "that's a lot of information you gave me there"

"I know I'm sorry. I just don't know when to be quiet once I get started talking about things"

"Once we find your brother, solving any other thing that you want to know then I promise you that I will take you to this wonderful place you speak of."

"Seriously?" I asked as he placed his hand flat out toward me.

"Of course" I placed my hand against his. Softly and smoothly he places his lips on top of my hand pressing down gently against it. I give him a semi-half smile as he looks up at me.

"I found it" Ben shouted as he rushed down the stairs. I quickly move my hand away swinging it against the side of my leg. I turn around to face ben.

"Finally, how many did you find exactly?"

"Enough. So any luck finding natha…"

"Here it is" Jason whipped his hand from his back waving a small black book like if he was playing the tambourine. Goddammit, how did he do that? He didn't even mention that he found it. What a douchebag. I quickly rip the book out of his hand and place it in the front pocket of my shoulder bag.

"Erm… guys where's the mutt?" Ben suddenly paused as he walked out toward the kitchen. Without warning; the big, black beast started storming slowly to the living room. Snarling and growling along the way like a rabid dog. As the beast comes towards us, Ben slowly and carefully walks back to us. Blocking us like we it's prey. As it carries on moving, it takes an unexpected leap at me. I quickly flinched; placing my hands above my face as I duck down to the floor. In a flash, Jason changes into a pure white wolf. He jumps in front of me pushing the beast straight into the wall. It rapidly gets up from the floor and charges toward us again, Jason runs at it, colliding with one another. He pounces on top of the beast, rolling around the place; growling and scratching at each other it like seeing people wrestling each other for the first time on tv. I rush over to Ben, grabbing a white crystal from a bunch in his hand as he stands there in fright. His face as white as a ghost even when I took the Crystal from his bare hands he didn't even flinch. I head over near the fight leaving a clear path just a couple of meters away.

"Jason, I need a clear shot at this. I don't want to hurt you too" I shouted, lifting my hand in front of me with the crystal insight.

"I'm trying to iris. It's a bit difficult when it's trying to rip my head off" Jason's voice echoes through my mind. How the hell is he doing that. Without a moment to take in, the black beast flips Jason over standing on top of him, snarling at him as it tries to rip a piece out of his face.

"Now, my chance," I thought. Swiftly I move my hand steadily over in the distance of the foul-looking beast and then out of the blue, a pure bright white rope falls out of the crystal, some kind of spiritual energy whips toward the beast like an octopus. It's strong, very strong. I can feel the energy coming straight out of it like a full-blown hurricane. Without delay, I swing it around the deathly beast catching it within it. reaching it as its teeth graze Jason's neck. Suddenly Jason is eventually free. He moves in haste out of the way. Turning straight back into his human self. I hold on to the crystal, pulling the beast-like I was trying to pull up a fishing rod when it catches a large fish. Within a flash, the crystal pulls the beast in, and in the final moments the beast yelps. A blind of light flashes appears as the beast disappears and goes again. Somehow and in some way I managed to take it down. How? I'm wasn't even sure I had it in me. With all my might I used, I stump back, hitting my back against the wall. I take a brief moment to myself, finally able to breathe. I give off a quick and long-lasting breath when I look up I notice Jason on the floor in pain. I rushed over to him with Ben finally moved by my side.

"It's nothing," Jason shouted as he tried to get up.

"Clearly, it is it, dude. you're in pain. I and iris can clean your straight-up" ben said as he bends down

"You've done enough of that ben. You didn't do anything at all… you just stood there, doing nothing" Jason said, struggling to get his words out.

" Hey, leave him alone Jason. Let us help you and I'm not taking a no for an answer"

"I'm sorry. It just hurts... a lot can you get it over with, please? I feel like it ripped my soul apart" gradually with ben help, we help Jason to remove his ripped top off. Seeing his soft, smooth muscles covered in old deep looking scratches and bites. I take a quick look down at his stomach... Noticing a large deep bloody claw mark across it.

" That's going to leave a scar, I bet" Jason laughed, grabbing his wound in pain.

"You should be fine. I know a spell that can fix things like this. Just stay still" I said as I helped him , laying flat down onto the floor

" Ben grab my grimoire and flip the page onto the healing one" Ben gets up rushing to my bag; picking my grimoire up flipping to the right page and sits it down next to me. I look down at the page finding the right spell I need, then I place my hand above his wound. Slowly I pronounces the words

" tui gratia lovis, gratia sit cures. Tui gratia lovis, gratia sit cures. Tui gratia lovis, gratia sit cures.'' His body starts to regain its skin over the broken claw mark across his stomach, bandage up together like clockwork. He screamed in pain, the skin burns up as it stitches against each grain of skin back together. I held his hand all the way through the spell. Just like when you care for someone at a hospital. Throughout he lost consciousness for a while it must have taken a lot out of him from saving us to the healing part. It took a while for it to fully heal. I knew after all that it was just only the beginning…