Chapter 11

"Hello Karah." Shiavur smiled, his fingers brushing his brown hair. He wiped off the dirt and pebbles all over his body while my jaw is on the floor.

It's mystifying that he cannot only speak, but move his body as well. I helped him up and asked if it's really him. Before replying, he wriggled his legs to shake off the remaining dust.

He said yes and he added that he's happy that he's no longer immobile.

"We're you just pretending all this time?" I can't help but ask. You would think he's been healthy all his life by the way he's moving.

He rolled his eyes and responds, "Yeah, the whole act was fun to do."

We heard a whirr of energy coming from Alphos' direction. He opened a portal and grabbed A-nac by his tail. A-nac yelped and growled, his mouth almost snapping Alphos' arms. They disappeared into the void.

I thought he'll be bringing the wild were to the caverns, when another warp zone opened in the sky. A massive one, almost blending with the evening sky. The two came into view. Alphos drops from a fatal height, using the werewolf as cushion.

The animal's body falls like a sack of grain, with the sound of its bones cracking and a lurch of air escaping from its snout. A-nac's wolf is no longer breathing, the boy didn't shift back to his human form.

Blood trickled from the tongue lying flaccidly on the side of its mouth. forming a circular pond of red under it. The surroundings became eerily silent. Light disappeared behind his eyes and became a dull color of black.

Alphos warped to my side, his eyes going from me and locking to Shiavur. Instead of shock, he displayed a great deal of displeasure. "Let's get out of here." Alphos said, his eyes never leaving the other boy.

Alphos took my hands, but Shiavur grabbed me by the arm. "How would I explain what happened?", asking me for answers.

Suri checked the pulse, and said nothing. Will they dispose of the body? Will we be in trouble?

"Let's meet again later." Alphos said, warping me to my room. The bully is really dead and Shiavur is alive, but cured.

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Two funerals were held that week. Bulos' parents hold on for dear life as they watched their son's remains engulfed in a pit of fire. Sympathizers came and even some of his friends gave a speech on how a good friend and comrade he was. The snow fell once again, but it didn't extinguish the flames in the pyre.

On the other hand, few people attended A-nac's funeral. They were filled with questions on how he met his demise, but no one in the neighborhood cooperated with the leader to know what transpired that night. People excused themselves and instead attended another event.

Merimma held a celebration for Shiavur's miraculous recovery. It was a nice change from the depressing events these past few days. Merimma didn't mind having a feast while A-nac has been put to rest. No one can criticize her either. Victor and his wife passed by dropping a gift and some items that their son had left behind.

There are plenty of meat, soup and bread. The family spared no expense. Me and my family got invited of course, and I handed my gift to Shiavur. It's a special lamp with blue crystals in it. He gladly accepted it and instead of placing it on the table for the gifts, he went up to his room to put it. His mom handed us some bowls and plates. We found our spot far from the center of the party, but Merimma urged us to move to a better seat close to them.

We got instantly flattered. More often, relatives or people with higher disposition are placed near the host family's table. Yet, we are seated closer than their own relatives or even villagers of higher political positions.

The other guests looked at us in envy, but my father is already at his third plat. Here, the more actively you eat, the more you show your appreciation to the host and their food.

"Merimma, how fortunate you are! Shiavur's not only healed, he's very handsome, too. He also speaks like a learned kid, also acts properly, too!" The adults often pinch his cheeks or brush his hair, he smiled curtly, but underneath I can tell he's pretty much annoyed. "It's remarkable!" They all said.

Jezebel and her gang move towards Shiavur. She went in front and handed an object wrapped in white fabric, her lips falling into a coquettish smile. By the smell of it, I believe it's whale meat. Some of the guests gaped at her outlandish generosity.

Shiavur accepted it, but not without looking at her for a long time. Jezebel asked if he finds her pretty. But instead, he said, "No."

She chortled and raised her hands up, "Seriously? Did you damage your eyes or something?" Her friends laughed nervously, because Shiavur remained stoic.

I froze and almost fell from my seat. My mom and dad slowed down at their chewing to eavesdrop at the conversation.

"You're not pretty. You're exquisite." Shiavur said and the people got so excited and happy for the two of them. One guy raised a toast and said, they might be destined mates. Jezebel blushed and laughed sweetly with her friends. I rolled my eyes and continued eating. He has forgotten how he was made fun of by her group when he was still chair bound. "Thank you for the gift, Jezebel." He finally said.

Shiavur instantly became popular and truly, he always has the right words to say. If you were to ask me, he doesn't sound like a kid anymore.

We have finished eating and our merry making at the party. I saw a blurry shadowlike figure in my parallel vision. I inspected it carefully and focused my eyes at the figure behind the trees. He pulled down his mask, revealing the happy Alphos. Too bad he's not a part of the empire yet, or else he'll be partying with us. I let out a small wave to let him know I see him.

Someone among the crowd gave a ridiculous suggestion, "Why don't we use the ceremonial water to check who's Shiavur's mate is gonna be?"

Merimma and her husband guffawed and the people broke into cheers and mirth. Merimma resumed her composure and said, "But he's too young, he's only 10 years old. I highly doubt the water would work. His mate is probably not from here, too."

The ceremonial water is a special kind of water that changes color if two mates dipped themselves in it. More often it's a large tub or pool where newly-found mates are partially submerged then a priest facilitates with their vows and leave them to get to know each other better.

But in this case, a clear basin would suffice, since no one has met their mate at an early age. And even if the water's color change more often than not it doesn't mean anything. Strictly speaking, the color should be a gradient of red and blue, merging as one, making a purple hue. The ceremonial water serves as physical proof that two werewolves are genuinely mates.

The guests got so excited that the water keeper brought the relic immediately, not even bothering to ask Shiavur nor his parents. And before Merimma and her husband could stop them, Jezebel already dipped her hand and ushered Shiavur to do the same. Shiavur smiled and placed his. The water's color became gray.

The water keeper and some of the elders were confused. The usual color is red, blue and/or purple. Gray has never happened before. They asked among themselves what it means. The water keeper said he'll be checking it in the archives.

Jezebel couldn't believe what's happening, "The water is probably tainted!" She complained, pouting her lips in dismay. Since our house is just across them, I think I could escape this farce. Yet someone had their intrusive thoughts overcome them, and suggested my name.

"But she's dirty! She'll make the water even murkier!" Jezebel said. "Let's just get a new one so I can try again." After spewing those rancid words, she gave Shiavur her most captivating smile. Shiavur just nodded his head and retreated. When they both removed their hands, the water instantaneously became clearer. So the water is okay.

Merimma moved towards me and took me gently by my shoulders. "It's nothing serious. Whatever the color is, nothing will change." She winked and grabs my hand and placed it on the water. I looked at my parents. My father just beckoned me to go ahead and my mom shrugged her shoulders. I picked my nose and waited for Shiavur. He eyed me incredulously and hesitantly placed his hand. He didn't look me in the eye and averted his gaze.

The ceremonial water changed from clear to pink from my side and blue from Shiavur's hand. From pink, it changed to bright red and the blue tint changed to indigo. People around us hold their breathes, unsure of what's going to happen next. Then, the colors swirled and mixed uniformly, forming a purple color.

'Purple color means mates right?' My eyes immediately looked up at Shiavur. His eyes and lips betraying no emotion. He finally looks at me and the pupils of his eyes became larger.

A twig snapped from a far, stopping the trance between us. I snapped my head towards Alphos' direction, his face full of anger.