White beautiful wings erupted from his back, and hit me in the face, gently, interrupting me from my attempts to run away from him. The longer I gazed upon the lustrous, snow-white expanse of his wings, the more mesmerized I became. Yet, I failed to discern the precise moment when these eye-catching wings had gone back into his muscular form before. With a sudden motion, he launched himself into the air, his wings beating against the wind. I shut my eyes tightly in response, scared of falling down, break my neck and die.
It seemed only moments ago, I was ready to die, to give myself up to the abyss. Or was I desperately trying to live, to breathe, to feel, and the water looked comforting enough to make me jump into its arms? And now the thought of jumping, drowning in the river made me fill with terror. I should be grateful I was saved. But my ego wouldn't allow me to do that and so I kept quiet all the way, not that I could speak, but still I stopped struggling to get off.
We came to a halt as he briskly set his feet on the ground whilst I was still hung around the shoulder like nothing. I opened my mouth to speak and was caught by surprise that I could actually speak now, "Can I get off now?"
He let his arm fall down which was snuck around my waist in a tight grip that I didn't notice was there until he put it down. I jumped off his height, stumbling a little and then standing straight, shivering.
"I am going to report you to the police, you fucker!" I said, looking around me. I saw a large open field with a few trees here and there. We weren't in that dense forest anymore that I tried so hard to escape. Another thing to be grateful for but yet again the words are stuck in my throat and I say nothing but, "Where are we?" The place was quite pleasant, at least in night. "Is this real? Am I dreaming? Did I already die?"
He sighed, "No. This is real." He said, "This is where you will learn about everything." He paused, gazing at the place, and then at my perplexed expression which could make a person laugh. He continued, "And train...and I'll tell you this beforehand. You don't have a choice."
I stared at him, goggle-eyed, in disbelief, "Shut up. No, seriously. The hell you keep spouting out? You don't tell me what to do!"
"Stop losing your temper over such little things. You have to learn to be calm at all times to save the world." He said casually.
"The fucking what now!?" I shouted. He just kept throwing absurd surprises. I was very close to believing that he was a escaped mental patient, I would have believed it if he didn't have wings.
Maybe I had some kind of mental disorder. It made sense, me having a mental disorder.
"Do you want me to shut you up again?" His eyes narrowed at her.
My footsteps faltered as I took a step back. I stood there, vulnerable and exposed to the harsh reality that was now staring me in the face. "What the fuck are you talking about?" I whispered, my voice barely audible above the pounding of my heart. "Okay. It's okay. You can tell me. Am I diagnosed with some kind of mental disorder?"
"Yes." He spoke with as serious as a face can be as he studied my body language.
I couldn't believe it if I wanted to. It was like a bomb had dropped on me, shattering everything I had ever believed about myself and the world around me. "Oh, no," I whispered. "Since when? What disorder?"
He pursed his lips for a moment then burst out in laughter, making me look at him weirdly. His laugh was very beautiful. I couldn't help but just stare at him, until he stopped.
"You were joking?" I asked. Maybe he was the patient.
"Yes." He said, chuckling.
"Not the appropriate moment, then." I mumbled, and then spoke a little louder, "Do you listen to yourself? You are saying that I have a world to protect?! I don't understand."
He cleared his throat, getting more serious, "This is real. The truth. And I'm sorry but you can't escape this."
"I can't believe it." I shook my head.
"I get this might be overwhelming-" He started but I interrupted by saying, "It's beyond overwhelming. i don't understand anything." Tears filled my eyes and I blinked them away.
"Selene, this is the truth. You are the saviour of the world."
I calmed myself down somehow, "But I am an individual, independent person and I can make my own decisions. And I make my decision to not save the world or anything. I don't have to believe you. I don't have to accept it." I said, nodding to myself.
"Do you not care for this world that gave you almost everything?"
A scoff escaped my lips, rude and bitter, as I heard his words. "Gave me everything? Really?" I muttered sarcastically, shaking my head in disbelief. "More like it took everything away from me." I felt a surge of anger and frustration rise within me as memories of all that I had lost flooded my mind. I had taken everything away from myself, true, but the world had not helped. It had been a cruel and unforgiving place, seeing me from the eyes of pure disgust.
I wanted to say more, to pour out all the pain and bitterness that had been festering inside me for so long. I wanted him to bear witness to the truth of my suffering, to see the depth of my wounds and understand why I could never be the savior he wanted me to be, all of a sudden. Hell, I still couldn't believe what he said.
But I held back, biting my tongue as I waited for him to reveal the true purpose of his words. He wouldn't dare mention anything about saving the world then, not when he saw the scars that stayed on my soul and the darkness that lurked in my heart. No, he would know better than to expect me to bear such a burden, for I was already struggling just to survive in this harsh and unforgiving world.
He furrowed his brows. "You rest today." He came forward, making me take a step backward. "The world is in great danger. And only your power can suffice to save this sphere we live on."
I frowned, "What powers? Are you crazy?"
"You have no idea what you're capable of, Selene."
I struggled to keep up with his words, but they swirled around me like a storm, leaving me feeling disoriented and lost. It was all overwhelming.
But then, as if he could sense my turmoil, he spoke up, his voice a calming presence in the chaos. "You rest," he said, his tone gentle but firm. "I will answer all of your questions, but not all at once. You must learn, Selene. It will help you and everyone. And you can do it. Only you can do it."
His words seemed useless. I was overwhelmed. So much was happening all at once, and I wanted to cry.
I shook my head, "This isn't true. You're playing with me. I can't believe this."