Vic and I slept through the night in his little cottage. It was no-doubt the best sleep I had had in a really long time. Vic held me in his arms, and I rested my head on his chest. I still remember we almost cried even when going to bed. I nagged like a child saying I didn't want to go home. Therefore, Vlad decided to let me stay, by spending the night somewhere else. Though I knew where he was headed to, I didn't stop him. Anya deserved love as much as I did, and Vlad was the absolute best for her. Vic and I chatted quite a lot before we went to bed, and it didn't even feel like we had just met a few weeks before. In fact, we really hadn't met a few weeks before, but centuries ago.
Vlad came to call me really early the next morning, and even though I was cuddled up against Vic and didn't want to let go, Vic advised me to go and get ready for the festival. But my heart ached as Vic mentioned about the festival. Did I really have to go with Caleb? After last night, the thought of being around him filled me with disgust. I made up my mind, it was now or never.
I sneaked in through the west of the garden. As I bid goodbye to Vlad, I slowly walked into my room. The sun had not fully risen yet, so I thought I was alone, but a voice behind me startled me. I turned to look around.
"Mom?"
Mom was sitting on my bed. She sighed as she saw me, and walked closer to me.
"Where were you?" She said imperatively. I gulped, almost losing every bit of confidence I had in me, but then looked her in the eyes and said, " I was outside."
Mom sighed again, knowing that it wasn't the answer she wanted to hear, but I didn't have any intentions of pleasing her anymore. Not after what she did yesterday.
"Why are you here, mom?" I asked, crossing my hands against my chest.
"Because I wanted to talk."
"I don't think there's anything to talk about."
"I do."
I looked at Mom's face for a moment and realized that Mom really wasn't looking impulsive anymore. Instead, her face showed regret, and her body language showed that she felt guilty.
"What is it?"
"Do you really love Vic?" Mom's sudden question shocked me a little.
"What?!"
"I asked if you have feelings for Vic, Moon. Not casual liking, genuine feelings."
"Yeah, I-I know what feelings mean, but- why are you… asking this to me all of a sudden?"
Mom came up to me and touched my cheek gently. Her eyes softened as she spoke.
"Honey, I might come off as rude sometimes, but trust me, all I ever want is for you to live happily and peacefully. I know, I know a lot of you think I'm impulsive for a lot of the decisions I took, but I only had the best intentions in mind, trust me."
I took my mother's hand off my face and held it in mine.
"And even then, sometimes those decisions do nothing but harm the one you care about, Mom."
Mom looked down apologetically, and then sighed, and finally looked up at me.
"I know I made yet another decision for you, Moon, but… I believe I won't be wrong this time."
I raised an eyebrow. I didn't understand what my mom was getting at. I didn't even understand why she was acting so kind all of a sudden.
"What do you mean?"
"Moon, I think… I think Vic and you should go together. For the festival."
"What did she say?!"
"Uhm- I'm sorry, what?!"
I couldn't believe my own ears. My MOM just said that? But- why? And how did this even happen? I was tearing up again, but then mom placed her hand on my shoulder and smiled at me.
"I'm sorry. I- acted impulsively, Moon. I wanted to secure a future for you, Moon. I wanted you to stay safe, but not at the cost of your dignity."
I looked at my mom confused.
"Do you… approve of… us?"
"I do."
Questions were still swarming my mind, but the happiness I felt at the moment, was unimaginable. Mom slowly walked past me and stood near the window, looking outside. She was thoughtful.
"I didn't have an easy past, Moon. I lost a lot… more than you know of. More than the story of my life says. That's why sometimes I have to be selfish… to protect you, and my family. But I can never… NEVER compromise with your happiness, Moon. You're my daughter. When I had nothing, your dad's love kept me going. That man stuck with me through thick and thin, and helped me out in my darkest days. I know what a loveless marriage feels like, Moon. And I also know how love can spontaneously change that. And I want you to have that love, Moon. No matter how much I… I have to go against myself, I want the absolute best for you. And Vic is, no-doubt the absolute best for you, my love."
I was not in control of myself anymore. I was sobbing as I listened to my mom. When she turned to look at me, she was sobbing too, but as soon as she saw me crying, she wiped her tears and smiled, walking up to me.
"Ey! Why are you crying, silly girl? Don't cry!" Mom pulled me into a tight hug, but I only sobbed more in her arms.
"Are you happy, Moon?"
I nodded. I knew words wouldn't do justice in showing how happy I was. I was so glad that my mom understood me, and finally accepted Vic.
"But-" I sniffled, "Why did you… despise him in the first place?" I asked as I pulled away. Mom, as if she didn't expect the question, shuffled a little, and then awkwardly laughed it off.
"Well, even you did, didn't you?" She laughed again, and then stroked my hair a bit.
"I didn't… despise him, Moon. I just- didn't want you to grow attached to someone with whom… you can't expect a future."
Mom's words didn't make sense, but her concern seemed genuine. During the days that I spent in Hestia, I thought mom was growing a stranger to us. Mom's sudden changed behavior scared all of us, but now at least she was willing to explain herself.
"It's okay, Mom. I understand." I said, hugging mom again. She pulled away slowly and wiped the tears off my face.
"Thank you." I held her hands in mine and said softly. But then, a thought crossed my mind as I looked out the window.
"It's almost dawn… Vic… he doesn't know yet."
Mom smiled. It was as if she had a solution to everything.
"Vic will join you on time, don't worry. Vlad offered to help."
"Vlad?" My eyes widened as I heard his name. A flush of red appeared on my cheeks, as I thought about Vlad and Anya spending the night together.
"H-How did you… come across-"
"I… Kind of caught them in the act. Anya and Vlad, I mean. He was here last night."
I facepalmed and turned around to avoid looking mom in the eyes. Gosh it must've been so embarrassing for her.
"This guy's really cheeky. I literally caught them in the act, but he kept saying they weren't doing anything. Anya was literally trying to run away. I mean- I just hope they used protection, or else-"
"MOM! WHAT THE HELL?" I shouted, feeling embarrassed.
"WHAT? I'M JUST SAYING THE TRUTH!" She said, as she shrugged.
"And well, even though I was kind of angry, I… decided to give myself some time." She once again seemed lost in her thoughts.
"Last night, after what happened in the living room… I- I felt really guilty. My ego told me to let it be, but… I'm a mother, Moon. I know when it hurts. I thought I'd talk to you personally, so I tried looking for you in your room, but you weren't there. So I thought I'd ask Anya and then… you know- that happened. And well, I… I'll be honest. I was struggling to accept it, but… I came back to your room and… spent the night thinking."
"And did you reach a conclusion?" I asked. Mom sighed and looked back at me.
"Hmm. I did." She smiled. "I thought that was obvious by now." Her smile slowly faded, as she then approached me and touched my cheeks affectionately.
"I love you so much, Moon. Always know that I care about you. And… And I want you to be strong. I want you to stand up for yourself like you did, always. I want you to be yourself, but also- don't trust blindly. Know when and whom to trust, okay?"
Mom's words made me emotional. It was as if she was bidding goodbye. I hugged her tight.
"I love you too, mom. I love you so much. Thank you for understanding me and believing in me. I promise I won't let you down. I promise…"
She stroked my hair. A few moments passed in silence. The peace that I felt from within was beautiful. Finally it felt like I was coming back to life after going through multiple nightmares.
"Now come on, you don't wanna get late." Mom said, and pulled away.
"Today, I'm gonna help you get ready." Her voice was enthusiastic, and it made me smile wide.
"I… I'll quickly go take a shower. You should go wake Anya up in the meantime, she's a sleepyhead anyway… and after last night…" I smirked and mom laughed out loud. It had been a long time since I heard her laugh so freely. It filled my heart with pure joy. I ran to the bathroom to quickly take a shower.
In about an hour, I was ready.
"What do you think?" Mom asked, a little nervously, since she did my makeup and hair. I stood up and twirled in front of the mirror, and took in the view. It almost took me a few minutes to realize it was actually me.
"Mom…"
"Yes?"
"I- I don't even look like me…"
"Oh God… is it… that bad? I- I'll see, wait-" Mom began nervously fiddling with my dress, when I stopped her.
"No, no, no… I look angelic, Mom! This- this doesn't even look like me! She's so pretty!" I smiled at my reflection in the mirror as mom heaved a sigh of relief. I turned to look at her and smiled.
"You do look wonderful, Moon." She said, as she took the moment to finally have a good look at me. But right then, disturbing everyone's peace, Anya ran into the room, whining about her dress.
"MOM!! ARE YOU DONE YET? COME HELP ME OUT!! I'M STRUGGLING HERE WITH THIS-" Anya paused and gasped, as she looked at me
"OH. MY GOD. MOON, IS THAT YOU?!"
I giggled happily.
"YES! DO I LOOK GOOD?" I squealed, and Anya almost threw her dress and ran up to me.
"OH MY GOD MOON YOU LOOK GORGEOUS!!!" She said as she held my hands and twirled me around. I was squeaking in excitement, while Mom laughed at us from the side. She then went ahead and picked up Anya's clothes, while Anya pulled me closer and whispered, "Vic really won't be able to take his eyes off you today."
Though I blushed a little, I smirked right back at her, and whispered, "Well, I'm sure he won't be as impressed as Vlad when he sees you."
Anya smiled and playfully hit me as we both laughed. She really seemed happier now that I was going with Vic and not Caleb. And to be honest, maybe it was because of Anya that I realized how toxic Caleb was and how wonderful Vic was. I was forever indebted to her for her strong personality and support.
"Anya, make it quick, hun. I'm taking your dress to your room, okay?" Mom said, and as she was about to leave, I went and pulled her back.
"Mom," I said. She looked back questioningly.
"Yes?"
"What about… Caleb?" I asked. Mom seemed clearly uncomfortable with the topic, but she didn't avoid the question.
"On second thought, Anya, take this and wait in your room. I'll be there in a minute." She addressed Anya, and Anya left the room obediently. Mom fidgeted with her fingers for quite a while, before she spoke.
"I- I don't have anything to hide, Moon. I… I gave Caleb a little bait for him to come."
"A… A bait?"
"I asked him to come and in exchange for it, I offered him money."
This came off as another shock to me. Mom was that desperate to make me stay away from Vic? But why?
"Just- don't ask any more questions, Moon. I know I did wrong, but… I rectified it already."
"What did you… do?" I asked in a low voice.
"Yesternight… After the fight between you two, Caleb came up to me and complained about your actions. He then proceeded to threaten me, saying he'd leave if I didn't school you for your actions. That was the last straw for me, Moon. I knew I brought him here for a reason, but… I wasn't going to take any disrespect from someone who loved nothing but money." She paused, as if thinking about her words, and then said, "I told him clearly yesterday that… your happiness mattered to me the most. I wasn't going to school you around just because he said so. I offered him the money, so I took it back. And… if I wanted to, I could've just sent him back yesterday, but… I told him to stay for the festival, since the festival is all about being compassionate. I told him he could stay and take pictures for his career in photography, but I warned him never to get close to you."
I sighed and nodded. I felt a mix of feelings in my heart. A part of me was relieved to hear mom's words, but a part of me still hurt so much because of Caleb's actions. This was the man I had loved for so many years. I snickered at my own thoughts. On one hand, there was Caleb, whom I knew and loved for years, and on the other hand, there was Vic, who made me feel loved and secured in just a few weeks. Fragments of my soul argued about the past and the present, while my mind was concerned about the future. And the only one who could give me hope, peace, and answers at the moment, was clearly Eternia…
Only a few people were roaming in the festival grounds so far. The sun had still not risen, but a soft glow was seen in the horizon. I walked towards the Türbeh alone. Anya was still getting ready, and Astra had gone to see how far Vlad and Vic were with their preparations. The rest of the Royals were getting ready as well. I had taken the keys to the Türbeh from Misaii already, so I approached the door and unclocked it, and walked inside. I opened the windows and as the lights filtered through, I saw the decorations in the room.
"Wow… Vic did a great job." I smiled, as I walked around the room, gawking at every single detail. Finally, I stood in front of Eternia's tomb, and closed my eyes in prayer.
"Dear Eternia, I don't know who you are. I have no idea if you can hear me, but I know my soul finds peace here. My reality is no longer my own reality. It keeps merging with a reality that I left behind me, centuries ago. The visions, the people in the visions, only tell me that I belong here, and that my whole being speaks of a story that I'm yet to discover.
My heart says there's a void in me, a hidden potential that I knew the secret to. But in the other life. In Dione's life. But do I still have the link to her life? Do I still possess the powers that she had? My questions remain unanswered to this day, Eternia. I know you brought Vic and me close again. Tell me, Eternia, where can I truly find my story? Where can I know about my purpose? Whom can I really trust?"
The festival of Eternia was for love, and compassion. People would often pray for good health, better relationships, better life. But my concerns were more important to me than everything else at the moment. Imagine living in a castle, but it's covered in fog. You have no idea where you are and what you'll do, but you have to keep moving, trying to avoid bumping into unexpected items all over. It's frustrating. But now that I was slowly getting closer to my reality, I wanted to get to know the whole picture.
I waited for an answer from Eternia, but I didn't get any. I opened my eyes, and looked at the Tomb again. It just laid there in its glory. People always found hope and peace when they prayed to Eternia, and even I found peace…but hope?
As if answering my questions and filling me with hope, when I turned around to head out, by Eternia's grace, I saw him standing at the door, smiling ever so gently at me. His blue-green eyes seemed to wipe away all my worries, saying, "I'm here. You don't need to worry about anything else, my love."
I looked at Vic and smiled. He was looking beautiful in the new outfit. He looked good even in his normal attire, but this one really seemed to bring out the beauty in him completely. His face was radiating confidence and serenity. I looked down and blushed, as I began walking towards him. Vic took a few steps towards me and stood right in front of me, looking me up and down.
"Would you stop shamelessly staring at me?! People are watching." I whispered, feeling my cheeks burning. Vic gently touched my chin and lifted my face so I was looking right at him.
"Well," he tucked a piece of hair behind my ear, "You were doing the same thing a while ago. And nobody's gonna talk about that since you were in the Türbeh? That's unfair."
Vic smirked at me and I couldn't help but smile and look away. Anya and Vlad had just arrived, followed by Astra, Mom and Dad. My grandparents and great-grandparents decided to stay home this year, since we were here to do the ritual this year.
Vic let me go as soon as he saw mom and dad approaching, and we joined Astra and Vlad. One by one, dad, mom, and Anya prayed, and the Türbeh was opened up to Vic, Vlad, Astra and finally the other people of Hestia. By 9 in the morning, people were swarming in front of the Türbeh with flowers and shiny pieces of fabric. We watched them from the side as they entered, and prayed. A lot of them even cried during praying. It made me realize how weak human beings actually were in front of nature. No matter how much they ignore the Türbeh for the rest of the year, this one day- they would gather around together, and pray until they found a ray of hope in their hearts.
"You're looking beautiful." Vic's voice brought me back.
"What?" My eyes widened at the sudden compliment, since all these sweet gestures were usually done by Vlad.
"Uh- I said… you're looking beautiful." Vic said again and blushed, without looking at me. I stifled a laugh looking at how naïve this big man was, in front of me.
"Thanks." I said, and looked away, smiling discreetly. Vic almost gasped and turned to look at me, and then looked away again.
"Ahem." He coughed. Though I understood what he was trying to get at, I kept ignoring his signs. I was trying really hard to not smile or laugh, but Vic continuously kept trying to get my attention.
"So um- ahem, did you… wanna say something… to me?"
I was stunned by how desperate Vic was, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore his signs anymore. I took a deep breath and put on my poker face as I turned to look at him.
"Hm? I don't think so, no… Why?"
Vic's face dropped.
"Oh. Um, nothing." He said in a low voice and looked away.
"Aw!" I really felt bad for him, and I couldn't control my laughter anymore. I burst out laughing like a mad woman, and then pulled Vic closer to me, resting my head on his chest. Vic was utterly confused, but he didn't move away.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I was joking…" I stopped to take a breath, and then continued, as I looked Vic up and down. "You look really handsome." I looked into his eyes. Vic's expression changed immediately and he smiled wide like a little child. He then heaved a sigh of relief and smiled back at me.
"Thank you. I-I was… I was kind of nervous. I mean- it… it's been a while since I wore clothes like these…"
Vic's smile was contagious. Even I started to smile at how relieved he was, but his words made me remember my conversation with Anya the other day…
"Do werewolves die?" I said.
"What?"
"Anya, answer my question. Do werewolves die?"
"I- I guess no. Unless someone turns them back into normal humans. That's only possible if someone is cursed to become a werewolf. If someone is born in a clan, that's not possible. They live forever, and transform on every full moon."
Though I was smiling at Vic, he was able to detect the slightest change of emotion on my face, and stopped smiling. He moved a little closer and looked at me carefully.
"Is everything alright?" He asked. I was silent for a moment, considering if I should bring this up now, or not. But there really was no use of hiding anything anymore. I was a part of a reality in which Vic played an important role. So hiding anything from him was useless.
"Yeah, yeah um- I-I am." I paused for a second and then continued, "Can I… ask you a question, if you don't mind?"
Vic smiled at how formal I was being, but in reality, I was still debating whether I should ask the question or not. I had to muster up a lot of my courage to even think about asking him. However, a part of me sort of already guessed what Vic's response could be. I did, at one point, want to think that the Vic that I saw in my visions, was someone else, but whatever happened in the past few days… especially that last vision that I saw with Misaii's help, made me realize that Hestia really had a dark side to it that I was yet to discover. There were still limitless possibilities, though, which was why I wanted to ask Vic about it to be sure. Vic, as if sensing my doubts, gently took me by the hand, and led the way to the river bank. The river bank usually remained desolate every day, but seeing it so desolate on the festival day took me by surprise.
"Go ahead. Ask me anything you want." Vic smiled at me softly. At this point, Vic's smile felt like the only thing that I could count on, to get courage. I took a deep breath and peered into his eyes. The events of that night when I was attacked by the wolf flashed before my eyes as if the wounds were still new. It was scary how accurately similar Vic's eyes were to the eyes of the predator.
"Are you a werewolf?"
My question came out too blunt, and I could see how uncomfortable it made Vic. Maybe uncomfortable was the wrong word. His face grew darker by the minute, and his face was riddled with concerns. It was as if Vic was living a normal, happy life just a moment ago, and now, my question made him face a thousand nightmares that he had been avoiding for at least a few centuries. For a second, Vic looked at me and tried to force a smile and change the topic, but failed miserably. He was struggling internally and I could see it on his face and in his body language. But then, Vic looked at me, almost apologetically, and said, "Yes."
It took a moment for me to realize the depth of the claim, and I realized that I really wasn't in a simple reality anymore. I was in a much deeper and mysterious reality, caught up in the web of a story that was spun centuries ago. I gulped, and took a few deep breaths before asking my second question. My heart had already anticipated the answer, but I still asked him anyway…
"Then… was it… you that night who…?"
Vic remained silent, but nodded. His face was contorted in pain, anger, guilt and frustration. As if it was a curse that he wanted to get rid of and never think of it again. I walked in front of Vic so he was unable to avoid my eyes anymore. I gently placed my palm on his face, turning his face towards me.
"Why did you let me go, then?"
"I didn't. I hurt you…" He was tearing up, and I could feel his soul being torn into shreds as he spoke about it.
"You let me live. You could've killed me if you wanted to, but-"
"No!" He interrupted me, "I- I could never… I could never harm you. I waited for you for ages, Moon. I lost you once, I couldn't afford to lose you twice." He couldn't help his tears anymore.
"I don't know if you think all this is a myth, Moon. But for people in Hestia, this is the reality." He turned to look at me. "Hetteno-Pavernio, Moon. Do you dare to know?"