The Enlivening
Selene stirred to her own pulse, a sluggish, consistent drone that reverberated in her ears. She flickered against the haziness, her brain hazy and muddled. The ground underneath her was cold and sodden, the aroma of greenery and earth filling her detects. Where am I?
Recollections of the lady's assault overflowed back, and frenzy flooded through her veins. She attempted to move however found her appendages weighty, similar to they were as of now not her own. The creepy tranquility of the timberland encompassed her, broken simply by the weak stirring of leaves in the breeze.
"You're alert."
The voice was sharp and new, hauling her out of the dimness. Selene turned her head, jumping as agony shot through her neck. A figure stood a couple of feet away, somewhat concealed in the shadows.
It wasn't the lady from previously. This figure was tall and lean, with dull dress that mixed into the evening. His face remained darkened, yet his presence was obvious — extraordinary, practically ruthless.
"Who… who are you?" Selene figured out how to croak, her throat dry. She attempted to sit up, her muscles hurting from the effect of the spell.
The man ventured forward, barely enough for her to get a brief look at his face. His elements were sharp, with high cheekbones and profound set eyes that glimmered with an odd light. He was attractive, in a hazardous kind of way, yet there was something about him that caused Selene's hair to stand on end.
"That is not significant at the present time," he said, his voice quiet however bound with power. "What makes a difference is that you've been checked."
"Denoted?" Selene's heart stammered. She looked down at her hands, looking for some sort of sign, yet her skin seemed solid. "Your meaning could be a little more obvious."
"You felt it, didn't you?" His voice brought down, practically like a snarl. "The power. The change inside you."
Selene's psyche dashed. She felt unique — more grounded, more honed, like the air around her was murmuring with energy. Yet, she had opportunity and willpower to handle it, not with all that had occurred. "I don't have any idea."
The man's lips twisted into a weak sneer. "You will."
Before Selene could answer, he moved with brutal speed, crossing the distance between them in a matter of seconds. He stooped before her, his face creeps from hers, and interestingly, she could see his eyes plainly. They weren't human. They were a profound golden, practically gleaming in the haziness, similar to a hunter following its prey.
Dread ripped at Selene's chest. "What is it that you expect from me?"
"I'm here to help you," he said delicately, however there was nothing consoling about his tone. "The one who went after you — Astrid — she's been watching you for quite a while. She needs your power, Selene. She'll persevere relentlessly to get it."
"Why me?" Selene murmured, her voice shaking. "I have no power."
The man raised an eyebrow. "You have no clue about what you are, isn't that right?"
Selene shook her head, her psyche turning with disarray. "I'm simply… me."
He laughed dimly, standing and orbiting her like a wolf evaluating its prey. "You're not simply you any longer. You're the remainder of the bloodline, the person who conveys the revile. The moon picked you, Selene. You're not kidding."
"The way to what?"
"Opportunity — or obliteration. Contingent upon who gets to you first."
The heaviness of his words pushed down on her, and Selene attempted to fathom the monstrosity of what he was talking about. The revile. The murmurs. The unusual association she felt to the timberland. Everything highlighted something greater, something frightening that she couldn't yet comprehend.
"For what reason would it be advisable for me I trust you?" she asked, constraining strength into her voice. "You haven't even let me know your name."
The man stopped, his eyes limiting somewhat. Briefly, he looked like he probably won't reply, however at that point he said, "I am Damien."
Selene's breath hitched. "The tracker?"
His grin enlarged. "The extremely one. Yet, haven't arrived to chase you. Not yet, in any case."
Damien's words sent a chill down her spine. She had heard gossipy tidbits about Damien Thorne, a baffling figure who had headed out from one town to another, continuously showing up when peculiar vanishings happened. Some called him a legend, a defender against the monsters that snuck in obscurity. Others murmured hazier stories — that he was more than human, that he chased animals as well as those with sorcery in their veins.
"I've been watching you as well," Damien proceeded, his voice a low thunder. "I needed to see with my own eyes in the event that the narratives were valid."
"What stories?"
"That you're the person who can break the revile."
Selene's heartbeat revived. "What revile?"
Damien halted before her, his eyes shining with force. "The revile that ties you to the moon. The scourge of the wolves."
Selene felt the world slant underneath her. "No… no, that can't be valid."
"You felt it, isn't that right? The strength, the murmurs. The manner in which the timberland addresses you. It's all important for the revile. Furthermore, it's simply going to get more grounded."
Selene's hands shuddered. The memory of the voice, the abnormal energy in her body, all came surging back. She had felt it. She simply hadn't had any desire to trust it.
"Why me?" she asked once more, her voice scarcely a murmur.
"Since you're the remainder of the Winters line," Damien said, his voice mellowing. "Your blood conveys the revile — and the ability to end it. That is the reason Astrid needs you."
"In any case, I don't have any idea how to break a revile," Selene said, her voice breaking. "I don't for even a moment figure out it."
Damien bowed next to her once more, his demeanor muddled. "You don't need to do this by itself. I can help you. However, you need to trust me."
Selene looked through his face, her heart beating in her chest. She couldn't say whether she could trust him — or anybody — yet she was hitting a dead end. The wolves, the murmurs, the assault from Astrid — it was all spiraling wild, and she had no clue about how to stop it.
"I couldn't say whether I would be able," she murmured.
Damien's look relaxed, only briefly. "You don't need to trust me yet. Yet, you want to remain alive long enough to sort out what's coming. Astrid will come for you in the future, and in the future, she won't leave you relaxing."
Selene gulped hard, the heaviness of his words settling over her like a shadow. She would have rather not been separated of any of this. She needed to return to being the standard young lady from Briar Empty. However, where it counts, she realize that life was at that point gone.
"I'll help you," Damien expressed, ascending to his feet. "Be that as it may, you need to pursue a decision. Remain and battle — or run."
Selene's psyche spun. She had no clue about what she was prepared to do, no thought what lay ahead. In any case, one thing was sure: the murmurs wouldn't stop. The dimness wouldn't withdraw.
What's more, she was unable to run from herself any longer.