His pupils bounce between my eyes, only a brief moment where I can see him soaking in the fear that overcomes me as I sense her presence. His head ever so slightly turns, his eyes trailing along trying to gather any sense of her being here, remaining subtle in his expressions, I can feel his body tense above me.

There's a tight clench in his jaw and I can see how the world around him evaporates as he focuses on the tree lines behind him, already knowing his next move but waiting for the perfect moment.

There's a shift in his body and his face turns fully behind him, and just as I think he's about to do something, he simply stands up, his sword lowered at his side.

What is he doing?

"Serelia," he continues to scan the camp around us, but his muscles relax and the teeth in his jaw release. "There's no one there."

"What?" A gasp forms in my throat as I repeat his motion and stand besides him, my eyes trained onto the tree line, the figure no longer there. "She's here, Caesar... She was here at least. I saw-" My voice dwindles, not finishing my sentence, as I turn my attention back to him.

"Your mind is trying to get the best of you, preying on your fears. Don't let it." There's a calming sincerity as he speaks, probably thinking this is because of my nightmares from last night. I'm about to say more when he goes on to reassure me. "We've doubled our guard and defenses since the last Crimson appearance here. We're on top of everything to make sure that she or any of her pack can not get past one of our wolves without us knowing about it. I promise you, Doll, you're safe here." He lifts his sword and takes a couple of steps back so that he is now opposite of me once more. "Come on," he motions for me to do the same. "We'll train for a bit longer before going in for breakfast."

I can't help but look at the tree line past his head, waiting for the shadow to reappear. I know what I saw. I know that this isn't some trick of the mind. There was something there.

My tongue glides against my upper teeth before biting down, an impulse in me wanting to do something. To go over there and see for myself. But I trust Caesar, he wouldn't lie to me or say something he didn't believe was true. Breaking contact with the shadows, my eyes land on the ground beneath me. Everything's okay, I try to convince myself. There's a punching in my gut that is shouting at me otherwise, I go to pick up my sword from the ground. As I draw the weapon back up, settling my fingers around the hilt, I look back at the tree line one more time just in case.

It's there.

Emerging from the deep umbra, the darkened figure reemerges, still a shadow hiding in shadows, but the figure of a human outline is clear as ever. My body numbs, freezing over completely, and before I can scream, or say anything, or even blink, the silhouette swoops from its position far away and a dark haze travels towards me, consuming any light within my sight. An intense burning radiates through my skull, the haze incinerating any last light.

A flare rages in my eyes, blistering them as if turning them to ash. I want to scream, to allow the sound to surround me. But the sweltering in my throat doesn't allow that one, desperate relief I crave. Instead it is stuck in that void between my brain and vocal chords.

The flare ignites into a flame, a flash of light across darkened sights. The flashes pulsing between pure light and dark until there is nothing but light. The pain becomes so intense I begin to feel detached from my own body. Yet that is something too good to even wish for as the agony jolts across me. Every sense within begging for me to succumb to the pain, yet one by one those senses are cremated by the burning that only continues to grow hotter.

Then the light dims. The burning begins to cool. The pain softens to mere aching.

Then the fire becomes an explosion.

My vision goes red. Crimson red.

The pain I thought I felt before being nothing to the one that absorbs me now. There's nothing but pain and red. Losing consciousness, her voice vibrates in my head, keeping me alive.

Pain lasts seconds. The future is the only guarantee.

In the red, images begin to crystalize.

A wolf. Red eyes. White fur. Red and black smoke spreads across a scorching sky. Tick, tick, tick, a clock spins backwards and time reverses. A dagger pierces into flesh. Blood seeps into dirt. Its light sprinkle strengthens into a storm of blood, raining down until the soil stains red. Bodies float through a sea of blood. Weapons drifting besides them. A beating heart thumping, thumping, thumping. At least until it dies. Wolves. So many dead wolves.

The scorching within expels to the outside. The metal of the sword heats under my fingertips. Every sense my body possesses surcharges, an overwhelming that tires my frail being. My body becomes engulfed by each whisper of the wolves, the gust of wind that floods my ears, the steel of the sword in my palms, the sharp scent of the dew of wet grass, the metallic blood that trickles down my tongue and along my teeth. The stinging of a sharp itch spreads within my gut, my chest. Sharp claws scratch against my skin, the wolf that resides somewhere inside fighting to break free. These visions give it the power to resist whatever holds it inside. But I have no control.

The white wolf returns. Then there's another. A brown wolf. Golden eyes sparkling opposite of the white wolf's red. A sword falls from the stars. A million stars that glisten upon a blackened canvas. The blade strikes into the space between the two wolves. Uno morsu rubeus regnabit etched into the metal. The silhouettes of faceless beings distend along every tree in the surrounding forest. Their breaths form a thick fog through the air. One that rises high until the stars are no longer visible. Then they vanish. The two wolves are all that are remaining. Wait, no. There's one more. One more wolf that is still hiding in the shadows.

The blade brands itself into my flesh. Through the pain, the sword wills me to stand. My body lulls itself towards Caesar. In the brief flickers between the visions and I can see him, he dodges my attacks. A hiss stinging from his mouth as our blades collide. Any attempt I make to draw my arms away from him ends with my body pulling it back down. Harder, faster. Smarter against each move he makes. Something within was willing me to kill him. That I wouldn't stop until I did.

Stop. I need to stop. Why am I doing this? Why is she making me do this?

Nothing in my mind can process as the visions persist. Another seeps into my mind to block out any voice I have left. The flickers of reality blending until all I see is what she wants me to see.

A war of wolves. Or the end of one. Skeletons buried into the forest grounds. Blood drenching the fur of so many fallen Lupi. Me, kneeling in a land I've never seen. Hands, I think mine, dropping with the thick, red liquid. The shadow of a single wolf stretching over the piles of corpses, stretching over everything dead and gone. A single golden light flickering amidst the shadows. Rain pouring down, no longer a storm of blood, but of tears. Up until the golden light goes out.

The flames in my vision grow cold. The red that stretches across my sight dulls until the sun's light can finally pierce through. The claws remove their hold on my insides, no longer trying to break free. I regain control of my body, which instantly falls from the remaining suffering still afflicting me, though it continues to fade. My surroundings clear and find Caesar kneeling down in front of me.

When inhaling to breathe out a sigh of relief, solace that the pain is gone, one final burning flames across my body and the air sucks harshly into my lungs. These burns are more concentrated, running across my bare arms. No, not my arms. My scars, the ones from the accident. Stinging as if I am being cut all over again from the shards of glass. An even more painful reminder, one that they wanted me to feel.

One final blow of the pain agonizes as the world all too quickly surrounds me again. Her grasp finally releases its hold over me. A sobbing scream rings in my ears. A scream that strains every nerve and tears at the thin flesh in my throat as it frees itself. I realize that it's my scream that rings in my ears. A scream that strains every nerve and tears at the thin flesh in my throat as it frees itself. My fingers dig into the ground beneath, a warm liquid spilling as I pierce the ground.

My breathing eventually slows. The last of my screams belting out until my throat is completely raw. Caesar hovers above still, his face etched with panic. A heaviness keeps my head against the ground, only able to see what's right ahead of me. As my body struggles to recover, I take note of the blueness of the sky. The white clouds shaped across the vivid cyan. Caesar's hands scramble in front of him and I can feel him pry my fingers from the floor, drawing them up in his own. A dark fluid soaking my fingertips.

His head turns, scanning my body for injury until he reaches my face. His eyes find mine. His mouth moves to speak, but the ringing blocks out any sound of his voice. Yet the words "I'm sorry" that shape upon his lips are not hard to recognize, his eyes saying the exact same.

Still numbed from her control, I don't bother to try to move. Instead, my vision blurs, a wet heat streaking down my face. How much more of this pain will I need to endure? How will I survive this pain? Or worse? With his free hand, Caesar wipes the falling tears.

A large part of me wants to yield to the lasting pain. All of the flames and burning have died, yet there is a lasting impression within me that I'm not sure will recover anytime soon, if ever. An impression that wants to forever elude any more pain to come. Holding a desire to be buried where I currently lie, knowing that I did try but lost.

But I can't.

I need to hold on to the fact that there is so much more at stake than the few seconds of pain I will endure. With everything Caesar said to me in the forest last night, his belief in me, how can I let him down? Let everyone down.

I can't let myself down.

That starts with me getting back up.

*** 

Until then,

-Xxx