SHADOWED SALVATION

"Run Melonie," my mother's friend, Evy, screamed out, causing me to jump in fear.

I stood there frozen, scared to move. My face crumpled like a piece of paper, my eyes welled up in tears as I stumbled backward, as if punched in the gut.

I stared at my mother, Maela, who was swallowed in sweats, fighting off some unexpected, scary animals.

"Melonie, you need to leave, run and hide. I promise to explain everything to you...RUN," my mother, Maela, screamed.

It was my eighteenth birthday; I had just returned from my party only to meet them fighting monsters.

"Is that a werewolf?" I thought to myself, shivering in fear.

The fight was toxic, and I felt like that thing was aiming at me for a reason.

Having no choice other than to flee from the scene, I dashed out of the house at full speed.

"What were they?" I murmured, frightened.

Hurrying back to my birthday party, I looked around for my best friend, Arlo, when I got hit by a young man, more like he was trying to pass through me but couldn't.

"Strange things are happening today," I muttered, frightened.

He stared at me curiously before looking away.

My best friend, Arlo, came closer, elbowing me back into reality.

"I heard you were looking for me," he blurted out.

"Yes, I am, I'm scared," I declared, clutching at his arm.

"Scared...why? It's your party, Melonie," Arlo stated, laughing sarcastically.

"I'm serious you idiot," I yelled out with seriousness.

"Alright...what's up," he calmly asked.

"Look at that guy and his friends," I blurted out.

"What guy?" Arlo asked in confusion.

"Those men standing right there," I insisted.

"I don't see men standing in the direction you are pointing at," Arlo screamed in frustration.

"What do you freaking mean you can't see anyone," I yelled back with intense frustration.

"Are you calling me crazy? Focus and look closely," I added.

"And when do I need to focus before I see something? I don't see anyone in that damn direction you are pointing at!" Arlo retorted with raised eyebrows.

"That's strange," I cried out, marching towards the strange man who kept staring back at me in the middle of his friends.

"What are you?" I blurted out, fearlessly.

"You can see us?" He asked to be certain.

"That's such a stupid question, I just spoke to you," I retorted.

"Why can't my friend see you?" I asked again.

"Simply put; we are from a different world," he responded.

"A different world? That's something only you should care about. What the hell are you doing at my birthday party?" I scolded in fury.

"I'm sorry, but the different world is now something you should care about," he replied with a smirk.

"I don't like you," I stated, shaking my head vigorously.

"That's not something we care about in our world. And guess what?" He announced.

"What?" I asked, anticipating.

"We are here for you. Seize her," he blurted out.

Immediately, rough hands bound my wrist, rendering me helpless. The feeling of being completely at the mercy of my captors was a crushing weight, threatening to consume me whole.

It was like a vise, squeezing the life out of me as I struggled to break free.

"I know what you are thinking, but we are not your enemy. We are here to make sure you are safe. you can call me Arwan," he explained.

"Don't you think telling me what is going on is more trustworthy than holding me down like a criminal?" I asked in anger.

"Melonie, your new age activated something in our world, like in other realms. You are a very powerful tool, and as we speak, things from different realms are searching for you," Arwan declared.

"You know my name? Crazy!!! That's not the point. What do you mean by my new age activated something?" I asked, frightened.

​"You turned eighteen today. That was a very loud bell in a different realm. You are in danger, Melonie. We are only here to help you" he stated calmly.

"Who the heck are you talking to?" Arlo yelled out.

I turned to find him staring at me in shock and confusion.

"Have you been watching me the whole time?" I asked, perplexed.

"Yes, I thought you were making a speech until the speech turned into war. You were yelling violently. And I thought you were just stressed until I heard something about an activation. Tell me the truth, be sincere. Are you crazyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?" Arlo asked, ogling at me.

"He needs to leave," Arwan cautioned.

"Please keep quiet you unseen spirit," I scolded.

"What is going on?" Arlo cried out.

"I have just two words for you, Arlo. Avoid me!" I warned him, walking away, along with the unseen men walking with me.

"Why can't people see you?" I asked, surprised.

"It's something we can activate and deactivate," Arwan calmly replied.

"Where are we going?" I suddenly froze and asked.

"We are going to the portal to our realm. Somewhere you will be safe until you know how to fight back," He stated.

"No, I can't, my mother was..." I swallowed hard; the sentence felt stuck in my throat.

"She was fighting off some animals, and they yelled at me to run, including her friend," I added.

"Evy and Maela are dead," Arwan blurted out.

"I don't understand," I yelled.

"Your mother, Maela, and her friend, Evy, died fighting for you," he declared.

His words echoed in my head, I felt like my spirit brutally jumped out of my flesh.

My eyes turned red, and my body shut down in pain.

"I...don't -believe you," I stammered, trying to push away the heartbreak that I was trying hard to visit.

"We don't have time to check up on her, we need to get you out of here," Arwan warned.

"You think I care?" I asked, laughing sarcastically.

"My mother is out there, and you are offering to keep me safe?" I added.

"Your mother is dead," he retorted.

"I'd rather find out myself. I can't trust some invisible creature who jumps out of nowhere claiming to want to save me. How am I sure you are not the enemy?" I responded.

"If you want to see your dead mother so desperately, we can portal you there," he suggested and held my hand.

After a swap of a few seconds, we were in my house.

I stood there shocked; what unbelievable thing just happened? But that wasn't enough things for me to be worried about. I spotted my mother and her friend, Evy, lying lifelessly on the ground.

My eyes widened in horror like a door was slammed shut in my face. As I whispered "no, no, no" over and over.

My eyebrows shot up in shock, my face pale & clammy, my chin trembled like a leaf, my lips quivering as I tried to hold back sobs, my eyes brimming with tears.

"M-mother, wh-at, what-happened here? You- p-promised to explain things to me," I stammered.

"We need to leave now, Melonie," Arwan called out.

"I saw it," I declared.

"What did you see?" He calmly asked.

"The thing that did this to my mother and her friend. It was a werewolf, right?" I asked, still trying to understand.

"No, it wasn't a werewolf. But it came for you and not them. They were used as a sacrifice to get to you," he blurted out.​

I stared back at him in shock.

"So what was it?" I couldn't stop myself from asking.

​"An apex predator. A being from another realm, taking on a wolf-like form to hunt and devour human prey with abilities far surpassing those of a werewolf. They are very dangerous and...they will be back, Melonie...for you!"

The death of my mother took a lot from me, but the fact that I woke up one morning to celebrate my birthday only to discover that I was wanted in an unseen world brutally was even more draining, scary and exhausting.

"We need to go now," Arwan sounded behind me, dragging me back into the reality i was avoiding.

"What?" I asked in disappointment.

"I said, we need to leave," he retorted.

"Can you please deactivate that thing that is making you invisible? I need to see you properly," I requested sarcastically.

"Melonie, we need to leave, we don't have much time," Arwan calmly stated.

"My mother just died," I yelled.

"And you will die too if you don't snap out of it," he yelled back.

"Do you not have feelings...Arwan?" I asked out of nowhere, shocked at how no one cared that a young girl had just lost her only parent.

"I'm sorry, but my mission here is to save you. In peace or pieces, dead or alive. and yes; I dont have emotions," he retorted, carelessly.

"What?" I yelled in shock as he gripped my wrist brutally and led me outside.

"Let me go, or I'll scream," I threatened with a serious face, enough to make him realize I meant everything I said.

"I'm invisible to humans right now girl, no one can see me. So go on and scream... you will only look crazy," he calmly replied.

The rest of the team that came with him chuckled, but I didn't find it funny. I didn't find anything about my life funny.

We got outside the building, and Arwan motioned someone to create a portal.

I gawked at them, just like that, a day in my life everything suddenly changed...it changed from good to worse and I could only stand on a thread of hope that things wouldn't get any worse than they already are.

Soon, I was standing in front of a huge building, amazed by the large features of the building. I couldn't help but ask.

"Where are we?" I asked, perplexed.

"Another dimension, the surrounding walls, cannot be penetrated by things from other realms," Arwan responded.

"Things... are these real? I mean the building and everything," I asked again.

"No! They were projected. Nothing you see around you is real," he replied softly.

"Not real, so why are we here? Where exactly are we going," I asked, unsure.

"We are where we are supposed to be...and we are going down," he retorted, pointing down.

After a snap of a finger, the ground opened, and we climbed down the tunnel. I stared at him in expectation but nothing happened.

"Okay...where's everyone?" I asked, gawking at him.

"They are right here," Arwan replied.

"I don't see anything or anyone," I yelled in frustration.

"You have to activate it, Melonie, you are eighteen years old now," he retorted.

"And how am I supposed to do that?" I asked from exhaustion.

"Accept who you are, Melonie," he blurted out.

"Who am I? I don't even know who I am anymore. A day ago I was a normal high school girl, and now..." I retorted.

"I don't know who or what I am anymore," I cried out, desperate for answers.

"You'll have to stay out here until you can activate it... that's the only door in," Arwan firmly stated, and before I could protest, they all vanished into thin air.

I stared into the empty tunnel in fear and dissatisfaction.

"He-help," I stammered, frightened.

"Somebody...anybody," I yelled out.

"Who am I?" I muttered with teary eyes.

"You are Melonie Aeron, the daughter of Warrick Aeron..." an old woman's voice echoed deep in the tunnel, making me jump in fear.

"Who are you and why do you know my name...why does everyone know my name," I whispered, frightened.

"Follow the sound of my voice, and you shall find me," she retorted, making my fear multiply.

Reluctantly, I pushed my legs forward, inspecting the dark tunnel. After taking a few steps, an old woman appeared in the dark.

I ran back in panic; it was obvious she had come out of nowhere.

"You have questions, I'm here to give you answers," the old woman blurted out.

I froze. Indeed, I wanted answers that no one was willing to give.

I turned around, taking that as a yes, and she started talking.

"Thousands of years ago, a forbidden child was born. It was forbidden for two different realms to be together, but sadly, it happened and bore a forbidden fruit. That child was frozen for a thousand years but after so many fights and battles for that child, she was taken to the mundane world to be taken care of by a human," the old woman blurted out.

"Who is the child and what does it have to do with me?" I asked, unsure.

"You are Melonie Aeron, the forbidden fruit," She declared.

I stared at her in terror, those words that easily fell off her mouth felt too heavy to carry.

"I-I-I don't understand...are you indirectly telling me that I was frozen for a thousand years and who I called my mother is not my birth mother?" I yelled out to be assured.

"You are correct." She stated.

Even though I was trying very hard to understand, my questions multiplied with every answer I got, like the realms my two parents are from. Who or what are those things fighting for me? What killed, and why did it kill my mundane parents? What or where are my real parents? And most importantly...what am I?

"To be honest, I am still confused. I have so many questions I'm not sure how to ask," I blurted out truthfully.

"I know the questions you have; I'll try to give you a better answer," she assured me and I nodded in acceptance, walking closer.

"Your mother is a lycanthropic dragon, a powerful dragon with the ability to take on wolf-like forms, breathing fire and destruction, while your father is an Apex predator, a being from another realm, taking on a wolf-like form to hunt and devour human prey, with abilities surpassing that of a werewolf," she stated.

"I'm sorry, but all this still doesn't make any sense. If my father is an Apex predator and my mother is a lycanthropic dragon which is hardly possible... then what the hell am I?" I asked. That is the only thing I was desperate to know at that moment.

"You are a hybrid, a dragon wolf... a forbidden seed, one that has never happened and should never have happen. A nightmare to our world. You were frozen for a thousand years, it was enough to kill you, but you just wouldn't die. And now... you have to fight for life, every breath you breathe without the enemy hunting you down is a blessing. Isn't this what you were so desperate to know? Dear Melonie Aeron."

I went ice-cold, horrified, some news is just too thick to be accepted.

I felt like I had been dropped into a dark abyss, with no safety net to catch my fall.

"I-I- I am- what did you say I am?" I stammered, refusing to accept whatever she had just said.

"I'll move on to the next question," She retorted, uninterested in repeating what she said a few seconds ago.

"A lot of things are after you, those that killed your Mundane parents are Apex predators," she stated.

"I already know that... I guess they came for me, didn't they?" I retorted.

"Who sent them to find me?" I asked, in an attempt to know who my enemies were.

"Don't waste your time, Melonie, your enemies are too many, you can't name them all," she declared.

"Who commanded those things to kill my mother?" I yelled out in fury.

"And what would you do? What can you do?" She asked and scoffed.

"Tell me," I retorted.

"Your father, your real father... he wants you dead," she blurted out.

I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think. My mind raced, but my body felt paralyzed. I wanted to scream, to cry, to run away. But I couldn't move.

"My father is still alive...why does he-wa-want me dead," I stammered, unable to comprehend how mean he could be to want his daughter dead.

"You are a threat to his strength, Melonie, two powerful beings from different realms came together and bore a seed, do you know how powerful you are?" She stated, gawking at me in pity.

"It's a lot of Budden to carry," she added.

"And my mother...where is my mother?" I asked, returning her stare.

"She died during childbirth; you were not like other children. She was the sacrifice for your birth," she blurted out.

With that, my world came crashing down around me, leaving me shattered and broken.

"You shall watch every single person around you, everyone you love die as a sacrifice for your safety," she declared.

The word struck me hard, my heart felt like it had been ripped from my chest leaving a gaping hole that could never be filled.

"If I should be dead then why am I here? Why did people save me? Tell me why!!!" I screamed in agony.

"Because you can also be the savior," she retorted.

"What does that mean?" I asked, clutching onto my hair in frustration.

"You need to find out that answer yourself," she responded.

"How do I get in? I was locked out because I couldn't go in," I requested, too sad to cry.

"By accepting who you are. By accepting that you are the forbidden seed, by accepting that your existence is a nightmare to every realm. You are Melonie Aeron...The forbidden seed!" She responded brutally. And with that, she disappeared into thin air.

"WAIT!!!" I yelled, but my cry for help was rejected.

"Don't go... I need..." I whispered, breaking down in uncontrollable tears.

I wept with depths of sorrow that shook my entire body as if the weight of my grief was crushing me.

"Who am I?" I muttered as bitter tears scalded my cheeks, a physical manifestation of the pain that seared my heart.

"I am Melonie Aeron... The forbidden seed," I started will all acceptance and unwaveringly.

I felt an unexpected rush of power, as if my muscles had been electrified as I lifted the weight with ease.

My body flooded with a newfound vitality and I summoned the strength to overcome the obstacle that had seemed insurmountable.

My eyeballs turned yellow, and my ears soared like a wolf with my hands covered in flames.

A sudden jolt of energy ignited within me as if my muscles had been electrified. Surrounding my entire body as I lifted the weight with ease.

"What the hell is this?" I whispered, surprised.

"Dragon blaze," a lady's voice rang in my ears.

I glanced at her in shock and, suddenly, I was surrounded by a lot of people.

"What just happened?" I asked, surprised.

"You lifted your Budden and activated who you truly are. It gave you access to the gates of this institute," she warmly responded, smiling.

"Welcome home," they said in unison.

"Home? Are you all like me?" I couldn't help but ask with the warm welcome I received.

"Not exactly, you are a half-cast from two different realms, like a werewolf hybrid ...we are a lycanthropic dragon, we create blaze, breathe it out, and control it while You are a dragon wolf, the most powerful creature existing, realms upon realms shall flee at the sight of you. even the most powerful people can't hurt you," she declared.

"If I am dangerous, why did your people save me? why does everyone here welcome me? you called it my home," I retorted, confused.

"Because we are your people. Your mother was also a lycanthropic dragon, our leader. A mighty warrior," she declared warmly.

"Y-you know my mother?" I stammered sadly, I had to hear of my mother from a stranger.

"No! None of us have seen your mother except for the old leaders we have. She is a legend, someone we'll praise forever...we were taught about her, how she saved our realm, and how she died. But that's all we know," She calmly responded.

"You were also our legend; we were taught about you. the child the bore that was frozen for 1000 years. A dragon wolf, something that never existed. I could never have imagined that one day I'd be standing in front of a legend. I'm so thrilled to meet you. I'm Clara," she stated happily.

"Hi Clara, I'm Melonie. I'm honored to meet you too," I softly retorted, sending her a fake smile because still, I was not happy.

"I know who you are, everyone here knows who you are. Come, let me show you to your room," Clara suggested, holding my hand kindly to point me the way.

As we walked over, I felt the weight of their fearful stares, like a thousand daggers piercing my skin, as they cowered in my presence.

I saw the fear in their eyes, like a reflection of my own darkness, as they trembled before me.

"They are scared of me," I whispered, disappointed.

"It's normal Melonie, only you here don't know who you are, but we all do. They will get over it; you just have to prove it to them," Clara stated, tapping my shoulders to assure me.

"What exactly am I to prove to them," I asked, unsure.

"That you are not the monster they hope you won't become," Clara blurted out.

"I won't hurt anyone," I argued, assured.

"People change," Clara protested.

"I can't even hurt a fly, Clara," I retorted.

"Well, I assure you, soon you will be able to hunt a tiger," she responded and smirked.

"And where do you think you are taking her to?" an elderly woman's voice echoed behind us.

"Good day ma'am... I'm taking her to her room, ma'am, she must be exhausted," Clara stated respectfully.

"How dare you make that decision on your own? She's dangerous, she belongs in a cage. At least until we are sure you won't get us killed.

"Lock her up!!!"