The Alphas Curse

In a faraway village, there live a folks that live a not-so-ordinary life. The Alpha who live in secret is thought to be the one protecting them and install peace for more than a years now, while the Elderly, the village council, are those who propose major changes inside the Village. Just like always, they are to be prepared to the curse that long circulated the village way back the three generation of the leading Alpha.

"Wouldn't it better to find our Alphas' Luna before the curse begun to pull our village to death?"

"The curse is not that simple to break. Especially if we are not know what really it is," Elera responded. She's a novice Enchantress, and was like try to disregarded the Elderly proposed concept to combat the crisis.

She show her respect and show them she's not just novice, smile devilishly as if own the Meeting Room. She added after the long pause, "We all know that curse is inevitable that cannot be lifted nor own just for display. It is strongly enough to bound the moment you least expected it. But the least we can do is to know when and where it begun...and why the Alpha's Luna is the one who will suffer-"

Iliyo grabbed her from the center, makes everyone in the room confused to what happen between them.

"What do you think you're doing, Elera?" Iliyo whisper angrily but smile as he faced everyone in the room. He is the Council's representative, and the fact that someone stole the chance for him to talk infront of every person in the room, is something he couldn't let aside. "Don't you see we're in the middle of discussion? I am trying to propose a change-"

Elera stopped him, "Of course, I'm not that stupid, Iliyo. Unlike you," she said, trying to sounds as if she is better than him.

They are whispering to each other, as if no one have watching their every movements.

"I mean it in the good way," Elera added, "so don't let everyone knows how short-tempared you are-"

"Don't you dare tell me to calm myself," he said, unconsciously pointed the deadly spear to Elera-- a weakness of every enchantress. "As if I'm not at all calm! I calm as lake, Elera!"

Everyone gasped in desbelief, especially those enchantress like Elera when Illiyo pointed the spear Their eyes shown impression of disappointment at Iliyo, they didn't expect someone like him to show such disgrace infront of their very eyes.

"Is that so? Are you really calm as lake, hm?" Elera couldn't contain her amazement to ever provoke someone like Illiyo as easy as weeds to wipe in her way. However, deep inside, when she realized the faces of everone in the room, she instantly feel her heartbeat getting crazy. He curse Illiyo for being such a foolish person to ever live! And it seem that he did not even realize the very eyes that pointed at him. She gritted her teeth. What she after is to persuade this people as high as heaven to acknowledge her words. But whatever way she try to communicate with Illiyo to remind her to calm himself, the foolish bastard drawn again in his foolishness, as if forgot the people around them.

Somehow she feel regrets when he deliever himself to his own humiliation. But she couldn't stop, not for someone like Iliyo, someone who don't have knowledge and yet...try something that may worsen a situation!

She calm herself and conclude that this foolish bastard deserve the hate that have pointed at him, pouring deeply within. As for her, she can easily disregard every gazes that pointed at her and smile as if shy and don't know why Illiyo grab her from the center.

With cooly voice, she said, "A calm as lake man wouldn't point his spear as a weakness of someone." She sounded as if lecturing the foolish person to ever grab her to such a difficult situation. She keep her devilish smile deeply within her as she got what she wanted, and even whisper, "Especially to an innocent, kindhearted me."

Illiyo eyes bulge, and blue veins started to appear in his face as he glared in response. "You..."

It was at this point that the two of them interupted, before Illiyo can even try to countereffect the situation. "Enough!" Arissa said with authorize voice. As a Council's Leader, she can't help but stared at the both of them, especially Illiyo, with disappointment. Together with her dismayed voice, her eyes shone a deadly warning before facing everyone with apolegetic but soliciting understanding. Voice serious, she said, "We're here not for our personal issue, but the issue that may hunt the Village to death. This two knows no boundaries on their own conflict, therefore they will keep their mouth as punishment during the whole meeting." She stood at the center, poise akin to a mother lecturing her children, then seemingly told everyone to be quite if not necessary to keep bubbling nonsense, and glared secretly after to the two that simutaneously behave themeselves.

"We're here for the Alpha's boundful crisis," she continue, and sigh heartfully as if thinking for something. She glance to the mountain afar that surrounded by fog, but in reality was a coolest mist that left over of a deadly blood-stained snow. "You know that the Alpha is our protector from unknown enemies. Therefore, I hereby declared to bestowed him with favor. Let our ability be have its purpose!"

The whole time, Elera felt like her purpose collapse to million pieces. He glared to the foolish bastard before finally sat next to a terrifying creatures. Though Elera don't even bother the true form of unidentified man but seems like a woman in appearance. As if she connected to him in some ways, and that she doesn't feel threatened. When her eyes met Illiyo, she hurrily mouthed,

'It's your fault.' Eliyo's face darkened and in response to her decisive action, heave a deeply sigh and curse the woman in multiple ways. He looks exactly the way an untamed wolf ready itself to devoured every inch of provoking prey.

Elera taken aback by sensation of deadly crise, as if being eaten by Illiyo. Before she could relax in her seat after looking away, she locked eyes with the man she seated with; the master of enchantress, her teacher who looks so disappointed but deeply strange glow can be shown in eyes, as if thinking for something. In response, Elera smile shamelessly at her master, and make a peace sign, and trying not to mind the disappointed in his face, she close her eyes to find the strength.

**

After the so-called meeting, Elera angered with the fact that the Council are trying very hard to pursue what they called the right way to prevent the-so-called curse.

"Curse them!" she exclaimed. "Why did they even believe about curses? It's a waste of time!"

"You mean the Council wasting its time for nothing?" Iliyo sounds curious. "Why do say such thing, Elera?"

She faced him, "You're nosy, don't you know that? Not suit you at all," she said, looks so disgusted seeing him. She smile when he looks like ready himself to smash her face once again, things that she is confident will never happen. That's maybe why she is brave enough to say what in her mind, like, "What a pity for a council representative. Oh, can I say a creepy one who don't know a thing? You're so stupid on agreeing to that nonsense!"

"You!" He growled, not at all please to hear what she babbling about. "Don't you ever insult me, nor the decision made of majority!" He almost hit her with the Spear.

She step back before that happened, gasped, and in shock. She very know how deadly the spear is, yet Iliyo try to smash it for real, for her?

"You..."

"W-what?"

She just waves her hand, step back, and try not to be affected at all. "S-see you around?" She gulped and move backward more. "And y-yeah, don't just tell me I haven't warned you at all," she added, not at all certain if she had to. But she said, almost a whisper, "that decision will dangered not only the Luna but the whole Village itself. But maybe...maybe I should not be bothered anymore." With that, Elera find herself almost not breathing, the line between life and death is almost in her reach. She trouble hiding the tension in her every step, the fact that everybody try to search someone that may not existed at all is something that she have to discover before anyone else.

"I have to find what the curse is all about," she whisper as she head the hill.

***

It was passed the midnight, the silence prevail. Every light in the house built in woods and bamboos are just disappeared. But one house near the hill is lighten by a visitor in black-hood, silently knock the door and whispered an enchantment to dissipated the noise it creates.

Inside, a woman who cover her shocked face, heard noises of the enchantment. It brings strange in her whole existence. She suddenly felt sickness, likely to throw up as she smell blood, a fresh blood that horrored her face. She have a thought that it's just a dream, but how can she smell if only it is just a dream?

She doubted everything she see, but at that moment, it is a new nightmare that she never have the chance to doubt of. It feels...so real.

But why...of all time, why now?

She try to reach for an answer, but situation couldn't let her. It is her birthday, but no one greeted her. She never have expected that nightmare is the only thing that remember.

Bloody Moon seen as the window open by the sudden wind. She startled, eyes bigger and gasped for air to breathe. She felt she couldn't breathe properly as something strange block the sight of the bloody moon that feels like burning. It is just suddenly that the window shut again, but sight of someone stared directly hunted her whole existence.

What is that thing? Not the only questions that cross her mind. It is something more deadly: Why that thing exist and makes her life miserable?

She heard voice as footsteps dissipitated after the window closed. It called her name, begging something as someone enchant a familiar enchantment outside the closed door. It was a familiar voices but she coundn't recall where she heard it. A familiar voice that touch her trembling heart to rest. It instruct her to just close her eyes.

Before she could find the strength to ask, a familiar scent invade the room, mixed the smell of blood that added and poured at the wooden floor. But she couldn't understand where the blood came from, she's not at all injure or have wound. Or she just don't know anymore?

Since she saw a flood of blood in her dreams, she have been trying to avoid to wounded herself to triggered it. She thought it is the way to not dream the bloodshed, but why...why it is happening again?

As she thought of it, her heart felt like beating weakly. That's when she notice a hole that open in her chest, directly reach her heart and weakened it more.

The voice become desperate, as if beg to let the door open, as if know what have happened.

"Please, do what I say..."

She felt the never-ending sensation, even her chest feel as if pulling her to death. "W-why?"

Now she cough blood, made her to smile bitterly. She want to reach those strange being whose voice is familiar, but she stopped herself to scream for help. She don't want a help of those being, a strange being who keep visiting her.

"W-what do you want?"

With a pain grew in her chest, she stumbled at her feet. As if the fire grew and escaped her body, she felt the flame burned everything around.

She silently scream in pain, not to let strangers find victory in her every scream is what makes her survived until this moment.

"Why..." She begged for answers, but silence is the answer she have continuosly received. Tears have dried out and blood continued dripping from her wounded heart.

"S-sleep," voice commanded after the silence, after the enchantmen. "That's the only way to end the pain..."

She tried not to closed her eyes but the pain is unbearable, she heard the voice but she don't understand at all.

"Why..." She try to ask for the last time but her wounded heart started to beat less and less...until it rest forever.

That very moment, the scream of agony wake the Village to a deadly uproar.

"I'll never forgive them!" Accompany by the voice that cracked with determination, tears rolled out together with the lifeless body that trumbled inside the peaceful home. "I'll makes sure they will never touch you ever again!"

Mariya shut her eyes the hard way, feel the sudden pain all over her head. She groaned weakly; breathe in, breathe out, continuously. Sweat form in her forehead as she try pull herself together and risen from the mud. When she finally do that, she scan the surrounding, and her eyes widen. "Where...am I?"

Before the question consume her, she wipe the sticky dirt in one go. Dirt is a common sight all over her casual clothe and it takes awhile to successfully wipe it out. And then she groaned, she have no recollection to what happened and what sort of thing happens that lead her to her current state. What left in her is determination to remain standing, and for what kind of place she is at as of this moment, she has the feeling that she knew it very well.

"So this the place...?" she murmured. As she scanned around, a highest heaven materialist in front of her, even the tallest mountain near to where she standing. It tallest that even when she realist that she is on top of a nearby mountain, she grasp to see that the surface below is endless. Mist cover the body of the mountain. From afar it looks exactly like a flowing blood, however, Mariya see through the reality, the bloodiest sight was infact was a mist that akin for something that blows in a winter.

She feel light as she head the trail goes down, trying to see the deep of the surface. She don't bother question how she is ends up at the top of nowhere anymore. The more she thought about the bizzareness of surrounding, memories flows that stab her heart a million pieces. Though even if she does question and learn an answer for something, she have the slightest feeling that it do nothing to change and block her way.

As she goes down and down to the surface of the ground, the fog that envelop the mountain she is currently trap with, heaviness of surrounding scream curse all over her body, freezing her blood and shiver the slightest hope that she barely feel as of this moment. It makes her feeling like suffocating. Adding the fact that she couldn't see through the path she's walking because of the fog; as the time passsed, the surrounding becoming dim. Though she is determined to not waste a golden time, she have not rash things out. If she don't want to experience the same thing like waking up in somewhere unknown and at the top of nowhere again, then she has to takes extra care over and over again.

"What should I do?" she asked as she close her eyes to feel the hardness of the earth. She have to calm her breathing first, then think and plan things out.

What she is certain though despite the confussion is that she has the destination. And that makes her more determined, much more as a familiar image of someone she know flash before her eyes. Those time where she couldn't have to think much about life and only thought about the day; moment that everything feels so good and free. Were she to comb the hair of that someone that seen much of what life can offer and experience about in her age. Those precious hair that suddenly drench in blood one of the cruel night in this lifetime.

"Grandma, I," she whisper as her heart throbbing deeply like being stab a million times, tears flows smoothly to the ground, "I'll make them pay." At the distance, she saw her, her grandma smiling at her, smiling as if she guiding her all the way. "Mariya promise... Grandma, you don't have to feel sad anymore."

She don't rash thing but neither wasting the golden time. She wouldn't wait for the fog to vanish on its own. She have to continue and strive whatever block in her way; the fog is one of those blockness that she has to scattered whatever it takes. Now that she only has her own, she has to survive without the assitance of others. Not that she want a help coming from anyone, on all of her life, she only have her grandma, the only one person she let to assist her and remind her that she is enough and she can battle tge ferocity of the world of unknown that contain a ferocious and vicious being.

Time passed. However patience she put, the fog challenge her to spit curses to it. "Fudge! What an endless, hard-fudging stream of fog!" It as if this fog cemented and put all its heaviness through her existence, as if a new kind of rainfall that has no way to pour gently but an ocean that poured on her one and for all. Even the air couldn't be trusted, it undeniably creepy and blows from above with intensity that as the time passed, becoming a ferocious beast. And she has been holding her breathe for a pretty long time now.

She has to survive the danger of this mountain!

And the only thing that came up in her mind is to let the blows of a harshful air to be at her advantage. She notice earlier that the ground almost endlessly. If she let herself fall, she can plan how to land safely. And doing so enable her to get out to the ravaging fog that as the time passed she realized it after her breathing heart. It as if it trying to possess her heart and then stop it from breathing once and for all.

"I have to go broke..."

As she close her eyes, she feel the lightness that she feeling at the top of the moutain, when she feel like the ravaging fog poured aside, she viciously jump as if seeing a cliff of hope for fthe first time. Before she knew it, the vicious wind blows in an unbelievable speed. The air makes it more easy to breathe now as if the inside of the vicious wind is a gentle place to find release.

Doing so maybe a crazy stand, but this a chance to find hope. If she continued endlessly to find the path of the surface of the ground with the presence of the fog, then she is not Mariya who knows foresight. She has the bit of instinct that enable her to feel that the fog is a curse place that incircled her and bound her to it eternally. By the help of the vicious wind the attacking the fog on the outside, but inside gently rob it aside. To reach the ground and get out from the mountain; one has to take advantage of hopelessness to be brave and risk for a chance to survive. And to have a safe trip to reach the ground, she calm herself and plan a safest fall.

It is not the first time she fell from the highest part to reach a surface of the ground safely. Since she practice something strange like exercersing the fall and feel the essence of the world around, she have been her guess tge reason to do so. And as of this moment, she smiled thinking about her grandma. "I finally understand..." she thought. Then she feel confuse arising. "Grandma, you... Did you foresight that I need to survive the mountain like this?"

Her eyes widen. Her guess couldn't be more true. Is her grandma knows that she is ended up like she is doing right now? The different though is that she has to do it alone, without the guidance of someone that dear to her, her grandma. Despite the suspicious, she did it anyway, because whatever the reason and purpose, she has not to waste those training and assistance of someone dear to her. Especially not to make her death to be in vain.

It takes exactly a minute when she finally hear a haze of waves and to finally open her eyes to see a boundless water that as if enrage. It bumping to what she thought at first as pointed stone. But then the waves gone as the water boiled as if in too much heat, then it begun to evaporate. And she has a clear vision of what will going to happen as she reach the ground. Before she analyze the situation, the water gone and to be replace by something ferocious.

Mariya gasped in desbelief and her eye's widen. The so-called water was infact a part of ferocious and vicious mouth. And the ground was in reality was a biggest face of a monster that resided below the ground. Only its face appeared to be a trapped of this whole thing was the way out of this raging mountain. Its mouth is the fercious of all, its widely open as if waiting to consume her.

Thinking everything, Mariya feel like her blood boiled. It's as if seeing light in the distance after the darkness, only to realize that it lead to the end, and that was death.

Hopelessness consume her as the time feel like stopped but infact in slow motion. It as if this unknown world give her a chance to feel fright and know the reason why she ended dead after seeing the light. "Is this my end...?" She laughed bitterly. How could the world be this cruel to her?

As the time passed of the few breathed of time, the sinester in her eyes shouldn't be keep anymore as she foresight no solution. She don't afraid to die but she has the goal to achieve before that happen, and that's goal is nearing its end, a failure end. But Mariya is a stubborn one, how could she die without saying anything?

"I object to be eaten by this worldly monster!" she scream at the top of her lungs. "You, ferocious, shameless monster! Who do you think you are? Close your mouth, you shameless!

"And you, you, everything of this shameless world! You sinister fate that lead me to this shameless monster, on this trifling mountain! You all shameless, you hear me?!

"I object to die on this day, on this way!"

After the noise she created echoed like madness into the distance, she find herself floating in thin air. She feel numb as she close her eyes. It's finish. She's finish! How could she foresight this very end?

Meanwhile, something happened into the distance. Distortion of wind and the shattered of space and time can be seen as the two vicious looking but young handsome man materialize at the top of the nearby mountain. The young handsome man with clothed with authority, and despite the viciousness and cruelty of his face, his eyes flickered with strange light.

"How strange," he thought as he grab something. Lifted his hand, a noiseless scream coming from a distance can be heard. This man is none other the man guarded this place! On the other hand, the young man who currently scanned the area for absolute danger and with caution suddenly heard the bloodcurdling scream, and he gasped in desbelief when realized what happened.

"Alpha, you..." As if thinking for something, he sighed and look away.

Obviously, the monster is none other than the shameless one that greed is no bound. It eats whatever comes from a distance. In its final moment, he glance at the distance mountain. Naturally it shouldn't have open its eyes in fear to pulverize to ash, but amidst the pain, its pleading to never perish and look at the man in the distance. But then it realized and shiver as the force that closing its mouth is the source of unreasonable pain its feeling. Then its hear a whisper, "It's fine to be greed for something tasty in the distance, but at the top that exist nowhere, you shouldn't let yourself be the judge!"

At that point, Mariya feel the sudden halt. The vicious wind becoming gently as she hover in the air. In the exact moment, she witness the unbelievable. The monster cry that give chills to her spine. Before she understand the mercy she received, the monster cry cease as it vanish and pulverize to ashes. The ash then blows, poured through her in a terrifying fashion.

"What..." She feel it vanish before it hit to her skin, but the force give stained and dirtied her clothing even more. Then she sighed to the unfairness of everything. She maybe save from avarice but the feeling of danger is forever leave her on guard. She gotten more cautious than ever, and then it hit her and scanned the distance forest, the mountains, and everywhere. She feel the sudden feeling of familiar aura that lurking somewhere. "Who...Who's there?"

Her lips couldn't meet each other as she wander through the emptiness of the surrounding. Nothing is there but the feeling that someone save her life is a very evident in her heart as its beating in a cruel fashion. The way it beat, she knows she sow goodness from someone. And it leaves her feeling something, added the feeling that there's a familiar of the aura she felt. Then she sighed, and presume that there's a reason why that certain person hide from her.

She couldn't help but feel safe, but then she murmured in bizzare fashion, "No wait. Sowing goodness can sometimes reaping one's own life!" She scanned the surrounding for the last time. "Well, whoever you are, don't be shameless on asking my life!"

She never ask for help but she is being spared, that's sound so suspicious. That maybe touch her stoned heart, but that's the least she can let to. She's no stupid, she believe the law of the jungle, so how could she let things out of hands? She won't depend on anyone anymore! She relied only on her power to make it safe!

But then she remembered before step foot to this unknown place, someone reminded her that she may experience the hardship of searching the unsearchable and powerful entities who sow badness to someone she cared about! And even just stepping foot for the first time, the danger she experiencing is much more extraordinary and cruel to extreme. Before, she thought that the warning was just so exaggerating, but now... she don't know anymore what to believe. Her determination may never swayed, but the outcome is so far away to see.

Now, she has to be careful.

Before she take one more step, she remember the warning as clearly as the throbbing of her heart: "In the world that far from ordinary, you have to take a thousand care. Remember the viciousness and ferociousity of the people there knows no bound and ending." It came from a mysterious woman who cover with a strange hoodie, has an aura of ancientness, as if she live far, far, too long. After leading the entrance which located to some unknown mountain, she said as a warning: "Everyone is not what it seems, so I warn you not to easily trust people you met for the first time. Even the nature and the land can be the hidrance of what you are trying to obtain, so you have to take a double, triple of thousand care."