As Alijah reached out to me, I felt a flare of heat flow through my body.
"Stop!" I screamed, triggering crystals to sprout from the ground towards him, who barely dodged them.
For a moment, I was shocked. I almost impaled him, even if he was a fake. He was the person I loved the most in this world. My hands trembled while the scenery around me continued to shatter into pieces.
"Rem," Alijah breathed, wincing as his stance was staggered.
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I felt like my world was falling apart again.
"Please, don't come any closer! I don't want to hurt you again!" I cried, turning away from him to get some distance.
"Rem, please, I—" Alijah tried to speak.
I didn't let him. I never did.
"Shut up!" I screamed again.
More crystals appeared, allowing a gap to form between us. This space bent to my will, and nothing I didn't want would happen there. Yet, it also appeared unstable because it was actively trying to push Alijah away.
No, it was trying to end him as if he were an intruder.
"Ah… I'm having one of those episodes, right? Yes... It'll pass soon. I just need to calm down." I mumbled, clasping my hands onto my chest, refusing to gaze toward the wolf I adored.
"No! Rem, it's really me, please come to me!" Alijah tried to reach my closed heart.
The moment the memories from that night flowed into me, how he tasted, how I hurt him.
There… is…
"Shut up! There's no way the real you would be here! You hate me!" I yelled as more crystals attempted to impale the wolf, who barely dodged them again.
This isn't the real you, and if you won't bend to my will, then I'll recreate you.
"It's me, Rem!" He shouted at me, having to move soon after because of the minerals forming around him.
"Liar! There's no way you'd be here! After all, you have her! Why would you choose me when you've loved her for six thousand years?! I… I'm just a plaything who took things too far!" I felt like my sanity was snapping.
Alijah struggled to keep up with me when I continued to walk away from him. The moment blood appeared in my hands, it halted me in my tracks. This allowed the struggling wolf to find the break to reach me again.
"I did choose you, Rem! I love you! Please believe me; if you don't, let me prove it to you!" He declared, standing just a few gaps between us.
I turned to him, livid.
How dare you lie like that?! Alijah, I know you'll never love me. I was a warm body for you, nothing more!
"Lies! I'm nothing to you!" I shrieked, letting out all the pain and anger I had for him.
Why… couldn't you choose me? I would've loved you with everything I am. I… would've given you the world if I could.
My thoughts echoed around me, and I felt like I was on the verge of breaking. The space we were in became more unstable.
"Rem! Please!" His voice cracked as I went to turn away, only for darkness to begin to slip through the fractures in the spell.
There, I noticed a bird was flying around the fissures.
"Remember, Fenrir!" A female voice shouted through the abyss beyond the incantation.
Before me, a memory played in the surrounding area, where I was in my wolf's arms while I faded from the world.
"I'll fucking follow you to death! Do you hear me, Rem?!" The phrase caused me to widen my eyes.
Eh? I… don't… recognize those words, but why do they sound so familiar?
Suddenly, I was bombarded with the last moments I had spent with the living. A gut-wrenching scream left my lips, feeling the agony of the blade sinking into my flesh. Alijah took the chance to throw himself toward me.
"Rem!" Alijah yelled at me, barely avoiding all the crystals that threatened to end him.
I felt lost.
Is this real? Nothing makes sense.
"No... No!" I screamed before I found myself engulfed by my beloved's arms as he held me closely, even though he had scratches all over his body.
Eh? When did you get hurt? Did I do that? No... I... I never wanted to hurt you!
"It's okay! I'm here." Alijah reassured me.
"Why?" I mumbled, unable to shake him off.
"I love you, Rem. Please believe me." My wolf pleaded with me, his voice filled with pure desperation.
At that moment, I remembered everything I had been trying to push down, including what Lilith had done to me—all of it. How Alijah cried while I lay dying in his arms. There was no way that was fake.
Tears streamed down my cheeks while I grabbed onto the arms that held me so firmly.
Surely, they will never let me go.
"Ah... I wanted to bathe in the beach at least one time." I mumbled something random.
Alijah chuckled, unable to believe what I was saying. His breathing was unstable, yet I didn't notice it because of the emotions swelling within me.
"I'll take you to the real one soon. I promise." Alijah chuckled, holding me tenderly in return.
It caused me to break out into a sob.
"Even after what I did to you in that mushroom forest?" I cried, unable to hold the guilt within me any longer.
I'm so stupid. Why did I do that to you?! Why was I so scared of listening to you? I should've let you speak. I'm so sorry.
In response to hearing that question, he came close to my ear and lightly kissed it.
"You did nothing wrong, stupid girl. Didn't I already give you permission to put it in whenever you wanted? Alijah reassured me.
Lier…
"I did more than just stick it in." I lamented sincerely.
My words triggered a chuckle from Alijah's lips. He got closer to my ear. His genuine embrace differed from the one I had made of him. It was so warm that I couldn't handle it.
Is it truly mine?
"Do you want to know what I'll do to you because of that?" Alijah purred into my ear.
I shook my head, not wanting to know what awaited me.
"You won't regret picking me?" I mumbled, tears still trailing down my cheeks.
He gripped onto me tighter than before.
"You're the only choice for me. Little dove, I'm sorry for making you wait so long for me. Forgive me for forgetting our time together in this space as well." Alijah whispered.
Eh? What did you just say? Little dove... Were you really here with me all these years? Does this mean I'm not delusional after all? I...
"Is it true?" I asked as he licked my ear, making my heart flutter.
"Well, I'll make sure you know everything as a fact when we get back," Alijah answered, placing one of his hands on my lower abdomen. "I'll even put a pup here if that's what you want."
Even though what he had said was endearing, it only caused my chest to ache as the guilt of everything I had done came flooding back.
"No, I only want you. I don't care about anything else!" I whimpered, prompting him to spin me around and gently brush his lips against mine, which felt so warm.
Everything...
"Oh, don't misunderstand me, love. One day, I want a family with you, whenever that may be." Alijah declared, separating from me.
I wanted to feel the rush of happiness that came with it, but the moment he tugged away, my eyes were finally opened. Instantly, I noticed how unwell he seemed to be. Grabbing onto his cheeks, he seemed short of breath, too.
All the cuts were also healing slower than usual. The color had drained from his skin, leaving me unsure why he was acting this way.
"Alijah, are you okay? What's wrong?" My voice trembled, triggering a smile to rise on his lips.
Instead of letting me worry, he grabbed my hands and shook his head slightly.
"I'm fine, love. I promise." He reassured me.
Argh… I may be an airhead at times, but I'm not blind!
"You don't look fine," I huffed, narrowing my eyes.
"Trust me. I'm fine." He sighed, his lips brushing mine slightly.
Lier, you look worse than when you drank that potion back in Azear.
However, I couldn't argue with him either, at least not while he was in that state.
"Let's go home, Rem. There are many people who want to see you, too," he announced.
I slowly nodded. "Okay."
It was time to go home and face the music. Suddenly, his body shone a bright red, causing the entire space to collapse.
"Good girl." My wolf breathed, holding me tightly against him.
The floor beneath us suddenly gave way, causing everything to shatter and prompting us to plummet through an abyss in free fall. It caused me to slip from Alijah's grip as he instinctively reached for me. Our fingers brushed slightly together before suddenly getting yanked apart.
"Rem!" He yelled, reaching for me again.
His body was starting to become transparent, while mine remained solid.
"Alijah!" I shouted back, trying to get to him, but no matter what I did, the distance only grew.
Out of the abyss, a shadow emerged, diving past the disappearing wolf and toward me.
"Good job, lover boy, but your job is done. "Begone!" a weird bird asserted, appearing suddenly between us.
Huh?! Who are—
Before that thought was fully formed, she wrapped herself around me as something sucked me deeper into the darkness. I was helpless when Alijah suddenly disappeared into thin air as the black hole pulled me closer to it, leaving me alone to the fate that awaited me.