Two Sides of The Moon - Chapter 40: Chapter 40

-Oliver-
I couldn't fall asleep that night, and I wasn't the only one. Jaden slept for maybe fifteen minutes here and there until he woke up again. He was too worried over me and the Echo to relax enough to fall asleep. And my restless anxiety didn't help him at all.
I tried not to think about my mother, struggling to keep my emotions in check. It was impossible, especially after what I'd done. I shivered when I remembered killing the shadows just to blow off steam. I killed hundreds of them. In minutes. They were all gone now. All those poor souls who got trapped in the Shadow Realm, never able to redeem themselves ever again...
Those shadows used to be people...
And I could do that same just as easily to spirits... Dead... Or living...
Jaden moved and placed his hand on my cheek. I opened my eyes and even in the dim light of the morning, I saw him watching me with sadness written all over his face.
We'll fix this.
How was confronting my mother going to fix anything? There was nothing she could do to make things right, not after making me live in a group home for years...!
Calm down...
I closed my eyes and forced myself to focus on Jaden's warm hand caressing my cheek. I took several deep breaths, but the anger was still there, lurking nearby.
I guess the corrupted side of the Echo had found that anger. I couldn't recognize that feeling as my own. I had never hated my mom this much. Hell, I'd always thought she didn't matter to me. I hardly even thought about her. But now...
It was like she was my enemy who was threatening to kill everything I held dear.
'You understand it now,' Hades spoke at the back of my mind. 'The corruption will find your deepest, darkest emotions, no matter how small they are, and it will turn them against you. The darkness has built its nest in that negativity, and it has had time to make its home big and strong.'
'So now what? I'll go mad if I don't visit my mother?' I asked. 'What am I supposed to do? Go find her and tell her I'm not mad at her and the darkness magically lets go of me?'
Hades laughed lightly at my annoyed tone.
'No. But it is a place to start.'
'Like I'm going to let you...' someone else said and laughed in a voice that was far from human.
I jumped up with a racing heart when Hades suddenly vanished from my mind with a painful shout.
Oliver!
"Oliver!"
I broke down in cold sweat, gasping for air as the fear tried to crush my lungs.
"There's someone in my head!" I managed to tell the people hurrying to me. "It's him!"
'See you soon, Harbinger...'
"What do you mean?!" Aurora practically screamed at me face, grabbing me by my shoulders. "Who?!"
"The enemy!" I told her just as loudly, still feeling his presence still lingering in my mind. "He blocked Hades! I can't...!"
My fear grew even worse when Hades didn't reply to me. My connection with him was completely cut off, but I could still feel pieces of it, like a mangled cord was still attached to me.
My panic spread fast through the house as everyone jumped out of their beds, ready to fight.
"What did he say?" Aurora asked, trying to sound calm but failing.
"He's not..." I shivered just at the thought of that voice. "He's evil... I can feel his hate... I can feel his darkness."
"Oliver. What did he say?" Aurora asked again.
"He's not letting me see my mom," I whispered. "He said he's not letting that happen. He said he'll see me soon!"
"How do you know it's him?"
"I... I just..."
I knew it was him. The enemy. That one person who was behind all this. I had never felt such evil in my entire life, and I'd met beings like Henry. Henry was nothing. His anger and hate were nothing compared to what this nameless person carried.
Jaden grabbed my hand, but he wasn't looking at me, or any of the rest of us. He was listening, and so were Tilly and Arch.
Cerberus was sensing something.
"What is it?" I asked Jaden.
"We're in danger," Tilly said in a grim voice at the exact moment when I could feel that same thought coming from Jaden.
And to make matters worse... The world around me shook, but I was the only one who could feel it. I looked up at the ceiling, not seeing the wooden boards, but the Shadow Realm.
"God... They freed Cameron..."
"That would be the danger..." Tilly grunted.
"Already?!"
Ben and Aadhil appeared in the house wearing their full armor.
"We are ready for him," Aadhil said with a grim expression. "Get dressed."
He didn't have to tell us twice. We all hurried to put our clothes on, and so did the entire town as far as I could tell. Everyone already seemed to know we were possibly under attack.
"What are we supposed to do?" Aurora asked Aadhil a minute later when we were leaving the house, stepping into the dark yard.
"We hide," Aadhil said. "Our men are locating Cameron as we speak. The strongest of us are going to use the box on him."
"And if that fails?" I asked, still shivering.
"Then we try again," Aadhil said calmly.
"This is a distraction," I said. "He wants to stop me from trying to deal with the corruption of the Echo."
"They will try to give it more time to consume you, yes," Aadhil said. "But their plans are bigger than that."
"What does that mean?" Aurora asked as we hurried down the pathway toward the Hall.
"I wish I knew," Aadhil admitted. "But they know we are ready for Cameron. They know we know he is free now. Either their plans require him to be freed at this very moment, or..."
"Or they know we can't stop Cameron," I muttered.
No one disagreed with me.
"Why are we heading to the Hall?" Aurora asked.
"We need to regroup," Aadhil only said. "We are ready to take everyone to Arlona in case they launch an attack against us."
"Why not take us there anyway?"
"If the enemy manages to get into our fortress, we are all doomed. Arlona holds most of the dangerous weapons in this world," Ben explained. "If even one enemy gets in..."
"And there are a lot of people in this town," Aadhil added in a grim tone. "We would rather not take that risk unless it is absolutely necessary. Your protections here are powerful."
"Powerful enough to keep us safe?" Aurora asked.
"That remains to be seen," Ben said
"You guys are such a cheery bunch of people to hang out with," Tilly said with a scoff.
"We'd rather not lie," Ben said. "You know that."
"He said he'll see me soon..." I muttered, nearly panicking again. "What if he comes here?"
"Then we'll find out who we are dealing with," Aadhil said, but hurried to continue. "Then we will take this entire town to Arlona. We can do it in a heartbeat."
"Is it possible for him to get there?" I asked.
Aadhil didn't like that question. He glanced at me from the corner of his eye before speaking. "Only we can enter Arlona. We and those who travel with us. We have never heard of any other way to enter the fortress except for using the magic of our lockets. But we do not know all its secrets. And we have already made the mistake of underestimating our enemy once. It wasn't that long ago, either."
"So he could get in?" I asked in a weak voice. "Is there anywhere we can be safe?"
Jaden hugged me with one arm and pulled me tightly against his chest. He could feel my fear, and it caused him a lot of distress. That made my fear even worse. I needed his strength in these situations. I wasn't strong enough without his courage.
We reached the Hall by the time the entire town was fully awake. We were among the first to arrive, but Rayleigh and the other Alphas were there already – I suspected they never left the Hall.
"So the shadow is free," Rayleigh spoke in a dark voice, looking at me.
"Yes – I felt the turmoil it caused," I hurried to explain.
"What are we going to do?" Aurora asked him.
Rayleigh peered at Ryder, who was as pale as a sheet.
"The peacekeepers are after Cameron. The rest of us..."
"All we can do is wait," Thisalee growled. "Again we're just sitting ducks! How are we supposed to–!"
"Love," Rayleigh said quietly, and the Luna snapped her mouth shut. "We must stay focused. Our allies are ready to come to our aid if needed. Our protections should keep the enemy at bay, and we will know if Cameron steps foot into our territory."
"Why would he return here, anyway? He knows we have the means to capture him now," Ezra spoke on his left. "He already got what he wanted. We don't have the Howl anymore."
"He wants Cedric," I said quietly, getting concerned since Cedric hadn't said a single word this entire time.
I could feel his fear. He must've heard the enemy speaking in my head as well.
'I'm okay... I'm just...' Cedric mumbled, but he was too shaken to continue.
"So he spoke to you," Rayleigh said, and when I looked back at him, I saw him watching me. "The enemy."
I nodded, unable to say a word at that moment. I didn't want to talk about him. I couldn't talk about him. Even the thought of him filled me with fear.
"You know he's a man?"
I nodded again. "I... I think so... His voice... It wasn't human..."
Jaden hugged me tighter, trying to share his strength but...
"What is he? Satan?" Rayleigh sighed, but that question wasn't aimed at me or anyone else. "Aadhil. Is there anything we can do?"
"We are as prepared as we currently can be," Aadhil said apologetically.
"So we're just going to wait?" Rayleigh asked.
"With all due respect..." one of the Alphas said, stepping forward. "What is the point of having our allied army if we cannot even fight!"
"That would require a physical enemy to fight against," Rayleigh said, sighed, and glanced at the Alphas. "Are we still united?"
"We are, but... Your Luna is right. We are sitting ducks," the Alpha next to him spoke.
"I understand your frustration," Aadhil spoke. "We should hope there will not be a time when your army is needed, but I'm afraid it will be needed."
"We are fighting this war on all continents," Ben reminded them. "They do have a physical army to fight, but so far, it is not here."
"We got the invisible one," Rayleigh muttered.
'You want to fight my army?'
I tried to run. I panicked so hard I completely forgot I wasn't alone. Jaden came quickly after me, grabbed me and held me tightly.
What's wrong?!
"He can hear you through me!" I shouted, trying to get away from Jaden and that entire place.
I'd never been so scared in my entire life...
"Oliver!"
I hardly heard the shouts when people tried to hold me still. I didn't even know they were there anymore. All I could see around me was darkness. I could almost see him staring at me with red eyes...
'I'm disappointed,' the evil voice kept whispering inside my head. 'Everyone keeps calling you brave, but look at you now...'
My body gave up, and I fell to my knees in front of him, my cheeks already wet from tears. I wanted to hide. That was all I could think of. I wanted to get away from this... this monster.
"W-who are you?" I whispered, but I didn't even dare to look up at him.
'No. The more important question is, who are you?'
"I'm... I'm nobody..." I squeaked.
'Exactly, and yet, Gaea gave the Echo to you... A sixteen-year-old boy... I do admit you're strong against the Echo, but are you strong enough...?'
I wasn't strong enough. He knew it, I knew it, everyone knew it. I'd fail. The corruption would spread, and I'd become the monster. That was what he wanted.
I heard something big and heavy fall down right behind me, shaking the ground. Loud growls coming from right above me nearly tore my ears apart. I held my eyes closed, pressing them tightly shut as I wrapped my arms around myself in pure, absolute fear. I just wanted to die to get away from him and the beasts he'd called to torment me.
The growls grew even louder, if possible, making me tremble. I could feel their breaths on my back as hot as the flames from hell.
'You truly are small and insignificant,' the enemy spoke to me.
Why was he here...? Why did he pull me here? I just wanted to go... To...
Insignificant...
Insignificant?
I drew in a deep, shaky breath and looked up at him. He was nothing but pitch-black darkness, but I knew it was him. If he said something, I couldn't hear him over the continuous growls. I peered to my left and saw a paw the size of myself only a few feet away. I looked to my right and saw another paw.
Then I looked up, and saw three massive heads above me, growling with their white teeth flashing, but not at me. I would've called them dogs, but they would've gotten offended. Dogs from hell with fire as their eyes and more flames coming from their mouths.
Cerberus.
I looked at the enemy.
As I stood, I cleared my throat and wiped my face dry.
"Insignificant?" I repeated, and Cerberus fell silent. "I'm sorry. It's been quite overwhelming during these past couple of weeks, all right."
He laughed. 'You are insignificant. You're nothing but an insignificant rat.'
"Mouse. Not a rat," I corrected him, and Cerberus lowered their heads down next to me. I was sure their fire would've burned me to death if I had my physical body there. But since I was a spirit – or a shadow – I could easily pet the closest massive nose.
I could feel the enemy's anger rising the longer I ignored him.
"You're getting concerned," I spoke without looking at him. I found my forever companion's true form much more fascinating than him. "I am not insignificant. You wouldn't be here if I was."
His silence gave me the rest of my strength back.
'You think you can fool me into believing you're not afraid?' he asked and laughed angrily.
"Oh, I am afraid of you, and especially of what you can do," I said, and finally turned to look at him. "But I can live with fear. Especially since you accidentally pulled my pups with me."
Cerberus snorted at me.
"They're not that impressed with you, either," I told him. "Why did you pull me here?"
He stayed silent for a brief moment, then laughed again. 'So... I can see now why Gaea chose you. Maybe you will be a worthy opponent, after all?'
"If only you stopped hiding in the shadows like a big fat coward and actually showed your face to us," I said.
He only laughed louder.
'You know me. All humans do,' he said. 'By different names, of course.'
"Give me a few, then," I said. "Maybe I have heard of you."
'I will give you my name if you manage to defeat my little minion,' he said. 'I was supposed to distract you until he arrives, but now I'm actually rooting for you.'
"What do you mean?" I asked, and Cerberus growled.
'Let's meet again soon. You and your little pups better hurry now,' he spoke, and I was suddenly sitting in the Hall again with a bunch of people surrounding me.
I gasped for air as I tried to get a grip of myself, then looked up.
"Cameron is heading this way," I told Aadhil. "He's here any minute now."