Eric
Eric sat in the middle of the circle that the elder had drawn. The elder sat across from him, outside the circle. He was cross-legged, with a bowl in front of him. The bowl contained some herbs that the elder had spent time mixing and had eventually set on fire. The elder closed his eyes and started to chant an ancient melody.
Eric closed his eyes, remembering the instructions the elder had given him in the beginning. From what Eric could understand, the elder was going to force Eric’s consciousness out of his body and project it towards Bellatrix. The elder would monitor where Eric’s mind went, and once he had the location, he would bring Eric back. Of course, there was a very strong chance that Eric’s mind might never return back to his body. Instead, it would be lost in a darkness that the elder called ‘The Abyss.’
Eric started to feel himself get lightheaded, as the elder’s melodious chants occupied his thoughts. He didn’t know what any of the words meant. All he knew was that they were pulling him into some sort of trance. The elder had warned him that having your consciousness detached from your body was a very painful process. Even though Eric was prepared for the pain, when he first felt it, he almost screamed.
It was like someone was forcing boiling metal into his veins. The agony was so great that he froze. His mind refused to compute what was happening. His body was slipping into shock. Then, the pain suddenly got worse. He felt as if someone was trying to tear his body in two. He gurgled, feeling his throat fill up with blood, as a powerful force tore him apart.
Then, there was a snap. His mind suddenly broke away from his body, and he felt like he was floating. Images flashed past his eyes, until he settled on one. Bellatrix.
Her beautiful eyes were watery and filled with tears, her jaw set as she refused to cry. Her eyes were determined despite the pain. She looked like a strong, resilient queen. Like a leader who knew the fate that awaited them but refused to go down without fighting. She looked like the queen that held onto her dignity and respect till her death.
“Eric,” she whispered.
“Bella!” he shouted. “My love. My Bella.”
Suddenly, there was another powerful snap. The agony started once again, burning through his veins. He tried to scream, but his body refused to respond. Crushed. He was being crushed under a heavy weight. It was suffocating him. It was killing him. His vision was dimming, and everything around him was slowly getting dark.
Eric wondered if this was death. If, perhaps, he was breathing his last. As long as they got the information needed to find his Bella, it didn’t matter.
“Tell her I died for her,” he thought. “Tell her I love her.”
The pain got excruciating, and Eric felt his body give up. His vision continued to dim, until he could take it no more. He blacked out.
∞∞∞
“You should not have put him through that, elder.” Eric woke up to hear an angry voice shouting. “I was willing to do the ritual, had you asked me!”
“It was dangerous,” the elder replied. “You are important.”
“Just because he is a human does not mean that his life is worthless.” Dominque snarled. Eric slowly opened his eyes, to find out that he was lying in a bed. Dominque and the elder were standing close to him, clearly arguing.
“We have the location,” the elder said. “And the human has survived. We can argue about the ethics of what I did later. We must save your sister.”
Eric slowly sat up; his head was pounding. The elder looked up and walked towards him, holding out a bowl.
“This has herbs that I have mixed for healing. I realise you must be in pain,” the elder said.
Eric didn’t want to take anything from this man after what had just happened, but he still took it. He sipped on it and instantly felt a bit better.
“You did well,” Dominque said, looking at him. “You found my sister. I owe you a debt for life.”
“I-.” Eric started to say, but at that moment, the door opened. A tall, powerful looking man walked in.
“Marco,” Dominque said, walking towards him. The two men hugged, and then Marco came to sit down with Dominque.
“It has been a while,” Marco said. “I hope the forest is treating you right.”
Dominque smiled and said, “Thank you for coming on such short notice. I am surprised you managed to come here so fast.”
“I used my private jet to get to the nearest city, and I ran here as a wolf. Tell me, what is going on?” Marco asked.
The story was told once more, and as the mention of the Teil wolf was made, Marco’s expression hardened.
“There is only one man I know who has used Teil wolves. It is a cruel process to make the humans into wolves, and they are ruthless creatures. If it is the same man who made them earlier, then we must move fast,” Marco said.
“Then let’s move. We have a location,” Dominque said.
