DARK MOON

By Sharon Adisa

A gentle breeze traveled through the night sky on a mission to usher in the cold winter, and suddenly the clouds, lightening, and wind began to fight a brutal battle, a fight to declare the more dominant element.

Down on land, the trees cheered on the warriors from afar as they swinged side by side—an impromptu chorus. To a normal human, this was going to be a thunder storm, but to other-worldly creatures, it was the freedom of a dangerous monster. A beast in sheep’s clothing, the so-called beast in a 5ft 6 form, dressed in a complicated and outdated tunic

I took a left turn, flew over fallen trees twice my size, and at the same time I swerved through anything that seemed to be an obstruction. I can’t lose my focus; too much is at stake. I unsheathed my sword, slicing through every tree branch that tried to slow me down—a halo of blue light stuck to the branches—purposefully.

The battle above me stirred the darkness in my heart, and I almost laughed. My hair spread its wings behind me as I ran, and I wished a thunder could strike behind me; at least the scene would be more dramatic.

A monster indeed she was; even the squirrels scurried to their holes in fear, perhaps due to the sudden intrusion of their territory. Raindrops fell from the sky non-stop, creating little puddles in no time.

The scent of mud and wet grass weirdly enticed this beast, and anger stirred alongside her darkness. This was dangerous.

My face was red and hard. I was damn angry, and not even the one I loved the most in the world could calm me down. How dare they look down on me? They haven’t seen the best of me yet, and they haven’t seen what I can do. And no matter how hard they try to kick me out of every coven and banish me into the unknown, I will come back and make them pay for letting me go.

I reached the edge of the mountains, and I stopped. I summoned the powers buried deep inside me. My veins woke up on their own as my powers traveled from my veins down to my arms. I relished in the surge of my energy, and I felt powerful.

Once again, a beast.

Against all odds, I would come back. I might have been banished, but I’ve not been killed. Those fools have no idea what they have done; their judging features hunted me, and even my parents abandoned me because of the coven rules. My best friend no longer saw me as human; even ‘him’, no one was on my side anymore.

Dark magic flowed through her palms, and they lifted like blue smoke into the air. I laughed, and my stupid eyes decided to start the waterworks at the same time. I was hurt, but this is not the end. What kind of family abandons one of their own? I might be different, but I’m still family, and their blood runs through my veins.

It wasn’t like I asked for this to happen; I never wanted any of this, but I was born this way. Probably, if I had noticed this earlier, I would have avoided harming those children. It was not my fault!

The number of innocent people this beast has devoured is enough to build an army. With no repentance, she sent innocent souls to their early graves and expects everyone to accept her. No one wants to harbor a beast in their own home.

I looked behind me with a dark smile on my face, and I watched as the palace guards ran through the woods looking for me. Their flaming torches brightened up the forest, scaring all animals into hiding, and I smiled.

‘Gottcha!’

I moved towards the edge of the mountain, and I smiled again when the guards rushed out of the woods, pointing their swords at me. I lifted my hands effortlessly and cursed the guards with unbearable pain. The men dropped their weapons and knelt before me, screeching in pain. Their agony was nothing less than what I felt inside, and the beast inside of me was not satisfied. I laughed as they shouted into the air, announcing to the world their unbearable misery.

After a while, the guards dropped dead, and I felt a stronger energy speedily approaching me, and I knew he was here. My heart broke further at the thought that I would never forgive any of them. They would curse the day they turned their backs on me, all of them.

As the energy became stronger, I looked at the cliff behind me. I almost hesitated, but I have to vanish for now.

“I would be back. No matter what it takes, I will be back,” I whispered, letting go of my balance as I dove down the tip of the mountain with a dark smile and a tear.