Lykos ✓

Chapter Seven | Hell

Hell on Earth was the only phrase that could be used to describe the nightmare that plagued Rafael.

The heat.

The destruction.

The pain.

The loss.

It was all wrapped up into a neat little package. He usually kept the package locked away tightly in the back of his mind.

The lock always rattled. Sometimes a few demons slipping though the gap, but the sturdy lock had managed to keep his demons at bay for the past few decades. This time it wasn't enough. Unfortunately the lock wasn't strong enough as he was transported back to then.

He didn't even get to see her.

Rafael always worked on fury and little logic. His mind always unraveling the mysteries of the world around him. He didn't always tug at the threads that were presented before him, but how he wished he had done so that time. His overprotective nature overrode him curious nature and pushed him to intimidation.

He had watched her fall.

He had shunned her.

He had done just as his parents.

He wasn't one to admit to his mistakes but he had realised far too late what his mistakes were. He tugged the thread a little too late and got to the bottom of her mystery. The unexpected turn of events had him rushing back to beg for forgiveness. He had got close, but not close enough.

Rafael stood at the edge of the Lykos property, unable to move from the shade of the trees. The property had a vast forest surrounding it. A great place to run and hide bodies. They had all strategically picked this place in the British countryside when it had been time to move.

He had expected another typical lifetime with his family, but nothing was atypical about the life that they had set up. Everything had gone wrong. Every single thing.

Rafael's body jerked forward as he felt the poison infiltrating his veins. He staggered forward, trying to get closer to his home, but struggled to get more than a few feet away from the edge of the forest. He thrashed, trying to get anywhere, but slowly the poison filled his veins, paralyzing him.

His mind raced. The only people who knew about the damage of this specific poison was him family. Someone had betrayed him. She had betrayed him. She had gone too far.

His limbs was stiff and his muscles locked in place. As long as the poison ran through his veins, he wouldn't be able to move. He hadn't felt his wolf in a while and this poison just enhanced the disconnection between them. He lay on the dewy grass, glaring at the house. How he wished he could be there right now.

The reasons differed from the ones in the past. He wished he had one last chance to make her change her mind, not to do anything of anger. Yet, he was stuck. He was not in control. He hated that.

Rafael knew in the back of his mind exactly what was going to happen next, as he watch their home. It was the waiting that always brought out the worst in him. It gave him time to think and with thinking, the bitter taste of regret followed. He didn't regret much, but this was one of the days he did. The regret was his self inflicted punishment. It was today he realised a few important things.

He wasn't as powerful as he thought.

He wasn't really great friends with death.

He wasn't always able to control everything.

With those lessons in mind, his body jolted at the sound and power of the first explosion. A strangled scream escaped his throat. Two more explosions followed, and then the fire. The explosion left a ringing in his ears.

His home went up in flames along with her.

His sister.

Rafael was stuck watching out the scene. He knew after an hour of watching, his brothers would find him but for now, he was stuck. Stuck with his thoughts. The worst nightmares always came in the form of memories. They are true. They happened. That is what makes them inescapable.

Rafael was turned to lay on his back, the winter sun blinded anyone who dared to look directly at it. He was consumed with his own grief that he forgot about everything else. Aiko long hair soon shielded the cool sun from his sight. This wasn't as scripted.

"Can you hear me?" She held his face between her two hands. Rafael just blinked. The spell of the nightmare slowly slipping away.

"You need to move. It's not real. It's just a nightmare." She was kneel next to him, wiping away the tears he didn't even know he had spilt.

"It's real," Rafael replied hoarsely.

"No, we are trapped. Remember, we need to return to reality. If you are real, you need to bring us back. This is not real," she replied tenderly. She was unsure of his appearance, having spent much of the time wondering the forest until she heard the explosion and searched for the source.

Rafael felt himself slowly gaining control of his limbs, he could feel her soft touch comforting him. He lifted his hand to hold onto her arm. She was still tenderly stroking his cheek, waiting for something. Eventually, he felt like he could sit up without assistance. Aiko started to move away from him, but he held her close.

"We both need to leave," he said with conviction.

"The real world is blurry, I don't know if I return," Aiko replied. She looked down. She had been going in and out of conscious for far too long now.

"We are stronger than this. I believe you're stronger than this. You must return with me or I'll come back for you," Rafael whispered to her reassuringly. He wasn't sure if he was reassuring himself or her, but they had to leave this place. The mind was a dangerous place when left to lead without any control.

"But-" Rafael placed a finger on her lips to silence her doubts. He looked into eyes and wished to remove all the doubts that clouded them.

"If I believe you can wake up, then I know you can wake up, Agapi Mou," were his parting words, before he started blinking at the bright white light that invaded his vision.

It was time to leave.

~*~
They had a sister.