THE RISE OF AN OMEGA-Chapter 58: A Dream or A Vision

Kira’s POV

"Please help me," the voice echoed softly through my ears.

I turned to look around, but no one was there. I began to head deeper into the cave that was illuminated by stars hanging just above the cage. I had never seen such a thing before in my life, never had I even heard of such a phenomenon.

Stars hanging on the roof of a cave. However, I was glad there was something like that because it made it easy for me to move all around the cave freely.

Why am I here? Could this be another illusion by the dark entity?

I began to hear chattering and laughing sounds coming from up ahead. Immediately, I took my battle posture. My hands stretched, ready to blast anyone that showed up. Just then, the voice came again, louder this time.

"No," I muttered.

I recognized the voice, and there was no way I could mistake someone else’s voice as his.

Asher.

He was supposed to be dead. Could he be alive?

Or was the dark entity just playing another illusion and mind game?

"I won’t let you destabilize me!" I yelled out, forgetting that there were voices up ahead.

I could see them now as they stood in front of me, two of them, tiny dark tendrils curled up behind them. I knew that they had to be the dark entity’s minions. But I couldn’t feel the normal intimidation and aura I felt whenever the dark entity was around.

This only meant one thing: that these minions were weak, they weren’t as strong as the entity himself.

But something felt strange. They seemed to be so engrossed in their discussion that they didn’t notice I was up ahead of them. With the way I shouted, they seemed not to be aware of anything.

I stomped my feet against the ground of the cave. Still, they didn’t notice my presence.

Are they deaf?

What could be happening?

Could I be dead and maybe my spirit is wandering?

So many questions kept running through my head until the familiar voice came again. This time, it was mixed with a low growl of pain, and this time I didn’t hear it in my mind—it came to me as a mind link.

I knew it was a mind link because I had established it during our battle with Asher and his golden-eye wolves. But if it was Asher, I never linked myself to him, so I shouldn’t be hearing his voice in my mind.

Another set of minions passed again, and the same thing happened: they couldn’t see me, either. I decided to pass through where they all came out from, and what I saw stunned me.

I saw a herd of minions, just like the ones that had passed by me earlier. I counted about a hundred of them.

What could he be planning?

The most shocking part was that I saw some people I had recognized who were Asher’s pack members. They had become minions, with tendrils curling up behind them.

"What’s happening here?" I muttered.

As if that wasn’t enough, I saw some of Ryker’s pack members here, including Isabella.

I tried to get Isabella’s attention, but she wasn’t seeing me either.

It felt like the world had ended. The dark entity had won. I moved closer and then saw a place that looked like a factory or workshop—whatever you want to call it—that seemed like it was rebranding the werewolves, turning them into the dark entity’s minions.

The hair on my body rose. I was infuriated by the sight of this. How could he do such a thing?

Asher’s voice came again through the mind link, this time louder: "HELP ME, KIRA!"

"WHAT! He knows I am here?"

I didn’t know if I should be happy that Asher knew I was here. He seemed to be the only one aware of my presence. I stood for a while, confused about what exactly to do.

"I know you are here, Kira. Please help me," his voice came again.

"Fuck this," I muttered.

"Where are you?" I asked, talking back to him through the mind link.

"If you’ve seen the place where all the minions are gathered, then follow the path by your right."

I had walked past there, so I had to go back to find the path he talked about. As I continued to go down the path according to the way he directed me, I finally got to a door.

I moved closer, and as I was about to place my hand on the doorknob, the possibility of this being a trap set by the entity flashed through my mind. Asher was his number one soldier, so it made sense.

I began to rethink my decision. Besides, Asher had never been good to me all his life—he had caused me pain. So why should I help him? I made up my mind that I was going to leave, but just as I turned to leave, his voice came again, pleading that I do not abandon him and that he’s sorry for everything he’s caused.

What would the moon goddess have me do in this position?

I was the moonkeeper, and the safety of every werewolf was my responsibility. But does that include evil werewolves just like Asher? Just then, a very frustrating thought dropped. It came as a still, small voice: "If you choose which werewolves to be nice to and which not to be nice to, then you are not achieving your goal as moonkeeper."

Those words hit me hard.

Frustrated and angry, I turned back, facing the door. Heaving a deep sigh, I went ahead to the door. As I placed my hand on the doorknob, I felt a powerful energy revolving around the room.

I couldn’t even hold the handle for long—there was a burning sensation.

"What the hell is this?" I muttered.

I placed my hand again, but I felt the same thing. Then I decided to make use of my moonkeeper abilities. I channelled powers to my hand first; then I placed it on the doorknob. I still felt the burning sensation, but this was quite better than the first time.

Pulling the door open, I saw Asher tied up, leads up, head facing downward. He was hanging in the opposite direction. I saw that something was being sucked out of him, like his essence, his energy. I tried to locate where all of it was going, but I couldn’t see it.

It appeared to be vanishing into thin air. I rushed over to where he was. "What’s he doing to you?" I asked.

"He’s taking away everything that is mine," he said.

"I don’t understand."

"He needs the strength of an alpha wolf. He craves the abilities of werewolves."

What he said sounded like gibberish in my head. The dark entity, as powerful as he is, craves the abilities of a werewolf. After stealing the powers of moonkeepers for centuries?

Does his hunger for more power ever end?

"Didn’t he get those strengths from the moonkeepers he stole their powers from?" I inquired.

"No, he only got their magical abilities. Besides, he can only take the powers of an alpha werewolf with the crescent moonstone."

My ears stood up at the mention of the moonstone.

"Are you saying that the moonstone is here, in this room?"

Asher pointed a finger in one direction of the room. I traced the direction his finger pointed to, and there it was: the crescent moonstone, suspending in the air. I asked him why it was suspended in the air, and then he said it was what he was using to take his powers.

That wasn’t all. He also told me that it was through the powers from the moonstone he was able to convert those werewolves into tendril creatures.

"So that’s the power of the moonstone," I said, taking in a deep breath.

"Yes, and it can do—" He stopped abruptly, spitting out blood.

I began to loosen the chain used to tie him down.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

His aura came flooding into the room like wind.

He was here.

"You need to go," Asher said.

"What about you?" I asked, trying to lift him from the ground.

"I will only slow you down, Kira. Besides, you’ve done more than enough for me. I don’t deserve to be helped by you after everything

"We will talk about that when we are out of here," I insisted.

But Asher was stubborn. The next thing he did was push me with full force, and the next thing I saw was myself jolting awake from my bed, shouting his name.

Ryker looked at me, surprise and confusion laced in his eyes.

"It’s not what you think, Ryker," I heaved a deep sigh, realizing that it was all but a dream.

I narrated the whole ordeal to Ryker.

"If what you saw in your dream is true, then we have to find the moonstone before the entity gets his hands on it. We can’t let him wield such powers," Ryker said.

"Ryker, I don’t think this is a dream. I think it’s a vision," I responded.

"But Asher is dead," he remarked.

"We are not sure if he is. He was swallowed by the dark entity, yes. But he could still be alive."

"So what are you saying? You think Asher is in danger and you need to save him?" He said. I could easily tell that he was worried about something.

Probably jealous that I was talking about the enemy.

"I am saying that this could be a vision from the moon goddess," I explained.

"Or it could be an illusion from the dark entity," he retorted.