The Gate of Shadows

I found myself gazing at a couple’s struggle to survive, much like a play performed before me. Surrounded by fire, everything played out while I was a passenger, unable to interact with anyone around me. A man ran towards a woman who had stumbled onto the floor, running towards a burning house.

"Lilith! We need to get out of here!" A man shouted, grabbing onto her hand.

Is she… the Lilith from the past?

"Klein, we can't! No, not without our daughter! Zoey, please come out!" She screamed at the man, who tried to pull her away.

She yanked away from his grip, bolting towards where she had last seen her baby girl. Before she could reach the burning house, a fireball from an elven spell crushed it, watching it become ashes triggered a screech of despair from her lips.

Klein clasped onto her face, forcing her to face him. Those blue orbs of his only glossed as his brown hair was undone the moment the battle commenced.

Tears streaked down his cheeks, “Lilith, we must run! If we survive this, maybe we can still find her! But only if we live through this; otherwise, what good are we dead to her?”

Besides the fiery blaze surrounding them, her wailing was the only thing that won over the roaring fire. Tugging her up, the man tried to guide her out of the area, only for the howls erupting from the distance to take his attention.

With how fast wolves were, they both knew it wouldn’t be long before they reached them. Shaking his head, the man struggled to drag Lilith away from the blazing house. He tried to reach out to her with his words, but the shock of what was happening before her was much to bear.

Yet Klein didn’t give up on her, continuing to tug her toward safety. Even though she was much like a rag doll dragged on the ground. A soft curse left his lips as the howls got closer. The realization that their eminent doom was lurking grew more real with each second that passed.

Glancing around at their surroundings, he noticed a small well nearby that could safely hold one person. Closing his eyes, he shook his head before facing the vast sky above him. He knew what had to happen if he wanted his beloved to live.

With a goal in mind, he dragged an inconsolable Lilith towards it. Once there, he clasped her cheeks, tugging her into a passionate kiss. It caused my eyes to sting, sensing the emotions rushing between them.

He loved his wife so much that her survival was his one priority, while she loved him too but found the will to live after losing her daughter.

This world is cruel.

He couldn’t save their daughter, but he was going to do everything to save his wife.

"Live, my love," Klein whispered with a soft smile on his lips.

Lilith shook her head before he pushed her into the safety of the well, dragging me with him. The last image she had of her beloved was him smiling, tears running down his cheeks. He covered the well with a wooden cover before running away, leaving us in darkness.

The growling and screaming merged with the surrounding area. The shock of Klein’s shrieks silenced Lilith, trapped safely inside the well, while the wolves tore through the man she loved on the surface.

She spent hours down in the well, trying not to cry loudly.

“Live,” she softly recited her love's last words, holding onto the hope that their daughter was hidden safely somewhere in the chaos.

She had to live for her and him. She owed him to find her at all costs. A day went by before she could crawl out of the well. When she emerged, battered and bloodied, the first thing she saw was the love of her life.

He had been mauled and half-eaten by the wolves that had carnage everything left alive in the village. Not trying to think of what was happening, she rushed towards the house to find their ten-year-old daughter.

Sadly, she found that the only thing left of the house was ashes. She screamed multiple times for Zoey, but she received no replies. The further she searched, the more apparent it became that she had become another casualty of the war raging between the races.

Lilith’s screams echoed throughout the empty village, cursing the world that robbed her of everything she loved. Just like they burned her life down, she bowed to do the same to the world that had forsaken her.

She spent years gathering materials to open the gate to the nether realm. Using hatred as her fuel, she eventually opened the portal through sacrifices. At first, the openings were brief and unstable, using animals before slowly moving toward humans and other races.

Through her years of research in a secluded cave away from prying eyes close to the lands known as Celestelia, Lilith realized that humans were the most compatible with the gate. They stabilized the portal more than a simple animal or even another race. Just like Stella, she realized she needed a pure sacrifice.

One day, the witch entered a town human town and found an abandoned boy. He was no older than her daughter when she lost her. At first, she saw the boy only as a means to an end. However, she didn’t foresee the boy growing on her as the year passed.

She never named the boy but grew to love him either way. He reminded her of her lost child, filling that void within her, but couldn’t heal her away from all the resentment she had for this world.

However, when it came to sacrificing the child, the witch couldn’t bring herself to finish the act she had begun. It ended with her sacrificing her life instead of the boy’s. The pureness of her love for the child was enough for a partial opening of the gate.

That alone led to the chaos written in the history books. After her sacrifice, with her final breaths, she witnessed the boy she saved dragged into the portal and disappear. Everything went dark after that, and I suddenly found myself in one of my lost memories.

My crazed mother hummed a lullaby while I played with a doll made from straws on the floor. Usually, those were used for curses, but my child's mind only saw them as cute toys.

"Lilith," Mom called, triggering me to turn towards her.

She sometimes would say my name without reason, yet this time…

"Mommy, why did you call me that? The others look at me funny because of it." I asked her.

They didn’t just look at me funny; they also called me nasty things like monster and psycho.

"Well, I loved that name." Mother answered, rocking her chair, humming a lullaby.

"Oh..." I whispered, not feeling quite satisfied by her answer.

It was rare for her even to converse. Though she mumbled something I couldn’t quite catch back then, it was so evident when it replayed in front of my eyes.

"Your father loved it too," Mom mumbled, fixing her brown locks.

Her maroon orbs reflected pure affection, leaving me unsure who her mind was full of. Before another thought could form, I fell into an abyss, jolting awake soon after. I was no longer at the library but in my bed, surrounded by Cora, Fenris, and Layla.

Cora and Fenris were worried sick, holding each onto one of my hands. The white wolf was mumbling under her breath. The vampire clenched my hand when I glanced towards Fenris, prompting him to grab onto my chin, studying every little reaction I had.

At first, everything that was happening bewildered me. My mind lagged to understand how I had gotten to my bed. Disoriented, I glanced around the room to see Shade on my lap.

"How..." I mumbled, shaking my head.

"I found you fainted by the bookshelves next to us with Shade in your arms," he answered, much like he had read my mind.

Was everything I saw a dream?

"I did?" I asked.

Before the silver wolf could answer…

"I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to stress you out so much!" Her orbs appeared on the verge of bursting into tears.

I clasped her hands, shaking my head.

"It wasn’t your fault. I..." Trailing off, I glanced towards Shade, who tilted her head.

I didn’t know what happened, and neither did she. Everything that transpired was too real to be dismissed as a dream. I hadn’t even felt faint before everything began, either. Letting go of Cora, I grabbed Fenris's hand, needing his warmth.

Shivers ran down my spine, remembering Klein and Lilith. Seeing her world burn, even if it was a dream, made me wary of everything. Intertwining my hand with his, he gently smiled at me.

"I’m here," the silver wolf reassured me.

Layla grumbled in the background, gazing away from us. Cora hugged me tightly from the side. Her clinginess didn’t bother Fenris since my hand gripped his. Part of me wanted to tell him everything I had witnessed and how much I loved him.

The desire to do so was overwhelming, yet I couldn’t. He probably would’ve thought I was delusional if I had done so. These feelings were forbidden, no matter how much I wanted to kiss him at that moment.

I had to suppress them, trying to stay in control. It wasn’t long, though, until Fenris had enough of Cora smothering me with her bosom, swiftly dragging her out of the room.

"I’ll come back to you, my love!" Cora swore before the door closed behind her.

When the silver wolf returned to me, he glanced toward Layla, the only one left. She didn’t appear like she was leaving soon. Releasing a sigh, he turned back towards me, sitting beside me again.

He spent the rest of the day with me, all while his fiancée glared at us from the bed. She couldn’t say a thing to complain about it. I was his charge, making it his duty to ensure I was okay. Closing my eyes, I lay down, trying to make sense of everything that was happening.

I drifted off, only to be jolted awake again by a banging sound from the door.

So... much for peace...