Protector

Chapter VI

"Where do we go from here, Aria?" I asked, my eyes dragging over the eternal space that was the Void.

"We go back to the Physical Realm and begin the first part of the Changing," The Feral said, turning away from me and beckoning me to her side.

I walked over to the creature's side, seeing her lips curve into the ghost of a reassuring smile. "Do not fret, Jasmine. I will be with you the entire time."

"I know," I replied.

"Are you ready?" The Feral asked, and I nodded.

It was in that instance that the plainness of the Void melted into the Physical Realm, allowing vibrant hues of nature to come into view.

Aria began to walk, and I followed close behind her, studying the green hues of the trees around the clearing we were in. I glanced around for birds but found none. Had they sensed our presence and fled?

The Feral stopped and sat down beside something that made me freeze.

"T-That's me?" I all but whispered as I kneeled beside the body, scorched and smoking.

"To commence the Changing, the human soul must reunite with its host."

"The host being my body." I finished, and the Feral bowed her head.

My corpse was sprawled on my back, my head facing my blood-soaked hand. Had my skin not been burned and stripped bare, it would be easy to assume I was sleeping.

I was still smoking, the heat of the flames that claimed my vessel starting to char my skin. My hair was chiseled and burned. One of my cheeks had dried blood on it, the shape resembling a paw print.

I looked over my shoulder to give Aria an accusing stare, my gaze reflecting the roaring flames that had sent me to the Void. "You were there all along, weren't you?"

My Feral sighed, bowing her head while her ears laid against her skull.

I inhaled sharply. "Why? Why didn't you warn me about the fire?" I growled at the creature as igniting fire burned into me, threatening to consume me. I knew it was wrong to give in, but I couldn't help it. "I wouldn't be like this if you gave me a sign, Aria! I could've survived the Fire!"

Aria stared at me with mournful eyes, but the frustration in them refused to dwindle. "I did everything I could, Jasmine!" The Feral bared her fangs in a snarl, "I could not warn you about the Fire," Aria rumbled. "I may be a spiritual entity that wanders beyond the plane of the Physical Realm, but even I have limitations."

I released a forced breath. "I-I'm sorry. I had no right to yell at you when you did everything to help me. I just don't know what to expect anymore."

Aria brushed my arm with her large wing. "You are not going into this blind, Jasmine. You will always have me."

The ghost of a smile crawled into my lips. My eyes strayed to my charred corpse before settling themselves back on my Feral. "Why did you bring my body here of all places?"

"Your home was in flames, so I thought it was best to move you somewhere suited for helping you adjust to your life as a Beast."

"I sense something else coming," I added, earning me a knowing smile from the furred entity.

"The other reason should be obvious. What will people think when you wake up? I would rather not risk you resurrecting in a morgue . . ."

I smirked at the scenario. "I can't say I blame you. I wouldn't want to explain this to people either."