Blood & Bone [Book Three of The City of Eternity Series] [✔]

3.10: Hollow

I could have seen the signs.

I could have snapped out of it.

What I hadn't allowed myself to notice at the time could have stopped it from happening at all.

The gnawing inside that was only growing as the seconds passed. The dark glimmer in my right eye - right there for me to see as I walked to the mirror for confirmation. A subtle shimmer that was glaring at me, radiating reds and yellows that swarmed together into a golden hue that did anything but bring warmth. The reflection of the other me, staring back at me in plain sight.

I knew it would be the next blink; the next blink and it would break free. I could see it there, shrouded in darkness and creeping forward ever so slightly.

I could have avoided it.

But it was comforting to let go.

It was comforting to let him take control. So I didn't tear my eyes away. I'd allowed him to consume me whole.

Before I could change my mind he'd accepted the access without hesitation, creeping past the line that was drawn between us and wrapping around me. My mouth became dry, the words of protest being swallowed as I fell to the floor. My hands spread on the wooden panels as I feel all of my oxygen leaving me. I can only look at the vague reflection on the wood floor as my bones snap and my body contorts to set it free. The sounds of my own grunts filled the room followed by the last scream my human form could get out.

Then I am it.

It is me.

We are one.

It's an empty feeling. Having your body forcibly snatched from your control, while consciously, I was still just as coherently me as I was before. My limbs however, would not, and could not, respond to anything I pleaded with them to do. That line we'd drawn had allowed us to cross over, and now I was the one lurking behind the glimmer.

So, when I unwillingly began to run on all fours, springing away from the house as fast as I possibly could, nothing I thought or said would keep my body from doing it. Resolving myself to the fact, I couldn't help but lose myself in the wind of the forest, finding comfort in the darkness of the trees. The swarming thoughts in my mind were masked by the fresh scents of the trees, the dizzying echoes of distant animals keeping my ears shrouded too.

Each leap and bound engulfed me completely in a sensation I could only describe as serenity. All of my worries and fears were seeping into the Earth, leaving my being empty. Even the sorrow was gone. At least for a little while.

As it turned out, it was a shorter while than I was inclined to accept. The naive surrender I'd conformed to was drastically cut short by the wolf latching onto something new and fresh; the keen footsteps running towards me at full tilt, a memorable scent filling the air around me. The foolishness of another had caused me to stop enjoying such a small moment of happiness.