Secrets Embedded Within

Chapter 11

Darkness enveloped everything. The silence was deafening. 

"Oh, Great Creeper!" the Nuntius cried. "Show us your wisdom! Tell us what we should do regarding this creature."

Suddenly I heard a great and terrible screech in my ears.

And I was sucked in.

I was on top of a huge mountain. I was above the clouds. I could see everything. I could do anything.

The mountain rumbled. 

S-stop! I heard Clawtear cry. Stop this now!

Even if I wanted to, I probably couldn't. I braced myself for the worst.

A paw stepped on a mountain.

The thing had claws unsheathed. Its claws were at least two foxtails long. The end of each claw glinted in the moonlight. 

As another paw stepped on the mountain, the whole valley rumbled. I was afraid the land would collapse under the weight of this creature. 

Finally, I could see its head.

Three eyes stared at me darkly, their colors changing from black to white every few seconds. Instead of a nose, it had nostrils like an adder. Its wispy aura seemed to suck me in it.

I stepped back, terrified of what I was seeing. I could not meet its eyes. I would surely die if I stared it down. 

There was silence as the thing stared at me. I could feel its ever-changing eyes examining me. It was almost like it wasn't looking at the physical. It was looking into my mind, my soul, and my motives.

Finally, it spoke.

"You are not you," it said, and although it spoke quietly, its deep and dark voice echoed across the known world. 

"I-" I swallowed. "What do you mean?"

"There is someone within you," said the thing. I felt it examining me further. "You do not have free will."

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. "You're right. I do not have free will."

"How long?" asked the beast carefully.

"Many, many moons," said I. I hesitated, but I felt like I needed to be honest. "I have done so many horrible things and I couldn't stop him."

"I see," it rumbled slowly. 

There was a silence that was both comfortable and uncomfortable. I still did not meet its eyes. I was still scared for my life.

"I would let you die. . . but the creature inside you is powerless here," said the monster. 

And all too quick another pause followed. I felt my breathing pick up. This was the moment when it was going to be decided.

"There is one thing I must say," said the beast. "You belong within my people. You are the one who is meant to save them."

"What?" I spat, completely taken aback. "I'm not even from here and you expect me to save them from Terror? I don't know how I got here!"

I cut myself off, suddenly knowing I had made a terrible mistake. The Nuntius had specifically told me not to raise my voice. This was The Great Creeper I was facing.

"I feel the tumult inside you," it said in an eerily calm voice. "You are afraid I will give you as a sacrifice, or that I will kill you right now. But you need not fear. I will not end you."

I swallowed hard, both grateful and frightened. "Thank you, Great Creeper."

"Why are you apprehensive?" it said. It didn't sound angry, but it wasn't exactly happy either. "I have just told you that I will not kill you."

"Yes, Great Creeper, but. . ." I stammered. "I do not understand the role you have given me."

"I have not given you anything," the beast said. "You were born with this role, and even if I wished to, I could not stop it."

"Can you explain it to me?" I asked cautiously. 

"I do not understand it fully," it said in a rumbling tone. "You must pave your own path; I cannot pave it for you."

"Well, yes, but. . ."

"I have told you, I do not know!" it snarled before I could finish. "And even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you! This role is yours, not mine!"

I stepped back and shook in terror, and despite the assurances of the thing, I doubted whether I was really going to survive this encounter.

"Stop doubting me," it snapped. "I have had enough of you. If you were not the chosen one, I would've killed you already because of you quick tongue."

"Yes, Great Creeper," I said tentatively. "M-may I go now?" 

"You may," it said stiffly. "Do your duty, do not fail, and most importantly, do not make me regret letting you leave alive."

"I'll try," I said, pushing my fear aside so I could sound brave for one moment.

"And that's the best anyone can do."