Wolf and Lamb

Prologue

Most people see me as a warrior. A fighter that could take on any opposer. A witch that could care less about others. An overachiever that could stomp on anyone trying to climb up the social ladder. And I see where they're coming from. Though, I still like to think that there's something more to me.

...It couldn't be true, right? I always feel like I have another purpose, aside from someone to cower behind for protection. I never wanted to work for the Knights—not really. I went along with it to see my mother smile. She had always shoved me into a light of fulfillment, as if my agreement to work for the organization could inflate her already mounting pride.

Since childhood, however, the idea of a humbler position of work fascinated me. A job that cared for others in a discreet way, a job that was taken for granted, a job that was completely necessary for the success of a community. A housewife. A nurse. A teacher. I'd love anything that would let me take care of another.

Perhaps one day, when the Order has used me to my limit, I can settle for a simpler lifestyle. It would be so pleasant to take care of someone...

...but that's probably just a pipe dream.

~ ~ ~

Gelid air smacked my face as I followed the boss out of headquarters. The night greeted us with only harsh snowfall, masking the inhabitants of the dark well. This seemed to be his intention; secrecy must be a virtue if he had the gall to drag me out here to this wasteland. What could he possibly want from me? I have nothing he, the leader of the Knights of Order, could want. Except for my brawn, perhaps, though only few individuals were aware of such. Prodigies (at least, prodigies like me) preferred to keep a low profile.

He led me to a barren hill, covered with unsullied snow. The horizon invisible, fluffy snowflakes continued coating the ground in a frenzy, providing more mush to soak my shoes. Just great. At least the sky looked beauteous. Albeit dark clouds spotted the midnight sky, golden stars still shone through. They were like a beacon for survival, the icon to look towards for consolation.

When my boots sank through the pure surface, they came back up slick with mud. My footprints tracked in the snow, leaving invasive marks on the unspotted white.

Pulling me to the side, close to the edge, he whispered against the deafening winds. "You're aware of the prophecy, correct?" Despite the angry air, Emeric still made it a point to mutter close to my ear, as if someone could hear him over the storm.

"Prophecy?" I spoke lightly, feigning an air of naivety. The less he knew that I knew, the better.

He set his slitted eyes on me with a dissatisfied expression. Listen, I didn't need him to go through the motions of that inane prophecy; I already suffered through it when my mother brought it up so many years ago. It was one of the last things I remembered her explaining to me before she died.

"The story of the Wolf and the Lamb," he pressed. Apparently, it was open season on this prediction. The way he stared at me made it seem like it was common knowledge, even though only those closely associated with the Knights could have even an inkling of an idea.

"If you're expecting me to spew out what you want to hear, you're gonna be sadly disappointed," I didn't try to come off as hostile towards people, not usually. They just asked me stupid questions or made idiotic faces. And I tended to respond accordingly. Did they seriously expect me to put up with their shit? If so, they would be sadly disappointed. Life's too short to deal with fools.

Emeric sighed heavily, tired of my attitude. "The legend goes as follows. Sometime soon, a lamb and a wolf will rise up in some configuration of being, rumored to roam among the Knights of Order. Their souls would be linked together, bound by fate, or destiny, whichever is more politically accurate—"