Legend Of Pandora

Chapter XV: The Nightmare

Our heroes arrived at Horclan at sunset. Cloak felt quite strange, as the last time he entered a bloodmixian village it was not with good intentions.

As they opened the gate, Alfe got some weird looks. It was clear he was a bloodmix, though did not have an animal to him. He saw children pointing at him and asking their parents what he was.

The adults were more concerned in sight of Belle and Cloak. They were noticeably different, and the people noticed they didn't belong. Cloak overheard people talking about how he looked to be a Serpent.

Wolfe showed up in front of them.

"Hello. Where's Phoenix?"

"You and Horace were right." Shae told him. "Her plan was foolish indeed, and The Anaconda shot her."

"Why am I not surprised..." Wolfe whispered to himself.

"Who's your Serpent friend?" He asked, knowing that if he was dangerous, Shae would not let him join them.

"I am Cloak." He presented himself. "Formerly a Serpent, now considered traitor."

Wolfe seemed impressed for once. "Welcome to Horclan, Cloak."

Belle was slightly insulted by Wolfe not acknowledging her existence, so she chose to introduce herself.

"I am Belle. Me and my friends are the keepers of Pandora, and we want to help you close the box."

"Nice." Wolfe said and turned back, starting to leave them.

"Wait!" Heeshe shouted. Wolfe turned. "Where is Horace?" he asked, and Wolfe felt a bit anxious yet again.

"I'll tell you, but not here." Wolfe whispered. He started walking to Horace's cabin, and the group followed.

They all sat down around the chair. The foxclan bloodmixes and the keepers excluding belle waited outside.

"Horace refused to let me use his army against Pandora." Wolfe told them. "That is why I rid of him, and got his army myself."

Heeshe looked at him, disgusted. "You did what?"

"I'm not happy about it myself, but it had to be done." Wolfe said with a hint of sadness. Just a hint, though.

They talked for a while, and eventually they all left the room; except for Shae and Wolfe.

"Phoenix's actions were truly foolish, and I feel stupid to have once believed them." Shae told Wolfe. "Perhaps my ways are wrong."

Wolfe looked at her blankly. "I know, get to the point." He rushed her.

"You may not be my favorite person, and I do not support what you have done to Horace, but you are the best fighter I know." Shae confessed. "I want you to train me, Wolfe."

"We shall begin by sunrise." Wolfe told her as he left the room. "Don't be late."

* * *

"Your friends have not yet discovered you agreed to join us, have them?" A voice whispered.

"Yes, they have not. Frankly, I would like to cancel that one." Shae told the voice.

"You don't get it, do you?" The voice replied. "The process has already begun."

Shae was suddenly nervous.

"What does that mean?" She questioned.

"I already am connected to you, though I can only talk to you in dreams like this one." It replied. "Now I shall finish what we started."

Shae screamed. She woke up in the house she was given by Horace before he died.

It was just a dream. She thought to herself, relieved. Though she knew Pandora will likely haunt every single dream she'll ever have. At least he did not gain full control of her.

She stared at the wooden door, trying to fall asleep again, but she could not. The thought of Pandora managing to take over her was menacing.

She heard the door creak. It was Cloak.

"Hello." He said and touched his neck nervously. "I heard screaming. Had a nightmare?"

Shae stood up from the bed. "You can call it that."

"Did I wake you up?" Shae asked. Him.

"No, I don't sleep much". Cloak took off his hood, and showed his face for once. He was bald, with a red triangle tattooed to his forehead. The symbol of the Serpents.

"I've had nightmares my entire life. Of the Anaconda, and of this war in general." He said as he sat down. "What was your nightmare about?"

Shae sat down as well. First, she wanted to lie, but she felt like she could tell Cloak the truth.

"Promise not to tell anyone else." She told him. "I lied about Pandora's deal in my hallucination."

Cloak looked surprised. "About what part of it?"

"I said yes." Shae confessed. The room was silent for a while.

"Then how are you still yourself?" Cloak broke the silence.

"Pandora started... Changing me." She told him. "But I was pulled out before he finished."

Cloak was worried. "So he already is in you?"

"Not really." Shae replied. "But he manages to speak to me in my dreams. Trying to convince me to join. I'm afraid next time I sleep, he'll do it before I wake up from the nightmare."

"You better not sleep, then." Cloak giggled. "Have you taken a look at this village before you and Heeshe left with that Phoenix?"

"No." She replied.

"I was just about to do just that, If you want to join." Cloak told her.

"If it distracts me from Pandora, I'm in." Shae laughed.

They walked out of the hut and looked around them. The sunrise was soon.

"Was Python a friend of yours?" Shae asked as they crossed a bridge to the other side of the village.

"My only friend, yes. The only reason I had not left the Serpents sooner." Cloak replied.

"The last time I talked to him, we were fighting. He wanted to join me and leave the Serpents too, but I wanted to be alone."

Cloak stopped and looked up. "If I had let him join me, he might have still be alive."

"Well, you didn't know an army of monsters was about to unleash." Shae told him. "What made you a traitor of the Serpents in the first place?"

"I refused to slay Bloodmixians." He answered. "I am sorry for Fox, by the way. I was too desperate for redemption. I wanted to belong with the Serpents."

"As one who almost sold her soul to a demon just to belong with them, I can understand." Shae told him. "And the poison thing was pretty clever."

"So was giving me a fake." He confessed.

The sun rose as the former enemies turned friends.