SILVER-HEART
Chapter 113: Where The Path Leads

Chapter 113: Where The Path Leads

The bird chirps were the loudest, the bright skies, the flowers, watching the goldfish roam in the pond. A hand grabbed my waist and I was pulled to William’s body until my back rested against his chest. I tried ignoring the heat that slipped into my body at the mere contact, but it was really hard.

"Relaxing" his husky voice wasn’t helping either but I did as he told me, the comfortable feeling engulfing me as I relaxed more in his hold. I just want to stay like this and watch the view, but I knew we needed to work.

My arousal isn’t helping me either.

I blushed at my shameless thought, my body was reacting even without him doing anything.

"Don’t panic," he said.

"Why would I-" I gasped when a white fluffy tail suddenly wrapped around me.

He has a tail?!

"William!" I gasped.

"I will explain later just close your eyes"

I was hesitant but I did as he said nonetheless. He has a very important explanation to do, how come I didn’t know about this? Well, the ’Fox guardian’ implies it all but I did not think he was an actual fox!

There’s more to know about my husband and I set that as a mental goal when we were done with this.

The feeling of his tail wrapping around me gave off the same feeling as William’s body, it was comforting and the fur felt so nice, and it smelled pleasant too... just like his rich earthy scent altogether.

"I want you to picture that place again... and let my voice guide you to it," He said and suddenly his tail gave off a strong cold that was enough to numb my body, and I was suddenly forced to sleep by it and panicked.

"I’m here" William’s comforting fading voice helped me put my nerves back together. "Reach the end"

The next time I opened my eyes I was back there... the same wall of trees and with that appearance, an appearance I was finding it hard to believe was me. Before this William said there was a way to prolong this dream... so that means I can reach the end without waking up.

William is guiding me

And with that thought in mind, I walked toward the path feeling confident.

☆☆☆

How long have I been here? I don’t know... I kept walking and walking but the path didn’t seem to end... there is no end.

I stopped, looking around the empty place not having the faintest idea of what to do, I sighed and scanned the entire area. What do I do now? How do I get to the end? An end that wasn’t even there?

"Don’t give up, Ava" I told myself, taking a deep breath before continuing my trek. If I don’t find the end... my life will be in danger and I do not want to die! I have a home, I have friends and more importantly, I have a husband. Death was the last thing I wanted even though it was solely the importance of my past life. Death was a friend, warmth, and peace but now death was my greatest fear and my enemy.

And I don’t want it

So I kept walking towards the endless route seeing no end but that doesn’t mean I should stop... suddenly I felt a strong wind gush through and I gasped steadying myself so I won’t fall. That was how strong the wind was.

"Who are you?"

At the voice, I raised my gaze and I gasped when I locked contact with silver eyes, the same silver eyes I saw that night, the amber straight long hair, the magnificent robe. The man with the pointy ears.

"You," I said with wide eyes. "You’re the man that is not a butterfly"

His hands were placed behind his back and he gave me an indifferent look, he looks different almost like he has no emotions... This was way worse than William’s blank expression. A chill ran through me...

"Who are you?" he asked again.

I gulped, and his aura felt different too... it wasn’t like the rare one I sense, this man before me with the face of the man I encountered that night felt like this divine place.

It is not him... maybe a representation of the Isle of Pathways? I instantly remembered William’s words.

’In the books, it is said the Isle of Pathways will greet you... it can come in any form, sometimes a form we do not wish’

"Who are you?" the man’s voice came again and I snapped out of it.

"I’m Ava"

"Wrong!"

I jumped at his harsh words. Definitely sounded nothing like the man, he was way calmer.

"Who are you?"

"A-Ava... Ava Darkmore"

"Wrong!"

"That is who I am!"

"A girl who does not know who she is? Creates imbalance" he says walking ahead and I followed behind closely.

"Who are you?" I asked right back.

He turned his head. "Me?" he shrugged. "I’m but no one"

Instantly before my eyes, he shapeshifted into Severus, and my mouth fell agape.

"I’m anything you do not want me to be... what you least expect"

I gulped, taking in his words, so identical to Severus but the indifferent look remained, it was odd because Severus is always giggly. I shook my head.

That is not him, Ava!

"Why have you called me here?"

"Called you?" he stops.

"Yes, I dream of this place and it is dangerous, the more I come the more my life span gets shortened"

He blinks. "You’re mistaken, girl"

"What?"

He shapeshifted into Elvenia, now this was the most accurate of them all. "You were not called here... YOU called this place"

She turned walking ahead and in total confusion, I followed. I called this place? How? I don’t remember doing that.

"The body sometimes wants something subconsciously"

"You mean I called this place because I want something?"

"Yes"

I gasped when I turned to the river nearby and now it was that mermaid I saw that day when I wandered into the forest on my own, just as beautiful, resting her arms on the grass as she watched me.

"What is here for me? Please don’t see me as a robber, I do not come to take... I come to understand"

She placed her hand on her jaw watching me. "The girl is not a robber... the girl has come to know who she is," she says in that angelic tone tilting her head to the side.

I came here to know who I am?

"Who are you?" she asked again but this time her voice sounded distorted.

A deep chill ran through me and I was forced to close my eyes... because her mere voice resonated within my body and gave me an unexplainable feeling. I gasped as I opened my eyes like a fresh breath... but I was suddenly not at the wall of trees anymore and the mermaid was nowhere to be seen.

This place... I looked around with wide eyes, it was no longer a hall of giant trees but a circle of them, so broad that from a bird’s view, I would be an ant in this scenery. There was a circle of white rocks and a pond, in a circle also, perfectly shaped and spotless, and only white goldfish swamp around it. It was beautiful.

But what caught my attention was the center tree being the biggest and largest of them all, like a mangrove tree, and the leaves were white, some falling down onto the ground and it just seemed unreal.

And then I heard it... the voices, no... the vocalizing, and I was called to it, I walked barefoot to the tree and my lips parted.

I vocalized too... the same tune playing, I don’t know how I knew it I just did and it felt right, my voice echoing in the entire place, and the strong wind came around me and my vocalizing stopped.

"Why do you seem familiar?" I said and then placed my hand on the tree and then I saw something engraved in it and my heart slammed a loud heartbeat.

It was my birthmark, the exact same thing, every curl, and every craft, it was the same!

"Who are you?" a voice came and I gasped when I was suddenly sunk in, below or inside the tree... I don’t know but it was all suddenly dark, and my pounding heart was the only thing that could be heard in the silence, and then fireflies came... giving me light and a path to follow, they were white, like guidance and I followed it.

My feet walked on emptiness and then they found ground and when I looked up a sense of familiarity engulfed me, my eyes trembling and my nerves spiking, memories, a flood of them came through me all at once and shook my very bones.

This cannot be... anywhere but here! This should not be the end, this should not be where the path leads, not here, please! But it was clear as day. The very orphanage I spent half of my life... the very base of my nightmare.

Thornwell Orphanage.