Darkness.

Dark thoughts, lonely drifts, speechless waves of Death.

I was floating in the enemy's boat. This time, my body wasn't visible to the selfish world. It was sinking under the heat of the cold, heavy, bloody sea. Was I suffocating? No. I was already dead in the human world. My body was already made of Lionland's dust in my mind. My existence was purged by natural disasters that had haunted my soul for decades.

Knowing the truth wasn't easy at all. The prophecy was quite real and for so many years, I've ignored Reality. My reality in an unknown, unfit world.

When the clock dies at twelve? Who would I be? When it dies at twelve? Would I still be human? Would I still eat like one or would fresh blood be my new favorite flavor? Would I still feel my love for Hazel Brown or maybe lose her forever? Would I lose it all?

O' Holy Heaven! What have I done?

Forgive my sins, Father. I've dealt with the enemy's lies for so long. I wanted to be addicted. I was a disciple of dark secrets, consumed by my favorite poison.

Love.

I fell in love, broke the rules, punished by the ancestors. I was no longer free.

Hazel Brown? Imprison my heart. I beg of you...

Love me until I'm no longer Hawk and Human? 

"Jack, are you awake?" I disturbed his peace of mind, negatively. "What do I do now?" I didn't know how to respond to this tragedy. I felt vulnerable and empty to the point that I didn't know how to cure a sick situation without killing it. "I broke the rules, I fell in love and slept with a normal woman between my sheets, I disobeyed the freedom of Death. I cherished Love instead of generating Hate.

Jack snatched the page from my right hand, threw it in the air as his opinions emerged in the bedroom. "Fuck the prophecy." His words surprised me. "We will fight this together, as brothers." His voice weakened as he tried to let the rest of his words out. "Even if I have to risk my last breath doing that."

"This is my destiny, Jack." I shook my head. "A few seconds ago, you were telling me that I was doing the right thing by pushing Hazel away from me and now you're changing your mind." I was confused as hell. I was desperate for answers. "What the hell do you want me to do? I can't change the future."

"Hawk, you can't change the future but you can predict the consequences," Jack exclaimed. "At twelve O'clock, you're going to be the most powerful Hulion in history." He reminded me, proudly. "Isn't that what you want?"

"No, for Godsakes," I uttered. "I didn't choose this life. I never wanted to be a Hulion." 

"Me neither." He admitted. "But, it's too late to eject your blood with humanity."

"What about Hazel?"

"Man!" He interrupted me. "You're worrying about the wrong thing." He sighed. "The letter says when the clock dies at twelve, your existence will force a mark upon the universe. If Hazel finds out about this, she will kill you before dark. You'll be a curse in her beautiful world."

"I read it, Jack." I let out a deep, long sigh. "You don't have to remind me of that stupid prophecy." I sat on the edge of the bed as I tried to calculate the whole situation. "I can fix this."

"Yes, you can." He agreed. "But you'll have to sacrifice your love for Hazel." He shook his head, desperately. "You'll have to forget me forever."

"Our Grandmother, Evana Hudson broke Lionland's rules and she ran away." I tried to compare my life with hers. "Maybe the only courageous thing left to do is run away." 

"And where would you go? Lionland was our last hope, Hawk," Jack replied, sadly. "But the land no longer exists."

"What if Evana didn't destroy Lionland."

"But she did."

"There's a map below the page."

"What?" Jack said, shockingly. "What are you talking about?" His face revealed the melancholy in his voice. "You're overexaggerating, Hawk."

"What if the rules were rewritten?"

"By who?" The door suddenly opened. Hazel was out of breath. It looked like she was running from a ghost.

"There's... There's... a... lady down... downstairs..." She panicked. "She wants to speak to you, Hawk."

"Who?" Jack interrupted. "How does she look like?"

"I don't know, Jack." Hazel crossed her arms, nervously. "She's barefoot."

Jack and I made eye contact for a quick second.

We were lost. So lost.

What is going on? How does she know where I live? Who Is she? How did she find me? Was this a part of the prophecy?

Questions after questions.

My mind was going crazy.

"Did she say anything else?" I demanded. "What does she want from me?"

"She was singing."

"Singing?" Jack and I said, simultaneously.

"It wasn't English." Hazel sighed. "That's all I know."

At that moment, I knew something was off but I didn't want to put two and two together and create a scenario that can drive me to my death cage. Maybe the lady was from my father's past? Maybe from my past? From Lionland?

I was confused and scared.

My future was at stake. My life was unfair and savage. I wanted to be normal so badly. I didn't want to deal with strangers or a stupid prophecy. I wanted a beautiful family just like everyone else.

But Impossible was my answer.

"Hawk?" Jack woke me up from my dangerous thoughts. "Were you listening to me?"

"I was." I punched a silly lie to his face. "You're right." I agreed, without a clue.

"Are you sure about that?" He asked me, vigorously. "Do you think it's a good idea?"

"One hundred percent." I gave him an ok sign.

"Then Hazel," Jack glanced at her. "You heard the man. Tell her she can come upstairs."

Wait! Wait! Hold up a second! 

"No, Jack." I refused. "What do you think you're doing?"

"See," Jack remarked. "You weren't listening to me."

"No, no," I verbalized. "I know exactly what I said but what you're not going to do is giving orders to my fiancé." I grabbed Hazel's left hand as I drove her to the other side of the bed. "Stay here. I'm going to see what that lady wants."

The way Jack spoke to Hazel really got to me. I wasn't expecting that. I was cool with a lot of things but Do Not Disrespect my Fiancé. His tone was cold and self-centered. I wasn't choosing sides, No, but I had to break the brother's code for a second. I wasn't happy with it.

"Hawk?" Jack whispered under his breath. "Are you insane? You can't go by yourself." He disagreed with my decision. "She's probably dangerous."

"Watch me." I challenged myself.