Condemned to Darkness

Auror

Three hundred years ago...

I run through the dense, dark forest with blood on my claws, trying to understand how I could have believed that damned traitor. My mind works as quickly as my paws dig into the ground beneath me. I have just committed one of the greatest sins someone like me could make: I killed one of my own, coldly and furiously assassinated a Férnus, and this is something unforgivable. Cristaly died when she fell from the cliff while fleeing; now I need evidence to show, and the scent of their sex will be my way to prove my motives.

I hear the screams of pain and furious howls of my people as I pass by. They have just discovered, and this will lead to my death. My heart beats so fast it feels like it might stop at any moment. I think of fleeing, but my instincts would never allow it. The Férnus never lie and never retreat; we face everything with our heads held high and never stop looking into the eyes of our adversaries.

I arrive at the town, heading straight to the house of my future mate, my angelic. Angelics are very powerful mystical beings. Humans call them witches and wish to destroy them, while we revere them, believe in their prophecies, and protect ourselves with their ancient magic.

I enter the house searching for the scent, looking for evidence that my chosen one has betrayed our sacred bond. I seek with all my strength to be certain that the story I was told was true and that the scent I detected in the forest was real. I scour every room and find nothing but the usual—a clean house and the smell of cleaning products.

“Auror!” The furious voice of our leader raises the hairs on my body. “Auror Vont’in, I know you’re in there. Come out!”

Fighting against the urge to obey, I try to escape, but the leader’s command is like a collar pulling us to him, and the pressure only ends when our eyes are locked on his.

“Auror! We are here to understand what is happening.” The information spreads like gunpowder trails; he already knows the truth.

I know the truth and I am ashamed of it, of having been betrayed, deceived, and believed in it. A future leader should never make such a mistake.

Breathing heavily and struggling against the authority of the leader over me in my feral state, I scan the place again with my eyes, while my ears pick up the movement outside. More Férnus are arriving, surely the elders and the oldest oracle. My question is: how did such an angelic leave the sacred tower?

Convinced that I have indeed been deceived, I feel my shoulders slump in surrender. I will be punished, and nothing will save me from severe punishment now. I walk outside to find the most powerful soldiers surrounding the leaders of our kind.

“I smell blood, Auror,” says Vontlan Vont’in, the current leader and my father.

“How could the future leader break the greatest and most sacred law of our pack?” Luna, the elder angelic, questions, surprised.

My erect posture demonstrates the power of my lineage. My father is entirely black with golden eyes. I, next in line, am dark brown with eyes of the same color. I have just reached adulthood, having completed one hundred years two days ago. My father’s cold gaze pierces me with his pain, the pain of disappointment.

“As a leader, I must follow the laws, and you know well what must be done, Auror.”

“Yes, my lord,” I respond, aware that only death will alleviate the fury of those seeking justice, especially the Moriah family, the one that lost a member.

“How could you do this to him, Auror? Clint was your best friend.” His mother looks at me, crying, and the pain in her chest affects all of us, as, as a clan, we share thoughts and feelings when in feral form.

“I knew he was with Cristaly. She was my betrothed, born to belong to the next rising leader,” I growl in a low, contained snarl. I am not in a position of defense, even though my reasons scream.

“He would never involve himself with your betrothed, Auror. My son would never betray him. You’re trying to tarnish his reputation,” she retorts, desolate and disappointed. She watched us grow up.

“You know well that the new moon will rise in a few days, bringing winter and the mating cycle. Cristaly wasn’t mature enough yet; she wouldn’t feel the effects of having a mate until the lunar cycle of 18 years was complete. We knew of their closeness. They may have fallen in love,” I inform, not taking my eyes off my father's. The pressure he places with his gaze is like the weight of a hundred tons.

“Never!” Clint’s father snarls, baring his teeth at me.

Until now, the ancient oracle has remained silent, her long white hair and glowing aura scrutinizing me. I feel the extent of her judgment; only her word or command could save me from imminent death.

“As the leader of the Northern Férnus clan, I condemn Auror Vont’in to death.” The pain that pierces my body is excruciating, but it is only when my mother’s cry of anguish echoes in the cold, dark night that a solitary tear rolls from my eyes.

I accept my fate without lowering my head. This is the price for spilling Férnus blood: one life for another.

“As the ancient oracle, I do not see death, only condemnation.”

“What?” The questioning of those wishing for my end erupts.

“Dare to question the one who bore you from my womb and nursed you from my breasts? I am the daughter of the great Moon Goddess, powerful and virtuous, untouched and never questioned.” Her voice is sweet and gentle like a summer breeze.

I see everyone lower their heads at her questioning, and my mother’s supreme eyes now appear content. She is a tall and beautiful angelic, with eyes as blue as the sky and long white hair as pure as snow.

“As punishment and shame, Auror, the future leader of this clan will be condemned to remain in feral form for all eternity. He will be exiled to the house on the hill until the prophecy of his birth is fulfilled: ‘Cycles and moons will pass, and from afar, the dense snow will deliver into his hands the one destined to rule with him.’”

“Cristaly came on a day of blizzard. We were all here, and I saw when she was born to you, Luna,” my father counters her information.

“Do not forget that I was there, Votlan,” my father reprimands with authority, and I see him lower his eyes in respect. “As they spoke, the whispers of the Moon Goddess again confirmed the prophecy. It is as it is, and so it will be. You will never return to human form, you will never be seen in the light of day, as we always have humans among us. This is your punishment. By the goddess's decree, you, Auror Vont’in, are condemned to darkness. You will ascend as leader once your parents close their eyes in deep sleep and surrender their spirits to the great house of spirits. All will submit to your governance without question, and your word will be law. This is the fate given to you as punishment for the prosperity of your people and clan.”

A path opens for me to pass through, and I walk obediently into my exile, awaiting the fulfillment of the prophecy.