ZINA (Five Hours Ago; Before the Second Round Of Torture)
Zina froze as a familiar feeling ca over her, accompanied by an unnatural chill that could only originate from the North.
But the unnatural chill was not from the unending taunts from Rowan on the fact that her husband was taking a new wife, nor was it from the condescending cackle of Rose who was still seemingly before her in the physical world.
Her chill was from entirely different reason. A different feeling....
The sa feeling she got months ago when she had projected and t her mother.
But while the physical world remained the sa, Zina found herself in a dilapidated building that she was sure once stood tall as a castle.
And her mother was in front of it, waiting for her. A dark expression was etched on her face, and in just five minutes, mother and daughter had the most important conversation of their lives.
"Mother," Zina said in a low voice, her legs carrying her to et the woman who was the carbon copy of her. Sa hair, sa eyes, sa lips... and not to ntion that she hadn’t even changed a bit over the years.
She remained the sa, and this ti she didn’t pull back nor wear a scowl when Zina hugged her malnourished fra. She didn’t understand how this projection of a thing was possible, but none of it mattered as her mother hugged her back.
"My daughter...." She said in a choked voice that caused tears to well up in Zina’s eyes.
But she didn’t cry, instead she hugged her mother harder.
"We do not have much ti," her mother said more resolutely, "there’s much I must say to you.
Zina stepped away from the hug. "How is this possible, this projection?"
Her mother smiled. "There’s much the world doesn’t know about the Runes of the Screars Pack," she simply said.
"Even if the world doesn’t know much about it, why will Rowan and his Master keep the runes with you? Allowing you and then I to tap into the power as we please? It’s had all confused, mother."
Her mother looked around them at the dilapidated buildings. "Here’s the place where the Screars Pack once stood tall. Our first ancestor nad us the Howler’s pack for he believed his children would possess a voice that will take the world by a storm. But soon, cursed tales of the banshee whose scream could kill spread making many see us as dirty, worthy only to be classified amongst the five great evils." Her mother narrated in a firm voice that made Zina wonder if she would ever possess half the charisma that emitted from her in droves.
That is assuming she ever survived this ordeal.
Her mother turned away from the dilapidated building, facing Zina squarely. "It was our second ancestor that renad us from Howlers to Screars. Since we were persecuted, he married a powerful Night Mage from the North and made it so that every Alpha of the Pack most scream into the device before they die. Their screams beca trapped in this device which he nad a Rune."
Zina seed to shiver at the history pep talk.
"But it was not just any ordinary magical rune; it is one that trapped the mirrored voices of powerful Alphas of the pack, many descendants over."
Zina blinked, "That is so much power to be trapped in a device. But history never said anything about an Alpha of the Pack who married a Night mage."
Her mother smiled shrewdly, "that is because this Second Ancestor was never an Alpha. He was the twin brother of the Alpha at the ti."
"But why would he create such a device? For what motive?" Zina questioned. History had it that people with such unclear ambitions did it for unsavory purposes, but her mother’s peaceful expression didn’t seem to betray such.
"To the whole world, the runes of the Screars Pack helped the Alpha of the pack live a long life because from that mont, our Alphas lived up to the age of a hundred and fifty without serious diesease or infirmity."
Zina’s eyes widened as she realized a harrowing truth. "Is that... is that why they kept the runes with you? Hoping that should anything happen to you doing their tortures you would never die?"
"So and so, but basically, that is why."
Anger colored Zina’s veins purple. "So it didn’t matter how they tortured you or hurt you. They kept the runes there just to ensure your life?"
"Of course that is not the only reason. Master has his own personal purpose, but no matter what this purpose is, no one outside the Pack knows the true powers of the Runes."
Zina backtracked, realizing that her mother had in fact ntioned that prolonging the lives of the Alphas of the Pack was just what the world knew; so what was the true purpose of the runes?
"And what is this purpose?"
"To fight the deford." Ca her mothers simple answer.
"Wh... what?"
"The device was a magical one of course; capable
of portalling amongst other things. Produced by a Night Mage but enhanced by a Screar, our ancestors believed it could serve as a secret weapon during the great purge."
Zina’s eyes widened, "Did it?"
Her mother smiled slowly. "It did fight against the Deford. In fact, the magical device was the weapon that ultimately defeated the Deford."
Zina shook her head, unable to reconcile that fact with the history she knew. "History says the Five Great Evil and the superior packs defeated the Deford."
"And how did you think they did it? By brandishing claws and what not? The screams trapped in the Magical Device upon release was what petrified the Deford. Of course, that truth had to be buried for when great power rises, many will fight it."
Zina blinked multiple tis. "Is that why our pack suffered such persecution over centuries? Because they possessed a power enough to defeat such a terrible creature?"
Instead of answering that, her mother looked aningfully at her. "I heard you have seen it twice. Did you look carefully at its face? Did it resemble sothing familiar?"
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