Slowly everything falls into place. His waking up in a bed of conviently placed flowers. And this body, it was born to be a vessel. The prophecy foretold this for centuries.

And his wolf, who he couldn't awaken, that was all part of the prophecy as well. But to be the last remaining red wolf to exist - to have the fate of an entire race on his hands - it was all so... overwhelming. In his last world he was a high school boy, and now he was a prophet in a world where werewolves existed.

Two months. He had two months. He was already the strongest wolf, his wolf being a red wolf confirmed that. But the only problem was Cyrus could only shift to his wolf form on the next red moon. So he would be strong in mind but not in body. Lance was the strongest wolf, as has been confirmed by Sai's information transfer. The only thing he had to do was awaken his inner wolf and ride out these two months until the war between the two packs. Then he would have to kill the Alpha of the Bloodmoon pack, fulfill the prophecy or whatever, and he would be able to move onto the next world. It sounded so simple. It always sounds simple. But Cyrus knows it would probably be far more complicated than it sounded in his head.

Cyrus takes a deep breath, letting all of this information set. The carvings on the wall of the cave now make sense, they foretold his prophecy.

"Here," Etna offers a steaming cup of tea, "It will help."

Cyrus thanks her and takes it from her calloused hands. He takes a long sip, savoring the warmth that travels down his throat. It's sweet, and comforting. He finishes the rest of it quickly and hands the cup back to her.

She takes it, "I am sorry. I know all of this must be a lot to take in, traveller."

"No, trust me I've heard worse. And you can call me Ethan... that's my real name."

"Ethan..." She tests. Her eyes light up with intrigue, "Such a human name. Tell me about your world, Ethan."

Cyrus didn't know he would be able to talk about his own world, figuring everyone would only know him as the character he had to play. So he gladly told Etna about his world.

"Well... in my world werewolves don't exist, it's only humans. Other than that, I suppose our worlds are similar in every other aspect."

Etna is very fascinated by this, as if hearing of a world without the existence of her kind has never once crossed her mind."How many worlds have you traveled?" She urges.

"This is my second world..." Cyrus trails off, remembering the painful memories of his first world. He shakes it off, "I've still got a long way to go before I-"

[Warning: any mention of the System's existence is forbidden and will be punished.]

Cyrus bites his tongue. Of course. To think he could actually share his travels with anyone but himself and Sai. And he would be punished? Isn't going through the System punishment enough? Cyrus sighs before deciding to change the subject, "So you raised Cyrus?"

Etna wanted to learn more about the traveller but decided against it, "Yes, I raised him to be a perfect vessel."

"Vessel..." Cyrus repeats, "And he was okay with that?"

Etna's brows furrow together, honestly confused and maybe even a little offended, "Of course he was. He accepted his fate knowing it was a great honor to fulfill the prophecy. His sacrifice did not go in vain."

"I see..." So he was perfectly okay living twenty years of his life only to know when he was going to die? That was highly doubtful. How could anyone be okay with that? But we are talking about fulfulling prophecies and what not... it must of been important to him, he handled the weight of this prophecy on his shoulders as well.

"Right. So, uh, how exactly do I awaken this inner wolf of mine?"

"You must sleep and enter the dream world. Your wolf will be slumbering deep within, you must wake him."

Cyrus nods even though he doesn't quite understand, "And how do I enter this... dream world?"

"The tea I gave you was made with a special herb called dreamslice that opens your mind to the dream world. It is easy to get lost, so my voice will help guide you."

"So you've been there before?"

"Yes, just once, many years ago..." Her words fade as she recalls her visit, "It is different for each of us - but it is a place where one can visit memories, recount dreams and nightmares, and where one's inner wolf resides. One can spend an hour in their mind and it will have been days in the real world. It can be both beautiful and dangerous. But do not worry, Ethan. I will be here to guide you."

She offers a reassuringly toothy smile. Cyrus awkwardly returns the smile, though he feels unnerved. The mind he would be delving into will be Cyrus's mind. He had no idea what he would find there. But it was the only way to progress in his misson; he had to awaken his inner wolf and create a bond with it so he could shift in time for the blood red moon. But he was a stranger to this wolf. He didn't grow up with it like Etna or Lance. Lance made shifting look so easy, but Cyrus didn't have a bond with his wolf that was forged over years and years. He didn't have years. He had months.

"You should fall asleep any moment now. The effect of the herb is instant. Do not be alarmed."

He hummed in acknowledgement - though still lost in his thoughts. Was it possible to be rejected by his wolf? What then? If he wasn't able to shift then everything would be rui-

He was ripped out of his thoughts. Or more specifically, ripped out of this plane of existence. Everything rushed past him. The cave he sat in grew further and further into the distance as he was pulled into the dark void. He couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. He just watched as the cave became a fleck of light in the distance and then disappeared entirely, leaving him alone in the dark space. Wind rushed past his ears as he continued to be pulled further and further back by an unknown force.

And then he blinked. And then there were trees, everywhere. And his senses rushed back to him. He gasped, filling his lungs with as much air as he could gather, holding his chest. He took multiple deep breaths in an effort to calm himself. He felt as if he were suffocating in that dark void. What felt like an eternity was in reality only a second.

He took one last deep breath before looking around. He recognized these woods. These were the woods outside the cave. Was this truly the dream world? It looked no different than reality. The trees rustled in the wind. The crickets sang. The stars twinkled in the starry night sky. Cyrus did grow up in these woods, he must of spent a lot of time here. It made sense why his dream world would be of the woods.

"Ethan?" An ethereal voice echoed around him. It was Etna. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine." He replies, speaking to the empty space.

"What do you see?"

"I'm in the woods. There's just tons and tons of... trees."

"Keep walking. You should come across a door."

Cyrus does exactly that, making his way through the woods. He keeps his eyes peeled for a door like Etna had said to look for. And soon enough, he did come across a door, many doors. In a small grove were hundreds of doors standing up by themselves, each having their own unique wood and different engravings. But the grass in this grove was overgrown, and vines crawled up the sides of these doors. This grove hasn't been visited in a long time, nor very much tended to.

"I've found a door. A lot of doors."

"Look for the door that is the oldest, the most abandoned. That is where you will find your wolf." Etna guides.

Taking a step into the grove of doors, Cryus keeps his eyes peeled for that single door that is different than the rest. These doors must be Cyrus's memories. Each door leading to a different memory. He was curious of the life Cyrus lived - particularly of his time as a child with Lance - but he dismissed that curiosity, he shouldn't waste any time. Soon enough, he slows when he stops in front of a door different from the rest. Still old, and covered in vines; but also chains among chains wrap around the rotting wood, along with a rusty old lock keeping it closed shut.

Cyrus is wary as he takes several steps towards it. He puts his ear against the door, but hears nothing. Nothing that would give away the fact an ancient wolf was slumbering behind it. Cyrus pulls away, taking a step back. His voice is quiet when he steps, scared that speaking too loud might awake the beast,

"It's locked..." He tells Etna.

"Locked?" She repeats.

"Yes. Is there... I don't know, a key or something?"

"A key?" She laughs dryly, "This is the dreamstate, Ethan. The only key you need is you."

Cyrus furrows his brows, "What?"

"Try the handle."

Cyrus is about to argue, but bites down on his tongue. None of this made sense. This all was just the result of some wierd ass type of drug that is making him see some shit. But this is an alternate world, anything is possible. It's too late to back out now.

Cyrus sighs before reaching for the handle. His slim fingers wrap around the rusted knob and slowly twist. And then, the chains just seem to slide off the door with ease, and the lock lands on the ground with a soft thud. Cyrus, slightly stunned, clears his throat and continues to twist open the door, pushing it inwards. The door slowly creaks, and the moonlight illuminates the small dark room.

Cyrus hesitates, and then his breath catches in his throat when the moonlight reflects off of... fur. In very back of the room, slumbering away in the corner, is his wolf. He was smaller than Cyrus had anticipated, but his fur was a deeply rich crimson, beautiful against the blue glow of the moon. He decides to take a careful step forward, his eyes staying locked onto the wolf. Cyrus fears his steps might awake the beast, but it simply only rises up and down to breathe. Cyrus stops when he is standing about a foot away.

"I found it," he whispers, wincing at the sound of his voice.

"Great. The rest is up to you."

"Wait, what?!"

Silence booms in his head, despite his calls. He eventually gives up, sighing in defeat. What was he supposed to do now? Poke it? Cyrus shrugged and approached the wolf, bending down and raising a trembling finger towards the wolf. The closer his hand came the quicker his heart raced. And then, he poked it. He waited, but there was no response. He decided to rest his hand against the wolf's fur and pet it gently. Cyrus was surprised at how soft the fur was. Still, there was no response.

Frowning, Cyrus pulls his hand away. Well, it's not like it can kill me. This isn't real. I don't have anything to lose. Against his better judgment, Cyrus raises the wolf's floppy ear and gently blows. It shivers.

"Wakey, wakey," Cyrus says, "I don't have all day, you big oaf." 

The wolf still remained asleep. Cyrus glared and dropped the ear. What exactly was he supposed to do? He stepped around the wolf and bent down to where his muzzle was. The wolf was resting against his front legs, sleeping peacefully, completely unaware of the human beside him. Cyrus sighed and collapsed onto the ground. He looked around, studying the place. There were scratch marks on the walls and near the door. Tufts of fur littered the ground; and spiderwebs spanned from corner to corner.

"You've been in here for a long time, haven't you?" Cyrus says to the slumbering wolf, "You want to get out, don't you? I mean, you've slept long enough. Tell you what, if you wake up, I can let you out of here." No response. Cryus folds his arms over his chest, "I'm not him, you know. I won't keep you locked up in here ever again, I promise. You're my wolf now."

Suddenly, two sharp red eyes shoot open. Cyrus's breath catches in his throat as the wolf awakens, standing, and soon, cowering over him. The wolf is silent as he studies the human. He then leans in to sniff Cyrus, and then, surprisingly, begins to lick his face. Cyrus begins to laugh as the wolf licks every inch of his face.

"It's nice to meet you too," he chuckles when the wolf finally pulls away. Cyrus stands to his feet, keeping eye contact with the wolf who breathes heavily, tongue out. He is smaller than Lance's wolf, who stood at Cyrus's height, but not any less impressive.

"Well, shall we?" Cyrus begins, heading for the door.

The wolf dashes towards the door, whimpering. Cyrus doesn't hesitate to open the door and allow his wolf to sprint outside, into the woods. He races in and out of trees, and Cyrus steps outside, watching him with a small smile. His wolf flops onto his back, rolling around in the grass with his tongue out. Cryus laughs and walks over to the wolf, bending down to pet his stomach,

"You really are like a dog, aren't you?" Cyrus pulls his hand away, staring up at the trees, "Now, how do we get out of here?"

The wolf stands to its feet instantly, startling Cyrus. It then walks about five feet away from Cyrus, before turning around to face him. Cyrus sits still in the same position, watching the wolf carefully. The forest around them suddenly turns quiet, as if someone had just turned off the switch that had made this forest lively. The wolf's red eyes glimmered in the moonlight, and Cryus felt a sudden sense of unease stir inside of him.

Suddenly, the wolf charged forward, as fast as lightning. Cyrus didn't have any time to react, because before he knew it, the wolf had charged right at him. The bright red eyes were all he could see, and that was all that surrounded him, that blood red. In the next moment, the air had been ripped from his lungs. He felt something swell inside of him. Something powerful - hungry.

A beast.