The Meaning Of Eternity (TMOE #1)

Chapter 23: Dyris' day of light

Candlelight flickered in front of Lucius' eyes as he rested his head on the windowsill by the bed. He'd lit five of them. Four for each archon and the middle one for the Unity.

He wouldn't say the prayers for either of the candles though, lest his head would explode or something.

"Happy Dyris' day," he whispered, half-heartedly linking his fingers. "... Kaboom."

Most likely not, but he really didn't feel like uttering any words of worship. Not even to Dyris. And worshipping aside he wasn't in the mood for holidays anyway. Not that he had been for several years but at least he'd done something to celebrate them. Now he was just sulking in one of Anthony's guestrooms, having barely gone outside since the incident with the Reapers and Adrian.

He glared at the candlelight, considering blowing them out to lie alone in the dark but settled on letting them burn. If nothing else that day he supposed he could read something.

Picking up the second pile of books he'd consumed that week he left his room to return them, hoping to pick some new ones up in Tom's room. He'd been kind enough to let Lucius borrow some under the promise that he'd return them in the exact same condition they'd been before.

A crash from downstairs caught Lucius' attention and he frowned, turning his head to look towards the stairs.

Another loud crash and he looked around for a place to put the books down. Prioritizing, he placed an intricately decorated vase on the floor to use its pedestal for the books instead and then hurried down the stairs.

"What's going—" He didn't finish his sentence as the door to the kitchen flung open and Richard stumbled out into the hall, covering his mouth as though about to vomit. Tom was right behind him and for some reason began helping him off with his shirt in a panicked manner.

"There," Tom said as he untied a lace on Richard's pants. "Hurry and revert before it gets worse!"

Lucius instantly backed away towards the stairs again as Richard's frame began changing shape. Nails grew sharp on curling fingers as bones broke and snapped in every part of his body. Fur the same light brown color as his hair sprouted from his back over his neck and limbs, covering his tan beige skin entirely and the pants he'd been wearing parted by the laces to give way for gigantic, animalistic legs.

A shudder went down Lucius' spine as the familiar form of the werewolf he'd met in the basement rose to stand to its feet. Yet the worst part to witness was the transformation from a human face into a grotesque version of a wolf's.

He stood paralyzed. What would he do? Was he supposed to run?

"Come on," Tom continued as if Richard hadn't just grown three times his size and placed a hand on his massive shoulder. "It's—It's fine. You'll get through it."

Richard suddenly opened his mouth to let out a disgusting sound of gurgling combined with a growl before a brown liquid exited his throat and spilled down on the floor.

Lucius suppressed a retch.

"What—" He hesitated as Richard threw up again. "What the Waste is going on?"

Tom finally noticed him, wearing a worried frown on his face.

"I don't—I'm not sure. He just suddenly got really sick. We were just baking firelights and then this happened!"

Lucius looked over at Richard's appearance with pursed lips as he put two and two together. He really wasn't sure how to say it.

"But, uh... Firelights have chocolate in them."

"Wha—Yes, but... What?" Tom shook his head in confusion, and Lucius sighed. Anthony had warned him about making the comparison, but it seemed like a logical conclusion.