A Vampire's Desire, A Wolf's passion (EXO fanfic)

The Tree of Life

Avery stood in the center of the Mystic Circle and looked at Lay, who was reading from one of the tomes he recovered,

"If my theory is correct, Isabel should be in the basement of the EXO-M mansion. The other eleven will be there with her, no doubt. You'll have to be ready."

Avery nodded in understanding as he looked at her, worry in his eyes as he spoke,

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

She responded determinedly. Lay was silent for a moment, then he swiftly closed the gap between himself and the young thief,

"In case I don't see you again."

Before she could ask what he meant, he pulled her close and kissed her like it was the last time, as if he knew something she didn't. Avery responded to the kiss gently, placing her small pale hands on his chest and tilting her head towards him. Once he pulled away she spoke,

"What was that for?"

Her voice held confusion as he stepped back,

"In case I don't see you again."

Avery scoffed,

"I'm not going to die."

Lay smiled sadly as his eyes glistened with unshed tears threatening to spill,

"I never said it would be you who died, love."

Before Avery could object, Lay had begun the teleportation spell, trapping Avery inside of the Mystic Circle with a barrier. The thief began banging on the barrier,

"Lay stop! Don't! Let me help! You don't have to die!"

The burnt orange haired werewolf ignored her as loud banging could be heard on the wall behind him. Lay continued the spell, and, just as the wall behind him broke open and Suho, D.O., and Chanyeol burst into the room, Avery was inside of the EXO-M mansion's main room. Avery sunk to the floor, silent tears falling from her eyes as she realized Lay knew they were coming,

He got me out just in time...

Avery took a deep breath and stood up, a fire lit inside her as she made her way to the secret door. Pushing it open, she descended into the basement.

After five minutes of walking through the labyrinth underneath the EXO-M mansion, Avery heard voices coming from one of the tunnels. Curious, she followed them to find Isabel standing in front of all of them. Avery stood behind one of the tunnel walls as she watched Isabel speak to them, torches lit on the walls casting evil shadows as she spoke,

"You boys thought you'd never see me again, I'd bet. Thought you had broken away from me after what Lay had done, but you were wrong. Very wrong. And now, you've fallen back into line just like I always knew you would. Before we go any further, however, I believe we need to deal with a small pest problem."

Before Avery could move a muscle, she felt a blunt object strike the back of her head forcefully. The auburn haired girl felt her body fall forward as darkness surrounded her.

When Avery opened her eyes, she found herself standing in front of a large tree. It's branches hung slightly, making the leaves form a curtain to shield the tree from the outside world. At the base of the large tree, Avery saw a small, round door with the letter L carved on it. Avery crossed the birch bridge that covered the small river flowing from the east of the tree and knocked on the door twice. She heard a small, feminine voice from inside,

"Come in, Avery Tyler."

Cautiously, Avery pushed open the small wooden door and stepped through the entryway. The interior of the treehouse looked like something out of a fairytale. There were large bookcases filled with books and tomes, along with intricately carved chairs and tables. Avery turned to see a petite girl with very small, fine features, almost that of a fairy. Her golden hair spilled from her head and flowed down her back and over her shoulders in gentle waves. Her emerald eyes looked at Avery warmly as she smiled,

"Hello, Avery Tyler. My name is Nira, and I am the guardian of the Tree of Life, also known as EXO-L. The L standing for Life, of course. Please, sit."

Nira gestured delicately to the chair beside her. Avery nodded and sat down before speaking,

"Why am I here?"

Nira smiled at the young thief,

"To reclaim your true self. You see, your fate and the fates of those twelve men are intertwined. One cannot exist without the other. When Isabel harnessed the magic from the Tree of Life to awaken their powers and strengthen hers, she did not understand the forces she was meddling in. If the Tree of Life is used to harm another in any way, such as controlling those men, then the Tree captures the other half of the one who is using it. In this case, the Tree captured Isabel's other half, her exact opposite. Only her other half can kill her, because her other half carries the essence of the Tree of Life. Her other half, Avery, is you."

Avery blinked in confusion at the gentle spirit,

"I'm not sure I understand. How can I be the Tree of Life?"

"The Tree created you to stop your darker, evil counterpart Isabel. When it did so, it sealed many of its magical properties within you. Seeing as the Tree was destroyed, however, all of its properties were given to you, to be awakened when the time is right. The time has come, Avery, to awaken your true potential."

Upon seeing Avery's wary eyes, Nira smiled comfortingly,

"I am going to send your spirit back to your body now. When you wake, you will be able to use what the Tree gave you all those years ago to free those you love."

Avery nodded in understanding,

"Thank you, Nira."

The spirit smiled as she placed her hand on Avery's head, murmuring words in a foreign language and causing Avery to slip back into the inky darkness of sleep.