9 Enlightenment

"A...a what?"

"A Gridge, Ron. They are grave creatures who snatch your soul away and leave you dead right in the heart. They're a kind of dark creatures which once lurked only in the underworld. And now when the portal was presumably opened, and if it's still open, they might still be roaming around in the Cursed Alley."

"Oh my god..." I am pretty shaken by the fact that I've never been known about these creatures at all.

"But, do they howl like wolves though?" My mom asks, frightened beyond belief.

"Actually...Mrs., it's highly u likely for a Gridge to howl exactly like wolves, unless..."

"Unless?" I ask, eager to know.

"Okay. So here's the actual thing. Gridges can actually shape shift and transform into anyone that they set their eyes upon, or to those who interests them. They can even mix into the very creatures of the ones they possess, and that too extraordinarily." Jane says and we gasp in surprise. This is some bad voodoo magic right here, and I've been thinking about my duties as the elemental.

Why on earth didn't I ever know about this at all? What is the purpose of this late enlistment?

Oh Moon Goddess, please show us a path. Please keep my people safe. They're all your children, Goddess.

I pray in my mind, connecting back to the real world.

"So I was thinking, the Gridge might have possessed a wolf's body, and that's why the howl was too close to an actual werewolf. It might have gotten absorbed by some rogue, because that's the easiest wolf to get captured by the Gridges..." she says in utter seriousness that makes the whole room gloomy.

We lost a wolf to the creature of the underworld.

"Is there any way to close the portal Jane?" I ask inquisitively. She sighs and looks up at me, and that gaze holds in my current answer.

"The witches in the castle have been trying to close that portal for years now, Ron. It's not easy. It's the DEVIL we are talking about." Jane says, shivering at the word she just uttered.

The Devil...

The very embodiment of all evil forces.

The room falls into eerie silence and we all collectively gasp when we hear knocks on the door.

"Wait, ma, I'll go check it." I say, firing up my fingers in flames just in case.

"Good evening sir! Your milk bill." The milk man shoves a book and pen to my direction, smiling gleefully. I sigh and try to bring a smile up on my face, putting off the flames and taking the book into my hand and signing the column of our residence name. I collect the money from father and pay it to the milk man and he rides off on his bicycle.

"H-he didn't recognise you?" I lift my head up to look at Jane who asked me this question, and I smile.

I close my eyes and shake my head, still smiling and sitting down on the couch beside her.

"You see me?"

"Yes. Yes I do Ron." she furrows her eyebrows. So cute.

"Now you don't..." I slowly bring my hand across my face and my whole face structure appears different to the person in front of me. Jane gasps and leans away, her mouth covered in shock, her eyes as wide as a doe.

"How do you do that?" she asked, pretty intrigued by my little 'magic trick'. I laugh and retrace the direction my hand sways in front of my face and I'm back to being me.

My parents giggle at her adorable reaction and suggest something that I've already been thinking about at the back of my mind.

"Why don't you meet her parents, Ron?" My mom says, smiling up at the now shying away little girl beside me. I take a deep breath and respond to my mom.

"I've been thinking the same since for awhile mom. Well be leaving now." I say and try to get up but fall back.

"And you're going nowhere. Honey, I'll drop you off at the palace—"

"No wait. Jane darling, would you like to stay with us for the day? It's already almost weekend by tomorrow so it shouldn't be a problem. This old lady needs some female company too..." I playfully scoff and roll my eyes at my over dramatic mother. Jane chuckles and nods her head before pulling out her phone to call someone.

I take up the next immediate space beside me and close my eyes for awhile, thinking about all the information which was bashed onto me earlier. I need to know more about what ever is happening in our pack, or even worldwide.

This is not good, at all.