I felt a strange resonance within me, and for a while, the sound of the bell was all I heard.
A figure appeared in my vision, far in the distance. It was a sheep, harmless and grazing.
There was no wind, yet the grass would bend as if a gale passed through. It felt somewhat alive, yet natural.
I felt Lily's hand turning cold, and I squeezed back. "Not yet," I told her.
The grazing sheep moved closer, still grazing, but as I looked at it a second time, I noticed the abnormalities.
It had no shadow, and though it consumed the grass, the grass remained untouched. Even as it moved, it didn't disturb the grass in the slightest.
This sheep existed in non-existence.
"Is it real?" Lily asked."
"It should be." We were both unsure of whether to attack or not, because...who was our real challenger?
After grazing in silence for a moment, it raised its head and looked directly at us.
It took a step, approaching us without approaching.
We both froze, more uncertainty filling us, for we could clearly see that it stood right in front of us, but when we focused slightly, it appeared far.
I almost attacked when it disappeared from in front of us, distancing itself once again.
It continued to graze, consuming what didn't exist, existing when it didn't exist, then finally speaking when it didn't speak.
The voice came from all directions. I knew it was the voice of the grazing sheep, but it was also a voice that came from every blade of grass.
"Two lost sheep." It was the most gentle voice I'd ever heard, relaxing as Moriah's voice.
The voice became softer. "No, you are not lost. You were found too early. You should have been allowed to grow."
It lay down, folding its legs under its body as if to rest. It lowered its head, closing its eyes, then started to twist.
It was changing shape and form, bones twisting and extending unnaturally.
Though odd, it didn't look grotesque.
If a word was needed to describe it, then I'd say...
Elegant...
When the transformation was over, the true form of the creature stepped forward.
It was abnormal, yet not monstrous.
It looked at us with a gentle expression that had been permanently framed on its face. On its head were gold-gilded horns that gave off an eerie radiance.
Unlike the sheep before, this one had black, metallic legs that hovered a few inches off the ground.
But even with its gentle expression tehre was another look it gave us—disappointment.
"Sheep are to be sheared, consumed, or sacrificed."
The bell rang again, but this time, I felt it ringing within me.
It looked at me. "What is your purpose, for you are not where you were meant to be."
Then it tilted its head and looked at Lily. "And you have not become what you are meant to be."
"That's him," Lily glared. I knew.
The ascended who came here to find us was this sheep, yet it didn't seem hostile.
"What is your name?" It sounded like a mother asking a child.
"She is Lily, and he is Christopher," the butler responded, his voice did. I couldn't find him.
It looked sad. "Lily is her identity, but he has burned away his. You need to find who you are."
I felt cold. He's right. I burned away the existence of Christopher, so who am I?
"Come, you will find yourself in the fold. In the fold, no one is lost."
I nodded before I realized I was nodding.
I have to find myself.
There was no need to resist.
In the fold, no one is lost.
I took a step, but Lily pulled me back.
"What's wrong with you?" She was angry. "He's here to hunt us."
"Don't deceive, sheep are meant to be hunted, but not by me," it looked at me, then at Lily. "You found yourself, yet he's lost. Don't be selfish to the one you love."
He didn't sound harsh, but his words made Lily feel guilty.
There was conflict in her eyes, but it disappeared, and she loosened her grip a little. "...You're right."
She lowered her head. "Sorry..."
I nodded. "Don't worry, I understand you."
Lily let go of my hand, allowing me the freedom to go.
With a sense of belonging and purpose flooding me so much it could overflow, I approached the sheep.
Each step made me feel I was going to find my purpose. IT felt like coming home.
I took five? Ten? Two steps? I was uncertain, but I stood before it.
It raised a hoof, black, mechanical, gleaming.
"Accept your place in the fold," it said to me with warmth.
The smile on its face widened, but something looked wrong.
Why does a sheep have canines?
It lowered its hoof slowly, and just as it was bout to touch my head,
"Don't trust him." The voice was gentle, not too loud, but above all, it was mine.
Something white flashed in my sight, and I was thrown to the ground away from the sheep.
I was next to Lily, and a smaller sheep stood before me.
I wanted to kill it.
It had taken me away from my place in the fold, but without letting me explode in fury, a loud sound exploded.
I shivered as I looked at the spot where I was standing a moment ago.
The ground was split where the hoof landed, and it looked at me.
"You refuse to accept your fate?"
I turned to the small sheep standing before me. I would have died.
In my voice, it told me. "He doesn't hunt sheep, but a shepherd can consume his own sheep without needing to hunt.
It exploded after that and was removed from existence.
"Such a troubling subconscious." It sounded displeased, and not as gentle as before.
Lily stood by me, and the rage burning within her was palpable.
"Sheep will only get lost if they refuse to follow the shepherd."
For the second time, it transformed, growing smaller and taller.
Finally, we saw him clearly. He was as elegant as he was in his sheep form, and still looked just as gentle and harmless.
The horns remained, and his legs and arms were also mechanical.
He held a gold and black shepherd's staff, wearing a simple but elegant white and gold robe.
What disturbed me wasn't the way he looked gentle and lethal at the same time, but rather how easily I agreed with him I turned to her, and she felt the same.
She was enraged that she readily agreed for me to go there without any struggle. IT felt like we'd already lost the battle.
Lily was ready to fight and defend. Her skin became paler, turning colder than ice, and her hair glowed with flame.
A chain clinked, locking in place around her left foot.
I followed suit, and the several marks on my torso glowed with a purple hue.
This shepherd was exuding danger from every pore.