Share

THE BATTLE

last update Last Updated: 2025-09-01 18:21:35

The dead did not breathe was an odd thing for elora to think.

That was the first thing Elora noticed as they began to close in.

No rise or fall of chests. No puff of white in the frigid night air. Just silence—an oppressive, smothering kind of silence—broken only by the faint drag of limbs over the forest floor.

Joel shifted, placing himself between her and the closest one. His stance was controlled, almost eerily calm, but she could see the tension in his shoulders, the subtle way his weight shifted to the balls of his feet. He was ready to strike—not out of fear, but because hesitation would kill them.

“Elora,” he murmured without glancing back, “stay behind me. No matter what happens.”

She nodded, but the sound of her own pulse in her ears was so loud she wasn’t sure the gesture even registered. Her fingers twitched toward the hilt of the short dagger at her side, but it felt like the most useless scrap of metal in the world against… whatever these things were.

The one in the cente
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter

Latest chapter

  • BOUNDED BY MOONLIGHT    THE HANDS THAT TELLS TRUTH

    The clearing had never felt so alive—yet so suffocating.Every breath Elora drew was thick with the scent of damp earth and copper, the air tense with the vibration of something unnatural. Shadows clung to the tree line like watchful sentinels, and the moon—heavy, swollen, tinged in faint crimson—watched from above like an unblinking eye, bearing silent witness.Joel’s stance was steady in front of her, sword gripped tight, every muscle drawn taut like a bowstring. Moonlight traced the sharp line of his jaw and glinted along the blade’s edge, making him look carved out of steel and conviction. Behind him, the twisted figures moved closer. Their motions were jerky, puppet-like, yet there was intent in every staggered step. Their hollow eyes fixed on her—not Joel, not the trees, not the world. Her.They didn’t groan. They didn’t speak. Their silence was deliberate, crushing, as though sound itself had been forbidden here.“Stay behind me,” Joel commanded, voice low but carrying the weig

  • BOUNDED BY MOONLIGHT    CHOICE IN THE SHADOWS

    The clearing erupted into motion.Shadows tore forward from the tree line like water breaking free of a dam. They weren’t men, not fully, though they wore the shape of bodies. Limbs jerked unnaturally, bending too far back, snapping forward with sickening precision, as if invisible strings yanked them into place. Their mouths gaped open, soundless but hungry, their hollow eyes lit with a faint, unnatural light.The air thickened, each breath a struggle, heavy with frost that had no business in this summer night. The temperature dropped so sharply Elora’s teeth chattered. Her lungs burned, every inhale like swallowing glass.Joel stepped in front of her. His blade caught the moonlight in a blinding arc, a sliver of vengeance poised to strike. His stance shifted, all tension and coiled power, every muscle honed for survival.“Stay behind me,” he ordered, his voice low but edged with steel. It was the voice of someone who knew he couldn’t afford to be ignored.Elora’s heart beat so fast

  • BOUNDED BY MOONLIGHT    THE FINAL BATTLE I

    The forest fell into a silence so absolute, it felt as though the world itself had stopped breathing. No wind stirred the branches, no insects whispered in the dark. Even the moonlight seemed heavy, pressing down on Elora’s shoulders like a weight.Her pulse thundered in her ears, but the hollow-eyed corpses ahead of them stood eerily still—patient in a way that made her skin crawl.Joel’s blade gleamed faintly in the fractured moonlight, the silver edge catching on every tremor of movement. His stance was low, ready, a predator waiting for the moment to strike. “Stay behind me,” he murmured without glancing back. His voice was steady, but there was a razor of tension beneath it.The dead didn’t answer.They didn’t need to.The first one—a tall, impossibly thin figure—drifted forward with steps too slow to be human. Its mouth began to gape, peeling open like a rotting seam, and from the darkness between its blackened teeth poured a low hiss, a sound like steam escaping from something

  • BOUNDED BY MOONLIGHT    THE BATTLE

    The dead did not breathe was an odd thing for elora to think.That was the first thing Elora noticed as they began to close in.No rise or fall of chests. No puff of white in the frigid night air. Just silence—an oppressive, smothering kind of silence—broken only by the faint drag of limbs over the forest floor.Joel shifted, placing himself between her and the closest one. His stance was controlled, almost eerily calm, but she could see the tension in his shoulders, the subtle way his weight shifted to the balls of his feet. He was ready to strike—not out of fear, but because hesitation would kill them.“Elora,” he murmured without glancing back, “stay behind me. No matter what happens.”She nodded, but the sound of her own pulse in her ears was so loud she wasn’t sure the gesture even registered. Her fingers twitched toward the hilt of the short dagger at her side, but it felt like the most useless scrap of metal in the world against… whatever these things were.The one in the cente

  • BOUNDED BY MOONLIGHT    POWER OF AN ALPHA

    The path narrowed into a tunnel of dead trees, their branches arching overhead like skeletal hands clawing at the sky. Bark hung in strips like rotting flesh, and every gust of wind made them creak in protest. The air here was different—thicker, heavier—almost like the forest itself was holding its breath. Even the moonlight felt muted, smothered by the oppressive canopy.Joel walked a step ahead, blade unsheathed, the faint glint of steel catching what little silver light filtered through the branches. His movements were deliberate, his shoulders tight, as if each footstep was calculated to disturb the silence as little as possible.Elora trailed close behind, her boots sinking into the carpet of damp leaves that muffled sound but somehow made her feel even more exposed. The scent of wet earth clung to her, mixed with the faint metallic tang of fear. Every shadow between the trees seemed to twitch at the edge of her vision, and her heart pounded in a rhythm too loud for the quiet.He

  • BOUNDED BY MOONLIGHT    THE LURE

    The warmth felt dangerous.It wrapped around Elora like a heavy cloak, coaxing her to sink into it, to stop running, to stop questioning. Every part of it was crafted to soothe—soft air that smelled of fresh bread and pine resin, the faint sweetness of honey cakes drifting from unseen kitchens, golden dusk frozen overhead like time itself had been painted across the sky.Children darted through the streets, their laughter high and unbroken, ribbons trailing from their hands as they chased one another between stalls overflowing with fruit. Merchants called out their wares, voices bright, melodic, rhythmic. The fountain she’d seen cracked and broken only moments ago now gurgled with clean water, its basin overflowing with wildflowers.The entire settlement breathed—alive, whole, untouched by ash.And in the center of it, Joel stood.Her breath caught at the sight of him. His hair was a little longer than she remembered from the ruins, strands falling into his golden eyes. He stood in th

More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status