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Into the Prison
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2026-06-24 07:31:42The eastern prison loomed before them, ancient and foreboding.
Its walls were covered in runes that pulsed with a faint, sickly light. The air around it shimmered with old magic — the same magic that had held the second Devourer for millennia. But now, cracks spiderwebbed across the stone, and dark mist seeped through.
"They're inside," Ronan said. "The cultists. They've already begun the ritual."
"Then we stop them before they finish." Clara shifted into her wolf form, golden light blazing. "Follow me."
The entrance was unguarded.
The cultists had either fled or were too focused on their ritual to bother with guards. The team moved through the corridors in silence, their senses alert.
Elias stayed close to his grandmother, his golden eyes scanning every shadow. His heart pounded, but his hands were steady.
"Can you feel it?" Clara asked through the pack link.
"The Devourer's presence. It's stronger here."
"It's waking."
They reached the main chamber — a vast circular hall with a stone altar at its center. The cultists knelt around the altar, chanting in a language that made Elias's skin crawl.
And on the altar lay the stone.
"Now!" Clara shouted.
The pack attacked.
The battle was chaos.
Cultists rose to meet them, their dark magic clashing with the pack's silver and gold. Elias fought with everything he had, his power blazing. He took down two cultists with bursts of golden light, then a third with a well-placed kick.
"Elias, the stone!" Clara shouted.
He broke through the line, reaching the altar. The stone pulsed with dark energy, vibrating under his hands.
Destroy it, a voice whispered. Or use it.
Elias hesitated.
The Devourer's voice was seductive, patient. You could be the greatest Hidden Luna of all. Stronger than your grandmother. Stronger than anyone.
"Elias!" Clara's voice again. "Now!"
He raised his hands, golden light flaring.
I don't need your power, he told the Devourer. I have my own.
He brought his hands down on the stone.
The explosion threw everyone back.
Elias hit the wall, gasping. The stone had shattered, its fragments scattering across the floor. The dark energy dissipated, and the cultists screamed.
"You fool," one of them spat. "You've freed it."
"Freed what?"
"The Devourer. The stone wasn't a tool to break the seals. It was a key." The cultist laughed, blood streaming from his mouth. "You just opened the door."
Elias's blood ran cold.
The ground began to shake.
Runes flickered, then went dark. The walls groaned. And from the altar, a crack appeared — not a crack in the stone, but a crack in reality.
Dark mist poured through, thick and hungry.
"Fall back!" Clara shouted.
The pack retreated, dragging their wounded. But Elias stood frozen, staring at the opening.
You've done well, the Devourer's voice whispered. Now let me in.
"No."
You can't stop me. You've already helped me.
Elias raised his hands, golden light blazing. "Then I'll stop you."
He poured everything into the opening, sealing it with his own power. The crack glowed, then faded, then disappeared.
Elias collapsed.
He woke in a cave, surrounded by the pack.
Clara knelt beside him. "You're awake."
"What happened?"
"You sealed the crack. With your own power." Her voice was full of pride and worry. "The Devourer is still contained. For now."
"For now."
"Three months until the solstice. We have time."
Elias closed his eyes. "I almost let it in."
"You fought it. That's what matters."
The journey home was somber.
The team had lost two warriors. The cultists had escaped into the wilderness. And the Devourer was closer to freedom than ever before.
Elias walked at the back of the group, his mind churning.
I almost freed it, he thought. I was so close.
Ronan fell into step beside him. "You're blaming yourself."
"Aren't you?"
"No. You made a choice in the heat of battle. It wasn't the right one, but it was an honest one." Ronan looked at him. "The Devourer preys on doubt. Don't give it ammunition."
Elias nodded slowly. "What do I do?"
"Keep fighting. Keep trusting your pack. And when the time comes, make the right choice."
Back at the pack house, Clara called a meeting.
"The seals on both doors are weakened. The solstice is our last chance to reinforce them — or destroy the Devourers forever."
"How do we destroy them?" AJ asked.
Theron stepped forward. "The ancient texts speak of a ritual — one that requires the combined power of all Hidden Lunas. Clara, Ronan, and Elias."
"That would kill them," Alistair said.
"Not necessarily. But it would drain them. For months, maybe years." Theron's voice was gentle. "It's the only way."
Clara looked at Ronan, then at Elias. "We do it."
"Clara—" Alistair started.
"We do it. Together."
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