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The First Blood
publish date:
2026-06-16 06:27:59Three months after Ronan's visit
The training yard had become Elias's second home.
He rose before dawn, ran drills with the warriors, sparred with anyone willing to face him, and collapsed into bed long after the moon rose. His golden light had grown stronger, though Clara warned him not to rely on it too heavily.
"Power is a tool," she said, watching him blast a training post to splinters. "Not a crutch."
"Yes, Grandmother."
"Don't 'yes, Grandmother' me. You're holding back."
Elias lowered his hands. "I don't want to hurt anyone."
"In training, you hold back. In battle, you don't have that luxury." She stepped into the yard. "Fight me."
"Grandmother—"
"Fight me."
He hesitated, then lunged.
Clara sidestepped, sweeping his legs out from under him. He hit the ground hard.
"Again."
He rose, faster this time. His golden light flared, and he threw a punch. Clara caught his fist, twisted, and pinned him.
"Speed is nothing without control." She released him. "Now show me control."
Elias's father, AJ, watched from the porch.
"He's getting better," Mira said, joining him.
"He's getting obsessed."
"He's thirteen. Obsession is normal."
AJ shook his head. "He's carrying too much weight. The prophecy. The Devourers. Everyone's expectations."
"He'll learn to carry it. Just like you did."
AJ looked at his mate. "I had you."
"And he has us."
Elara felt the disturbance before anyone else.
She was in the library with Kael when a sharp pain lanced through her skull. A vision — not a memory, not a possibility, but a warning.
Cultists. From the east. They're coming for Elias.
"He's here," she gasped. "The Devourer's new Herald."
Kael caught her as she swayed. "Who?"
"I didn't see his face. But he's young. Younger than Ronan. And he has followers."
Clara called an emergency council.
Elara described the vision: a young wolf with eyes like burning coals, leading a band of cultists through the forest. Their target was Elias.
"They want to capture him," Elara said. "Use his power to break the seals."
"Then we don't let them." Alistair stood. "Double the patrols. Set up checkpoints on all borders. No one enters or leaves without approval."
AJ turned to Elias. "You stay close to the pack house. No training in the forest."
"But—"
"No arguments."
The cultists came three nights later.
They emerged from the mist like shadows, black cloaks blending with the darkness. The border guards raised the alarm, but the attackers were fast — too fast.
Elias woke to the sound of howling.
He shifted into his wolf form and ran toward the commotion. His father blocked his path.
"Go back to the house!"
"I can help!"
"Not yet!"
Elias snarled but obeyed, retreating to the pack house. His grandmother met him at the door.
"Stay inside."
"I'm not a pup."
"Then don't act like one."
The battle was fierce but brief.
Kael led the defense, his silver blade cutting through cultists. Elara's visions guided the warriors, showing her where the enemy would strike next. Within an hour, the attackers were dead or captured.
But the young leader — the one with burning eyes — had escaped.
"He's still out there," Elara said, scanning the forest.
"He'll be back," Clara replied. "They always come back."
Elias stood at the window, watching the wounded being carried inside.
His hands trembled.
This is my fault, he thought. They came because of me.
Clara appeared beside him. "No. They came because the Devourer wants power. You're just the means."
"How do you know?"
"Because I've been where you are. Blaming yourself for things you didn't choose." She touched his cheek. "You didn't ask for this, Elias. But you can choose how to respond."
He looked at her, his golden eyes bright with unshed tears. "I want to fight."
"Then train. Rest. And when the time comes, you'll be ready."
The next morning, Elias requested a meeting with the council.
"I want to hunt the new Herald," he said. "Not wait for him to come to us."
"Absolutely not," AJ said.
"Dad, he'll keep attacking. More wolves will die."
"Elias—"
"He's right," Clara interrupted. "We can't just defend. We need to find him and stop him."
"I'll go with him," Ronan's voice came from the doorway. He had arrived overnight, summoned by Elara's message. "I know the eastern lands. I can track him."
"Ronan—"
"He's not going alone." Ronan's voice was firm. "Neither am I."
The council debated for hours.
Finally, they agreed: Ronan would lead a small team — Elias, Kael, and two other warriors — to track the new Herald. Elara would stay behind, her visions feeding them information from a distance.
"Find him," Clara said, embracing Elias. "And come home."
"I will."
They left at dawn.
Ronan moved through the forest like a ghost, his silver-white fur blending with the mist. Elias stayed close, his senses alert.
"How do you know where to go?" Elias asked.
"I've hunted cultists before. They leave traces."
"Like what?"
"Broken branches. Disturbed earth. The smell of fear."
They tracked the Herald for two days, following a trail of subtle signs. On the third day, they found his camp.
The camp was smaller than expected — a handful of tents, a low fire, and a young wolf with burning eyes sitting alone.
"That's him," Ronan whispered.
"How do we take him?"
"Carefully."
They circled the camp, waiting for an opportunity. When the other cultists drifted off to sleep, Ronan signaled.
They attacked.
The Herald was fast.
He met Elias's charge with dark energy, throwing him against a tree. Kael's silver blade cut through the shadows, but the Herald dodged.
"Ronan," Elias gasped, pushing himself up. "His power — it's like the Collector's."
"He's not absorbing. He's redirecting."
Ronan lunged, his own silver light clashing with the Herald's darkness. The two powers spiraled, crackling and hissing.
"Elias, now!" Ronan shouted.
Elias poured everything into a blast of golden light. It struck the Herald square in the chest, sending him crashing into a tent.
The Herald didn't rise.
They bound him in silver chains.
"He's just a boy," Elias said, staring at the unconscious figure.
"He's a weapon." Ronan's voice was grim. "The Devourer made him. Same as the Herald before."
"What do we do with him?"
"We take him to the Council. Let them decide."
Elias nodded, though his heart was heavy.
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