chapter 27

Chapter 27

"Curse you, Nathan."

For the thousandth time, I groaned and plopped onto the tiled floor beside the books sprawled around me. My eyes were sore, and I had no idea how long I'd been here.

As if that wasn't enough, my head throbbed from studying things I barely understood. The books were filled with ancient scribblings that made absolutely no sense. Nathan could have made this easier by giving me some sort of manual, but instead, he left me in this godforsaken place. The worst part was that I didn't even know the way back.

If I was to gather the pieces together, then here was the spoiler alert.

The Aetherblood was an ancient bloodline where Mage wolves blessed with the power to wield it were seen as gods. Forged from magic itself, the blood flowing through the veins of Mage wolves differed from that of ordinary wolves. Just as an Alpha King's blood distinguished him from his subjects, Mage wolves were chosen directly by nature.

Not only could they bend nature to their will, but they could also remake, reform, and restructure reality however they pleased. Until one day, they became feared by the very people who once worshipped them.

Even within something holy, there would always be rotten eggs. When certain Mage wolves began using their powers for selfish desires, the world turned against them. They fell from their high horses, waged wars against one another, and in the end, they were reduced to ashes.

However, in some scriptures, there were claims suggesting the corruption began through a royal bloodline. Although I couldn't fully understand why Nathan was so convinced it was SilverFang's royal bloodline, it wasn't entirely impossible either.

I sighed, taking another brief break. The room gave me the creeps. Candles lit themselves without warning, the smell of burnt cobwebs lingering in the air, and for some reason, I believed my arrival had triggered it all.

I was getting chills.

Picking up one of the candles, I let its glow guide me toward the door Nathan had mentioned earlier. The walls surrounding it were oddly plain, built from ordinary bricks unlike the grand entrance itself. The thought of smashing through the walls crossed my mind, but remembering Nathan's barbaric tendencies, I was certain he would've already tried that if it were possible.

The door itself was enormous, no less than fifteen feet tall, carved from something resembling solid mountain rock. A person's knuckles would shatter trying to knock against it. It felt unbreakable beneath my touch, rough and impossibly ancient. Faded symbols covered the center in circular patterns, like a message waiting to be understood.

However, reading it was difficult.

Still, there were certain markings I could vaguely make sense of, so I focused on those instead. Two particular patterns captured my attention, written in elegant cursive symbols that immediately struck me as familiar.

I swore I'd seen them before.

Hurriedly, I rushed back to the scattered books and searched through them.

The first pattern appeared on the second page of a book discussing the history of Aetherblood, at least to the best of its fragmented ability.

"It's a letter." The shock in my voice was unmistakable.

The pattern translated into something close to "physical body." That didn't exactly make sense.

Quickly, I searched for the second symbol and eventually found it engraved on the cover of another book. It translated into The Bleeding of a Lone Mage Wolf.

"The bleeding," I murmured, my skin tightening with confusion.

What could those two phrases possibly mean?

Bleeding and physical body.

The candlelight guided me back to the door, and I searched desperately for more recognizable symbols, but the remaining markings were impossible to decipher. It would take years to go through thousands more books trying to understand them all.

I had almost given up when my eyes widened, an idea striking me like one of those obnoxious alarms that screamed into your ears in the middle of the night and refused to stop until you smashed it against the floor.

My gaze scanned the shelves and floor before settling on a tiny metal shard. Small as it looked, it seemed sharp enough to do the job.

If I truly carried the ancient blood of Aetherblood, then my body was the "physical body." And bleeding myself should complete whatever ritual this was.

I pricked my palm just enough to draw blood, and it hurt like hell. Lips pressed thin, I flicked droplets of blood against the door.

Seconds passed. Silence swallowed everything whole. Even the candle flame stilled, the salty air halted, and time itself seemed to freeze. I was on the verge of giving up when the door suddenly moved.

Out of nowhere.

It shifted.

The floor trembled beneath its immense weight as it slid open to the left, revealing an entrance where there had once been only stone.

Beyond it was complete darkness, and I stood frozen, too afraid to step inside.

As though it sensed my hesitation, gravity shifted within a fraction of a second.

It dragged me in.

Darkness consumed my vision entirely, amplifying the fear clawing through me.

It pulled me into the void, my arms and legs scrambling desperately for something to hold onto. Anything.

Then suddenly, it stopped.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in... utopia.

A breathtaking tree towered before me, the sky illuminated by soft clouds and warm sunlight. My irises widened against the brightness, stinging slightly as I absorbed every impossible detail around me.

The tree's roots spread across the entire landscape as though this world existed solely for its growth. Colorful flowers wrapped around the roots and vines, decorating its branches and leaves with graceful beauty.

The entire scenery was mesmerizing.

"Alexander Steele. I have longed to finally meet you," a voice spoke from behind me, flowing like water. Gentle, yet commanding.

"Who's there?"

"It is I. The One Tree."

I was definitely in my right mind, but how exactly was a tree speaking inside my head?

"I was created by the first Mage Wolf. She was your great great great great great great..."

"Yes, I think I get the point." I blinked at the tree.

I could practically feel its smile, as though it truly stood before me with a face instead of bark and leaves.

"We cannot remain here for long. Your physical body lacks the aura necessary to withstand the spiritual realm."

"What? You're saying I'm inside some spiritual realm, and you're a talking tree? Hold on, are you also the one responsible for those nightmares? The voice I've been hearing?"

"I meant no harm," The One Tree replied urgently.

I wanted to curse at it, uncaring whether it backfired. That thing had terrified me beyond reason.

But suddenly, my chest tightened and my breath seized.

"You're in collision with the one who awakened you. Your other half. He is bound to you."

"Who? Nathan?" I scoffed. It definitely couldn't be him.

This tree had to be insane. I let the thought flow freely, even though it seemed capable of reading my mind.

"You are his fated mate as he is yours. He will be the anchor while I will remain your guide."

"You're making no sense. Can we please start over? I want the nightmares to stop, and I want to understand my parents' death, who I am..." I coughed violently as the air vanished from my lungs again.

It hurt terribly.

God, it really hurt.

"What's happening?"

"You must leave now!"

"What? No, I can't!" I protested. "I don't understand anything!"

"Use your powers." The One Tree's voice began warping away from reality itself as gravity shifted once more.

And then it stopped.

When I opened my eyes, liquid splattered across my face. Wiping it away, realization crashed into me against the dark surroundings.

Blood.

Men collapsed at my feet, dying one after another.

And in the middle of it all stood Kai, slaughtering them like a monster.