SHATTERED BONDS Flames curled up in the sky as the sanctuary trembled beneath the power that was released. The air was charged with tension and the firelight flashed on the stone walls, creating outrageous shadows. Elara leant back on the charred rock, her heart pounding, breath short."Lerder!" she shouted, coughing through the smoke.He appeared through the blood running down his arm, his sword dragging against the ground."You have to get to the eastern passage. Now." Lerder whispered, with low voice.Chaewon shook her head. "Not without you."His eyes locked on hers—those storm-gray eyes, now weary but burning with something deeper. Love, regret, and purpose."Elara, if you stay, we both die. And the prophecy dies with us." Lerder uttered, pain filled his words."Then we die together." Chaewon responded.He spoke under his breath. "Damn it, Elara."Before he could speak again, a guttural roar shattered the moment. Malak emerged from the crumbling entrance, wings unfurled, eyes bl
THE EDGE OF FLAME The hurricane showed no mercy. With its wind weeping mercilessly and ruthless to creatures.Thunder boomed like war drums over the sanctuary, and lightning ripped through the sky with furious nature, casting a fleeting light over the broken stone pillars and burned ground which Malak and Morwen’s attack had left behind.Elara coughed, a line of blood running down her lip, pressing back against a fractured pillar. Her magic was flickering wildly in her outstretched hands, uncontrolled and unshaped. Lerder stood over her, panting, his tunic stained with blood from his rib-high, bleeding wounds."We can't hold them off for much longer," Elara whispered.Lerder didn't reply. His golden eyes blazed angrily as he looked for their enemy, surveying the destroyed sanctuary."Lerder," she called his attention, her hand shaking, "we must make for the rear. The tunnel at the rear of the Oracle's sanctuary.""They'll follow," he growled. "But if we separate them, we may have a c
RECKONING The ancient stones appeared to vibrate with a power that reflected the turmoil within Lerder's heart.He stood at the threshold of the sanctuary's central space, shadows playing over his features from the flame-lit torch. The Carpathian Mountains stood outside, brooding and still, like judges, those peaks stabbing the storm-darkened sky."You lied to me, Lysander." Lerder said.His voice lashed through the chamber like a whip. Lysander, shrouded in dusk, did not recoil. His face, ever ambiguous, now betrayed the faintest hint of regret.“I did what I had to. You never should have had to bear this burden.” Lysander said.Lerder took a step forward, his muscles tensed and shaking in anger. Elara stood to the rear, hand resting against his arm. Not to restrain him—but to ground him."So you turned me over to them? Left me rotting in Obsidian Keep's dungeons while you acted as Malak’s spy?" Lerder’s voice trembled with outrage."I was only looking out for you, for God's sake!"
SANCTUARY AND BETRAYALThe path to the sanctuary carved deeper into the mountains, jagged and treacherous. Snow, once a delicate veil, now clung to the craggy ledges like claws. Lerder’s steps were heavy with more than exhaustion. Elara followed in silence, her fingers still warm with the echo of the last vision that hadn’t yet left her bones.They created a final ridge and there it was—a temple hidden by time and shadow, its black stone facade veined with glowing silver sigils. The Sanctuary of Veyruhn. A place whispered of in half-believed tales. According to the prophecy, this was where the truth would begin to bleed.Elara’s breath caught so high and her body full of joy and peace of mindIt was beautiful. Not in the way a sunrise was, or a lover’s smile—but with the haunted grace of a dying star. Silent. Watching. Waiting.But something was wrong.Lerder tensed beside her, his nose twitching. “We’re not alone.” he turned around and said, “I can sense something new here.”“Do you
The black whisper, oppressive with ill omen and wicked connotations, clung thickly to the black cavern, reminding them of the ancient wickedness they had struggled so desperately on their dangerous way. Even breathing was an anxious task with endless drops of water falling from the rough pointed cavern roof."What are we to do now?" Elara asked, her words hardly audible. Her eyes locked squarely on Lerder, her eyes burning with fear as well as an unbreakable determination. A pale golden shimmering light enveloped her body, pulsating softly to cover up the fatigue and weakness within.A resolute gaze was maintained by Lerder at the entrance to the cave, his expression scrunched up into one of deep seriousness and intensity. He paused to stroke the sleekness of his black fur, an action that told equally of both his fatigue and an unbreakable resolve that he couldn't ignore.“We have to move out, it is getting too dangerous for us to stay here anymore.” His voice, never more than a threa
The cave resonated with the roar of the beast, ground shaking beneath their feet. Lerder, his muscles tense, paced in front of Elara, his eyes burning with hard determination. Elara's golden aura surged around him, her amulet in her hand thumping with raw, unreleased energy. The beast, bigger even than a wolf, its shape ugly but somehow beautiful, sprang, claws out. Their skin crawled at the ancient evil burning in its eyes.“Elara!” Lerder bellowed, his shout primal ringing off the cavern. He blocked the creature's initial attack with his burly arm, but the force of impact sent him rolling.“Use your power!” he groaned, pain etching his tone, his face locked upon Elara with urgency and trust. A surge of protectiveness threatened to overwhelm him, to defend her from this ancient evil which lay even beyond survival instinct. This was more than survival, this was love.Elara, terrified but determined, concentrated all of her will upon the amulet. A searing burst of golden fire burned ou
Lerder took a deep breath, choosing his words with care. He explained to her about the prophecy, the legends that spoke of one human able to save or destroy werewolf and human worlds. He spoke of Malak's interpretation, how he thought Elara was the one. He used rich sensory detailed words to bring his words to life. Speaking hesitantly, he did not wish to overstep, ensuring she'd understand how serious things were.“So I'm supposed to save the world then?” “Or destroy it.” Elara asked Lerder with a harsh voice.“It's not that simple,” Lerder expressed his parched throat. "This is about making choices and decisions, which direction do you take."Elara extended her hand, her fingers running over a scarlet leaf. Delicate golden sparks swirled upon her fingers, as though leaves themselves contained energy of a kind she couldn't understand."What was that?" Lerder asked in a low tone.His shudder of excitement beneath his words. Suddenly, he was assaulted by a gust of atmosphere with the
The forest groaned as a single unit, save for Lerder's rasping breathing. As he knelt by Elara's side, his massive shadow loomed over her. Leaves stained with blood lay about him, He pressed his fingers to her pulse, his touch unexpectedly tender. Elara woke up groaning, she slowly opened her eyes.“Where… Where am I?” her words barely audible.“Safe,” Lerder growled, his rumble softening to something more akin to worry. “For now.”She sat upright, flinching. “Wha… What happened?” she asked, her tone tinged with terror.He looked aside, his jaw clenched. “Malak's pack ambushed, they came for you.”“Me? Why?” she panted, her words thick with terror.Lerder hesitated, his eyes falling to the ground stained with blood. “The prophecy, they think… you are.”There was a long silence between them, with nothing disturbed by anything other than the sounds of leaves rustling. Elara brought her hand to her forehead, a strange feeling rushing through her.“What prophecy?” Elara's words came sof
Before him, the Carpathian Mountains bulked, their serrated peaks tearing apart the dark sky. The full moon rode over them, long, bony fingers of shadow stretching outward to claw across the silent pines.Lerder sensed ancient tension, his muscles tightening under his thick, graying coat. He growled, his chest rumbling.‘This change never becomes easier.’ He was alone, fortunately, in this neglected part of the forest far from his pack and their disapproving glare. He shifted his position, his claws spilling out as he felt growing pressure. He was the creature of shadows, a creature of moonlight, a werewolf bound to the cycle of orbs in the sky. He took no pride or satisfaction in it. He would question himself, as to why his life couldn't be more just.“Why me?” he asked himself, his question sounding through all the silence of the ancient forest. They would only insist upon his unwavering loyalty to the will of the pack.Looking forward he saw a human.Elara. The moonlight caught h