Chapter Four: Unlocking The One Power

I blinked repeatedly, my mouth open in awe as I stared at the old man.

He didn't looked like how I imagined, infact he looked worse, more intimidating. He was tall, 6ft and had a thin lean figure that fitted perfectly in the long blue robe he wore.

His hair and beard was a wild mane of silver and the combination of the two made his face small.

And his eyes….

They held a mischievous playful gaze yet something sinister lurked behind them.

I shuddered, my voice creaking as I asked, “You … Y.. You are Elder Lan?”

He laughed, his voice rounding the whole hallway like the echo of a demi god. “The one and only.”

I stared at him, my throat tightening, not believing my eyes. Vera had said even the Mother Superior had never seen this man and yet he stood here before me in flesh and blood.

I peered at him suspiciously, "Vera had said that no one had seen you, even the mother Superior? What would I believe that you are truly who you say you are?"

He laughed lightly, shrugging his shoulders, “The ways of the goddess are different from ours, Child. Our Destinies are written by her. So are our paths."

I grimaced as his words reminded me of a former memory.

“You sound exactly like my Mother.” I said. Letting out a side bitter smile.

My voice dropped to a cold icey tone, “The woman you killed.”

His smile faded, his gaze fluttering as he shifted it from me and peered towards the window, looking at the full moon.

"Like I said earlier, Child." He said, his voice low and creaking. "The ways of the goddess are different from us. Most times, what we see in front of us is far from what it really is.”

I scoffed, my nails digging deep inside my palms as I grunted, “Save your petty sermons for the birds, Old man. They do not work on me.”

He arched a brow, tilting his head lightly as he returned his gaze to me.

"You didn't sound so tough when the king wanted to tear you to pieces.” he said with a mischievous grin.

I coughed nervously, “You saw everything?”

“Just enough to know you would have been dead if not for my timely intervention.”

His stare at me intensifies and I swallowed, the mischievous grin fading from his face as he looked at me critically.

“The shadow cave can only be accessed by four people," he began, " The Alpha Lord, the Mother Superior, Me……”

He paused, his face darkening, “And the Moon Goddess's Reborn.”

I raised a brow, peering at him like he spoke another language.

“Are you the Moon Goddess's Reborn, child?” He asked.

I let out a loud ridiculing laugh,like he just said the biggest joke of history. How could he think that I was the moon goddess's reborn?

He stared me daggers and I coughed immediately supressing the remaining laughter.

“Your visions," he said, adjusting his staff. "They manifest. Like the one that happened today.”

“Yes," I blurted, finally regaining my composure,

"He was supposed to kill me but he didn't.” I paused, snorting at him, "You came just in time to change everything.”

Something flickered in his eyes like I had said something heavy, but he waved them aside and looked at me with a frown.

“Your powers." He said, peering at accusingly, "You have been unable to access them.”

“You mean my wolf,” I muttered and shrugged, “Maybe.”

His frown darkened, "Maybe what?”

I hesitated, shuddering at the memory of the spirit haunting me like a chilly nightmare.

“Before I entered the cave, I saw my wolf spirit. It was strange. I was supposed to know her, to feel a connection, but.... I felt nothing.”

Lan's reaction was instant. He rushed towards me, grabbing my hand roughly. His eyes fierce and urgent.

“Listen to what I am about to say carefully child. If she appears to you next time, do not listen to anything she says and most importantly, do not go anywhere near her. Do you understand?!”

A shiver rushed through my spine as I jerked back slightly, peering at him with panic, “Why would I do that?!” I barked. “She is my wolf spirit. I am supposed to bond to her.”

“Like I said earlier, child. Most times, what we see in front of us is far from the truth,” he said grimly. “She might be your wolf spirit, but there is a history to it. Do not let it repeat itself.”

He let go of my arms and stretched his other hand toward me. A glowing thread of light came out of me, pulsing with a rhythm that made my head swim.

I stood frozen as the thread spiraled and twisted, obeying the subtle movements of his fingers. The spirit energy surged through my body, seeping through my veins, filling me with a strange, powerful pressure that left me gasping for air.

“I have unlocked a bit of your power,” he said,letting his arm fall. The thread dissolved into the air like mist.

“But believe me when I say that what I unlocked is nothing compared to the energy you have charging through you.”

I trembled, every nerve inside me vibrating. What was happening to me?

“Wait...” I gasped, holding my head as everything became wobbly. “I don't understand what you mean… Powers? What powers?”

“You are a special child, Amara, the Moon Goddess's reborn."

The words crashed over me like a tidel wave.

Moon goddess? Powers? It made no sense. I was just an ordinary wolfless girl from the slums of Falme, why me?

I stared at him, feeling like the ground had disappeared from under my feet.

“The trail of threads tomorrow,” he said, shifting the conversation as if he hadn’t just shattered my world. “I hear Lia is amongst the maidens."

Lia.

The name barely passed through the buzzing in my ears. She was the most skilled of the house of Cheng. The one everyone wanted.

He turned to me, his expression firm and stern. Leaving no room for argument.

“You must make her your maiden, Amara. She is very skillful and would be of good use to you in the future.”He said.

He hit his staff on the concrete and dissolved in the wind.

I pressed my lips together as I stared at the empty space he had been standing before, my nails digging into my palms.

I hadn't even stepped into this new world properly, and already it demanded allegiance, power plays, and trust I wasn't sure I could give.

Every part of me wanted to run, to turn and never look back. But deep down, something in the way Lan spoke told me there was no turning back anymore.

Tomorrow, the trail of threads would weave my fate. And I would have no choice but to follow them.