THE BEGINNING OF CALAMITY

ELYSIA’S HOUSE

Elysia stopped in front of her house, her hands on her knees, panting heavily. She was exhausted from all the running.

She sat on the veranda, still scared, her fingers trembling and her breathing heavy.

“Elysia!”

Someone called. It was the woman who lived next door.

“Maelis,” Elysia said, seeing the older woman walking towards her.

“Oh! My dear!” Maelis exclaimed, sitting beside her on the veranda and stroking her hair.

“They killed Dad! They killed him, Maelis!” Elysia burst into tears.

“I’m so sorry, baby. I’m so sorry,” Maelis said, comforting her.

“I don’t know what to do anymore… I’m hopeless…”

“Don’t say that about yourself, Elysia. It’s not your fault. The famine is affecting everyone, and they have chosen to do evil.”

“There will be a solution soon. Don’t worry. Some wolves have already travelled to Astralis Pack to inform the Alpha King.”

“But we don’t know how effective that would be,” Elysia wept.

“Oh, it will be. The Alpha King is nothing like the Alpha of our Tripa Pack.”

“I don’t know, Maelis. I feel like I’m bad luck.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Elysia.”

“Best kind of luck, you say? My mother died while giving birth to me, and my father? He became blind the moment I came out of my mother’s womb. He said the room went white, and that was it, Maelis. He lost his sight.”

“That doesn’t mean you’re bad luck,” Maelis assured her.

“It does mean that! I’ve brought nothing good. My existence sucks!”

“Elysia! Never say that again. You are definitely the best thing that happened to your parents.”

“You know what? You need to take a shower and rest. This is not what you need right now.”

“I can’t go in there. It’s haunted by bad memories. There’s still blood everywhere on the floor.”

“Okay, then come over to my place. You can rest there,” Maelis said, stretching her hands towards her. “Come… come on.”

Reluctantly, Elysia took her hand and followed her to her house.

ASTRALIS PACK — THE ROYAL PALACE

The wolves lay on beds in the infirmary as Evander, the Royal Physician of Astralis Palace, examined them. The beds were arranged in rows, with over thirty of them in the room. There were chairs at the end of the room for visitors.

Evander approached the King, who was sitting on one of the chairs. Darian and Kael sat beside him.

“Your Majesty, I have examined them, and the only thing I can deduce from their symptoms is starvation. These wolves are dying from starvation, Your Majesty.”

“Starvation?” Aurelian asked.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“What could have happened?” Darian asked.

“It seems they travelled a long distance to get here, which worsened their condition,” Evander explained.

“And from their badges, they are from Tripa Pack,” Kael added.

“Tripa Pack?” Aurelian questioned.

“Is there a famine there?” Darian wondered.

“I think this should be investigated, Your Majesty,” Kael said.

“It definitely will be. I have told your father and the Gamma to prepare for the Alpha Summit. Luckily, the Alphas arrived for the ceremony earlier,” Aurelian replied.

An able-bodied wolf walked in.

“Your Majesty, the Alpha Summit awaits you,” he said, bowing.

“Stay observant.” Aurelian turned to Darian and Kael. They bowed.

“Lead the way, Theron,” Aurelian said to the guard, who escorted him out.

TRIPA PACK — MAELIS’S HOUSE

Elysia washed her hands after finishing the food on the table. She gulped down water.

“You seem hungry,” Maelis said, clearing the table before sitting opposite her on the floor, with the table between them.

“I was starving!”

“The famine is making things hard. Plus, I ran all the way back here from the woods,” Elysia added.

“And that is why I think you need to rest.”

“But, Maelis, despite the famine, how come you have this much food for me to eat?”

“I just happened to store some before the famine began. So, what do you plan to do? Do you want to continue staying here with me?”

Elysia slowly shook her head. “No.”

“Why? Don’t you trust me? Or do you want to return to your father’s house?”

“No, Maelis, not at all. You are the only person I have left, and I trust you completely. You’ve always been there for me and my father since I was a child. For that, I am very grateful.”

“You are more like a daughter to me, Elysia.”

“And I see you as more than a mother, Maelis. It’s just that I don’t want to stay here in Tripa anymore. My father always wanted me to go to Astralis. He wished for me to attend Lycoria Academy, but I didn’t agree because I didn’t want to leave him all alone. But now, I want to honour that wish of his as my last act of respect,” Elysia said, already in tears.

“Don’t cry, daughter. Everything will be alright,” Maelis consoled her, stroking her back.

“He said he didn’t want me to be so weak. He wanted me to be strong and able to stand up for myself.”

“And you will be just that, Elysia. I trust you.”

“You really think so?”

“I know so, Elysia. Lycoria is about to have one of its bravest students,” Maelis replied with a small smile.

“I hope I fit in.”

“You definitely will. Now, you need to get some rest. The admission process for the Academy begins in two days. The town crier from Astralis came months ago to make the announcement.”

“What? Two days?”

“Yes. That means you need to leave tomorrow so you can get there before dawn the following day and prepare.”

“Goodness…” Elysia sighed, rubbing her temple.

“Do not worry, Elysia. You’ll do just great. You need to get some rest now. A long journey awaits you tomorrow.”

Maelis helped her up and led her to a room so she could sleep.

“Thank you, Maelis,” Elysia said with a smile as she lay on her bed.

“Now, stop talking and sleep,” Maelis hushed her.

Elysia slowly closed her eyes.

“Good night, Vaelmor,” Maelis whispered as she walked out of the room.

THE ROYAL INFIRMARY

Kael and Darian were still in the room. Evander and his assistants continued tending to the starving wolves.

“Evander,” Kael called.

“Yes, Future Beta,” Evander answered with a slight bow.

“Have you come up with something to treat them yet?”

“I do not want to rush this process, Your Highness.”

“What do you mean?” Darian asked, raising his brows.

“Your Highness, I think this situation might be more than just medical.”

“But how could you be so sure?” Darian questioned.

“That is it, Your Highness. I am not sure. That is why I sent one of my servants to summon Caelum, the Omega, so I could speak to him.”

“Really?”

“Yes, Future Beta. He is in charge of the Royal Library and oversees its collection of books, ancient records, and other written knowledge. He also interprets omens and translates ancient scriptures. So, I believe I should consult him first before doing anything.”

“I really hope this ends well,” Darian said.

A few minutes later, Caelum walked in, accompanied by one of Evander’s servants.

“I extend my greetings to the Future Alpha King and the Beta. I recognise the presence of the Royal Physician,” Caelum said, bowing.

“Hello, Caelum,” Kael replied.

“I greet you as well, Caelum,” Evander added.

“May I know why I have been summoned?”

“Yes, Omega. I called you to ask how I should proceed with the treatment of the wolves from earlier. I didn’t want to rush into doing anything, given the circumstances surrounding their collapse.”

“You are right. Immediately after the incident, I went to the Royal Library to conduct some research.”

“Did you discover anything?” Kael asked.

“There was a rush of four bad omens at once.”

“What do you mean?” Evander asked.

“This night was supposed to be auspicious. I monitored the behaviour of the sacred flames and the alignment of multiple signs, especially the position of the moon, and they were all positive. That was why the King decided to hold the ceremony today.”

“So, what went wrong?”

“That, I cannot demystify, Your Highness.”

“I am sorry, Your Highness, but there were four bad omens. The auspicious night turned ominous, the sacred flames were extinguished, the moon turned red, and distant wolves could be heard howling.”

“Yes, during the ceremony,” Kael added.

“All these are signs—negative signs that threaten disaster and indicate the beginning of a calamity to befall Astralis.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Darian questioned.

“I am afraid, Your Highness, that Astralis is on the brink of a catastrophe unlike anything we have ever witnessed. I do not know for certain what awaits us, but these omens are not mere coincidences.”

“What?!” the other three exclaimed in unison.

A heavy silence fell across the room.

“Tell me, Caelum, what do we do to prevent this?!” Darian demanded, urgency in his voice.

Caelum drew a shaky breath.

“I went through countless scriptures, Your Highness, but they do not clearly explain the calamity that may befall Astralis. They speak of a terrible catastrophe…” He paused, his voice fading into a whisper. “One that I fear has already begun.”