Chapter 16: Whispers of the Witch King

"They told you your bloodline was just common wolf stock, little Luna, but magic of this magnitude doesn't come from ordinary packs."

The words echoed through the subterranean archive as Silas stood beside Elara, studying the ancient runes etched into the hidden wall panels. Their faint golden glow reflected in his grey eyes, making the markings appear almost alive. He had explored the Obsidian Fang archives countless times, but he had never seen anything like this.

Elara glanced at him. "First, I discover I'm a White Royal Wolf, and now you're telling me there's something even stranger about my bloodline. How many secrets am I supposed to have?"

Silas moved closer to the wall. "I wish I had an answer. These markings are older than most wolf kingdoms. Even the previous Alpha Kings were forbidden from studying certain records kept here."

"Wonderful. I'm a walking mystery with a dangerous family history."

A faint smile touched his lips, but his expression soon became serious. The strange energy grew stronger as they ventured deeper into the archive. Even Silas's wolf seemed unusually alert, as though it recognized something hidden within the ancient walls.

The chamber lay beneath the oldest section of the fortress. Tall shelves filled with dusty books surrounded several wooden tables, while locked cabinets held scrolls and records from forgotten generations. The air smelled of old parchment, dust, and ozone.

Elara approached a table covered with ancient scrolls. Their yellowed pages contained illustrations of supernatural dynasties, including werewolf kings, dragon rulers, vampire monarchs, and powerful witch families. Some of the symbols looked familiar, especially those resembling the silver markings that had appeared on her skin.

"Silas, look at this."

He stood beside her as she pointed to a symbol repeated beside several royal bloodlines. It resembled a crown surrounded by twisting branches, with a small circle at its centre. Curiosity got the better of her, and she placed her fingertips against it.

A strange vibration travelled through her hand.

Elara quickly pulled away. "Did you feel that?"

Silas studied the scroll. "I felt something, but it came from you."

An amber notification flashed across her vision.

[DING! SYSTEM ALERT!]

[ANOMALOUS MAGICAL SIGNATURE DETECTED.]

[WARNING: SUBJECT'S HEALING ABILITIES AND WHITE ROYAL TRANSFORMATION ARE CONNECTED TO A DEEPER, UNIDENTIFIED HERITAGE.]

[ANCIENT BLOODLINE SEALS DETECTED. FURTHER INFORMATION REQUIRED TO IDENTIFY THE SOURCE.]

Elara stared at the message. "So my White Royal Wolf isn't the end of the story?"

Silas noticed her expression. "What did the System tell you?"

She explained the warning, and his jaw tightened as he listened. He had already suspected that her transformation was unusual, but this suggested something beyond the wolf bloodlines he understood.

"Your healing ability weakened the poison that nearly killed me," he reminded her. "Your wolf carries an aura that even experienced Alphas struggle to withstand. Now these ancient records are reacting to you."

Elara folded her arms. "You make it sound like I should be worried."

"I'm worried because I don't know what might be waiting for you. Powerful bloodlines attract attention, and not everyone who discovers yours will have good intentions."

"Then they'll have to get through me first."

Silas placed a protective hand against her waist. "You keep forgetting that you don't have to fight every battle alone."

"And you keep forgetting that I'm your Luna, not a decoration you're supposed to lock away in the palace."

His lips curved. "I have noticed."

Before Elara could respond, hurried footsteps echoed between the shelves. Both turned toward the entrance, and Milo soon appeared, breathing heavily with an old leather-bound ledger clutched against his chest.

"Elara! Silas! I found something!"

Elara hurried toward him. "Milo, why are you running? You could have fallen down those stairs."

"I didn't have time to walk!" He lifted the heavy book. "I was sorting old records in the eastern storage room when I found this hidden behind a broken cabinet. It has your name in it, Elara."

Her eyebrows rose. "My name?"

Milo nodded. "It mentions the White Royal line, but there's another bloodline connected to it. I couldn't understand everything, so I brought it here."

Silas took the ledger and examined its worn leather cover. A strange symbol had been pressed into the centre, matching the crown-like marking Elara had touched on the scroll.

"Where exactly did you find this?"

"Behind some old family records. The pages started glowing when I touched them, so I knew it wasn't an ordinary book."

Milo opened the ledger, and a soft silver light spread across his fingers. He gasped, almost dropping it, but Elara caught his wrist. The glow travelled from his fingertips toward his palms like tiny streams of moonlight.

"Milo, are you hurt?"

"No. It feels warm." He stared at his hands. "It's like when my body started changing and my wolf began waking up."

Silas stepped closer. "Don't move. Let me see."

The silver glow pulsed, and several lines of writing appeared across the open pages. Silas studied the ancient symbols before his expression changed.

"The Witch King..."

Elara looked up sharply. "What did you just say?"

Silas turned another page. An illustration showed a crowned figure surrounded by magical flames. Beneath it were names and descriptions of bloodlines connected to the ancient ruler. One passage mentioned the lost royal lines, while another described a descendant whose blood could awaken sealed magic.

Milo leaned closer. "Does it say something about me?"

"It describes a connection between the Witch King's bloodline and several ancient royal families," Silas answered. "But the ledger is incomplete. Someone deliberately scratched out some of the names."

Elara stared at the illustration. Something inside her responded to the figure, creating a strange pull in her chest. The silver-white markings beneath her skin began to shimmer, and the runes on the walls brightened.

The System flashed again.

[DING! BLOODLINE RESONANCE DETECTED!]

[ANCIENT WITCH KING SIGNATURE MATCHING SUBJECT'S MAGICAL FREQUENCY.]

[WARNING: HERITAGE IDENTIFICATION INCOMPLETE. ADDITIONAL SEALS MUST BE BROKEN TO REVEAL THE FULL LINEAGE.]

Elara lowered her gaze to the glowing pages. "The Witch King..."

Memories of her past flooded her mind. She remembered being mocked for her weight, treated as worthless because she had no wolf, and made to believe she deserved every cruel thing that happened to her. Lyra had poisoned her, Kade had rejected her, and people had laughed whenever she struggled.

Now an ancient ledger was reacting to her presence, and the System was connecting her abilities to a bloodline powerful enough to disappear from history.

Milo looked between them. "Does this mean we're connected somehow?"

Elara placed a hand on his shoulder. "I don't know yet, Milo. But there's a reason your blood reacted to this book. Your family wasn't ordinary, and neither is mine."

Silas tried to close the ledger, but the pages refused to settle. The silver light grew brighter, and the runes across the chamber began glowing one after another. A deep rumble travelled through the stone floor.

"Step away from the table," Silas ordered, moving in front of Elara and Milo.

The archive doors suddenly slammed shut. Heavy locks clicked into place, while the runes surrounding the entrance burst into brilliant white flames. Silas turned toward the sealed doors, his hand reaching for the weapon at his side.

Elara stared at the glowing ledger and Milo's silver-lit hands. Her own eyes began shining with an intensity that made the entire chamber tremble. She had spent enough of her life allowing others to decide what she was worth.

Whoever her ancestors were, she would uncover every secret. And anyone who tried to make her feel powerless again would regret it.

"If my bloodline traces back to the Witch King, then every enemy who ever called me a weak, chubby outcast is about to learn what true power looks like.”