All Chapters of Torn Between Alphas: Chapter 91 - Chapter 100

The path became denser as they progressed through the woods. The green tree illumination started to disappear behind them because the Grove's deep shadows enveloped it. The light emitted by the trees above provided meager guidance as they tried to follow the path which was nearly impossible to see. Consolidating wind pushed against them while the combined aromas of ground and putrid wood resulted in a slight metallic odor.Lucian continued holding his sword sheath but avoided pulling it from its home. Not yet. The woods remained silent while the path gave off rhythmic sounds during their slow progression. A combination of forest floor crunching sounds emerged from under our feet while occasional tree branches made creaking sounds in the distance.The silence continued to surround Serakha but she showed better physical strength as she moved beside Lucian. The rhythm of her breathing matched her salt air steps while her path became more confident. Serakha held the knot i

A loud stone-crack noise traveled across the clearing with overwhelming power. Light along with dust escaped from the base of the old sculpture while its green glimmering cracks formed living veins across the rock surface. Each step Serakha took forward resulted in the knots of her hands becoming more brilliant in illumination.Both Lucian and Serakha proceeded until his sword rested on his side though he kept the weapon positioned by his side. His eyes remained on constant watch of the surrounding trees. A strange hush enveloped them when they entered the woods because the trees maintained a strange deafening silence.“What is this?” Arden asked, his voice tight. “What’s happening to the stone?”A trembling Serakha whispered to herself that she thought the stone was opening. “Or awakening.”Each symbol on the stone started to shift its position. The object seemed to shift between different light patterns but was

Climbing back to surface took much longer than going down. A silver glow from the rope guided them back up the rock steps while showing small dark shapes around them. No one spoke at first. The forest above already understood they had transformed even before the team emerged through the heavy atmosphere.The star-studded night sky covered them as they stepped onto the ruined platform. A light breeze moved over the tree limbs. After their descent many tree layers began to share quiet greetings with them.Lucian became the first to walk on the natural green carpet below. He drew deep air through his nose and exhaled. “It’s different now.”“It feels… clearer,” Arden said. The energy within this space seems to have unlocked.She hugged the knot to her breast. The stone had cooled down as all its light once stored settled into a soft reliable glow. She examined their journey's path until it ended when the stone lights flick

They entered through the arch which extended as a path, as a promise of what they are to find. The wind blew softly to caress the trees behind them as if the grove was just watching them wean off.After the arch there was a clearly visible transition on the other side of the land.It was quieter here. Dimness of color hit my eyes – the ground was anemic now, like a sketch scraped into the sand and washed by rains. Small hills no longer slid through the landscape like a play ball. However, the land changed to plains in this city instead of hilly terrains that are common in many cities. Icy wisps of fog still curled onto the ground while depriving efforts and crawling like an old man with aches across the stones and roots of the night.“Great, you’ve really done your homework,” Arden replied.Serakha followed the gaze downwards and saw a knot in the palm of her hand. It still glowed, in a way, albeit faint and in slow rhythm. “

They broke camp at dawn. Behind them a grove was pewter still and golden, in perpetual hush as a prayer is. The silver tree was its center, the knot now in the folds of its roots. There was a faint glow from it, like a heartbeat, slow, warm. Birds stirred from the upper branches. Leaves sang good-byes to the wind.Lucian stood on the perimeter of the grove and looked up to where the path went yet higher.“We head north from here,” Arden said, folding a dog-eared map. “There is a pass over the cliffs narrow and ancient. The Vertical truly begins there.”Serakha came up next to Lucian and grabbed his hand. He glanced down at her and smiled, as he felt the strange, proven weight of joy in his chest. They had been successful at the Fields. They had returned the memory. They had chosen each other.Now the world beyond waited.They walked in a single file as the path went narrow and the gradient increased. It was one traveled infrequently at best, j