Chapter Seven: The Hidden Blade
695 Words
The target was the newly awakened Moon Omega herself.
The masked assassin moved like a phantom through the smoke, his footsteps swallowed by the chaos surrounding the burning village. While every eye remained fixed on the brutal battle between the two Alpha Kings, he slipped unnoticed between the shattered cottages, his poisoned dagger glinting beneath the crimson moon.
His breathing remained calm.
His orders were simple.
If the Moon Omega could not be captured... she must never be allowed to fall into the hands of another Alpha.
Only a few steps separated him from Lyra.
She remained completely unaware.
Her attention was fixed on Kael, whose enormous black wolf fought relentlessly against Lucien. Every thunderous clash shook the earth beneath her feet, yet the glowing pendant around her neck seemed to pull her toward him with an invisible thread.
The assassin tightened his grip.
One strike.
That was all it would take.
He lunged.
The poisoned blade sliced through the smoke toward Lyra's back.
Suddenly—
"Lyra!"
Emma's desperate scream echoed across the battlefield.
Lyra turned instinctively.
Before she could understand what was happening, a figure threw himself between her and the dagger.
The blade plunged deep into Elder Rowan's side.
The old man's body trembled violently.
For a heartbeat, everything stood still.
The assassin stared in shock.
Lyra's eyes widened.
"E... Elder Rowan?"
Blood slowly stained the old man's robes as he looked down at the blade buried in his side. Pain crossed his face, but instead of fear, he smiled gently at the young woman he had spent twenty-two years protecting.
"I'm... glad..."
He struggled to breathe.
"...it wasn't you."
"No!"
Lyra caught him before he collapsed completely, lowering him carefully onto the cracked stone ground.
Her hands trembled as they pressed against the wound, trying desperately to stop the blood.
"No... no, no..."
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"You can't leave me."
"You promised we'd plant new flowers this spring."
"You promised..."
Rowan lifted a trembling hand and gently brushed a tear from her face.
"My child..."
"I've kept my promise."
"I protected you..."
"...until the Alpha found you."
His fading eyes shifted toward Kael, who was still locked in battle with Lucien.
"The prophecy..."
"...has begun."
His breathing grew weaker.
"There is... something you must know."
Lyra leaned closer, struggling to hear him over the chaos.
"The Moon Pendant..."
"...is only the first key."
"There are..."
"...three more sacred relics."
"They were hidden..."
"...long before the kingdoms were born."
"If darkness finds them first..."
His voice broke into a painful cough.
"...the world..."
"...will never see another full moon."
His hand slowly slipped from Lyra's cheek.
The warmth left his fingers.
"Live..."
"...Lyra."
"And never..."
"...lose..."
"...your heart."
His eyes closed.
The gentle smile remained upon his face.
"Elder Rowan?"
Lyra shook him softly.
No answer came.
Her voice cracked.
"Elder..."
Still nothing.
The realization hit her all at once.
He was gone.
The man who had raised her.
The man who had protected her since infancy.
The only grandfather she had ever known.
He would never speak to her again.
A broken cry escaped her lips, filled with grief so deep that even the battle seemed to pause.
The pendant around her neck blazed with silver light.
The sky above the village darkened.
Clouds swirled around the crimson moon.
A powerful wave of energy burst from Lyra's body, spreading across the battlefield in every direction.
The assassin who had killed Rowan was thrown violently through the air before crashing into a burning wall.
Every Crimson warrior stumbled backward.
Even Lucien's giant wolf froze.
Kael turned sharply.
His golden eyes widened.
The scent filling the air had changed.
The Moon Omega's power...
...had awakened once again.
Silver light rose around Lyra like countless glowing petals dancing in the wind.
Her silver hair floated behind her as tears continued to fall.
The grief inside her heart was transforming into something ancient.
Something far older than the kingdoms.
Far older than the prophecy itself.
Watching from across the battlefield, Lucien slowly returned to his human form.
His expression was no longer amused.
For the first time...
He looked afraid.
"What..."
"...has she become?"
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