Chapter 8
1724 Words
CHAPTER 8
The Goddess Has Spoken
Deep within the forest, far from the werewolf village, Lucien continued his search.
The night had grown colder.
A thick mist covered the ground, curling around the roots of the ancient trees as Lucien moved deeper into the forest. The branches above him were so tightly tangled that only small pieces of moonlight managed to pass through.
He didn’t care.
His mind was focused on one thing.
The Infernal Relic.
He could still feel its presence.
Faint.
Distant.
But unmistakable.
Something had awakened that night.
Lucien had felt it the moment the Blood Moon reached its peak.
The energy had spread through the forest like a wave, powerful enough to make even him stop in his tracks.
He had immediately known what it meant.
The relic was awake.
And if the ancient stories were true, whoever possessed it would hold a power that could change the balance between their worlds.
Lucien had spent years searching for it.
He wasn’t going to turn back now.
Behind him, his two soldiers struggled to keep up.
One of them finally stopped.
He bent forward, placing his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.
“My Prince…”
Lucien didn’t stop.
The soldier looked at his companion before calling again.
“My Prince!”
Lucien finally slowed down.
He turned his head slightly.
“What?”
“We’ve been walking for hours.”
Lucien’s expression remained cold.
“And?”
The soldier swallowed.
“We haven’t found anything.”
Lucien stared at him.
The second soldier stepped forward.
“My Prince, perhaps we should return before sunrise. We’ve searched almost every part of this forest.”
Lucien’s eyes darkened.
“You think the relic disappeared?”
“No, my Prince.”
“Then keep searching.”
The two soldiers exchanged a tired look.
They knew better than to argue with him.
Lucien turned and continued walking.
But after a few steps, he stopped again.
Something was wrong.
He could feel it.
The energy he’d been following had suddenly become weaker.
Lucien closed his eyes.
The forest became completely silent.
No birds.
No insects.
Not even the sound of the wind.
He concentrated.
There.
A faint pulse.
The same strange energy he had felt earlier.
Lucien opened his eyes.
“It was here.”
His soldiers looked around.
“Where?”
Lucien didn’t answer.
He walked toward an enormous tree whose roots stretched across the ground like giant claws.
He crouched beside it and placed his hand against the earth.
Nothing.
His brows furrowed.
Then suddenly—
Boom.
A strange pulse of energy traveled through the ground.
Lucien pulled his hand away.
His eyes widened.
“It moved.”
One of the soldiers stepped closer.
“What moved?”
Lucien stood.
“The relic.”
“But how?”
“I don’t know.”
He looked toward the direction of the village.
For a brief moment, a strange image flashed through his mind.
A girl.
Long hair.
A frightened expression.
And a crimson mark glowing on her wrist.
Lucien’s breathing slowed.
The vision disappeared.
He blinked.
“Who are you?”
“My Prince?”
Lucien looked at his soldiers.
“Nothing.”
He turned away.
But deep down, he knew it wasn’t nothing.
Someone had connected with the relic.
And whoever that person was…
They had taken the relic’s power with them.
Lucien clenched his fist.
“Find her.”
The soldiers looked at each other.
“Find who?”
Lucien’s eyes remained fixed on the distant village.
“I don’t know yet.”
⸻
THE ELDER’S COUNCIL
While Lucien searched the forest, the elders of the werewolf village had gathered inside the ancient council hall.
The room was unusually quiet.
No one had touched the food placed on the table.
No one seemed interested in speaking.
The events of the Blood Moon had left everyone unsettled.
The festival was supposed to be one of the happiest nights of the year.
Young wolves were supposed to discover their mates.
Families were supposed to celebrate.
Instead, the night had ended with strange energy spreading through the territory.
The wolves had become restless.
Some had claimed they heard voices.
Others had felt an unexplained pressure in their chests.
And for a brief moment, every elder in the village had felt something they couldn’t explain.
Elder Rowan finally broke the silence.
“We need answers.”
An older woman sitting across from him shook her head.
“We don’t even know what questions to ask.”
“That is exactly the problem.”
Another elder leaned forward.
“The Blood Moon has never behaved like that before.”
“Maybe it was simply a natural disturbance.”
Rowan shook his head.
“No.”
Everyone looked at him.
“I’ve lived through more Blood Moons than most of you,” he continued. “Something was different.”
The room became quiet again.
Then the doors opened.
A strange silence immediately filled the room.
Everyone turned.
The Goddess had appeared.
She walked slowly into the hall.
There was something unusual about her expression.
She wasn’t calm.
She wasn’t peaceful.
She looked worried.
The elders immediately stood.
“Goddess.”
She lifted one hand.
“Sit.”
They obeyed.
The Goddess moved toward the center of the room.
“I have seen what happened.”
Elder Rowan frowned.
“Then you know what caused the disturbance?”
“I know where it began.”
Everyone leaned forward.
“Where?”
The Goddess looked around the room.
“With her.”
Confusion spread across the elders’ faces.
“With who?”
The Goddess closed her eyes.
A faint light surrounded her.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Then she whispered one name.
“Lyra.”
The room went completely silent.
Elder Rowan slowly stood.
“Lyra?”
“Yes.”
“But she was only at the festival.”
The Goddess opened her eyes.
“No.”
Her voice was calm but firm.
“She was more than a witness.”
One of the elders shook his head.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
The Goddess looked at him.
“You felt the energy that night.”
“Yes.”
“You felt the forest change.”
“Yes.”
“And you felt something awaken.”
The elder nodded slowly.
The Goddess’s gaze moved across the room.
“That awakening was connected to Lyra.”
A wave of whispers spread through the hall.
“How?”
“Why her?”
“Is she dangerous?”
“Could she have caused it?”
The Goddess raised her hand, silencing them.
“I did not say she caused it.”
The room quieted.
“I said she was connected to it.”
Elder Rowan frowned.
“Connected how?”
The Goddess looked toward the window.
“I cannot see everything yet.”
“Then what did you see?”
She hesitated.
“I saw Lyra standing beneath the Blood Moon.”
Everyone listened.
“She was surrounded by a strange energy.”
Her voice lowered.
“And something ancient answered her.”
A chill moved through the room.
Elder Rowan exchanged a worried look with the others.
“What ancient thing?”
The Goddess didn’t answer immediately.
Her eyes darkened.
“Something that was never meant to awaken.”
The elders became restless.
One of them whispered,
“The relic?”
The Goddess looked at him.
She didn’t confirm it.
She didn’t deny it either.
That was enough.
Everyone understood.
Elder Rowan’s face tightened.
“The Infernal Relic?”
The Goddess finally spoke.
“I cannot say that with certainty.”
“But you suspect it.”
“Yes.”
The room fell silent.
The Infernal Relic was not a subject they spoke about openly.
It belonged to old stories.
Stories about power.
War.
Blood.
And a force that had once threatened more than just the werewolf kingdom.
Elder Rowan lowered his voice.
“If the relic has truly awakened…”
He didn’t finish.
The Goddess did.
“Then this is only the beginning.”
⸻
BACK IN THE FOREST
Lucien suddenly stopped.
His soldiers nearly walked into him.
“My Prince?”
Lucien raised his hand.
“Quiet.”
They immediately stopped speaking.
Lucien looked toward the sky.
The Blood Moon was beginning to fade.
But the strange energy was still there.
Only now, it was coming from a different direction.
The village.
Lucien’s eyes narrowed.
He had spent the entire night searching the forest.
Perhaps he had been looking for the relic in the wrong place.
Perhaps the relic had already found someone.
The image from earlier returned to his mind.
The girl.
The crimson mark.
Lucien’s expression changed.
“Interesting.”
One soldier looked confused.
“What is it?”
Lucien turned toward the village.
“We’re going back.”
The soldiers looked relieved.
“Back to the forest entrance?”
“No.”
Lucien started walking.
“Into the village.”
The soldiers froze.
“My Prince, that’s werewolf territory.”
“I know.”
“We can’t simply walk in.”
Lucien glanced over his shoulder.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
“Who said anything about walking in openly?”
The soldiers exchanged nervous looks.
Lucien continued toward the village.
He didn’t know the girl’s name.
He didn’t know where she lived.
And he didn’t yet understand why the relic had chosen her.
But he was certain of one thing.
The girl was the key.
And Lucien would find her.
⸻
Back in the council hall, the Goddess suddenly turned toward the door.
Her expression changed.
Elder Rowan noticed.
“What is it?”
She remained silent.
Then she whispered,
“He is here.”
The elders looked confused.
“Who?”
The Goddess stared into the darkness beyond the hall.
“The one who has been searching for the relic.”
A cold silence filled the room.
Elder Rowan’s face hardened.
“Who is he?”
The Goddess didn’t answer.
She simply looked toward the distant forest.
And somewhere in that darkness, Lucien continued walking.
Unaware that the elders already knew something had changed.
Unaware that the Goddess had seen his arrival.
And unaware that the girl he was searching for…
was much closer than he thought.
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