THE RUINS OF SHADOWCREST
895 Words
The journey to Shadowcrest took them deeper into the wilds than Aria had ever imagined existed.
What began as forest turned to mountain paths, then steep ridges cut into cliffs that felt untouched by time. No cell towers. No signs of human civilization. Only silence and snow.
They traveled under nightfall, moving fast through territory no one dared to cross.
Kaelen hadn’t said much since they left the Hollow. But Aria could feel the storm behind his eyes—the tension of someone preparing for war.
Still, his hand never left hers.
And that was all she needed.
A City Turned Graveyard
At dawn, the mist parted—and there it was.
Shadowcrest.
The once-mighty city of the Shadowbloods lay in ruin, cloaked in frost and grief. Towering stone arches collapsed into moss-covered rubble. Grand pillars cracked by time and fire. A forgotten temple at its heart, scorched black but still standing—like a wound that refused to close.
Aria couldn’t breathe.
“This was your home?” she whispered.
Kaelen nodded.
“My ancestors built it centuries ago. It was meant to be a sanctuary... but it became a battlefield.”
They passed an ancient statue—half-broken, the wings of a wolf spread wide across its back. At its base were names etched in a language Aria couldn’t read.
“Is it safe here?”
“No,” Kaelen said. “But it’s sacred.”
Ghosts of the Past
They took refuge in the crumbling temple at the city’s center. Vines choked the entry pillars, but inside was warmth—magic still lingering like fading breath.
Kaelen led her to an altar, placing his palm on the stone. A blue pulse spread outward, revealing glowing runes beneath the dust.
Aria’s jaw dropped. “What is that?”
He turned to her. “It’s a blood seal. Only descendants of the first Alpha can open it.”
The floor trembled—and then a hidden staircase revealed itself.
Kaelen lit a torch.
“You need to see what they buried beneath.”
The Blood Vault
The underground chamber stretched wide, lined with relics of war. Swords etched with glyphs. Banners in crimson and black. A massive map painted across the far wall, showing not just the world—but ley lines, magic veins, and forgotten territories.
In the center sat a coffin carved from obsidian.
Aria stepped closer. “Is someone in that?”
Kaelen nodded once.
“My grandfather. The last Shadow Alpha. He refused to bow to the Council of Elders. They cursed this place and erased us from history.”
Her fingers brushed the map. “Why bring me here?”
He looked at her with something fragile in his expression.
“Because we’re going to bring Shadowcrest back.”
A Flame Reignited
That night, they lit a fire inside the temple.
Outside, wind howled through the broken walls, but inside, warmth bloomed.
Kaelen sat beside her, staring at the flames.
“I always thought I’d fight alone.”
“You’re not alone anymore,” Aria said gently.
He turned to her. “Do you know what it means to share the Alpha's flame?”
She shook her head.
“It’s more than love. It’s surrender. It’s trust beyond instinct. It’s saying: ‘I will die before I let harm touch you.’”
She whispered, “And do you?”
His answer wasn’t with words.
Kaelen kissed her like she was fire and salvation all at once. Their connection deepened—not just physical, but something molten beneath the skin, a tether of magic wrapping tighter around their souls.
She felt it—his power flowing into her like a tide.
And she gave herself to it willingly.
Blood on Snow
Morning shattered peace with the sharp bark of warning howls.
Kaelen was up before Aria had fully dressed, eyes burning silver.
“They’ve found us.”
“Who?” she asked, heart hammering.
“Hunters. From my father’s inner circle.”
They burst through the old city like a swarm—six in total, dressed in wolf-hide armor, faces painted with war glyphs. Aria saw the unmistakable gleam of silver-blade spears.
“Get to the vault,” Kaelen ordered.
“I’m not leaving you.”
He kissed her once—fast, fierce. “I’ll find you.”
Then he shifted.
Not just into a wolf—but into something massive. Ancient. Black-furred with glowing silver eyes and a crown of fire curling along his spine.
The Shadowblood Alpha.
Aria backed into the temple as the fight exploded outside. Snarls. Screams. The clash of blade and fang.
The ground shook beneath her feet.
Legacy in Flames
In the vault, Aria turned back toward the obsidian coffin.
It had cracked.
A light pulsed from within.
As if... it was waking up.
She stepped closer, heart in her throat.
A voice whispered from nowhere and everywhere:
“The bond has returned. The line is not broken.”
Suddenly, runes ignited across the coffin’s lid—and Aria’s pendant, the one she’d worn since she was a child, glowed in answer.
She touched it—and the coffin burst open.
Not with a body.
But with light.
It surged through her veins—knowledge, power, memory not her own.
Aria collapsed, breath stolen.
But when her eyes opened again—they glowed silver.
- Writer
