Prologue Part 1.2
1274 Words
•|• Author's POV •|•
A sudden howl echoed outside.
Not an animal.
Human.
Then came another.
And another.
Elera’s blood ran cold.
Boots thundered outside her cottage.
Heavy.
Fast.
Too many.
Her instincts screamed danger.
The wards surrounding her home exploded in sparks.
Someone had broken through them.
Impossible.
Nobody should have been able to destroy her protection spells that quickly.
Then she heard the voice.
Deep.
Cruel.
“Search the house!”
Elera stopped breathing.
Rouges Of The North.
Not ordinary rogues.
Ones of the north.
Every kingdom feared them.
Merciless killers.
Magic hunters.
They came from the frozen territories beyond the Black Fjords where warlords ruled through bloodshed and brutality.
If they were here…
They had come for her.
The front door shattered inward.
Elera jumped backward as icy wind flooded the cottage.
Large men entered wearing black furs stained with snow and blood despite the lack of winter in Sablewick.
Their eyes were pale.
Predatory.
Deadly.
Each carried enchanted weapons forged specifically to kill witches.
One rogue sniffed the air sharply.
“There,” he growled.
His gaze locked directly onto her glowing eyes.
Silence filled the cottage.
Then the leader smiled slowly.
“Well,” he said darkly. “Looks like the rumors were true.”
Elera’s heart pounded violently.
How did they know?
What rumors?
The rogue leader stepped forward.
Tall.
Scarred.
Monstrous.
A silver axe rested across his shoulder.
“The Moon born finally awakened.”
Elera stared at him in terror.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Liar.”
Magic sparked unintentionally around her fingertips.
The rogues immediately tensed.
Weapons raised.
The leader’s smile widened.
“Oh yes,” he murmured. “You’re definitely her.”
Elera backed toward the rear door.
“I don’t want trouble.”
One rogue laughed harshly.
“Too late for that.”
The leader pointed his axe toward her.
“Take her alive.”
They lunged.
Elera reacted purely on instinct.
Magic burst from her body in a blinding wave of gold light.
The entire cottage exploded outward.
Wood splintered.
Windows shattered.
The rogues were thrown backward violently.
Elera stumbled into the rain, gasping for breath.
Her magic was spiraling out of control.
She couldn’t contain it.
The forest behind her cottage loomed dark and endless beneath the storm.
Run.
The goddess’ words echoed in her mind.
Run when the shadows come.
The rogues recovered quickly.
Too quickly.
One charged directly toward her with supernatural speed.
Elera raised trembling hands.
“Illumira Vael!”
An illusion spell exploded outward.
Instantly five identical copies of Elera appeared, scattering in different directions.
The rogues cursed furiously.
“Find the real one!”
Elera used the distraction to sprint toward the woods.
Branches whipped against her face as she ran through the storm-drenched forest. Mud slipped beneath her boots while thunder cracked overhead.
Pain still ravaged her body.
Her lungs burned.
Behind her, the rogues howled like wolves.
They were following her scent.
Fear clawed at her throat.
She had never fought trained killers before.
Never survived hunters.
She was just—
A normal witch.
The thought shattered the moment golden magic flared around her again.
Trees illuminated as she passed.
The forest itself seemed to bend away from her presence.
Elera nearly tripped as another wave of pain tore through her chest.
The orb.
Something inside her was changing still.
She reached a clearing and collapsed against a massive tree, struggling to breathe.
Rain soaked her white hair against her skin.
Her reflection stared faintly from a puddle below.
Gold eyes.
Moonlit hair.
A stranger’s face.
Tears mixed with rainwater.
“What am I?”
A branch snapped nearby.
Elera stiffened.
The rogues had found her again.
Voices echoed through the forest.
“She can’t be far.”
“Spread out.”
“Do not kill her unless necessary.”
Elera forced herself upright despite exhaustion.
She couldn’t fight them.
Couldn’t outrun them forever.
Then something strange happened.
The forest went silent.
Not naturally silent.
Everything stopped.
No rain.
No insects.
No wind.
The rogues noticed too.
“Something’s wrong,” one muttered.
A deep growl echoed through the darkness.
Not human.
Not wolf.
Something older.
The rogues immediately raised their weapons.
Elera slowly stepped backward.
Golden light flickered unintentionally from her skin again.
The growl came closer.
Massive footsteps shook the earth.
Then glowing golden eyes appeared between the trees.
One pair.
Then another.
Then dozens.
The rogues cursed.
“Moon beasts…”
Elera had only heard stories.
Ancient creatures bound to lunar magic.
They had supposedly vanished centuries ago.
Yet now enormous shadowed forms emerged from the woods, surrounding the clearing completely.
The creatures resembled wolves but far larger, their fur shimmering silver beneath the rain.
The rogues backed away carefully.
Even they feared these things.
The largest beast stepped forward.
Its silver eyes locked directly onto Elera.
Not hostile.
Watching.
Recognizing.
The rogue leader appeared behind the others, fury darkening his scarred face.
“She’s calling them already,” he snarled.
Elera shook her head weakly.
“I’m not doing anything.”
But the beast suddenly bowed its massive head toward her.
Every rogue froze.
“No…” one whispered.
The leader’s expression turned murderous.
“Kill her now.”
The rogues charged.
Chaos erupted instantly.
The moon beasts attacked with terrifying speed.
Screams filled the clearing.
Steel clashed against claws.
Magic exploded through the forest.
Elera stumbled backward as one rogue was ripped into darkness.
Another beast lunged over her head, tearing through two hunters at once.
Blood stained the rain-soaked earth.
Elera’s stomach twisted violently.
She had never seen death like this.
The rogue leader fought through the beasts relentlessly, eyes fixed solely on her.
“You cannot escape destiny, Moon born!”
He hurled a glowing dagger.
Elera instinctively raised her hand.
The dagger froze midair.
Everything stopped.
Rain.
Movement.
Breathing.
For one horrifying second, the entire world froze beneath golden light.
Elera stared at the suspended dagger in disbelief.
Then it melted.
Turned into silver dust.
The pause shattered instantly.
Time resumed violently.
The rogue leader staggered backward in shock.
“She’s awakened fully…”
Fear finally entered his eyes.
Not hers.
His.
The moon beasts closed in around Elera protectively.
The leader realized he was losing.
He glared at her with pure hatred.
“This changes nothing,” he growled. “The North will come for you. All kingdoms will.”
He stepped backward into the shadows.
The remaining rogues retreated with him.
Within seconds, they vanished into the stormy forest.
Silence slowly returned.
Elera swayed weakly.
The moon beasts remained around her.
Watching.
Guarding.
The massive silver-eyed beast approached carefully.
Despite its terrifying size, it moved gently.
It lowered its head beside her hand.
Elera hesitated before touching its fur.
Warm.
Soft.
Ancient magic pulsed beneath her fingertips.
The creature closed its eyes briefly.
As if accepting her.
Elera’s own eyes filled with tears again.
Everything had changed in one night.
Her magic.
Her body.
Her life.
Hunters now searched for her.
Monsters bowed to her.
And somewhere in the darkness, the North knew she existed.
The beast suddenly lifted its head toward the distant mountains.
Growling softly.
Elera followed its gaze.
Far beyond the forest…
A figure stood atop the cliffs overlooking Stablewick.
Watching her.
Even from this distance, she could feel his him.
Cold.
Terrifying.
Lightning flashed across the sky, briefly illuminating black armor trimmed with silver fur.
Then darkness swallowed him again.
But Elera knew.
Whoever he was…
He had seen her.
And somehow, that terrified her more than the rogues ever could.
- Writer
