Throne of Shadows

Chapter 5: The Heart of Darkness

The growl reverberated through the dense trees, a deep, guttural sound that shook the earth beneath their feet. Serena’s heart raced, and she instinctively pulled Elias closer to her, feeling his body tense with fear. Kael’s hand immediately went to the hilt of his blade, his eyes scanning the forest with a predator’s focus.

“Stay close,” Kael warned, his voice low and controlled. “We’re not alone.”

Serena's gaze raced around, but all she could see were shadows and dense undergrowth from the trees and plants. The air itself appeared to throb with an ancient, primordial force that she could not see but could feel encroaching on them.

Elias, trembling, grabbed onto Serena’s arm, his voice barely a whisper. “What is that? What’s coming for us?”

The roar returned before Serena could react, this time closer, louder, and more threatening. Her stomach dropped. The sound didn’t belong to any animal she knew. It was too… human. Too intelligent.

"Stay behind me," Kael snapped. "Whatever it is, I’ll handle it."

But Serena couldn’t just hide behind Kael. Not while Elias was struggling so much. She needed to protect him too, and she wasn’t going to let her fear cloud her judgment now.

Serena, her senses sharpened, scoured the darkness with her arms encircling Elias. Something ancient and strong was out there, and it was drawing nearer.

A tall, wiry creature with brilliant eyes that glowed in the moonlight like pools of liquid silver suddenly sprang out of the underbrush. A huge, matted mane of dark hair fell in front of its eyes, obscuring its face and giving its complexion an odd gloss.

As the creature entered the clearing, its movements were smooth and elegant, as if it had been created from the soil itself, and Serena felt her breath catch in her throat. For an instant, everything else vanished as its gaze remained fixated on Elias.

The creature's voice was a peculiar blend of human and something darker, ancient, and it said, "You shouldn't have come here."

Kael did not yet pull his weapon, but his hand clenched around it.“Who are you?” he demanded, his voice cold but commanding.

The creature tilted its head slightly, its glowing eyes flicking between Kael and Serena. “I am the guardian of this place,” it replied slowly, almost as if savoring the words. “You have trespassed into forbidden territory. And now, you must pay the price.”

Serena’s heart raced as she looked at Elias. He seemed… entranced by the creature, his eyes wide and unfocused. “Elias,” she said, her voice shaking. “Elias, listen to me. Don’t listen to it. You can fight this.”

But Elias didn’t respond. Instead, he stepped forward, his feet dragging, his gaze fixed on the creature. Serena felt her heart sink as his hands shook. He could now hear the voices that had been talking to him for days. She could see in his eyes that he was losing himself to them.

“No!” Serena shouted, rushing to his side. “Elias, no!”

But before she could grab hold of him, the creature’s eyes flashed, and with a sudden, unnatural speed, it moved toward Elias. Serena screamed, but Kael was quicker, grabbing her arm and yanking her back just as the creature reached Elias.

“Stay back!” Kael shouted, drawing his blade. However, the creature was knocked back before it could reach Elias by a strong gust of wind that whipped through the clearing. All was silent for a minute.

The guardian looked up at the wind, its eyes narrowing in recognition. “The curse is waking,” it muttered under its breath, almost to itself.

Serena’s heart pounded. "What do you mean? What curse?"

The creature’s gaze flicked toward Kael, its expression unreadable. "The curse you speak of… it has a name. It has a master. And its reach is longer than you think."

Kael’s grip tightened around his weapon. "What do you want with us?"

The creature considered the question with a sideways tilt of its head. "You ask the wrong question. The question you should ask is, why are you here?"

Serena’s pulse quickened. “We’re here to help Elias. We’re looking for the temple—the one that can stop this curse.”

The guardian’s eyes flickered with a brief flash of something—perhaps pity, perhaps amusement. “The temple?” it whispered. “You think the temple will save him? The curse is already inside him, child. And the only way to rid him of it is to let it consume him. To accept it.”

Serena shook her head furiously. “No. You’re lying. There has to be another way.”

The guardian stepped forward, its voice becoming a low, melodic hum that seemed to resonate in Serena’s bones. “You cannot escape fate, child. Elias is a chosen vessel, and the curse has already claimed him. The only thing left to do is try to delay the inevitable as long as possible.

Serena felt a chill go down her spine, but she resisted."I'll stop at nothing to save him."

The guardian laughed, the sound like dry leaves scraping across stone. “You’re stubborn. I admire that. But the curse is not so easily beaten. It will break him. And it will break you too.”

The creature moved back into the shadows before Serena could react, disappearing as swiftly as it had emerged when the wind subsided. All that was left was its sound, reverberating in the area where it had been.

“The temple lies ahead,” it called, its voice now distant. “But remember this: the cost of what you seek is more than you can imagine. Choose wisely.”

Once more, there was silence in the forest, but the crushing weight of the creature's words hung in the air. Serena felt as though she was being choked. As she processed what she had just heard, her thoughts raced.The curse had a master. The temple might not even be able to help them. And Elias… Elias was slowly slipping away.

She turned to Kael, her voice barely above a whisper. “What does it mean? The curse has a master?”

Kael’s face was grim, his jaw tight. “It means we’re up against something much bigger than we thought. And time is running out.

With his hands gripping his head, Elias, who had been standing still in the clearing, abruptly fell to his knees. "I am unable to... I am unable to stop it. They’re taking me, Mom.”

Serena rushed to his side, pulling him into her arms. “You can fight this. I know you can.”

But deep down, the seed of doubt had been planted. The curse was older than they had imagined, its grip tightening with every passing second. They were now running out of time as well as solutions.

The sky above them darkened strangely as they advanced, the air growing heavier with a stifling force. At the temple, they found something much more dangerous than they had expected. And it wasn’t just the curse that they had to fear anymore.