Her Return As An Alpha

Chapter 32 : Tainted Objects

Liana staggered into her workshop, her body and mind drained from the relentless journey through the death-strewn lands of the destroyed packs. The grisly images of the deflated Alphas haunted her every step, a constant reminder of the dark forces at play.

She shut the heavy wooden door behind her, slid the bolt into place, and drew the thick shutters over the windows. The workshop, her sanctuary, was now a place of refuge where she could retreat from the world’s horrors. Which was ironic, since she worked on the said horrors right within those walls.

The room was filled with the scent of aged wood, herbs, and a faint trace of alchemical smoke from her last project. Shelves lined the walls, cluttered with jars of rare ingredients, books with yellowed pages, and tools of her craft.

In the center stood a large worktable, its surface covered in scraps of paper, half-burnt candles, and an array of objects she had salvaged from the packs she visited. Each item had been a cherished treasure of the dead Alphas, now tainted by dark magic.

One of the aged warlocks had mentioned that extremely dark magic had a way of backlashing at the wielder through a curse, as a way for nature to balance itself against the person who cheated with the use of the dark arts. During the backlash, some of the curse must have entered the objects. The more precious and valuable the objects were, the more cursed energy they could contain.

Liana carefully placed the new items she had retrieved beside the others, then sank into a chair, her exhaustion catching up with her. The silence in the room was a welcome reprieve, allowing her a moment to gather her thoughts.

For the next two weeks, Liana remained within her workshop, consumed by the need to understand the malevolent forces she had encountered. She barred the gates, ensuring that no one disturbed her. Her only news of the current occurrings came through Lucian, who was responsible for ensuring that she ate and rested at intervals.

The outside world faded into insignificance as she buried herself in her studies, poring over ancient scrolls and sifting through the objects she had collected. She had gathered all the discarded artifacts of her mother along with the scrolls of the pentagram, although she did have to hide her embarrassment when she explained to the Ruling Council why they had to dig through the junk and random spoils of war in the Alpha's garage. Unfortunately, most of the aged scrolls were either unintelligible, or were in a language so old, no one even recognised it.

The air in the room grew thick with the scent of burning herbs and incense as she worked, a faint haze lingering above her table.

The objects, at first glance, seemed relatively ordinary—jewelry, antiques, weapons, and treasures that the Alphas had valued. But Liana knew better. There was something deeply wrong with them, a dark aura that clung to each item like a shadow. They were icy to touch, with an invisible darkness that spread through her limbs when she maintained contact.

She began her examinations with care, drawing on every scrap of knowledge she had acquired over the years. Occasionally, some of her resident warlocks from her pack visited her to assist with the examination, their hands glowing with faint magical energy as they helped her probe the depths of the corruption.

Days turned into nights, and turned into days again. Liana’s mind became a whirl of theories and discoveries. Finally, as she stared intently at a gemstone embedded in an ornate necklace, something clicked. The gemstone seemed to pulse with an inner light, faint but unmistakable. Liana’s breath caught in her throat. The dark magic wasn’t just tainting the objects—it was being absorbed by the gemstones, almost as if they were drawing the malevolent energy into themselves.

Her heart raced as a memory surfaced, one that had been tucked away in the recesses of her mind. Every witch had a gemstone, an object that held their powers, acting as a beacon for their magic. Could it be that these valuables were serving a similar purpose? Were they acting as vessels, trapping the dark magic within themselves?

“Look at this,” Liana whispered to the warlocks, who gathered around her. She carefully held up the necklace, pointing to the gemstone. “The magic—it’s being pulled into the stone. Like it’s storing it.”

Alaric, the warlock with a stern countenance, leaned in closer, his eyes narrowing as he observed the gemstone. “You’re right,” he muttered. “This isn’t just an ordinary gem. It’s been enchanted, but not in the usual way. This… how are you able to figure it out? Even we cannot feel the absorption.”

"Maybe because the dark magic hides itself from other magic user?" Liana's eyes narrowed. "I wonder what the presence of this sorcery does to the objects. Do they become dark artifacts?"

"Yes, although it usually does not happen in this way," Selene yawned. "One has to put a large amount of dark magic into the object to make it an artifact. The object does not absorb on its own. When the object does show a tendency to attract and store dark energy, they usually end up breaking or crumbling to pieces."

Liana’s mind raced as she considered the implications. “What if these objects are the key?” she mused aloud. “If we can unlock the magic within them, we might be able to trace it back to its source. Find out who—or what—is behind all of this.”

Selene, the witch with the scarred face, nodded slowly. “It’s possible. But it’s dangerous. Whoever did this, they’re using magic that none of us fully understand. If we’re not careful, we could end up unleashing something even worse. And it's the dark arts. They are forbidden for a reason; they can backlash, or worse.”

Liana nodded, acknowledging the risk, but her determination was unshakable. “We don’t have a choice. We need to know what we’re up against.”

Just as they were about to delve deeper into the mysteries of the objects, a loud knock echoed through the workshop, startling them. Liana frowned, her concentration broken. The knock came again, more insistent this time.

“Who in the world…?” she muttered, rising from her seat. She approached the door cautiously, her hand resting on the hilt of a dagger she kept strapped to her side.

“Liana, it’s me, Lucian,” came the familiar voice from the other side of the door.

Relief flooded her, and she quickly unbolted the door, allowing Lucian to step inside. His expression was tense, his usually easygoing demeanor replaced by a grim seriousness.

“What is it, Lucian?” Liana asked, her heart sinking at the sight of his face. She knew he wouldn’t interrupt her unless it was something important.

Lucian closed the door behind him, his gaze flickering to the warlocks before settling on Liana. “We’ve analyzed the patterns of the recent rogue attacks,” he said, his voice low. “Based on the timing and the locations, it’s happening again. The next attack is in a week, give or take a few days.”

Liana’s breath caught in her throat. “Are you sure?”

He nodded solemnly. “Positive. We don’t have much time. If we’re going to stop this, we need to act now.”

A heavy silence settled over the room as Liana processed the gravity of the situation. The discoveries they had made about the gemstones and tainted objects suddenly seemed all the more urgent.

“Then we move quickly,” Liana said, her voice steely with resolve. “We’re running out of time.”