Chapter 29: The First Strike
969 Words
The night over the northern border of the Lycan kingdom was quiet.
Too quiet.
The small border village of Grey Hollow lay beneath the pale glow of the moon, surrounded by dark forests and towering mountains in the distance. The villagers had long grown used to the peaceful silence of the frontier.
But tonight, the air felt different.
A cold wind swept through the narrow dirt streets, rattling wooden doors and whispering through the trees like a warning no one could understand.
At the edge of the village, two Lycan warriors stood guard near the wooden watchtower.
One of them stretched his arms and sighed.
“Another quiet night,” he muttered.
The other warrior leaned against the tower railing, staring toward the mountains.
“I don’t know,” he said slowly. “Something feels strange tonight.”
His partner laughed softly.
“You worry too much.”
But before the words had fully left his mouth…
The ground trembled.
Both warriors froze.
“Did you feel that?” the first one asked.
The second warrior nodded slowly.
Another tremor shook the earth—stronger this time.
Then a low sound rolled through the mountains.
Not thunder.
Not wind.
A roar.
A deep, monstrous roar that seemed to echo from the very bones of the world.
The two warriors turned toward the northern sky just in time to see something enormous moving above the clouds.
A shadow.
Wings.
Massive wings.
Before either of them could react—
A blast of dark fire exploded from the sky.
The watchtower shattered instantly.
Wood splintered into flames as the tower collapsed, sending burning debris crashing into the village below.
Screams erupted everywhere.
Villagers rushed from their homes in panic as fire spread across the rooftops.
The monstrous shadow descended slowly from the sky.
Dravoryx landed in the center of the village with a thunderous impact that cracked the stone ground beneath his claws.
His enormous wings stretched wide, casting a terrifying shadow across the burning buildings.
Golden eyes scanned the chaos around him.
“Pathetic,” he rumbled.
The surviving Lycan warriors rushed forward, shifting into their wolf forms as they prepared to defend the village.
One of them shouted desperately.
“Protect the villagers!”
Dravoryx watched them with amusement.
“You still believe you can fight me.”
The warriors lunged at him.
They never reached him.
With a single swipe of his massive claw, Dravoryx sent them flying through the air like rag dolls. Several crashed into buildings, while others fell motionless to the ground.
The creature inhaled deeply.
Then he released another blast of dark fire.
The flames tore through the village, igniting everything in their path.
Dravoryx lifted his head toward the sky and roared again.
His roar echoed for miles.
Far away, standing on a cliff overlooking the distant borderlands, Magnus watched the rising flames with satisfaction.
Beside him stood several rebel wolves.
One of them looked uneasy.
“My Alpha… that village had no army.”
Magnus didn’t look away from the fire.
“That’s the point.”
The wolf hesitated.
“You’re sending a message.”
Magnus nodded slowly.
“The Lycan kingdom has lived too comfortably for too long.”
His eyes gleamed in the firelight.
“Now they will remember what fear feels like.”
Back at the Lycan palace…
The war horns suddenly sounded across the city.
Their loud, echoing calls shattered the calm of the night.
Kael stormed into the war council chamber where several generals had already gathered.
“What happened?” he demanded.
One of the scouts stepped forward, his armor covered in dust from his hurried journey.
“My lord… Grey Hollow has been attacked.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
“By Magnus’ forces?”
The scout swallowed.
“No.”
The room fell silent.
“It was a creature.”
Another general frowned.
“What kind of creature?”
The scout’s voice shook slightly.
“A massive beast with wings.”
He took a breath.
“It destroyed the entire village in minutes.”
Aria, who had just entered the chamber, froze when she heard those words.
Her heart pounded.
Golden eyes.
Wings.
Fire.
The same images from her vision flashed through her mind again.
Kael turned toward the generals.
“Send soldiers immediately.”
One of them hesitated.
“My lord… if the reports are true, normal warriors may not be enough.”
Kael’s jaw tightened.
“They will hold the border until we arrive.”
Aria stepped forward.
“I’m coming with you.”
Kael looked at her sharply.
“No.”
Aria’s silver eyes burned with determination.
“If that creature is what I think it is… I might be the only one who can stop it.”
The room grew tense.
Kael studied her face carefully.
“You don’t even know what it is yet.”
Aria whispered quietly.
“But I can feel it.”
Her voice trembled slightly.
“It’s ancient.”
She looked toward the northern mountains again.
“And it’s only the beginning.”
Back in the burning ruins of Grey Hollow…
Dravoryx stood among the destruction.
The entire village had been reduced to smoldering rubble.
Smoke rose into the night sky.
The creature slowly folded his wings as Magnus approached from the darkness.
“Well done,” Magnus said calmly.
Dravoryx glanced at him.
“That was merely a warm-up.”
Magnus looked toward the distant kingdom beyond the mountains.
“The real war begins soon.”
Dravoryx’s monstrous grin returned.
“Oh, I hope so.”
His golden eyes burned with hunger.
“Because I have waited centuries to destroy the Lycans.”
The creature lifted his head toward the moon.
“And this time…”
His voice dropped into a dark whisper.
nothing will stop me.
- Writer
