Dark obsession: chapter 14
828 Words
The Second Fracture
The crimson beam rising from Black Hollow Mountain lit up the night sky.
Everyone stood frozen.
Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
Lucien's face had turned deathly pale.
"The seal..." he whispered. "It's breaking faster than we feared."
Kael clenched his fists.
"Then we don't have time to waste."
Lyra stared at the mountain in the distance. She could feel something calling to her—an ancient force, cold and powerful, tugging at the Shadow Mark on her shoulder.
"It wants me," she murmured.
Lucien nodded grimly.
"The Shadow King can feel your power now."
Mira stepped closer and took Lyra's hand.
"Please don't let him take you."
Lyra smiled gently and knelt in front of the frightened girl.
"I won't."
"I promise."
The group returned to Moonhaven before sunrise.
The warriors welcomed Mira home, and Captain Rylan rushed through the palace gates the moment he saw his daughter.
"Mira!"
He dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms tightly around her.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered, tears streaming down his face. "I should have protected you."
"It's not your fault, Daddy," Mira sobbed. "They said they would hurt you if you didn't obey."
Watching the reunion, Lyra felt a lump rise in her throat.
Rylan slowly stood and faced Kael and Seraphina.
"I betrayed Moonhaven."
"I accept whatever punishment you choose."
The council fell silent.
After a long pause, Seraphina spoke.
"You made a terrible mistake."
Rylan lowered his head.
"But you also risked your life to help us find your daughter."
She looked around the hall.
"Justice without mercy creates only more pain."
Turning back to Rylan, she said,
"You are stripped of your rank."
"But you will remain in Moonhaven to protect your daughter—and to earn back the trust you have lost."
Rylan bowed deeply.
"Thank you."
Later that day, Seraphina summoned Lyra, Kael, Lucien, and Damon to the Hall of Ancestors.
In the center of the chamber stood three ancient stone pedestals.
Only one was occupied.
"The Moonstone was the first Sacred Relic," Seraphina explained.
"There are three relics?"
Kael asked.
"Yes."
"The Moonstone."
"The Shadow Crown."
"And the Heart Crystal."
Lucien frowned.
"The Heart Crystal still exists?"
Seraphina nodded.
"It has been hidden for centuries."
"If the Shadow King gathers all three relics..."
She hesitated.
"...the ancient seal will be destroyed forever."
Kael studied the empty pedestals.
"He already has the Moonstone."
Lucien nodded.
"And if Malrik finds the other relics first..."
"No one will be able to stop his father."
That evening, Lyra trained alone beside the crystal lake.
She practiced with her mother's silver staff, repeating every movement Seraphina had taught her.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Sweat covered her forehead.
"You're improving."
Kael's voice came from behind her.
She lowered the staff.
"I still have a long way to go."
Kael picked up a wooden practice sword lying nearby.
"Then train with me."
Lyra raised an eyebrow.
"You think you can beat me?"
A faint smile crossed Kael's face.
"I know I can."
"Oh?"
She twirled the staff.
"Prove it."
Their sparring match began.
Kael attacked first, his strikes powerful but controlled.
Lyra blocked each blow with growing confidence.
Soon the quiet lakeside echoed with the sounds of wood striking silver.
Lucien and Damon watched from a distance.
"They're finally learning to trust each other," Damon observed.
Lucien smiled.
"The mate bond is healing."
Back by the lake, Kael feinted to the left before gently knocking the staff from Lyra's hands.
It landed in the grass.
Lyra laughed.
"I almost had you."
"You almost did."
Kael handed her the staff.
For a brief moment, their hands touched.
The mate bond pulsed warmly.
Neither of them pulled away immediately.
Their eyes met.
The distance between them seemed to disappear.
Then—
A piercing scream echoed through Moonhaven.
Everyone turned toward the palace.
A messenger stumbled into the courtyard, badly wounded.
"My Alpha..."
He collapsed to one knee.
"The eastern villages..."
Kael rushed to his side.
"What happened?"
The messenger struggled to speak.
"They're gone."
"What do you mean?"
"The Shadow King's army attacked at dawn."
"They burned everything."
Silence swept across the courtyard.
"Were there survivors?" Lyra asked.
The messenger nodded weakly.
"A few."
"But..."
His voice trembled.
"They left a message."
Kael's expression hardened.
"What message?"
The messenger looked directly at Lyra.
"They said..."
"Tell the Shadow Princess that every village she refuses to surrender will suffer the same fate."
Lyra's heart sank.
The Shadow King wasn't just threatening her anymore.
He had declared war on the entire werewolf kingdom.
Far away, atop Black Hollow Mountain, Malrik stood beside his father.
The Shadow King held the stolen Moonstone in his hand.
Its silver light slowly darkened as black energy spread through it.
A loud c***k echoed beneath the mountain.
The ancient seal split even wider.
The Shadow King smiled.
"Only one more fracture..."
"And I shall be free."
End of Chapter Fourteen
- Writer
