Chapter 3: Elder Toren
883 Words
The forest trail was slim and uneven, illuminated only by the light of the dying sunset filtering through pine branches. Caleb followed behind Kael quietly, both of them moving with determined steps. Kael had spoken little since they'd left the market—only that Elder Toren lived "off-grid," deeper in the mountains, beyond town. Caleb didn't question. Not after what he'd seen. Silence was better than conjecture.
But his mind was not peaceful.
The system hadn't initiated anything new since morning, yet Caleb could still feel it lurking in the periphery of his mind. Not seeing—but waiting.
System Sync: 4%. Next threshold: 10%.
Tier 1 transformation unavailable.
He pushed his hands deeper into his hoodie pocket. “This Elder Toren. What is he, then?”
Kael did not glance back. "An older werewolf. Retired from the pack. He does not shift anymore, but he still has knowledge. He assisted in training me when I was a kid."
Caleb gazed ahead. "You believe he'll recognize what the system is?"
"I think he might know what you are," Kael said. "And that might be important."
We'd had near an hour's walk before the trees gave way to a small clearing. In the center of the clearing stood a stone cottage, roof covered in moss, windows shut. There was smoke coming out of the chimney. It was a cottage that was taken from another time.
The wooden door swung open before Kael could knock.
A thin-faced, grey-haired man stood in the doorway—a man with eyes that pierced Caleb right through. His eyes were pale, almost silver, and they did not look as if they belonged to a human.
"You brought it," said the old man. "The anomaly."
Kael cleared his throat. "Toren, this is Caleb."
Toren did not move. "He has something inside him. A moon connection, but not the one we're born with."
Caleb shifted uncomfortably. "You know about the system, then?"
"I know it's not yours," Toren said. "And it's not natural."
Caleb's chest became warm. "It began when I killed one of those things. The. ghoul."
"You learned some of it," Toren sneered, his eyes tilting downwards. That is not typical with humans. Or wolves.
"I am not a wolf," Caleb replied.
Toren shook his head. "Not yet."
Kael took a step forward. "You told me once that there were unclaimed pathways in certain bloodlines—forgotten echoes. Is this one of those?"
Toren headed back inside, wordlessly. They trailed behind him.
Clutter occupied every inch of the cottage—books stacked on every surface, dried herbs suspended from the ceiling, bones and rusty tools hammered into the walls. A fire was going on in the fireplace. Toren walked over to one of the tables in the center, leafing through a well-worn leather-bound diary.
He didn't look up as he talked. “Long ago, there were some who didn’t shift like wolves. They shifted at the whim of the moon. They didn’t gain power from a pack, but from essence—what they called lunar blood."
"Lunar blood?" Caleb repeated.
"It was a gift and a curse," Toren explained. "They didn't become beasts. They became something in between. More powerful. More intelligent. But less stable. Fewer rules, less control."
Kael leaned against the wall, arms folded. “Nobody talks of them anymore.”
Toren finally gazed at Caleb. "Because they disappeared. Hunted. Or consumed by the same system they relied on."
The words remained suspended in the air.
"So what do I do?" Caleb asked. "Just not use it?"
"You can't," Toren said. "It's within you now. The system will not shut down. Not while you're tapping into it."
Caleb clenched his jaw. "So what—wait for it to take over?"
Toren shook his head. "You fight it. Not by evading it, but by understanding it. That is, you keep moving. Keep pushing. Find out what it responds to."
Kael looked uncomfortable. "That's dangerous."
"Let it grow wild," Toren said. "If he does not give it sustenance, it will feed on him. You have already seen what the build-up of bloodlust can do."
The flames crackled vigorously.
Toren searched through a drawer and threw something on the table—a small metal pendant with crescent moons stamped on it.
"Take it," he commanded. "It will not stop the system, but it may slow the appetites. Old magic. From a time when we still believed in balance."
Caleb took it in hand. It felt cold to the touch, but somehow steadying.
"I'll practice," he grumbled. "I'll learn how to run it. Whatever this thing is."
Toren did not glance away. "Don't waste time, then. There are worse things in these woods than ghouls."
Outside, the sky was darkening to twilight. The first stars were beginning to show atop the top of trees.
As they returned to the clearing, the system glowed with light once more.
[System Notification]
Sync Progress: 6%
New Questline: Discover Your Origin
+2 LP
+1 Stat Point (Unallocated)
Elder's Charm Attuned: +10% Bloodlust Resistance
Kael gazed at him. "You okay?"
Caleb slowly nodded. “Not really. But I think I'm ready to know what I am.”
The forest is colder these days. Quieter.
He couldn't tell if that was the wind, or something else observing.
- Writer
