The Moonfang Trial
929 Words
Sunlight crept through the glass ceiling, painting the White Vault in pale gold. Lyra waited alone in the courtyard, her hands steadying the Moonfang Blade. Somehow, the sword felt like it belonged right there like an old memory she’d just remembered.
She inhaled, trie a swing. The weapon arced in the light, silver catching her eye. She went again once, twice. But she couldn’t find the rhythm. Clumsy. Off-balance. After a handful of tries, she ended up on her knee, breath coming hard.
“I can’t do this,” she muttered, almost to herself.
A voice drifted over her shoulder. “Yes, you can.”
The Guardian approached, slow and even. “The sword’s chosen you, Lyra. Now prove yourself to it.”
She looked up, desperate for answers. “How?”
“The Moonfang doesn’t follow strength,” he said. “It follows what’s in your heart.” He nodded toward the far end, where three ancient stone doors stood guard.
“Every ruler of the White Kingdom faced the Moonfang Trial before they wore the crown.” His words sounded heavy, important.
Kaiden stepped into the light behind them. “And no one’s finished it in over a hundred years.”
The Guardian nodded. “If you fail, the blade won’t take you back.”
Lyra’s throat tightened. “So... what then?”
He met her eyes. “You’d lose your bond with the White Wolf.”
The world went quiet. Lyra squeezed the hilt, holding on to something she barely understood.
“I’m ready,” she said, her voice solid.
The first stone door yawned open, spilling out a cold mist that curled around her boots. Lyra walked in. The door slammed shut, hard enough to make her jump.
Total darkness. Then, a laugh so close, so familiar. The mist thinned, and suddenly she stood in Victor Hale’s kitchen. Bread baked in the oven. Victor turned, arms wide, beaming.
“You’re finally home.”
Tears pricked Lyra’s eyes. “Father...” She rushed forward, but before she could reach him, something stopped her. A voice, soft but unyielding.
“This is only a memory.”
Victor’s smile faded, sad and gentle. “You can’t stay here.”
Lyra’s voice broke as she answered, “I know. I’ll always love you.”
Silver light erased the farmhouse.
First trial done.
The second door. This time: a battlefield torn open by fire, the White Kingdom burning. Warriors locked in desperate fights with dark wolves. Somewhere in the chaos, Lyra saw her Queen Elena Frost, silver armor, holding a crying baby tight.
Lyra’s breath hitched. “My mother…”
Elena’s gaze found her, clear as day, as if she knew her daughter was watching.
“My daughter. Survive.”
A black-cloaked figure lunged for Elena. Lyra’s legs wouldn’t move the vision shattered before she could save her mother. She dropped to her knees, sobbing.
“I couldn’t help her…”
A gentle voice wrapped around her. “The past is its own battle. You’re meant for what comes next.”
The scene faded to nothing.
The last door waited under a full moon. The Guardian’s warning haunted her: the final trial is the hardest.
Lyra stepped in. Darkness complete.
Then, another Lyra formed in the shadows. Black armor, venom in her glare, eyes silver and burning with hate.
“You’re weak,” the shadow scoffed. “You still cry. You still doubt. You’ll never beat Darius.”
The copy drew a sword as black as night. “If you want the White Wolf’s strength, defeat yourself.”
She attacked. Their blades crashed over and over. Every move the shadow made, Lyra matched without thinking. It went on and on neither gaining ground.
Finally, Lyra dropped her sword. The other Lyra sneered. “You’re giving up?”
“No,” Lyra breathed out. “I forgive myself.”
The shadow froze. “What?”
Lyra’s voice steadied. “I can’t fix my past. I can’t bring back my parents. But I can protect the ones still here.”
The darkness split open, silver light pouring through. The shadow smiled a real, soft smile. “Now you understand.”
And she vanished.
The Moonfang Blade blazed white in Lyra’s grip.
All three stone doors banged open. Lyra walked out, lighter than when she’d entered. The Guardian’s face broke into a proud grin.
“You did it.”
Kaiden stared, awe and disbelief mixing on his face. Lyra’s eyes silver, now streaked with gold marked her as the true ruler.
Before anyone could crowd around her, a scout came hurtling into the vault, cloak torn and blood on his mouth.
“My Alpha!” He hit one knee before Kaiden, catching his breath. “Darius attacked the Riverclaw Pack. They wouldn’t join him he killed their warriors. Now he’s heading for the Silver Moon Pack.”
The Guardian shut his eyes for a moment. “He’s not building an army anymore. He’s taking the packs by force.”
Lyra slid her blade into its sheath. Her voice didn’t shake. “We’re not waiting for him to find us.”
Kaiden’s brows shot up. “What are you saying?”
Lyra looked to the mountains sharp, cold, dangerous as her new resolve. “We go now. We save whoever’s left of Riverclaw. After that...” She gripped the sword. “We stop Darius before Blood Mountain wakes.”
Far away, deep under Blood Mountain, a red-hot chain snapped. The mountain answered with a roar that rattled everything around it.
Only two chains now.
- Writer
