Beneath the Fallen Mountain
869 Words
The silence was suffocating.
Dust drifted through the air like gray snow.
The only sound inside the cave was the echo of two unsteady breaths.
Ronan pushed against the wall of fallen stone blocking the entrance.
It didn’t move.
Not even an inch.
He stepped back.
“We’re not getting out that way.”
Seraphina lifted the lantern she had carried on her saddle. Miraculously, it had survived the collapse.
Its warm glow revealed a narrow tunnel stretching deeper into the mountain.
“So…”
She said quietly.
“We either stay here until we starve…”
“…or we see where that leads.”
Ronan looked into the darkness.
His wolf growled.
Something lives down there.
Miles above the cave…
The masked werewolf who had caused the landslide knelt before a hooded figure.
“They’re trapped.”
“Good.”
“They’ll reach the temple exactly as you predicted.”
The hooded figure smiled beneath the shadows.
“And the witches?”
“They know nothing.”
The figure chuckled.
“They never do.”
Inside the cave…
Ronan walked ahead.
Seraphina followed several steps behind.
Neither trusted the other enough to lower their guard.
“You’ve been following me,” Ronan finally said.
“I was going to Elderglen.”
“So was I.”
“That’s convenient.”
“It isn’t.”
He stopped walking and turned toward her.
“Then tell me the truth.”
She folded her arms.
“I’ve spent my entire life hearing that werewolves are monsters.”
“And?”
“You didn’t act like one.”
Ronan gave a humorless laugh.
“You watched your father torture me.”
“I know.”
“You said nothing.”
“I tried.”
“You stayed.”
Her eyes fell to the ground.
“I couldn’t stop him.”
Silence settled between them again.
Finally, Ronan spoke.
“My father always said hatred is easy.”
“What about forgiveness?” she asked.
He met her gaze.
“I’ve never had a reason to try.”
Something flickered between them.
Not forgiveness.
Not trust.
But the beginning of understanding.
The tunnel suddenly widened into a massive underground chamber.
Both froze.
Ancient stone pillars surrounded a circular lake that reflected the lantern light like polished glass.
Symbols covered every wall.
Some resembled wolves.
Others, bats.
And woven between them…
Runes of the witches.
Seraphina stepped closer.
“This place…”
“It predates the war.”
Ronan brushed centuries of dust from a stone tablet.
Words slowly appeared.
When fang and blood stand together…
The sealed path shall awaken.
“What does that mean?” Seraphina whispered.
Before Ronan could answer…
The chamber shook.
The lake began to glow.
A deep voice echoed through the cavern.
“At last…”
“You have returned.”
The water rose into the shape of an old man.
His body shimmered like moonlight.
Not human.
Not ghost.
Magic.
He studied Ronan and Seraphina carefully.
“A Blackthorn…”
“A Vale…”
He smiled sadly.
“It took your bloodlines a thousand years.”
Seraphina stepped forward.
“Who are you?”
“I was once called Orion.”
“The first guardian of the Blood Moon Pact.”
Ronan’s heart pounded.
“The Pact was real?”
Orion laughed softly.
“The stories you were told…”
“They’re only fragments.”
“You came seeking the truth.”
His expression darkened.
“But truth has always demanded a price.”
Suddenly—
A sharp crack echoed through the chamber.
An arrow burst from the darkness.
It pierced Orion’s chest.
The spirit staggered.
“No…”
Ronan spun toward the shadows.
“Who’s there?”
Slow applause echoed through the cavern.
A tall figure stepped into the light.
Dressed entirely in black.
Their face hidden behind a silver mask.
“You should have remained enemies.”
The stranger drew another enchanted arrow.
“History was never meant to change.”
Without warning, they fired directly at Seraphina.
Ronan reacted instantly.
He threw himself in front of her.
The arrow struck his side.
He grunted in pain as the magic spread through his body.
Seraphina caught him before he fell.
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to disappear.
She held his face in her hands, fear replacing every trace of hesitation.
“Ronan…”
His eyes met hers.
“I’m… still here.”
Relief washed over her so powerfully that she almost embraced him, but she caught herself at the last second.
The masked attacker watched with quiet satisfaction.
“Perfect.”
“They’ve already begun choosing each other.”
The stranger vanished into the darkness before Ronan could pursue.
As Orion’s fading form reached toward them, his voice became little more than a whisper.
“Find…”
“…the Moon Mirror…”
“It remembers…”
“…everything…”
The spirit dissolved into countless silver lights.
The underground lake fell silent once more.
Ronan looked at the place where Orion had stood.
“The Moon Mirror?”
Seraphina slowly turned toward the ancient tunnel beyond the chamber.
There, hidden in the darkness, a pair of glowing crimson eyes opened.
And they were not alone.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD