THE WOLFLESS LUNA

THE CHAINS OF CONTROL

The moment the chains wrapped around Aria, the world seemed to stop. The dark energy around her froze, as if something had forced it into silence. Her body stiffened in the air, and for the first time since her power awakened, she could not move freely.

Her eyes widened in shock. “What is this?” she demanded loudly, with a harsh tone. The man standing before her did not look surprised. In fact, he looked prepared.

“This is control,” he said simply. “Something you were never meant to have.” Aria tried to move her arms, but the glowing chains were tightened around her wrists and waist. They burned against her skin, not like fire, but like something deeper that attacked her power directly.

Kael’s eyes turned dark immediately.“Let her go,” he said, with a low but dangerous voice. The man did not even look at him. “If she is allowed to move freely, she will become a threat to everything,” he replied.

“She is not your enemy,” Kael replied angrily. The man finally turned around to face him. “That is where you are wrong,” he said. “She is not just your problem. She is everyone’s problem”

Aria’s breathing became uneven as the chains pulsed with energy. She could feel them blocking her power, pushing it down, and forcing it to stay quiet. But her power did not like being controlled. It suddenly began to fight back.

“You think this can hold me?” she asked, with her voice shaking. The man’s expression did not change. “It has held others stronger than you” he said. That statement from him made her pause.

“Others?” she repeated. Ronan, who had been watching carefully, frowned. “That is not possible,” he said. “She is supposed to be the last one.” The man gave a faint smile. “That is what we allowed the world to believe.”

On hearing that, silence fell heavily all over them. Kael’s body went still. “What are you saying?” The man looked back at Aria. “You are not the first,” he said. “You are simply the only one who survived this long.” The words hit Aria like a physical blow.

Her chest tightened as images flashed in her mind again. The memories she saw earlier suddenly made more sense. The voices. The pain. The others. They…they were real, she whispered.

“Yes,” the man said. “And they all failed.” Something inside her shifted again. This time, it was not fear. It was anger.

Kael stepped forward despite the tension in the air. “You hunted them,” he said. We contained them, the man corrected calmly. “Until they became too unstable.” And then you killed them, Ronan added quietly.

The man did not deny it. “That was necessary,” he said. Aria’s breathing slowed down after hearing that statement. Her body stopped struggling. Instead, she went completely still.

Kael noticed it immediately. “Aria” he said carefully…She did not look at him. Her head tilted slightly as if she was listening to something no one else could hear. They weren’t unstable, she said softly. The man’s expression suddenly changed slightly. They were alone.

Then her eyes lifted. And this time, there was something else inside them. Understanding…And something darker.

“You made them break,” she continued. The chains around her tightened again, reacting to the rise of her power. The man’s voice remained calm, but there was a hint of caution now. “We prevented something worse.”

Aria let out a quiet breath. “No,” she said, you created it. The ground beneath them trembled slightly. Kael felt it immediately, something was changing again.

You cannot fight this, the man said. “Those chains are designed for your kind.” Aria finally looked at him directly. And yet, she said slowly, “they are already breaking.”

For a second, nothing happened. Then, a sharp cracking sound filled the air. Everyone froze instantly. The glowing chains around her wrists began to fracture.

That’s not possible, one of the hunters said. The man’s eyes narrowed. “Increase the hold,” he ordered. The chains pulsed again, but this time it was brighter. But Aria’s power pushed back. She gasped as the force inside her surged again. It hurts but she did not stop it.

Kael took a step forward. “Aria, you don’t have to do this,” he said. She looked at him…And for a brief moment. There was something soft in her eyes. I don’t have a choice anymore, she said quietly.

Then the chains snapped. The sound echoed across the clearing like a warning. Power exploded from her body. Stronger than ever before. The hunters were thrown back violently.

Even Kael struggled to stay standing because of the force. Ronan shielded himself, his expression was now fully serious. Aria landed slowly on the ground. The air around her felt heavier than ever.

The man stepped back for the first time. Not out of fear, but out of caution. This confirms it, he said. Aria took one step forward, and the ground cracked under her feet.

“You don’t get to control me,” she said. Her voice was no longer just hers. It carried something deeper. The man raised his hand again, and more chains shot out of the ground. But this time, they did not reach her.

They stopped halfway in the air. And they were frozen. Everyone stared at the whole scene. Aria’s eyes glowed brighter. “I told you,” she said.

Then she closed her hand, and the chains shattered instantly. There was a great silence among them. The balance of power had shifted completely. Kael felt it, and so did everyone else.

“She’s beyond control now,” Ronan said quietly. The man studied her carefully. “Not yet,” he replied. Aria’s eyes snapped back towards him.

What did you say? she asked. And for the first time, the man smiled again. Power without control destroys itself, he said. Aria took another step forward.

“Then watch me,” she replied. The ground shook again. But before she could attack, something else happened. A sharp pain hit her chest. She froze instantly and her eyes widened. Her power flickered.

What? she whispered. The man lowered his hands slowly. “I told you,” he said. You are not stable. Aria dropped to one knee instantly. And her breathing became uneven again.

The power around her started to break apart. Kael moved instantly. “Aria!” She looked up at him. This time, there was real fear in her eyes.“It’s tearing me apart,” she said. Kael reached her side. “I’ve got you,” he said.

But as soon as he touched her, a shock of energy pushed him back. Aria screamed. Her body lifted again. But this time, she was not in control. The man watched calmly as her power poured out of control.

“Now you see,” he said. This is how they all end. Aria’s voice broke through the chaos. But it wasn’t the same voice again. It was layered.

And she said, “No, this is where I begin.”