I tied the cloth around my waist tighter, securing it firmly. My bare chest rose and fell with anger. I pushed the door open with a bang and stormed into the night.
The cold air slapped against my skin, but I didn't care. My eyes locked immediately onto the man with glowing gold eyes, the one who should be the leader of the invaders.
Around me, the village burned. Women screamed, children cried, warriors fought bravely but were losing fast.
I didn't slow. My steps were heavy, and quick. From a distance, I heard their leader's voice, loud and arrogant, filled with scorn.
"Bring out the power that stained our lands! It manifested here! We smelled it across the borders. We will take him, cleanse our lands, and offer his blood to the old gods!"
Millicent, standing in front of the villagers, shouted back: "There is no such person here! Leave us!"
I kept walking, then walked over to Millicent, stepped beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched in surprise.
"Don't lie for me," I said, my voice deep.
"I'm the one they're looking for."
Gasps filled the air. The enemies sneered and moved closer, weapons in hand. Their spears and blades shimmered with a green mist.
I sniffed. The smell was sharp and sickening. Poison.
My new senses warned me immediately. The poison would weaken me if I was touched. Still, I took a step forward, calm and brave.
The leader laughed, a low, mocking sound. "Brave fool,"
"You carry the taint. You don't belong in this world. Come willingly, and maybe we will let the others live."
"Come and take me," I said, my voice cold as ice.
Just as I spoke, the enemies surrounded me, their deadly weapons pointing at me, very close to my skin.
My body tensed. The stench of the poison on their weapons diffused fiercly into my nostrils. Inside, my wolf was ready to come out. My body started to shift, my bones cracking, my muscles stretching.
But instead of my wolf, the ground under my feet shook. The air became thick and heavy, hard to breathe. The sky rumbled with deep thunder. And then, the earth exploded.
Rocks and dirt shot up into the air, hitting the men hard. They cried out and stumbled back, trying to cover their faces.
Before they could run, a wild wind roared across the field. It was not a normal wind, it was strong like a monster, ripped the swords and spears out of the men's hands and threw them far away.
The poisoned weapons flew up, spinning, until they crashed in a pile at the corner.
The men shouted, trying to grab their weapons back, but the wind kept pushing them, pulling their clothes, slamming them into each other.
Suddenly, small fires sparked from the cracks in the ground. The fires moved like snakes, wrapping around the men's legs and burning their skin. The smell of burnt cloth and flesh filled the air.
But, the fire didn't touch me. It didn't even come near me. It was like the fire knew I was its master at that moment.
Above us, a bolt of lightning snapped, not from the clouds, but straight from the ground. It struck two men at once, and they fell without a sound, their bodies smoking.
The other men screamed in fear, dropping to their knees. Some tried to crawl away. Some just froze, too scared to move.
Millicent gasped loudly and covered her mouth. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. The villagers hid behind trees and rocks, their eyes wide with fear.
And there I stood, calm, strong, while the world tore itself apart around me.
The wind began to settle slowly. The fire died back into the earth. The dust fell like snow. Now, only one man was left standing, their leader.
Blood trickled down his forehead. His sword was gone. His hands shook. His golden eyes, once proud, now stared at me in pure terror.
He took a step back, then another. He wanted to run, but before he could, the sky lit up again.
A bright, glowing star appeared above us. It wasn't a normal star. It was big, huge, and falling.
The leader froze as a massive, burning constellation began to descend, filling the air with blinding light.
The ground trembled.The trees around bent lot. The screams of the villagers shrielled in the night.
I stared fixedly at the star, my mind racing. I don't know what was coming, but whatever it was wouldn't be good.
The star touched the ground with a loud thud, shaking the earth under my feet. A blinding light exploded from it, spreading in every direction.
It wasn't just light, it was burning and painful, like a thousand needles stabbing into the skin.
The villagers cried out and covered their faces, running for shelter. Even the leader of the invaders screamed, falling to his knees, hands over his eyes.
I stood still. The light burned, but it did not destroy me. It wrapped around me, pulling me into itself. Suddenly, all the noise faded away. The screaming, the wind, the crackling fires, gone. There was only silence.
Then I heard it. A voice. Not loud, but deep inside my head.
"You have not even started your journey, Drake."
I froze. My heart hammered in my chest. The voice was deep and powerful, but not cruel. It sounded ancient, like it had been speaking for a thousand years.
"Crescent Mont is waiting for you."
Crescent Mont? My province?The name filled my mind with warmth. It was my home, the place my throne was. It was waiting for me? It meant I would return!
"Your journey will be long, or it will be short," the voice continued. "It all depends on you."
I swallowed hard, my fists clenched at my sides. Long or short? What did that mean? Would I succeed, or die along the way?
I wanted to ask questions, but the voice answered even before I spoke them.
"You must find your clan. You must fix the wrong that will secure your throne."
I frowned deeply. Securing my throne, I understood. Afterall, I haven't forgotten that man. The one who killed that woman, that man, the reason I was thrown back to 1520. But the wrong? I have no idea.
"When you find them, you will know," the voice said, reading my mind as easily as if I had spoken out loud.
"But beware, even your current power will wither along the road. Unless you learn to tell the fake from the real."
The words struck me like a hammer. The fake from the real. My current power, already so terrifying, could fade if I trusted the wrong thing.
"As for the wrong," the voice added, "you will understand it once you find your clan."
The light around me pulsed, warm and strong. I felt something stir deep inside me, something bigger than anything I had ever known. Hope. Fear. Destiny.
Then the voice softened. "Remember. Your heir waits for his father."
My heart squeezed tightly at those words. My heir. My mate. Vanessa. I thought of her soft eyes, her warm touch. Of the tiny life growing in her belly. A life that needed me.
The light grew brighter, blinding again, and then, just like that, it vanished.
The night fell back into place, still and cold. A few fires flickered weakly, and the smell of burned wood hung in the air.
I opened my eyes fully and looked around. The leader of the enemies The invaders lay dead on the ground. The bodies of the ones already dead before the star came, looked twisted. Their weapons which were heaped at a corner had all melted, and flowing slowly.
Behind me, I heard the villagers stir. Someone asked, their voice trembling, "What... what just happened?"
Someone else said. "What is the light?"
No one spoke about the voice, and I realized then. Only I had heard the voice.
Ignoring them, I turned away, and walked back toward the village. My steps felt heavy, as if the ground itself tried to hold me back.
Back inside my room, I tied the cloth tighter around my waist and sat heavily on the edge of the bed. I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes.
Knowing I would still return to Crescent Mont, burst sweet bubbles in me, but...Where would I start? Where would I find my clan? How could I fix a wrong I didn't even know?
And then, my heir, my child. The thought of Vanessa and the baby filled my heart with both courage and fear.
I could not fail them. I would not fail them. Somewhere out there, Crescent Mont waited for me. Somewhere out there, my destiny waited. And I would find it.
A loud, urgent knock sounded on my door, pulling me roughly out of my thoughts. I sprang to my feet, my eyes darted in alert.