Lyra's Song of Life, amplified by the echoes of all the cleansed packs, resonated throughout the Black Forest. Waves of pure, white light clashed with the dark aura of Seraphina and the corrupted Black Forest Pack. Varg's werewolves, though fighting with savage fury, now screamed in pain and disorientation. Their eyes, alternately burning with hatred and flickering with fear, reflected the struggle within their souls.
Seraphina, thrown to the ground by the power of the Song, tried to stand, hissing and spewing accusations. "No! This is impossible! The Shadow of Oblivion is stronger! Your sentimental Song is a weakness!"
But her voice trembled, and her dark aura weakened. Lyra saw that Seraphina was not controlling the Shadow of Oblivion, but was being manipulated by it, and her hatred was nourishment for the void. Lyra knew she had to continue, not only for the Black Forest Pack, but also for Seraphina, even if the latter didn't want it.
"You have fought each other for too long," Lyra said, her voice powerful, though she did not shout. "Your memories have been distorted, and your hatred has only served your enemy! The Shadow of Oblivion does not give strength! It takes it away! It takes away your identity! It takes away your Song!"
Kaelan and Elara, seeing Lyra focusing on the Heart of the Forest, fought with even greater determination, pushing back Varg's stunned werewolves. They knew this was the decisive moment.
Lyra, closing her eyes, allowed the Song of Life to reach the very core of the corrupted Heart of the Forest. She focused on the true memories of the Black Forest Pack – their pride, their wisdom, their deep connection to the forest. She recalled the visions from the Eyes of Memory, showing them as guardians, not hateful warriors.
From the Heart of the Forest, slowly, streams of pure, green energy began to flow, clashing with the dark, purple aura that surrounded them. The darkness hissed and receded, and the Heart of the Forest began to pulse with a brighter light. Black, decaying flakes began to fall from its bark, revealing healthy, shining bark beneath.
The Black Forest werewolves collapsed to the ground, their bodies trembling. Their eyes, finally, regained their natural glow, and hatred gave way to disorientation, and then… deep sorrow. They remembered. They remembered their actions. They remembered the hatred that possessed them.
Varg, the Alpha of the Black Forest, lay on the ground, his body trembling. Lyra approached him. When he opened his eyes, there was no hatred in them, only pain and shame.
"What… what have we done?" Varg whispered, his voice weak.
"You were deceived," Lyra said, kneeling beside him. "But now you are free."
The darkness emanating from Seraphina suddenly intensified. With a roar of rage, Seraphina rose. Her body began to change, and her fur became even darker, and her eyes, like slits, burned with a purple glow. The dark magic she controlled began to grow. "No! You won't take this from me!" Seraphina screamed, her voice now distorted, almost inhuman. "This is my power! This is my world!"
She began to hurl powerful dark energy projectiles at Lyra. Lyra, though weakened by cleansing the Heart of the Forest, raised her hands, forming a shield of Primeval Magic. Kaelan and Elara immediately stood beside her, helping to maintain the defense.
"She's… different," Kaelan whispered. "Her power is growing!"
Lyra felt that Seraphina had consciously allowed the Shadow of Oblivion to penetrate deeper into her soul, transforming her. Lyra knew that this battle would no longer be about healing, but about stopping Seraphina.
"I will not let you destroy the world, Seraphina," Lyra said, her voice, though quiet, was full of power. "The Song of Life is stronger than your hatred!"
Then, Lyra used the power she felt in the Eyes of Memory – the ability to reveal truth. She focused on Seraphina, not trying to harm her, but trying to penetrate her illusions.
The stream of the Song of Life, instead of physically attacking Seraphina, entered her mind. Seraphina hissed, and pain appeared in her eyes. Lyra showed her not her hatred, but her emptiness. She showed her all the moments when she felt rejected, unloved, ignored. She showed her her own memories that the Shadow of Oblivion had twisted and used to fuel her anger. Lyra showed her the loneliness that was the true cause of her darkness.
Seraphina screamed, and her dark energy began to recede. Her body trembled, and her eyes briefly regained their natural, once warm glow. She saw the truth. She saw how she had been manipulated.
But it was only for a moment. With a roar that was a mixture of pain and rage, Seraphina rejected the vision. "No! These are lies! I am strong! I am not weak!"
Her dark aura exploded again, stronger than ever. Seraphina, unwilling to accept the truth, surrendered to the darkness even deeper. Her eyes again became purple, and her smile became even more distorted.
"You won't break me, Luna!" she screamed, her voice now echoing the Shadow of Oblivion. "I am power! And I will destroy you all!"
She vanished. She dissolved into the shadow, leaving behind the taste of frost and hatred.
Lyra sank to the ground, exhausted. Kaelan and Elara immediately rushed to her side. "She escaped," Kaelan whispered.
Lyra nodded. "She is now… more than a tool. She is connected to the Shadow of Oblivion on a level I haven't seen before. I couldn't heal her. She must surrender to the darkness to survive."
Varg and his pack, now free from corruption, limped towards Lyra. Their faces were full of remorse and gratitude. "Luna," Varg said, bowing his head. "We owe you. We are ready to follow you. And to make amends for what we have done."
The cleansing of the Black Forest's Heart of the Forest was a success, but Seraphina's escape, now a more powerful and conscious threat, cast a long shadow over the future. Lyra knew this was only the beginning of the true war. The Song of Life had to be fully restored before it was too late. The Map of the Primordials pointed to the last bastion – hidden deep underground, in forgotten tunnels, where Primeval Magic was purest but also most vulnerable.
"We must go," Lyra said, standing up. "We have no time."