I have heard Enchantress Mara from the south always say "that the mountain keeps its secrets hidden."
Well, that might be a lie, because now the secret of the mountain is no longer hidden, it's no more a secret and unknowingly I'm the one who made that happen.
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The altar at the foot of Northwood is ancient and has always been quiet. It was like a forgotten treasure, covered with green grass and protected by old runes that only glowed when there were full moons.
But now… those runes were lighting up glowing and the ground above them? It was cracking
Aria the Northern seer stayed beside me, her hands shaking over the glyphs. "This isn't supposed to happen yet," she murmured. "It's too soon, too soon than I had expected"
"What's inside?" I asked, feeling a bit of fear and confusion alongside
She stared at me, and I couldn't help but notice how scared and worried she was, You could tell she was really frightened
"You."
"Me?" I asked surprised
She just stared and uttered no word
By nightfall, the pack was gathered in the main chamber under Northwood. Aether was pacing like a storm trapped in a cage. His wolf was close—way too close charged for any forthcoming danger.
"She's going to try to break the seal," he said. "Tonight."
"Why?" I asked. "What's in it for her?"
"She believes if she opens it," Aria chipped in, "she can claim the power meant for you."
I blinked. "What power?"
Aria hesitated for a moment before handing me an ancient scroll I hadn't seen before.
*When the Vessel awakens, so shall the Moon's Shadow. Beneath the stone, blood remembers. One will rise with light. The other with fire.*
"Does she think she's the other?" I whispered.
"No," Aria replied. "She believes you're too scared to rise at all."
Before the battle call, Aether found me alone among the ruins.
At first he didn't say a word to me, he just continuously stared at me. I guess he was trying to comprehend how everything happened so fast and is concerned that I'm in the middle of it all.
"I never really told you about Nyra," he finally said.
"You don't have to."
"But I need to." His voice broke a little. "I trusted and loved her yet she betrayed my pack to our enemies. When I confronted her… she tried to kill me."
My heart sank.
"In defense, I fought back and wounded her, everyone thought she was dead, including me. So I gave her a befitting burial. That's why I'm still in awe at how she survived and is with Ceryn, if someone had told me earlier that they saw her, I could have doubted"
I touched his hand gently. "And now she has returned, fighting side by side with the woman who's trying to destroy both of us."
"I'm scared, I don't know how to handle this, I feel hesitant that my past has come haunting me again." He confessed
"You'll be fine, trust me." I reassured him. "You're not alone, we would fight this together."
He held my palms tightening his grip and for the first time, he kissed me.
"I'm sorry about that," he said apologetically
"It's fine you don't need to apologize" I said as I drew closer to him. This time we kissed for minutes, not rushed, not forced but real. His lips were soft and tasted salty as I kissed him passionately– hot, raw and hungry. The kind of kiss that promised war… and survival.
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**Ceryn's betrayal, Fully Unleashed**
The ground underneath us started shaking as the warriors came forward
Northwood warriors raced to their positions. I dashed to the edge of the altar chamber, where the sealed stone groaned and cracked.
I was shocked to find Ceryn there already.
Dressed in her usual grape-red casimere, Nyra stood fearless at her side, in her right hand with a blade carved from moonstone. Ceryn smiled mischievously when she saw me.
"Oh, Aria. You don't know what you are, do you?"
"What am I?" I shot back.
She moved closer, the seal pulsing vigorously beneath our feet.
"The last of a bloodline created by the Moon goddess herself," she explained. "Born to balance the power of shadow and light. The Vessel of both creation and destruction."
My breath hitched. How did she know all this? I thought. I wanted to ask her how, but this was not the time.
"You want to steal it?" I asked instead
"I want to control it," she hissed. "And since you clearly have no clue how to use it… I'll do it for you."
She plunged the blade into the center of the seal.
The runes exploded as silver lightning engulfed the mountains and then the stone shattered into pieces.
And from the abyss below came a thick growl. It was not a full wolf, nor fully human but something older.
Something hungry!
The altar shattered and let out some sort of hot energy, the force threw me backward, my ears ringing. When I finally looked up… something was crawling out of the mountain.
It was ten feet tall, covered in moss, and it looked ancient and was scary. A creature with the face of a wolf and a gigantic human body
Its gaze locked onto mine, as it prostrated and bowed to me. I froze with utmost fear and confusion
Then it spoke—its voice a chorus of a thousand whispers:
"The Vessel has been found. Command me."