The village of Brimhold rested at the edge of the Frostwood, a forest so ancient that the elders claimed its roots stretched down into the underworld itself. Houses of stone and timber clustered together against the bitter winds, smoke rising from chimneys into the pale sky. Among its people lived two sisters—twins born under a blood moon.
They were called Lyra and Kaelen by the villagers, though most whispered other names: the Wolf Twins. Their amber eyes, sharp teeth, and ears furred like wolves set them apart. Some saw them as blessings of the forest. Others crossed themselves in fear whenever they passed.
Yet to Lyra and Kaelen, the village was simply home. They hunted, they laughed, they fought each other fiercely, then shared food by the fire.
But one dawn, that comfort shattered.
---
Lyra slammed open the door of their hut, chest heaving.
"Kaelen! They're gone!"
Kaelen was sharpening her dagger. She glanced up, frowning. "What do you mean, gone? Mother went to trade herbs last night, Father to fetch water. They'll be back."
Lyra shook her head, panic in her eyes. "I searched the path. No tracks lead back. Just… vanished. The whole village is talking."
Kaelen's frown deepened. She rose, crossing the room in long strides. "Show me."
---
At the edge of the forest, they found signs the others had missed: snapped twigs, claw marks gouged deep into bark, and a black feather gleaming with a faint, unnatural sheen.
Kaelen crouched, lips curling back in a snarl. "Ravens of Nyx."
Lyra shivered. Tales of the night-ravens were told to frighten children—beasts of shadow with wings that blocked out the stars. But both sisters knew myths in Eloria often hid truths sharper than any blade.
"We can't wait for the elders," Lyra whispered. "If they've been taken…" Her voice broke.
Kaelen's hand gripped hers firmly. "Then we'll bring them back."
---
They packed lightly—daggers, bows, and cloaks of wolf hide. As they set out, villagers gathered in uneasy silence. None offered to go with them. None dared.
Old Mara, the herb-woman, clutched Lyra's arm. "The path north is cursed. Beyond Frostwood lies the Mire of Ash, where spirits wail in the fog. If you go there…"
"We'll come back," Lyra promised, though her heart pounded.
Kaelen merely bared her teeth in a defiant grin. "And if the Mire dares touch us, we'll tear it apart."
---
The sisters walked for hours beneath skeletal trees. Snow crunched under their boots, and the air thickened with a silence too heavy to be natural. Shadows shifted, whispering at the corners of their sight.
Suddenly, a branch snapped. A hunched figure lurked between the trees—its skin mottled gray, eyes glowing sickly green.
"A ghoul," Lyra hissed, pulling her bow.
The creature lunged. Kaelen leapt in front, dagger flashing. She slashed its arm, black ichor spilling as it shrieked. Lyra loosed an arrow that pierced its skull, dropping it to the snow.
Breathing hard, Kaelen wiped her blade. "Not a raven, but close enough. We're on the right trail."
Lyra stared at the corpse. "If ghouls wander this far south, then the forest is changing. Something's stirring."
Kaelen smirked, though unease glimmered in her eyes. "Good. Let it stir. Gives me something to stab."
---
By nightfall, they reached a clearing where moonlight spilled like silver fire. At its center stood a stone monolith carved with runes older than their language.
As they approached, voices slithered in their minds.
Blood of wolf, blood of moon. Seek the black wings, seek the hollow tomb.
Lyra staggered, clutching her head. "Kaelen… do you hear it?"
Kaelen's grip tightened on her dagger. "I hear lies."
But when she looked at Lyra's pale face, her bravado cracked. "What do we do, sister?"
Lyra knelt, pressing a hand to the runes. Her wolf ears twitched, as though catching an echo only she could hear. "It's guiding us north, to the Mire. That's where they're taken."
Kaelen spat into the snow. "Then that's where we'll go."
---
Two days later, they stood before the Mire of Ash. Fog stretched endlessly, swallowing trees and sky alike. The ground squelched underfoot, black water bubbling with strange shapes that dissolved before the eye could settle on them.
Lyra's voice was barely a whisper. "Do you think they're still alive?"
Kaelen turned to her, eyes fierce. "Listen to me. Whether it's a god, a monster, or the whole cursed Mire itself, nothing keeps us from them. We're together. That's enough."
Lyra's throat tightened, but she nodded.
---
The fog thickened as they pressed on. Shapes loomed—horned silhouettes, whispers of forgotten kings, eyes blinking in the mist. Once, a clawed hand reached from the water to drag Lyra under, but Kaelen slashed it off with a roar.
Finally, they reached an obsidian spire rising from the swamp. Perched upon its ledge were black-feathered creatures, wings stretching wide, eyes burning like coals.
The ravens of Nyx.
And bound at the spire's base, two figures knelt—familiar outlines, heads bowed.
"Mother… Father…" Lyra gasped.
Kaelen growled, baring her fangs. "Told you, Lyra. We'll bring them back."
She stepped forward, blades glinting in the fog, as the first raven shrieked and launched itself at them.
---
The battle was chaos. Wings blotted out the moon, talons raked flesh, and the swamp shook with screams both human and not. Lyra's arrows pierced feathered shadows, while Kaelen danced through the melee like a storm, daggers flashing.
But more kept coming.
Lyra shouted over the din, "We can't kill them all! The spire—it's their nest!"
Kaelen's eyes blazed. "Then we burn the nest."
---
Together, they fought their way to the spire. Lyra lit an arrow with the last scrap of oil in their pack. She met her sister's eyes. "Ready?"
Kaelen grinned through blood and sweat. "Always."
The arrow flew, striking the obsidian. Flames erupted, devouring shadow and wing alike. The ravens screamed, their forms unraveling into smoke.
When the fire dimmed, silence returned. Their parents collapsed to the ground, alive but weak.
Lyra dropped to her knees, sobbing. "We did it."
Kaelen sheathed her daggers, finally allowing herself a weary laugh. "Told you. Nothing keeps us from them."
---
As dawn broke, the Wolf Twins carried their parents back through the fog, their silhouettes sharp against the rising light.
The world of Eloria was vast, filled with gods, monsters, and endless dangers—but Lyra and Kaelen knew one truth above all:
Together, they could face anything.