Chapter 18 – Echoes of the Past
POV: Kael Thorne
The air in the stronghold grew heavier with each step we took, the silence pressing down on us like a blanket. The farther we ventured, the more the sense of unease gnawed at the back of my mind. There was something off about this place. The walls felt alive, like they were whispering secrets—dark, dangerous secrets—and I couldn't shake the feeling that we were walking straight into the heart of something ancient and vile.
Seren walked beside me, her shoulders stiff, her gaze distant as if she, too, could feel the weight of the atmosphere. Every now and then, she would glance at me, her expression full of silent questions. But she didn't ask them out loud, and I couldn't bring myself to offer any answers. Not yet.
I had been wrong to think the battle was over. The Fallen Ones had only been the beginning. The true enemy had yet to show itself, and I feared it was something far worse than anything we had encountered before.
As we rounded a corner, we came upon an ancient door, its surface covered in intricate carvings—symbols I didn't recognize, but that seemed to pulse with a faint energy. The pack slowed, their wolves shifting uneasily, sensing the same thing I did. Something dark was ahead.
I glanced at Seren. "This is it," I said, my voice quiet. "Whatever lies beyond this door, we face it together. No matter what happens."
She nodded, though I could see the hesitation in her eyes. "I'm not afraid, Kael. I just… I don't know what I'm supposed to do. My power—it's still growing. I don't know how to control it."
"You don't have to do it alone," I replied, my hand brushing hers. "We're all in this together. Trust me. Trust yourself."
Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something more, but then the door creaked open, the sound echoing through the hall. And just like that, the moment was gone.
The room beyond the door was vast, the stone walls adorned with strange carvings, much like the ones on the door. A faint, eerie glow illuminated the space, casting long shadows that seemed to shift as if alive. The air was thick, charged with an energy that made my skin prickle. I could feel it now—this place was older than anything I had ever encountered, a place of power and darkness.
In the center of the room stood a pedestal, ancient and weathered, but untouched by time. And upon it, resting like a cursed artifact, was a stone—the color of midnight, smooth and black as obsidian, glowing with an unnatural light. The moment I saw it, I knew it was the source of the power that had been pulling at us from the moment we entered the stronghold.
"The Heartstone," Seren whispered, her voice trembling. "I've seen this in visions. The one the Fallen Ones have been searching for."
I stepped forward, my hand instinctively reaching for my blade. "What does it do? And why do they want it so badly?"
Seren hesitated before answering. "It's said to be a key—a key to unlocking something far older than the Fallen Ones themselves. A force of pure destruction, sealed away long ago. And whoever controls it… controls everything."
My blood ran cold. "Then we can't let them have it."
"Too late," a voice sneered from the shadows.
I whirled around, my wolf surging to the surface as I caught sight of the figure emerging from the darkness. A tall man, his features sharp and angular, his eyes gleaming with malice. He wore the dark cloak of the Fallen Ones, but there was something more to him—a presence, a power that made him stand apart from the others.
"Who are you?" I demanded, my voice low, dangerous.
The man smiled, a twisted, mocking expression. "I am the one who's been waiting for you, Kael Thorne. I am the one who will see your pack destroyed, your future crumbled to dust."
Seren's breath caught in her throat, and she stepped closer to me, her body tense. I could feel her power crackling in the air around us, but she didn't unleash it. Not yet.
"Tell me your name," I growled, not willing to show any weakness. "And tell me what you want with the Heartstone."
The man laughed, a chilling sound that reverberated off the walls. "My name? It doesn't matter. You wouldn't remember it, even if I told you. But as for the Heartstone…" He stepped closer, his gaze locking onto Seren. "It's her that I've come for. She's the one who will unlock its true power. The one who will awaken the force inside it."
I glanced at Seren, my heart tightening in my chest. Her eyes were wide, filled with fear, but there was something else in them too—something darker, something that I had only just begun to understand.
"You've been searching for her all this time," I said, my voice rising with fury. "You've been using her to find the Heartstone."
The man nodded, his smile growing wider. "Not just using her, Kael. I've been waiting for her—waiting for the moment when she would fully embrace her power. When she would finally realize what she truly is."
Seren took a step back, her hand instinctively reaching for mine. "What do you mean? What am I?"
The man's eyes gleamed with dark amusement. "You're the key. The one who will open the gateway to the Old Gods. The one who will bring about the end of everything."
I stepped forward, my blade drawn, but before I could strike, the man raised his hand, and the air seemed to warp around him. A dark energy pulsed from his fingertips, sending a wave of power crashing into me, knocking me back.
The pack howled in unison, shifting into their wolf forms and charging toward the man, but he raised his other hand, and they were stopped in their tracks—frozen, as if their bodies no longer obeyed them.
"This is the power of the Heartstone," he said, his voice thick with triumph. "The power to bend the world to my will."
My mind raced, searching for a way to break the hold he had on us. I couldn't let this man control Seren, or the Heartstone. I couldn't let him destroy everything we had fought for.
And then I realized—I couldn't do it alone.
"Seren," I said urgently, my voice hoarse. "You have to fight back. You have the power to stop him. You're stronger than he thinks."
She turned to me, her eyes wide, filled with doubt. "I can't, Kael. I don't know how—"
"Yes, you do," I insisted. "This is your fight, Seren. You're the key. You're the one who can stop him."
The man laughed again, his eyes narrowing as he watched us. "How touching. But it's too late. You're all going to die here."
And then, as if on cue, the stone on the pedestal pulsed with light—bright, blinding light—and everything went black.