The night was unnaturally quiet. The stars had vanished behind thick, swirling clouds, and the once-crisp air now tasted of ash. Callista stood on the northern watchtower with Elira beside her, both gazing into the distance where Sabrina's magic brewed like a storm on the edge of the world.
"She's cloaking something," Elira muttered, her eyes glowing faintly with detection magic. "Something big. I can't pierce the veil."
Callista's fingers gripped the railing. Her heart hadn't stopped racing since the scroll vanished in her hands. "She's coming sooner than we thought."
Suddenly, a tremor rolled through the ground—a deep, vibrating growl that echoed from the forest beyond the northern border.
Wolves across the camp stilled. Warriors reached for their weapons. The calm before the chaos shattered.
Then, a howl—twisted and otherworldly—pierced the air.
From the shadows of the trees, monstrous shapes emerged. Not witches, but creatures—warped beasts shaped by dark magic. Their eyes glowed crimson, and smoke trailed from their bodies as if they were burning from the inside out.
"Demon hounds," Elira breathed. "She's summoned them from the forbidden realm…"
Callista didn't wait. She ran down the tower steps and burst onto the training field where Lucien was already shifting, his wolf towering and midnight black, fury in his golden eyes.
"She's unleashing her army now!" Callista shouted. "Defensive formation! Keep the young ones and healers back!"
The allied packs mobilized like lightning. Wolves shifted. Arrows glowed with runes. Shields clashed. The battle began.
---
Callista summoned her power, her magic now honed, controlled, but blazing. She struck down two demon hounds with a blast of violet flame, weaving between fighters like a force of nature.
A snarl to her right—one of the creatures leapt toward her. Before it could land, a silver blade sliced through the air. Elira. Her cuffs were gone, replaced by glowing markings on her wrists. She fought like a woman unleashed.
"You're not the only one who's changed," Elira said with a grim smile.
Together, they cut a path through the creatures, holding the line. But for every monster they felled, two more emerged.
Lucien rejoined them in his human form, blood staining his skin, his expression grim. "This isn't her full force. This is a message."
Callista nodded. "She wants us scared."
A low hum vibrated through the air. Then, without warning, the sky split open in a spiral of violet lightning—and from it, Sabrina descended. Her black robes fluttered like wings, her eyes gleaming with triumph.
She hovered above the field, untouched by the chaos, her voice carrying like a curse.
"Did you think I'd let you unite them all, Callista?" she hissed. "I gave you power. And now I've come to take it back."
Callista stepped forward, lifting her chin. "You gave me nothing. And I'm not yours anymore."
Sabrina smiled coldly. "Then die with them."
She raised her hand—and the ground beneath them cracked with a deafening roar. From it, something began to rise.
Something ancient.
Callista's blood ran cold. Lucien grabbed her hand. Elira stepped beside her again, eyes wide.
"What is that?" Lucien muttered.
Callista swallowed hard. "Not what… who."
From the pit emerged a towering creature—a warlock-turned-beast, his form monstrous, bound in cursed chains, magic swirling around him like a vortex of death.
"The Deathbound," Elira whispered. "She awakened him. He was sealed centuries ago by the elders of both witches and wolves."
Callista felt the magic ripple through her bond. The war had begun in full.