The war drums had gone silent, yet the fortress of the Eastern Wilds felt heavier than ever.
Smoke still lingered in the air remnants of the purging battle.
Arka sat at the center hall, his gaze distant, body still recovering from his confrontation with the corrupted beasts.
The wolf rested beside him, silent for once, its luminous eyes watching the humans and beasts passing through the great hall.
Whispers filled the air quiet at first, then sharper.
"He's strong, but his power comes from beasts, not from man," one soldier muttered.
"Can we truly trust him to lead both sides?"
Arka heard it. He didn't need to respond the doubt in their tone was enough to cut deeper than any blade.
✦ The First Rumors
Liora entered the hall carrying reports from the northern watchtowers.
"Cultist activity has diminished," she said, "but… there are strange signs among our own ranks."
Arka frowned.
"Explain."
"Beasts refusing orders. Scouts reporting that some human captains are ignoring beast commanders."
The wolf's fur bristled.
"Division… it spreads like poison."
Liora hesitated before speaking.
"I fear someone is sowing this. The Cult's corruption… may have taken another form."
Arka's voice turned cold.
"Find the source. No rumor divides my people."
✦ The Shadow of Mirel
Far from the fortress, deep within the forest, Mirel moved like mist between the trees.
Her form shimmered, blending into the fog.
She whispered softly, her voice carried by enchanted winds.
"They trust him, but fear what he might become…"
Her spell threaded through the air, reaching minds across the Wilds planting seeds of doubt, twisting memory, bending loyalty.
A wind wolf alpha stirred uneasily.
"Why must we serve a human?" it growled to its kin.
"He wields the power of beasts, yet he is not one of us."
A human soldier nearby clenched his fists.
"He commands creatures that once devoured our kind. How long before he turns on us?"
The whispers spread like wildfire.
Even the forest began to hum with unease, trees creaking in tones that felt alive with suspicion.
✦ Tension at the Council
That night, Arka convened the council again humans on one side, beasts on the other.
The tension was palpable.
Growls and murmurs filled the chamber before Arka even spoke.
"Something has changed," said Garran, a beast commander with scales of obsidian.
"Your soldiers treat us as if we are slaves."
"And your kind refuse to follow orders!" retorted Captain Helar, a human commander.
"My men were almost killed because a pack of beasts broke formation!"
Liora slammed her staff to silence them.
"Enough! This is what the enemy wants to divide us!"
But her words were drowned in the rising voices of anger.
Arka stood slowly.
Silver light bled from his eyes, his presence quieting the room in an instant.
"Do you think I fought beside you for glory?" he said, voice cold but steady.
"I bled for both sides beast and human. I carry both within me. But if you let hatred blind you, then you will lose everything we've built."
The room fell silent.
But beneath that silence, the whispers still lingered unseen, unbroken.
✦ The Wolf's Warning
Later that night, Arka walked alone through the forest.
The moonlight painted him in pale silver, the forest alive with murmurs.
"They doubt you," the wolf said softly.
"Not because of weakness… but because you are different. You are both beast and man. To them, that is power they cannot comprehend."
Arka exhaled slowly.
"Then I'll make them understand. Through battle, through sacrifice… through truth."
The wolf growled approvingly.
"Then be ready. The whispers grow stronger. Someone hides behind them."
✦ The Betrayal
Before dawn, alarms rang through the fortress.
A beast patrol had vanished not killed, not captured… vanished.
And in their place, shadows writhed across the northern walls, crawling like veins of ink.
Liora arrived breathless.
"The Cult's illusions they've breached the mental wards!"
Arka's expression darkened.
"Mirel…"
In that instant, realization hit. The corruption wasn't attacking from outside it was already inside, woven into the minds of those he trusted.
"This is no invasion," Arka growled.
"It's a betrayal born from within."
✦ A Promise in the Dark
As the fortress trembled under the weight of new illusions, Arka stood at its heart aura reigniting, eyes blazing like twin stars.
"If the Cult thinks I'll fall to whispers, they've underestimated the bond I've forged."
The wolf bared its fangs beside him.
"Then let's hunt the shadow within the light."
Arka raised his hand, silver energy spiraling upward, forming a radiant Seal that pulsed across the Wilds a call not of command, but of unity.
Somewhere deep in the forest, Mirel flinched as her illusions flickered.
"You found me faster than I thought…" she whispered, smiling faintly.
"Then let's see if your faith can withstand the truth."
The war was no longer about territory.
It had become a battle for hearts, loyalty, and the fragile bond between two worlds.