29: The Temple of Echoing Howls
The Temple was an ancient, dark place carved into the earth's bones. Kira was bound in a circle, surrounded by rebels chanting in unison. Mia and Kaian arrived, interrupting the ritual. The High Voice of the Eclipse revealed himself to be Aron, Mia's brother, who had been thought dead for 17 years. He had been consumed by Nyxar's darkness and now sought to complete the ritual. Mia and Aron clashed in a fierce battle, their blades echoing with shared memories.
As the ritual reached its climax, Kira's mark flared, and Nyxar's essence tried to possess her. But Kira broke free, creating a new mark that symbolized her own power. She rejected Nyxar's influence, and the circle exploded, sending cultists flying. Mia and Kira fought their way out of the Temple as it collapsed, escaping into the night. Though the war wasn't over, they had won a crucial victory: Kira was free, and she had discovered her own strength. Aron, however, vanished, vowing that this was only the beginning. The trio fled into the night, aware that the prophecy was still unfolding, and their journey was far from over.
The Eclipse Rises
After the Temple's collapse, the night sky turned dark, with a blackened moon ringed by a halo of red-gold fire. The barrier between worlds was broken, and Kira felt the change first. She sensed a presence growing inside her, like a second heartbeat. Mia noticed Kira's unease and confronted her about it. Kira revealed that Nyxar's influence had grown stronger, and the ritual had opened a gate that didn't require her full possession.
As the night wore on, strange occurrences plagued the camp. Shadows behaved oddly, and wolves saw things that weren't there. One scout returned with black eyes, speaking in riddles until his soul disintegrated. Mia realized that the ritual hadn't possessed Kira but had mirrored her, creating a copy of her essence that Nyxar was using to rebuild himself.
Kira collapsed, convulsing and whispering with two voices. A shadow form emerged from her body, a warped version of herself with Nyxar's eyes. Kaian attacked it, but it didn't die; instead, it recoiled back into Kira. Velian arrived, revealing that the ritual had wounded the veil and created an anchor for Nyxar in Kira. Mia and Kaian were faced with an impossible choice: do nothing and risk losing Kira to Nyxar, or try to excise him and risk killing her.
Mia decided that they would go to the god-realm, into the fracture, to find Nyxar's source and end this before he could rebuild himself. Kira warned that Nyxar's influence was spreading beyond her, into the world. The eclipsed moon pulsed faster, a heartbeat that didn't belong, signaling that time was running out.
The eclipse in the sky grew more intense, making the air tremble and the wolves flinch. It was no longer a natural phenomenon but a gaze, as if Nyxar was watching. Kira, his reflection, sat quietly, her mark pulsing in sync with the eclipse. She murmured that she could feel Nyxar's influence spreading, trying to shape her, but she remembered her mother's lesson: she didn't have to be what she was made for.
The camp was tense, and the Alphas met to discuss their plan. Velian revealed that they were out of time and that only three could survive the journey to the god-realm: Mia, Kaian, and Kira. They prepared for the journey, knowing they might not return. Mia looked at her daughter and mate, and the world around them, and knew they had to act.
At midnight, they stood at the edge of the Rift, a wound in the world. Kira turned back to the wolves, saying, "Tell them, I chose this." Then she stepped into the dark, followed by Mia and Kaian. The Rift closed, and the world exhaled. Above, the eclipsed moon split, revealing an eye of endless dark. Nyxar was rising, but so were they, ready to face him.