Chapter 104
Chloe's POV
Without its core, the Devil's Vines could no longer contain the elemental spirit. The purple tendrils fell from the thunder wolf like lifeless branches, and the silver chains shattered into fragments. The lightning creature let out a deafening roar that shook the entire cavern.
I instinctively stepped back, watching as that mass of pure white light leaped from the stone platform, electrical arcs dancing wildly around it, illuminating the entire underground space.
Ivan shifted back to human form, covered in wounds and leaning heavily against me. I could feel him trembling—that last attack had drained nearly all his strength.
"We need to get out of here," I said quietly, supporting him toward the exit. "This place could collapse any second."
The thunder wolf seemed to understand. It bounded gracefully before us, those eyes made of pure current watching us. Then it turned and ran toward the cave exit, each step leaving scorched marks on the ground. We followed close behind, guided by the glow at its back through the narrow passage.
When we burst from the cave and stood once more on the floor of Thunder Gorge, the sky had begun to pale. Dawn's faint light pierced through the heavy thunderclouds, casting mottled shadows on the rocks. I drew a deep breath, savoring the rush of fresh air filling my lungs.
Ivan exhaled in relief as well, looking up at the thunder wolf circling before us, wonder flickering in his eyes.
What happened next left me completely stunned.
The thunder wolf suddenly bounded toward Ivan like an excited puppy, rubbing its massive head—formed of pure electricity—affectionately against his body and making whimpering sounds. Ivan was clearly startled by this sudden enthusiasm, but soon he was laughing, reaching out tentatively to stroke the wolf's head. Remarkably, those currents that should have been lethal were as docile as ordinary fur beneath his touch.
"It likes you," I murmured, hardly believing what I was seeing.
Ivan grinned—the most genuine smile I'd ever seen on his face.
"Yeah, I like this friend too." He cleared his throat with mock solemnity. "Since we saved you, I should give you a name. How about 'Lightning'?"
The thunder wolf—no, Lightning now—let out a joyful howl that echoed through the entire canyon like rolling thunder.
It circled Ivan several times before stopping to look at me, its eyes seeming to hold expectation.
"Come here," Ivan beckoned. "Don't be afraid. It won't hurt you."
I hesitated. The pain of being electrocuted was still vivid—like thousands of silver needles piercing my skin simultaneously. But seeing Ivan's encouraging gaze, I slowly approached.
Lightning waited quietly, the electrical arcs around it seeming to subside considerably.
"Put your hand on mine," Ivan said, extending his hand. "I can act as an insulator so you can touch it."
My face flushed. This intimate contact made me somewhat uncomfortable, but curiosity ultimately overcame shyness. I gently grasped Ivan's hand—his palm warm and rough, calloused. Then he guided my hand slowly onto Lightning's head.
It was an indescribably strange sensation. I could feel countless tiny electrons dancing in my palm, as if touching life's very pulse. Lightning made a contented whimper, its glow becoming softer. I couldn't help but smile—in that moment, all fear and exhaustion vanished.
"It's talking," Ivan said suddenly.
I blinked. "What?"
"Zeus can understand its language," Ivan explained, wonder flickering in his eyes. "It's a kind of melody created by electrical waves. It's thanking us for saving it."
I looked at Lightning, warmth rising in my chest. But then I remembered the strange phenomena we'd encountered in the canyon, and those rumors about bloodthirsty beasts.
"Ivan," I asked tentatively, "the monsters rumored to be in Thunder Gorge... could they be Lightning?"
Ivan closed his eyes, apparently communicating with Zeus.
After a moment, he opened them, his expression grave.
"Lightning says those who came for the trials harmed the life here and disrupted the canyon's balance. It was only punishing the invaders."
My heart jolted.
Suddenly everything made sense. Werewolves had been hunting indiscriminately in the canyon to prove their strength, destroying the ecosystem—and this had provoked nature's retaliation. Lightning was merely nature's embodiment, the guardian of this land. We so-called noble werewolves were the true invaders.
As I absorbed this unsettling realization, Lightning suddenly raised its head toward the distant thunderclouds. It let out a low call, its glow beginning to fade.
Ivan frowned. "It says it used too much elemental power and needs to return to the storm to recover."
"Will it... come back?" I asked, reluctance welling up inside me.
Lightning turned to look at us once more, those eyes formed of current seeming to smile. Then it leaped, transforming into a bolt of lightning that shot into the thunderclouds above. Blinding white light illuminated the entire canyon before fading to calm. The clouds began to rotate slowly, as if healing it.
Just after Lightning departed, the ground suddenly shook violently.
I lost my balance and nearly fell, but Ivan caught me in time.
"What's happening?" I cried out.
The tremor lasted several seconds, and then I witnessed a horrifying sight—the Devil's Vines that had been lurking underground were bursting through the surface, having lost their core's control. Purple tendrils emerged from the cracked earth like worms. Though they'd lost their core and wouldn't regenerate, their sheer numbers were staggering. They covered the entire canyon, making the already treacherous terrain even more dangerous.
"Damn it," Ivan cursed. "These things may be dead, but they'll still release that corrupting aura!"
A terrible thought flashed through my mind.
"Ivan, we have to postpone the trial! If those young warriors enter the canyon and face all these dead Devil's Vines, plus those corrupted beasts..." I didn't finish, but we both understood the consequences.
Ivan nodded grimly. "We need to delay until Lightning recovers. Only it can completely clear these things. Come on, let's find your father."
I mounted Ivan as he shifted into Zeus, and he carried me through the thunderclouds, racing toward the canyon's outer edge. Wind howled in my ears, lightning exploded around us, but my heart pounded even faster.
I had to convince my father. I had to stop this impending disaster.
When we burst through the clouds and reached the canyon's perimeter, daylight had fully broken. I saw my father, Alpha Tyler, standing before a neat formation—young warriors, all eager and ready to cross through the thunderclouds into the canyon. At the very front stood my brother Connor, chest puffed out, looking absolutely confident of victory.
I rode Zeus up to Alpha Tyler, and Zeus transformed back into Ivan amid everyone's shocked stares.
Before I could speak, my father said coldly, "I thought you wouldn't dare show up, Chloe."
His mockery tightened my chest, but I forced myself to stay calm. "Father, please listen. You can't go in there. The canyon is extremely dangerous right now—"
"This nonsense again?" Connor interrupted, his face full of contempt. "Sister, you really need to work on your lying skills."
"I'm not lying!" I nearly shouted. "The Devil's Vines were hidden underground by their core before, which is why Beta Ethan's scouts didn't find anything. But Ivan just destroyed the underground core, and now all the Devil's Vines have surfaced. Plus, the canyon's lightning elemental spirit was badly injured protecting this place and is currently recovering. These recruits alone can't possibly face the Devil's Vines and corrupted beasts!"
Ivan stepped forward as well, adding, "She's telling the truth. I saw those things with my own eyes, they—"
"Enough!" Alpha Tyler cut him off sharply. "A rebellious daughter and a lowly rogue—you think I'll believe your fairy tales? Elemental spirits? What absurd legends!"
He turned to the formation and waved his hand.
"Move out! Show me what you're made of!"
Connor shifted into wolf form first, and the other warriors followed suit. Forty or fifty werewolves howled as they charged toward the thunderclouds, disappearing into the lightning and mist.
I watched their retreating figures, my heart feeling as though an invisible hand was squeezing it tight.
"Chloe," Alpha Tyler looked at me coldly. "Aren't you going in? Or are you forfeiting now and admitting you're a coward?"
I clenched my jaw, fury blazing in my eyes. I called Ivan's name, and he instantly shifted into Zeus. I mounted him and, without another glance at my father, charged straight into those thunderclouds.
Visibility in the clouds was nearly zero, electrical arcs exploding all around, the deafening thunder making it almost impossible to think. But in that chaos, I looked up and saw a figure that shouldn't be there—a witch in black robes, her form flickering in and out of the storm, a sinister smile on her lips.
Zeus let out a deep, rumbling growl, and I felt a powerful magical fluctuation surging from all directions.
Then a transparent barrier descended like a massive dome from the sky, enclosing the entire Thunder Gorge.
The dread in my heart reached its peak.
A trap.
This was all a trap.