Chapter 117 Chapter 117

Chapter 117 Chapter 117
Diamond surged forward eagerly, her silver energy filling me completely. Through our joined hands, I felt Apollo responding in kind, his golden light meeting Diamond's silver in a brilliant fusion that made my breath catch. The water around our submerged feet began to glow, first silver, then gold, then a shimmering blend of both.
"The veil between worlds thins," the Priestess intoned, her voice seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. "Follow the path of water, of light, of blood. See with more than eyes. Reach with more than hands."
I felt a peculiar tugging sensation, as if something essential was being gently pulled from my physical form. Diamond's presence intensified until she wasn't just within me, but was me, our consciousnesses merging more completely than ever before.
"Breathe together," the Priestess guided. "Let your wolves lead you now."
My awareness expanded suddenly, stretching beyond the confines of the ritual chamber. I sensed Lucious beside me, and beyond me, our bond strengthening as Apollo and Diamond guided our spirits along invisible pathways. The physical world fell away like mist burning off in morning sunlight.
We were travelling, not through space as I understood it, but through something else. Flashes of landscapes appeared and vanished: mountains, forests, rivers, all glimpsed for mere seconds before disappearing again. Diamond knew where we were going, following some internal compass I couldn't comprehend.
"The convergence point approaches," I heard the Priestess say, though her voice sounded distant now. "Prepare yourselves. What you will see may disturb you."
The chaotic journey suddenly stabilised, and I found myself, or rather, the spiritual projection of myself, hovering above what could only be the Moonstone facility. Built into the side of a mountain just as Peta had described, it resembled a fortress more than a research centre. Even from this spiritual vantage point, I could sense the wrongness of the place, a darkness that had nothing to do with physical shadows.
"Do you feel it?" Lucious's voice came to me, though not through my ears. Our consciousnesses were connected in this state, allowing direct communication.
"Yes," I replied, focusing on the malevolent energy emanating from deep within the mountain. "Something ancient. Something hungry."
We drew closer, our spiritual forms passing effortlessly through the physical barriers of the facility. Inside was a maze of corridors and chambers, many containing cages with captive wolves. My heart ached at their suffering, but Diamond urged us forward, toward the source of the dark energy.
At the heart of the mountain, we found it, a massive chamber carved directly into the living rock. Northern Alliance members in ceremonial robes surrounded an obsidian altar, upon which lay a crystalline object that pulsed with sickly purple light. Three ley lines visibly converged beneath the altar, their natural energy being siphoned and corrupted by whatever ritual was either still being prepared for or already in motion.
Behind the altar stood a tall figure I didn't recognise, their face concealed by an ornate mask carved with symbols that hurt to look at directly. Their hands moved in complex patterns above the crystal, drawing power from the corrupted ley lines.
"The ritual has already begun," I said, alarm pulsing through our spiritual connection. "They're not waiting for the eclipse."
"No," Lucious agreed, his presence shifting closer to mine. "They're preparing the way. Building power. The eclipse will be the final key."
Diamond surged forward, her silver energy bristling at the corruption before us. Through our bond, I could feel her rage at the desecration of what should have been sacred, the natural power of the earth twisted to serve darkness.
"We need to disrupt it," I said, focusing on the pulsing crystal. "That seems to be the focal point."
Apollo's golden energy joined with Diamond's, their combined power creating a brilliant light on the spiritual plane that made several of the robed figures look up in confusion, sensing something they couldn't quite see.
The masked leader raised their hands higher, chanting in a language that scraped against my consciousness like broken glass. The crystal's purple glow intensified, and I felt something shifting behind it, as if a door was beginning to crack open to somewhere that should remain sealed.
"Now!" Lucious urged, and together we directed Diamond and Apollo's power toward the crystal.
Silver and gold energy lanced across the chamber, striking the corrupted artifact with such force that even in our non-physical state, I felt the impact reverberate through me. The crystal emitted a high-pitched whine, cracks appearing across its surface.
The masked figure screamed in fury, abandoning their chant to point directly at us. Though we were invisible to the naked eye, they sensed our presence.
"Blackthornes!" they hissed, the voice neither male nor female but something otherworldly. "You cannot stop what has been centuries in the making!"
More robed figures rushed into the chamber, forming a protective circle around the altar. They began a counterchant, their combined voices forming a barrier that pushed back against our spiritual projection.
"They're trying to force us out," Lucious said, his presence flickering slightly under the assault.
I focused harder, drawing on Diamond's seemingly endless reserves of power. "We need to destroy that crystal completely. It's the conduit."
The masked leader laughed, the sound echoing unnaturally. "Destroy it? You fools. Breaking the vessel will only hasten his arrival!"
Cold dread washed through me as I realised our mistake. The crystal wasn't creating the doorway; it was containing whatever was trying to come through, directing its entry in a controlled manner. If we shattered it completely...
"Stop!" I called to Lucious, pulling back our combined attack. "It's a trap!"