Chapter 32

Chapter 32
Draven laughed, a horrifying laugh of victory. "Here it is, Luna. Feel your power being taken! Feel what it's like to be—"

To be empty. To be a tool. To be not herself. The words spun in Alena's mind, each syllable a fiery whip lashing at her soul. The dagger hovering in the air, at Draven's fingertips, now pierced the energy cage surrounding Ariel, then turned, its dark tip glinting silvery, pointing directly at Alena's chest. A sharp, cold pain pierced her solar plexus, not a physical stab, but a stab at her essence, as if the deepest core of her power was being forcibly wrenched away.

Alena gasped, her chest tightening. The black roots binding her tightened their grip, tearing at her skin, but the physical pain was drowned out by the creeping sensation of emptiness within her. She felt like a drained vessel, her energy being drawn out, flowing towards the dagger in Draven's hand, which now glowed with an ominous purplish light. The world around her spun, her vision blurred. She saw Orion, who had just risen from a hard impact with the stone wall, stumbling back, his eyes burning with anger and despair. The winged creature, with glowing red eyes, lunged at Orion again, its claws ready to tear.

Lena and Liam screamed, trying to block the creature, but it was too fast, too ferocious. Zara, hiding behind a stone pillar, sobbed in fear. Ariel, now hovering lower above the altar, began to convulse violently, her body contorting unnaturally, as if her soul was being forcibly torn away. Her pale face lost more color, her lips turning blue.

"No!" Orion roared, his voice hoarse, filled with sorrow and rage. He tried to shift, but Draven's dark aura was too strong, binding his wolf, leaving only his wounded and limited human form. He was the Alpha, but right now, he felt helpless. He looked at Alena, her face distorted by intense pain, her eyes starting to dim, and his heart sank. No, he couldn't let this happen. Not again.

Draven's voice sounded like deafening thunder to Alena, though he only whispered. "Yes, Luna. Feel your inner light dim. Feel how you become no more than a shadow of yourself. And look, your arrogant Alpha will witness it, powerless, just like when his father died before his eyes."

Those words, "just like when his father died," became the final spark. Not for Alena, but for Orion. An old wound bled open again. Kael. His father. Orion looked up, his grey eyes meeting Draven's. There was a flicker of new awareness there, burning brighter than pain and despair. A newfound steel determination.

"You liar!" Orion roared, ignoring the winged creature that had just clawed his arm, fresh blood immediately flowing. He looked at Draven, saw the mad fire in his eyes, and he knew. Draven didn't just want power. He reveled in despair. He would exploit every weakness, every trauma.

Amidst the overwhelming pain, a faint whisper passed through Alena's mind. An echo from the past, from Lyra's lesson: The power of the moon is about balance, Alena. Not just destruction. It is life, it is control. And most importantly, it is you.

Control. All this time she had only reacted. Fought. Fled. Now, on the brink of emptiness, a new idea formed. If Draven was trying to drain her power, maybe she could... reverse the flow. Or at least, disrupt it. With the last of her remaining strength, Alena focused every fragment of energy still clinging within her. She didn't try to pull it back, didn't try to fight it. She tried to master it. Like a dammed river, she let Draven draw its water, but she found the knot, the vortex in the depths, and deliberately twisted its direction.

Alena snarled, not from pain, but from effort. A pale silver light pulsed from within her, fighting against the dark purple light emanating from Draven's dagger. The struggle was no longer one-sided but became a horrifying tug-of-war, a swirling storm of energy between them.

Draven, who had been laughing, suddenly gasped. His face tightened, his eyes widening in shock. "What are you doing?!" he yelled, his voice no longer confident, with a hint of panic. "You can't... you can't reverse the current!" The dagger in his hand began to tremble violently. The dark purple light flickered, as if fighting itself. Instead of fully draining Alena's energy, there was now a sort of reflux—the power Draven had stolen began to flood back, mixing with Alena's energy, creating an extremely powerful turbulence.

Seeing this opportunity, Orion, with a roar of fury, lunged towards the winged creature. Instead of confronting it directly, he used his agility to evade attacks, provoking the creature to overextend, then he leaped, kicking hard at one of the stone pillars supporting the cave. Stones cracked, and fragments began to fall, creating a rumbling echo.

"Go!" Orion shouted to Lena and Liam. "Focus on Ariel! Pull her from the altar!"

Lena, ever the obedient warrior, immediately nodded. She and Liam, with incredible coordination, rushed towards the altar. The strong Liam leaped, trying to grab Ariel, while Lena used her dagger to slash at the black roots binding Ariel to the altar.

"No!" Draven screamed, his eyes shifting from Alena to Ariel, his rage peaking. The power he had tried to steal from Alena was now spewing back into him, causing a burning pain. His concentration was split, his ritual faltering.

This was their chance.

Alena, though still feeling a sharp sting within her, channeled all her anger, all her determination, into the vortex of energy she controlled. "You will never take anything from me!" she snarled, her voice hoarse yet powerful. A silver light from her body surged, burning the black roots that bound her. With a final roar, Alena broke free from her shackles.

Just then, Lena managed to sever the last root binding Ariel. Liam caught Ariel's unconscious body in mid-air, shielding her from the falling rock fragments.

"Orion! Now!" Alena shouted, her voice echoing.

Orion, who had now redirected the winged creature's attention elsewhere, dashed forward, grabbing Draven's sword that had fallen beside the altar when he struggled against Alena's assault. Without hesitation, he plunged the sword towards the dagger still pulsing in the air, trying to sever the ritual's flow.

CRASH!

The sound of metal clashing echoed throughout the cave. The turbulent energy between the dagger and Orion's sword exploded into a powerful shockwave, throwing everyone backward. Draven was flung backward, crashing hard against a stone pillar, his body staggering. The dagger fell to the ground with a deafening clang, its light dimming, its ritual completely disrupted.

The winged creature, seemingly bound by the ritual's energy, roared in pain as the shockwave struck it. It flapped its wings wildly, spiraled in the air, then vanished into the shadows of the cave, leaving behind a faint foul odor.

"Go!" Orion yelled, grabbing Alena's hand, which was still trembling with exhaustion, and dragging her towards Lena and Liam, who were protecting Ariel. "We have to get out of here! Now!"

They ran. There was no time to look back, no time to hesitate. The cave began to rumble louder, more rock fragments fell, a sign that Draven might have activated another self-defense mechanism, or that his ritual had damaged the stability of the cave itself. They sped through dark corridors, the scent of sulfur and dust filling the air. Lena and Liam took turns carrying the still unconscious Ariel. Orion led, his eyes sharp, scanning for every shadow, every threat. Alena, though weak, guarded the rear, the power still pulsing in her veins ready to strike if needed.

They finally reached the mouth of the cave, where the cold, fresh night air caressed their faces. The sky above was adorned by a crescent moon, a reminder of light amidst the darkness. They climbed through a narrow crevice in the rocks they had used to infiltrate. Once they emerged into the dark pine forest, their hearts pounded, relieved to be free from Draven's trap.

"We made it," Liam panted, carefully laying Ariel under a dense pine tree. "We managed to save her."

Alena checked Ariel. Her pulse was weak, but stable. Her strength had recovered slightly, or at least was no longer being drained. "She'll be fine," Alena said, relief filling her voice. She turned towards Orion, who stood beside her, his breathing heavy. Their eyes met. There was something in Orion's gaze—something new, something Alena had never seen before. No longer hatred, no longer just curiosity. There was respect, and perhaps, a hint of... admiration.

"Good job, Alena," Orion said, his voice low. He extended a hand, and for a moment, Alena thought he would touch her, but Orion only clapped Liam's shoulder. "Everything worked out."

"Too easy," Alena murmured, her eyes sweeping the forest around them. A bad premonition crept within her. Too easy, after all they had endured inside. Draven was not the type to let his enemies simply walk away.

Just as she thought so, a shrill sound broke the night's silence. Not an animal sound. It was an alarm