Chapter 95 Eclipser
Before Gavriel could act, Althea stirred faintly in her sleep. With trembling arms, she shifted closer and clung to the wolf’s thick fur as if it were a pillow. A sigh slipped from her lips, her body relaxing for the first time since she’d collapsed.
“An Eclipser wolf,” Uriel gasped. He quickly raised a hand to stop Gavriel, his voice low but firm. “Leave it. Look, she’s already responding. This is what she needs.”
Gavriel froze, his chest rising and falling with sharp breaths. He hated the sight, hated that even another creature, not him, was the one she leaned on.
Gavriel’s patience snapped. He reached down and grabbed the wolf by the scruff of its neck. The creature snarled and thrashed, its claws raking against his arm, but compared to the Alpha King’s iron grip, it was far too small to break free.
The wolf’s fur bristled, its luminous black-and-white pelt shimmering as it struggled in vain. Yet Gavriel’s hold was unyielding, his jaw tight with irritation.
“Put it back, Gavriel,” Uriel said with a weary sigh, rubbing his temples. “That’s no ordinary wolf. It’s a mythical creature—an Eclipser. She can draw warmth and strength from it. Right now, she needs it more than your temper.”
Gavriel’s jaw clenched, his gray eyes narrowing in clear displeasure. A low growl rumbled from his chest as if he hated the idea of anyone—or anything—claiming a place beside Althea. But after a sharp breath, he cursed under his breath and finally loosened his grip.
The wolf dropped back down with a soft thud, immediately padding toward Althea. As soon as it settled beside her, she shifted unconsciously, curling against its thick fur as though it had always been hers to hold.
His fists clenched, but he forced himself to step back, his eyes never leaving Althea’s face.
Uriel’s gaze lingered on Althea, his brows furrowed in thought. The glow around her body was faint now, but he could still sense the lingering traces of energy—threads of wind, fire, and earth all weaving together inside her.
“This…” Uriel’s voice dropped low, almost to himself. “This should not be possible.”
Gavriel’s eyes snapped to him. “Speak plainly.”
Uriel hesitated, searching for the right words.
“No one… not even the oldest records in Velmora… describes someone who can draw from all the elements at once. Velmora is the only continent that has the five great houses, with each holding mastery over one element—fire, wind, earth, water, and spirit. Even they cannot cross into each other’s domains without consequences.”
He shook his head, his tone laced with disbelief. “But she… she was wielding three as if they answered her naturally. Effortless, as though they were hers to command.”
His gaze hardened with puzzlement. “I have studied magic and purification my entire life. I have never seen anything like this—not in our land, not even in Velmora, not in any of the ancient texts.”
Gavriel’s jaw tightened. His eyes returned to Althea, who was still clutching the wolf like a child with a pillow, her breathing shallow but steady. His hand twitched at his side, the storm in his chest barely restrained.
Uriel let out a slow breath, almost in awe. “If word of this spreads… the five houses will not stay silent. Power like this is too rare. Too dangerous. Too… coveted.”
Gavriel’s face dimmed as he grunted, his voice low but sharp. “This is the Moon Kingdom, not Velmora. And Althea is mine.”
Uriel saw the hard glint in the Alpha King’s eyes, the kind of claim no one would dare challenge. Still, he couldn’t silence the thought nagging in his mind. His gaze shifted from Althea’s pale face to the mythical wolf curled at her side.
“But do you even understand what she truly is, Gavriel?” Uriel asked quietly, almost as if testing the weight of the words.
Althea’s true origin—especially from her mother’s side—was still uncertain. Gavriel’s jaw tightened, his expression carved in stone. “Whatever her origin, her life belongs to me.”
The mage pressed his lips together, troubled by both the answer and the conviction behind it. “You have more things to handle outside. I’ll stay here until Lakan replaces me. Go now,” Uriel reminded.
Gavriel’s eyes narrowed, unwilling to leave. His hand lingered on the bedpost, his gaze fixed on Althea’s pale face. For a long moment, he said nothing, as if weighing whether to trust anyone else near her.
Finally, with a low growl in his throat, he straightened. “If anything changes—even the slightest—you send for me at once.”
Uriel inclined his head. “You have my word.”
The wolf shifted slightly, pressing closer against Althea. Gavriel’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing more, only casting one last, lingering look at her before turning to leave.
Uriel exhaled slowly. He murmured under his breath, “So much power hidden in one girl… even Velmora’s Five Houses would tremble if they knew.”
His gaze returned to Althea, sleeping with her arms curled around the wolf like it had always been hers.
Uriel’s eyes narrowed as he studied the wolf more closely. Its shimmering black-and-white coat seemed to shift like twilight itself, light and dark woven together. The sight made his breath hitch.
“Look at this…” he whispered, almost in awe. “She even attracts a mythical wolf. This one is an Eclipser. The last of its kind was recorded a millennium ago.”
He shook his head slowly, struggling to make sense of it. “No ordinary person could ever draw such a creature to their side. Yet here she is, clinging to it as if they were bound by fate.”
The wolf, sensing his scrutiny, lifted its head and met Uriel’s gaze with eyes like twin eclipsed moons. There was no fear in them, only silent defiance—as if warning him not to come any closer.
“Seriously—an Eclipser wolf and a mage who can wield water, fire, and earth? Just who are you truly, Althea?” Uriel muttered with a frown.
His eyes lingered on her pale face, the faint glow that still clung to her skin even in her weakened state. He couldn’t help but feel a gnawing unease deep inside him. Something about her wasn’t ordinary… something that went beyond even rare talent.
For some reason, a whisper of instinct told him they should be cautious. This girl wasn’t just powerful. She might be the key to something far greater… or the beginning of a danger none of them were prepared for.