Chapter 104 The Council's Fear

Chapter 104 The Council's Fear

I called a meeting. In the village square. The ground was hard. Packed dirt. Dry. The sun was high. Hot. But the air felt cold. Heavy.

The pack gathered. Men. Women. Children. They stood in a circle. Around me. Around Clara. Around Marcus. And Elias.

They looked at me. With fear. With doubt. My gray skin shone. In the light. Static sparked. Faint. Blue. Between my fingers.

Clara stood beside me. She held my arm. Tight. Supportive. But her hand shook.

Marcus stood opposite. Arms crossed. Face hard. His eyes were brown. But deep inside... gray flickered. Static. The Residue. He was healed. But changed.

"Why are we here, Selena?" Marcus asked. His voice was loud. Rough.

"I am leaving," I said. My voice was flat. No emotion. Just fact. "To find Damian."

Silence. Shocked. Then murmurs. Angry. Scared.

"Leaving?" a woman shouted. "You cannot leave! You are the Alpha!"

"The Alpha is gone," Marcus said. He stepped forward. "Damian is dead. Buried. Sealed. You are chasing a ghost."

"He is not dead," I said. I held up the blue leaf. It glowed. Bright. "He is calling. From the North. From a tower."

Marcus laughed. A harsh sound. "A tower? In the Ruins? That place is cursed. Dead. You will die there."

"I must try," I said.

"No," Marcus said. He pointed at the mountain. Behind us. High. Gray. Silent. "If you leave... the anchor weakens. Your presence... your gray energy... it stabilizes the leak. It holds the mountain together."

"He is right," Elias said. His voice was low. Serious. "Selena’s bond with Damian creates a field. A shield. It keeps the Residue inside. If she leaves... the shield breaks."

I looked at the mountain. It looked stable. Quiet.

"I will be back," I said. "Soon."

"Soon is not now," Marcus said. "The mountain is unstable. We feel it. Tremors. Small. Every night. Without you... it will collapse. The Residue will escape. It will kill us all."

The pack murmured. Agreement. Fear.

"We need you here," Clara said. Her voice was soft. Sad. "Please, Selena. Stay. For us."

I looked at them. At their faces. Scared. Hopeful. Dependent.

And I looked at the leaf. Glowing. Calling.

Find me.

I could not stay. To stay was to fade. To become stone. To lose myself.

But to leave... was to risk them.

"I have to go," I said. Firm. "I cannot fade here. I must find him. To save him. To save myself."

Marcus shook his head. "You are selfish."

Before I could answer... the ground shook.

Small. Violent.

Thump.

Like a heartbeat. Under our feet.

Dust rose. From the cracks in the earth.

The pack stumbled. Grabbed each other. Scared.

"What was that?" Clara cried.

"The mountain," Elias said. He looked at the peak. "It is reacting. To your decision, Selena. To your intent to leave."

Another shake. Harder.

Thump.

Cracks appeared. In the square. In the dirt. Deep. Dark.

Purple gas seeped out. Hissing. Loud. Smell of ozone. Of rot. Of old blood.

The Residue.

Leaking.

People screamed. Ran back. Covered their mouths.

Marcus pointed at the crack. At the purple gas. His face was pale. Terrified.

"See?" he shouted. Over the hiss. "It is happening! The seal is breaking! Your gray energy was holding it! If you leave... it will burst!"

The gas spread. Fast. Toward the houses. Toward the people.

I raised my hands. Gray. Sparking. I tried to push the gas back. With wind. With static.

But it was weak. The crack was too big. The pressure too strong.

"If you go," Marcus said. His voice was desperate. Angry. "We all die. The pack. The children. Clara. All of us."

He looked at me. Eyes wide. Black pupils. No white. Just void.

"Choose, Selena," he said. "Stay and save us. Or leave and kill us."

I looked at the crack. The purple gas. The fear in their eyes.

And I looked at the leaf. Blue. Glowing. Calling.

Damian.

Or the pack.

Love. Or duty.

Self. Or others.

The ground shook again. Harder.

Thump.

The crack widened. More gas. Hissing louder.

I had to choose.

Now.