Chapter 30

Chapter 30
"Now!" Alena whispered.

They darted past the intersection, moving swiftly and silently, leaving two of Draven's soldiers gripping each other's collars, ready to come to blows.

"I never knew your power could be used like this," Orion whispered, looking at Alena with an increasingly complex gaze. There was no longer pure disgust or hatred, only deep awe. He had seen Alena's destructive power, but this... this was intelligence, control, and manipulation far more dangerous.

"There's much the Alpha doesn't know about this power," Alena replied, her voice low. She wasn't boasting, merely stating a fact.

They went deeper. The smell of sulfur and blood in the air grew thicker, mingling with the sweet, strange scent of incense, and something rotten like decaying flesh. The black aura of Draven's ritual pulsed on the walls, creeping into every corner.

"We're getting close," Liam said, his face tense. "I can feel the coldness of that aura."

"The altar," Alena said. "It's somewhere down here. Beneath the fortress's main chamber."

A sloping tunnel led them further down, into a larger, damper chamber. Its walls were covered in crudely carved ancient symbols, some of which Alena recognized from Lyra's visions. Symbols of sacrifice, binding, and dominion over nature.

In the center of the chamber, they saw a dark circular pit, about twenty feet in diameter, from which a hoarse ritual chant now clearly emanated. From the pit, a blood-red light pulsed upwards, filling the room with terrifying reflections.

"Here it is," Orion whispered, his voice hoarse. He shielded Ariel with his body, as if the light itself could harm his sister.

"We have to go down there," Alena said. "I sense Ariel below."

There was a circular stone staircase, spiraling down into the dark pit. However, every five steps, a black candle burned, emitting a wafting poisonous smoke. And along the staircase, Draven's soldiers stood guard, some of them appearing like shadows, as if Draven's power had possessed them.

"How do we get past them?" Lena asked, gripping her dagger tightly. There were about a dozen visible guards, and who knew how many more hidden in the darkness below.

Alena closed her eyes. She allowed herself to feel every pulse of power within the room, the strength of the guards, and the foul aura of the ritual. "They've been exposed to Draven's power for too long. Their minds... are weak. Mad. I can... I can make them turn on each other."

Orion stared at her, his eyes wide. "You can provoke a civil war?"

"More than that," Alena replied. "I can make them see enemies within themselves. They're already paranoid. I just need to give it a little push."

Liam looked doubtful. "That's... a huge risk. What if they see us?"

"They won't see us," Alena said, confidence radiating from her. She stepped forward to the edge of the pit, allowing her primordial lunar energy to flow freely, yet remain hidden. She extended her hand, not towards the guards, but towards the black smoke from the candles.

The smoke, which was usually toxic, began to move, dancing in the air. It formed a thin curtain that floated between them and the guards, but the smoke also began to swirl and solidify around the heads of Draven's soldiers.

Then, Alena closed her eyes and chanted an almost inaudible whisper, an ancient language that seemed to resonate with Alena's own heartbeat. This was not a magic spell, but an emotional resonance. A whisper that pierced the minds of every guard, amplifying their deepest doubts, paranoia, and fears.

Below, on the spiraling staircase, the guards began to stir restlessly. One guard suddenly screamed, pointing at his comrade, his eyes bloodshot. "You! I know you stole my rations! I saw it! I saw you smiling!"

The accused guard, whose eyes also began to roll wildly, shouted back. "What are you talking about, madman? You must be insane! It must have been you!"

In a matter of seconds, chaos erupted. Draven's soldiers, who had previously stood guard stiffly, now brutally attacked each other. They no longer saw their comrades, but reflections of their own fears and paranoia. Claws tore, teeth ripped, and painful screams echoed through the passage. The red light from the ritual pit below grew brighter, as if energizing their madness.

"This is our chance," Alena said, panting. Using her power on so many minds at once was incredibly draining.

Orion wasted no time. He handed Ariel to Zara and Liam. "Guard her, here. Don't move until I give the signal."

Then, he surged forward, followed by Alena and Lena. They slipped between the fighting guards, like unseen ghosts. Orion swiftly knocked down any guard who tried to block their way, not by killing, but with precise blows that rendered them unconscious. Lena also moved quickly, securing the path behind them.

As they moved further down the stairs, Draven's ritual chant grew louder, hoarser, as if thousands of ancient voices were uttering a curse. The smell of blood and sulfur grew stronger, piercing their nostrils.

At the very bottom, the chamber was much larger, a natural cave that had been carved and transformed into a ritual space. In its center, a tall black stone altar rose, carved with symbols even darker than those above. Above the altar, suspended in a cage of dark energy, was Ariel. She was still unconscious, her body floating in the air, and from her veins, a thin red line of light flowed downwards, towards an ancient dagger plunged into the altar.

Around the altar, Alpha Draven stood. His face glowed in the red light, his eyes burning with pure madness and satisfaction. The old woman who had been with Draven in the cave earlier now stood beside him, chanting hoarsely, fanning the dark flames around the altar with her wrinkled hands.

Behind Draven, several loyal soldiers stood guard, but their eyes also looked vacant, consumed by the dark power of the ritual.

"Here it is," Alena whispered, her voice full of anger. "He has begun."

Orion saw his sister, bound, her life force being drained. Rage burned within him. He let out a roar that echoed through the chamber, the sound of a furious and grieving Alpha wolf. "DRAVEN!"

Draven turned, his smirk widening. "Alpha Orion. You came. I knew you would come. You cannot resist the call of blood."

Just then, Alena felt a terrifying power, a power she recognized from her past visions, begin to flow from the dagger on the altar. It wasn't pure primordial lunar power, but a contaminated version, mixed with Draven's darkness. The power rippled, expanded, and flowed throughout the cave, searching for something. Searching for her.

Draven laughed, a laugh full of madness. "Too late, Alpha. The ritual is almost complete. And what a coincidence, your Luna is here to witness it. Or rather... to finish it."

The old woman beside Draven, her sunken eyes gleaming with malevolence, suddenly pointed at Alena with her wrinkled finger. She spat out a few words in an ancient language, and instantly, from the ground around the altar, thick black roots that looked like decaying veins of the earth shot upwards, moving swiftly towards Alena.

Alena reacted. She raised her hands, primordial lunar power flowing from her palms, forming a pulsing silver shield, stopping the roots for a moment. However, the roots were too many, too strong, and they continued to press, surrounding her, like giant living serpents.

"They're trying to bind me!" Alena yelled.

Orion, with Ariel still in the shadows of his mind, did not hesitate. He lunged forward, his claws ready to tear, his eyes glowing gold. "Stop, Draven! You will pay for this!"

However, Draven merely smiled. "On the contrary, Alpha Orion. You are the one who will pay."

From the darkness behind Draven, a shadow stirred. Not a soldier. Not a wolf. Something larger, more ancient, and far more terrifying. It was a tall, gaunt creature with scaly grey skin and vacant, glowing red eyes. It had long, sharp claws, and from its back, a pair of tattered, leathery wings sprouted. A cold aura emanated from it, an aura Alena had felt before in the forest—not the aura of a wolf, but the aura of an ancient demon that had been summoned.

The creature roared, a soul-rending sound, and lunged at Orion with astonishing speed, its claws raised, ready to—