ARIEL’S POVI stood on the edge of the cliff, my shadow reflecting against the sharp ends of the golden hues of the setting sun.The wind swept through my hair, shuffling it gently, as I gazed out at the breathtaking view that stretched before me.Below, a vast expanse of snow-covered mountains unfolded, their majestic peaks reaching toward the heavens.The landscape was a symphony of icy grandeur. The glaciers shimmered with a brilliant white, sparkling like diamonds under the fading light of the evening sun.Each snow-capped summit stood proudly as if guarding the secrets held within their rugged terrain. The mountains, cloaked in serene stillness, exuded an aura of both tranquility and untamed power.Adam stepped up beside me, “breathtaking, isn’t it?”I could only nod in response to his question with my mouth agape and my expression elicited a chuckle from him.“Yeah, I was just like that the first time I came out here and saw the icy landscape as a boy,” Adam turned and pointed a
MELVIN’S POV We ran for quite a while until Jada signaled that we could stop and even then, most of us made sure we had run past Jada until we stopped.Everyone, including me, was bent over huffing and puffing and trying to catch our breaths.The screeching and irritating cry of the monstrous birds came from up above and I snapped my head up to get a look at them.I looked from the skies to Jada. I couldn’t see anything up there but the way Jada was looking up, I could tell she was definitely seeing something.“Jada,” I called out to her slowly in between pants, “what can you see?”“They are turning back. The birds are retreating,” Jada replied to me, with her eyes still glued to the darkened sky.“I think they are unable to enter the forest,” Jada added with a slight chuckle of relief.I looked around me trying to understand what Jada had just said. I was very much disturbed that Jada could see things that I and the rest of the group couldn’t and I was sure this detail bothered the
ARIEL’S POVI headed straight in the direction of the two spiky mountains Adam showed me. Feeling how cold the air was while I stood on the cliff, I thought to myself that the cold couldn’t get any worse —I was wrong.It was like a hundred times colder down here than it was up there.Werewolves naturally generated a lot of body heat so in most cases, the cold never bothered us but that was not the case today.I wrapped my arms around myself trying to conserve and generate more body heat on the inside to help me combat the wave of coldness that was burying itself into my skin from the outside.It took a lot of effort to move forward too. The snow was at least three to four feet high and I had to apply strength to each leg as I dragged them along.It didn’t stop snowing in this region either. The snow was endless which explained why the snow level on the ground was so high.I looked up at the sky to at least catch a glimpse of the sun but all I could mostly see was a light blue sky spre
MELVIN’S POV“Melvin, can you really see everything now?!” Jada asked, holding my face straight so she could look into my eyes.I could only nod in response to her question.Resha, seeing the back and forth that was going on between me and Jada, rushed towards us.“Is something wrong? Is everything okay?” Resha asked as she got to where Jada and I were in front of the group.Jada looked up at Resha, “Melvin can see everything now.”“Really?” Resha exclaimed. She hurriedly crouched to our level to talk to me.I looked at Resha with a smile on my face, “Yeah, really.”Jada chuckled softly as she pushed herself off the ground onto her feet. She was glad that I was finally able to see everything she could see.She was more than glad because it now meant that she wasn’t crazy and she wasn’t lying to us either.After informing the group of my new development, we continued further into the forest. Although I could now see everything around us, I could still tell that, for some reason, Jada h
ARIEL'S POV The air was surprisingly cooler inside the cave. I didn't have to use my energy in generating heat for myself anymore.With my mind now calmer, I proceeded through the dimly lit cave, straining to find the moon crest.Adam had not given me a lot of information. He only said the moon crest was here, in the cave but now that I was in here, I realized it was another vast area, and finding the crest wasn't going to be as easy as I had presumed."Shit!" I cursed.How was I supposed to find it now?I barely survived an earthquake and an attack from a fucking Dragon getting in here only to be met by a dead end.With my fingers pulling at my hair, I let out a sigh."Calm down, Ariel," I mumbled to myself. Getting worked up was going to get me nowhere.I stopped sauntering through the cave and took a deep breath. Maybe I could control this cave too. It was a part of the uncharted lands. If I was my own navigator, then I could call to the cave to bring the moon crest to me."Pff!"
Melvin's POVMy voice broke into a loud shrill as my body continued falling down the cliff. I no longer thought of the connection between Ariel and me, the only thing in my head as I fell to my death was how stupid I was.I could feel the gush of air around me, threatening to swallow me alive. And that wasn't all, it got colder the lower I went and I could feel water dripping on my arm as I continued descending to my doom.It felt like the powers of nature were all fighting for who would kill me first.As the ground came closer to my face, I closed my eyes and anticipated the shattering feeling of my bones as I collided with the white hard ground beneath me.But fortunately, it was a soft landing.I remained in the same flat position, I fell in, taking my time to catch my breath and realign my thoughts."So, I didn't die..." I mumbled with a grin filled with anxiety lining my face.Suddenly a rush of energy coursed through me and I sat up at once. The voice in my head returned and I
ARIEL'S POV My heart was thumping hard with determination but my limbs were scared. Yet I walked into the dark room with no idea what awaited me there.As soon as I stepped into it, I felt like I was back in the snow. Only this place was dark.Darker than I anticipated. Darker than my brain could take.I could almost feel the darkness threatening to push into me. It didn't just feel like a state of having no light. It felt like an entity, something that I could feel caving in on me, percolating into my organs and squeezing out my brain.My lungs started taking in more air and the sound of my breathing almost tore through my ears. It was much louder than when I was outside.I turned around expecting to see the comforting sight of light just a few steps ahead but there was none.I tried to walk out, to see the light once again but I found myself circling in the impending darkness. I couldn't get out.I started panting as fear now joined the thousands of emotions battling within me. Una
ARIEL'S POV With a heavy heart, I left my brother's arms and completely submerged myself in the light. I could still make out his shadow in the dark but the more I stayed in the light, the less I saw him.I felt less burdened and more determined with each passing second. As soon as he vanished in front of me, I wiped off the last of my tears and headed to the next room."Congratulations," the echoing voice of the goddess reached my ears as I stepped into the bright light of the room. Unlike the first time, it didn't get blindingly brighter, it just maintained a uniform glow and welcomed me inside.She emerged from the light and this time, I could make out the silver dress she wore as she walked toward me. I was no longer afraid of death because I had been with it."Despite what you did, your kind heart and pure soul have proved you worthy, Ariel." There was a smile in her voice, even though I couldn't see the traces on her face.Her hands moved towards me, they were empty at first bu