Shandra is woken up gently."Hey. Come on," says an equally soft and sweet voice.At first, the girl does not open her eyes. Then she scratches them, sleepily, and slowly begins to rise from the soft mattress she was on.The fireplace was still crackling, and if she were willing to argue, she would say that she had changed her mind and would continue sleeping.The voice insisted once more, however, even more gently:"Come on. I promise you can sleep as long as you want when we get back."It was Sam who was speaking to her, of course. As she opened her eyes, the girl felt uncomfortable with the light that illuminated the room."Wash your face in that tub." Says Marcus, who is dressed in some sort of leather armor. "Shandra slowly stands up, feeling her head heavy and her eyes still half blurred. She walks over to the tub of cool water and dips her face in, feeling the icy liquid awaken her senses. Raising her head, she finds Sam's gaze fixed on her, full of concern."Are you ready?" h
The dawn is cold, much colder than Shandra thought it would be. The three of them had already been heading west for ten minutes, without stopping to talk or warm up. That is, if demons and werewolves even needed to warm themselves.When they reached a specific point in the woods, Marcus signaled for them to stop. He faced the girl directly."From here on, we are in uncharted territory. The ancient temple is somewhere around here, but this forest is unmapped.""Is this where I do my magic act?" she asked in a wry tone, putting her hand on her waist."At least you keep your sense of humor," he grumbles. "Yes, this is when you become our compass."Shandra closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, andOpens them again, looking at Sam."And how exactly am I supposed to do that? I'm still new to this whole sorceress with fairy powers thing."The fire-eyed demon replies:"Focus on your magic, and focus on the presence you sense around you.""How?""Every living thing has its essence, its aura, a
With renewed courage, the group moves toward the temple, step by step, their eyes fixed on the goal ahead. As they approach the entrance to the ancient building, a sense of grandeur and mystery envelops each of them.As they cross the threshold of the temple, a dense gloom greets them, obscuring their path as they enter its bowels. The stone walls exude an ancient feel and the inscriptions on the walls seem to tell ancient stories that have been lost in time.The atmosphere inside the temple is charged with a mysterious energy, and the air seems electrified. Shandra feels shivers run down her spine, but courage burns in her chest. She knows she must continue, even if the darkness and the unknown try to challenge her.The group moves cautiously through the corridors, guided by Shandra's intuition. Each step is taken with determination, but also with a deep reverence for the sacred environment they are in."Shandra," calls Sam, softly, as if afraid of being overheard."What?""What are
Marcus, his heart racing with anticipation, reaches out toward the Medallion of Zirun. Its pulsing energy seems to call to him, as if it recognizes the ancient blood that runs in his veins.As his fingers touch the surface of the medallion, a wave of power courses through his body. Ancient images and memories of past clans echo in his mind, connecting him to the history and essence of the medallion.A voice deep as earth, hot as fire, glistening as water and whispering as air echoes, coming from everywhere at once:"I sense your presence, Dread Wolf. Descendant of Eluar, do you accept the responsibility of being the guardian of the Medallion of Zirun?"Marcus raises his gaze to the stone ceiling and, with conviction, answers:"Yes, I accept. I accept the mission to protect and honor the power of the Medallion of Zirun."Shandra, Sam and Julian are unable to even say a word. What they are witnessing is too surprising, especially for the human,Tarek nods, with a proud look on his face.
Shandra is not sure what to look for.All that time, the girl could have sworn she would find a nice village with wooden and stone houses, with rural purposes, some river nearby and maybe some tribal music in the background.But what she saw was a walled city, with sentries and guards protecting it. It was as if an entire civilization stood there, in the heart of the forest.The closed gates were easily twenty times larger than she was, and the men guarding it...."Who's coming there?" one of the soldiers asked, approaching. He carried a huge spear in one hand. The others pointed their crossbows at them."I have come to bring a message to the Zirun Clan. A message of enormous importance."The man with tanned skin and braided hair half-closed his eyes as he recognized him."Marcus, isn't it? The exile. You know that approaching the clan after an expulsion is punishable by death.""You couldn't kill me, even if you wanted to.""What?!"Have the gates opened immediately, and summon the T
The three figures that made up the Triad exuded power and authority.The first was an imposing looking woman, with dark skin like the night, long silver hair, and golden eyes. She wore elegant armor and carried a black and silver spear. She appeared to be twenty-five years old. Her arms were shapely, and Shandra almost trembled as she imagined herself making the mistake of challenging her.The second figure was a tall, serious man with light skin and dark eyes. He was neither tall nor short, fat nor thin, and the girl knows that if he were not in the honorable attire, she would not even consider him to be a werewolf. He wielded a wooden staff. He looked to be around forty years old.And finally, the third figure was an elderly man with a white beard and a wise countenance. He had Asian features, wore ceremonial robes, and held an ancient book. He looked to be at least seventy years old.It was he who pointed his curved, wrinkled finger at Marcus, his elderly voice was laden with anger
Silence fills the room as Marcus' words echo through the air.The Captain and the members of the Triad are visibly stunned by this unexpected revelation. The aura of power and authority they once exuded seems to diminish before the imposing presence of Marcus as the Bringer of Balance.The Gravôrn, still holding her spear, looks at Marcus with a mixture of incredulity and curiosity. She stammers out a few words, trying to process this new information."The Bearer of the Balance... Alpha Supreme...," she mutters, almost to herself.Xalithor is dumbfounded and stunned. He lowers the hand that was outstretched, frowning and speaking with difficulty:"Fate reserves unexpected paths... The flames... They did not point your way... Because you are the way," he says in a solemn tone, although he looks puzzled.Vertothgar, who was ready to attack before, watches Marcus with an expression that mixes mistrust and curiosity. He says nothing, but his eyes fixed on the Equilibrium Bearer reveal a c
The rest of the night was practically chaotic for Shandra, but she managed to sleep.Not without first, of course, having to be part of the long, drawn-out journey through Zirun, pacing back and forth as the new Supreme Alpha Councilor who, in turn, was unanimously accepted.The former triad was still fulfilling her duties in the pack, but not in leadership. Sam told her that it was very merciful of Marcus to allow them to live, since if it had been him in the werewolf's place, he would have executed all three of them.Julian seemed to be the one most looking forward to the end of that never-ending ceremony. After all, after that, they would finally be graced with the help they needed to have Eluna's whereabouts, or at least a good lead to follow.As she got up, the young woman realized that at some point during the night, Sam and Julian had joined her. The two appeared to be asleep, but she knew they were not feeling sleepy."Guys?"Sam opens one of her eyes."Up already?""Yes. We h
The final walk along the last trail that would lead them to the Tenebris Mountains was much more tense and silent than Shandra had imagined it would be.Nervous, the girl was paying attention to the vegetation around her; the way the trees and plants looked now that she knew they were all interconnected with Gaia.And speaking of Gaia, the entity's words still rang in her ear constantly. She takes a deep breath as she gropes around in her pocket for the strange artifact she had been given as a gift.Would she need to use it that day?Sam's voice sounded in her mind:"Disturbed?"Shanda looks discreetly at him before answering mentally as well:"Evidently so. Don't you?"His fire-colored eyes, always so confident, were somewhat misty that morning. A few seconds later, he finally replies:"I'm more than disturbed. I'm terrified."The heartfelt answer takes the girl by surprise. He continues:"At some point, Shandra, everything... Everything will come to light. The fact that we are inter
Shandra was still absorbing the shock of Gaia's strange contact, as well as her sudden disappearance, when a low voice whispers behind her."Shandra."She turns around quickly. Julian is standing with a totally apathetic expression on his face."Did you see it?", she whispers.The redhead nods his head in confirmation."Was it an important errand?"Shandra bites her lip, thoughtful about what to say about Gaia's words. She decides to be subtle and direct:"Yes."Julian waits for the explanation, but the girl just holds the jewel tighter and starts walking back to the camp."Wait a minute."She stops. The demon approaches again and asks:"What's going on? Are you okay?""I am.""You don't know how to lie very well, you know that?"Shandra snorts."I just don't want to talk about it."Julian looks at the girl's closed hand and stares at her as if he is about to question her about it."Please, please, don't ask me questions," she pleads.Genuine anguish takes over his expression."Let me
Shandra knew she was awake.Therefore, what was in front of her could not be a dream. Considering all the stress she had been under in the past weeks, however, she thought she was suffering from a delirium.Everyone else was asleep, except, of course, the demons. Although they felt no sleep, both Sam and Julian liked to lie down, close their eyes and apparently rest. Caleb and Ezan are also immersed in a deep sleep.The girl keeps looking at what at first she thought was just a trick of light and shadow: the thin, unusual silhouette that strolled by as if it were a mere traveler.However, the energy of that silhouette, the way it moved... This was certainly no ordinary person. Then Shandra stood up to take a closer look.The person, creature or whatever it was didn't seem to be intimidated by being noticed. Its skin was transparent, almost ghostly, and a subtle blue light radiated from it.Strangely enough, Shandra did not fear it. No, there was nothing aggressive or strange coming fr
Shandra feels her heart resounding inside her chest. A small shiver runs down her arms as she slowly takes a step towards the final trail; the one they would make before finally arriving in enemy territory.Everything could end well: Eluna would be rescued, and everyone could return to their respective homes.Or...She imagines the bodies of Sam, Julian, Ezan and Caleb lying on the ground like a sack of potatoes; their throats slit. Was cutting throats an easy method of execution for supernatural creatures?Shandra knew that killing a demon was too difficult a thing to do, so she doubted it very much. Werewolves, on the other hand, seemed weaker in that respect."Let's walk some more and get camp up," says Julian, who until then had been completely silent and immersed in his own thoughts.Shandra nods, trying to push away the dark misfortunes troubling her, but it is incredibly difficult. She knows she cannot let fear take over. Together, the group continues to advance along the narro
Shandra knew that she would never, ever be able to fully recover from this.As the small group headed towards the mountain range, the young woman barely opened her mouth to say anything and ate only what was necessary. The magic was dormant, still ready to spring into action, but she deliberately ignored the feeling.Looking up at the pale dawn sky, Shandra huffed audibly. It was very soon before they finally put the plan into action. There was still no word from Marcus and his group.Not that she didn't trust the abilities and strength of the pack. They could take good care of themselves.But would she, Julian, Sam, Caleb and Ezan be able to single-handedly accomplish a mission of that magnitude and not get screwed in the process?"It's going to be okay," Sam's voice breaks into her dark thoughts.Annoyed, the girl looks at him, and mentally communicates as well:"Are you reading my thoughts?""I don't need to. Your expression already says it all."Irritated, Shandra just keeps walki
As soon as Caleb's huge sharp teeth dig into Elara's unprotected torso, the vampire screams terribly in agony. The bite causes her a stabbing pain.Elara lets out another scream when, after having her skin torn apart by the wolf, her body is thrown backwards by the impact of this attack... Julian also approaches quickly, taking the opportunity to strike a powerful blow against Elara, hitting her full on.Sam once again looks at Shandra, obviously proud to see what had happened there. Ezan, Caleb and the yellow-eyed demon continue to attack relentlessly; Shandra stays focused on her task of neutralizing the vampire's artifacts. With the items weakened, Elara is no longer invincible, but still poses a danger.Sweating, the young woman realizes that she needs to keep her own energy connected to Elara's items. There was no way, or at least no easy way, to permanently deactivate them.Although she was obviously weaker, Elara was not vulnerable. Even though she is suspicious as to why her t
Shandra feels a mixture of relief and gratitude when, finally, Julian takes flight and attacks Elara, holding her by the neck and throwing her to the ground sharply."You really think you can take me, you pathetic demon?" she sneers, probably ready to use one of her many artifacts.And that is exactly what she does. One moment, Julian is strangling her without a shadow of mercy. The next, he is breathing hard, gasping like a smoker after climbing two flights of stairs.Sam, focused on destroying the vampire, casts more fire elemental magic energy, but at the last second the girl flinches, causing the flames to only burn the tip of her hair."You bastard!" she shouts, leaving Julian temporarily behind.Shandra quickly raises a shield to protect him, but the wall fails.Ezan's voice sounds behind the girl:"Beacon of Light!"She widens her eyes and addresses the older werewolf. The girl is surprised to see him in human form. Caleb, unlike him, remains as a wolf."Beacon of Light, we are
Shandra panics as she sees the werewolves advancing towards Elara, ready to attack. She knows that a fight between the werewolves and the vampire can be extremely dangerous and doesn’t want anyone to get hurt. With a mixture of despair and determination, she stands in the way, trying to prevent impending violence."No!" cries Shandra, her voice full of anguish. " Stop! It’s not worth it! Elara is not our enemy!"Useless. Completely useless, you know.The beautiful girl, seeing the two angry wolves coming towards her, drops her cloak, revealing pale skin like the moon and slender, thin and seemingly fragile arms and legs. Immediately Elara puts herself in a fighting posture, smiling as she feels the adrenaline taking over her body.Shandra can barely understand what happened when, out of nowhere, the vampire just disappears.But her energy was still there. Had she become invisible?The impact of a sharp blow to Ezan’s jaw, which makes him fly for a few meters, frightens the girl and gi
Shandra, Sam, Julian and the other members of the group stand on alert, watching for the approaching silhouette. Tension hangs in the air as everyone prepares for any eventuality.As the figure approaches, it becomes clear that it is a tall, elegant woman with long black hair and a piercing gaze. She seems to exude an aura of power and authority."Elara," Sam murmurs, with a mixture of surprise and apprehension in her voice.Shandra frowns from one to the other, wondering what could be happening, but doesn't have time to verbalize a single word.The werewolves transform into their lupine form and start growling loudly and menacingly. Elara doesn't seem to be upset or afraid of that sight."Interesting company you have arranged," are the first words she addresses to the coppery-eyed demon."Is that really serious?", Julian grumbles."Who are you?" asks Shandra.The questioning makes the woman laugh."Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends, Sam?"The prince from hell looks hes