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