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
Both Julian and Sam's eyes widen. The red-haired demon growls:"What do you mean? Who gave you that information?"A man with hair braided down to his waist, moon-white eyes and thick, bushy eyebrows stepped forward."It was me, Vanguard. I am Lianan, a former fighter in the Aurora clan army.""Are you sure of the veracity of that fact? When did you see her?""A little less than a month ago. The fallen angels gather mainly in mountains and caves further away, and the Shadow has driven them out of our territory. The last time they were seen they were heading east.""Sam," whispers Shandra mentally. "I don't understand anything. Are fallen angels not demons? Or are they just different angels than I'm used to hearing?""No, fallen angels are not demons. They still have their usual angelic form, but they refuse to be accountable to the Creator and prefer to follow their own laws.""Are they also enemies of demons?""Of course they are. But...""But?""If they are fallen angels, our chance
Sam immediately stands in front of Shandra."What do you think you're doing, Marcus?"Alpha barely looks at the demon as he answers:"Justice needs to be done.""Explain yourself.""Explain? In case you haven't noticed, Sam, your power here is extremely limited.""Stay away from Shandra, Marcus. If you take one more step-"The Shadow members, who were watching everything closely, begin to growl loudly. After all, they were responding directly to Marcus.Shandra stepped back, feeling the latent magic in her veins burn."Marcus, I already said I didn't want to do that! I was forced, the creature was about to kill me."The werewolf's blue eyes are wide with anger."The creature of which you speak, Shandra, is my brother!"Everyone goes into a deadly silence.Lianan is the first to ask, in a confused tone:"Brother? You don't have a brother."The hot tears streaming down Marcus' face are no more touching than his tone of voice."Yes, I do. Or at least, I did. He was my half-brother, the B
Shandra is stunned, processing Julian's words. Her eyes widen and she recoils, feeling a whirlwind of emotions invade her mind."A prophecy? I... I don't understand. What does it mean? Why me, and what does it have to do with everything that's going on?"Julian looks to Sam for support, and the demon nods, encouraging him to continue."Shandra, this prophecy talks about a chosen one, someone who was born with the blood of the fairies running through their veins. This person would be able to balance the mortal world and the immortal world, bringing peace and harmony between the two."Shandra's eyes fill with tears, mingling with the confusion and emotional overload she is feeling."But... I am only a human. How can I have such an important role? I'm not special, I'm not powerful. I barely understand my own power, how can I be the chosen one of a prophecy?"Julian moves even closer, holding Shandra's face between his hands."Believe me when I say: we don't know. But we will dig deep int