Chapter 10 The Hidden Truth

The forest was alive with morning sounds as Alec, Kade, Jax, and Luna wound their way back to the cabin. The early light filtered through the trees and cast pockets of shadows on the ground. Before long, they had returned to the cabin. The warmth and security of the little shelter was a welcome change from the oppressive silence and threat of danger in the old temple. They regrouped in the main room, the glowing relic sitting heavy and silent in its case on the table. Alec paced, his mind processing what had so abruptly closed the door behind them. Kade sat against the back wall, watching the relic. Jax leaned against the wall beside the fireplace, staring into the fire.

Luna dropped into one of the chairs at the table, needing the support behind her and the extra comfort it could provide. She let out a ragged breath, her body and mind wanting to collapse entirely. The relic shimmered slightly in the reflected firelight, and she had to squint a little against its glow. It was beautiful, but the raw power it contained was part of what terrified her still. They had it, but it had to be more than a talisman if they were to stand against Seraphina and the Nightborne.

"What are we going to do now?" Jax finally asked, voicing the question that hovered over them all. "We have the source, but we didn't learn how it's activated. Or what the Nightborne will use it for."

Alec stopped pacing, watching the orb without seeing it. "We need to find a way to use it." His brow drew together, and Luna could see the wheels turning in his mind. "Seraphina said it could change the balance. It has to have... directions of some kind, right?"

Kade nodded. "Or we need to find them. There's too much at stake. This relic is ancient, and Seraphina wasn't able to activate it."

Luna strained to think as well, grasping at solutions no matter how small compared to the problem at hand. "You said it comes from the wolf and moon family. Maybe there's information about it in some old texts, or mountain legends. We could go looking for wolf or moon archives, or some way to activate it."

 Alec's eyes sparkled with an unexpected moment of insight. “That's good. We should be able to find records or artifacts associated with the relic. If we find anything, that should give us some insight into how to use it.” 

Jax sat up straighter, looking resolute.  “Then what are we waiting for? Let's find the records. There could be old libraries or an archives, old records described in some old texts.” 

“Actually,” Kade chimed in, “I know a place - an old library in that city that is kind of tucked away from everyone. It is said to have old records of ancient texts and different accounts of supernatural artifacts." 

"Perfect," Alec replied, sounding finally resolved. "We’ll go there whenever we can. Every hour we waste figuring it out, we could be learning what we need.

Luna nodded and found herself feeling a renewed sense of determination. "Let's hurry and get ready to leave, because we don't know how much longer we will have." 

They all spent the majority of the morning gathering things readying themselves for the journey ahead. Luna spent some time packing supplies while Alec and Kade formulated a plan of action. Jax stood watching for any sign of the Nightborne, his instincts laser-focused for threats lurking anywhere. 

By noon, they were all ready to leave. The city Kade was referring to was several hours out, so they needed to get there quickly if it was to be before dark. 

The drive seemed long, silence hung thickly in the car. There was a palpable sense of tension as each person became part of different worlds of thought, but the weight of their purpose hung heavy across all their hearts. Finally the city skyline began to materialize in front of them, in stark contrast to the area of natural world they had occupied earlier.

It was a sprawling metropolis, clamoring all around the streets. Kade described a library not far in an old shoebox district - a place that appeared long forgotten. 

They left the car parked and proceeded to the library which was an old impressive building with high columns and a decorated facade. The entrance was obscured by a set of heavy doors that creaked as they walked through.

The library was a maze of hallways and bookcases with the musty smell of old books and paper. The lighting was dim and the stacks of books were above their heads making the library feel mysterious and sacred.

Kade took the lead through the library taking them to a far corner that was out of the way. All the books and manuscripts here were covered in layers of dust and many looked like they haven't moved in ages.

"Here we are," Kade said with reverence in his voice. "This area has the older records and texts dealing with relics and ancient lore."

Alec, Luna and Jax began digging through the stacks of books just in case they saw something, even a reference text to their relic. Luna's hands started shaking when she picked up a heavy leather-covered book. Intricate symbols embossed the old cover of the book, and the title was difficult to make out.

As she opened the book, the weight of the book shifted, and she could see a sea of words and images depicting old symbols. She flipped through some pages reading and scanning each image for anything about their crystal orb, whether it be directly or indirectly. 

"Alec," Luna said, a combination of excitement but exhaustion struggling to process what was happening, "I think I found something."

Alec and the others rushed over to inspect what she had found, leaning over her shoulder trying to sneak a peek. The set of either diagrams or symbols appeared to have something to do with their relic. 

"This is promising," Alec said as his eyes scanned the book, "it mentions a whole ritual to unlock the power of the relic - it seems we have to perform it under a specific lunar phase." 

Kade, who was continuing to look over another book of folklore nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it mentions a full moon, specifically saying that was when the relic's full potential could be accessed."

Luna's heart dropped, "It's only a few days away."

"Right. We need to prepare for the ritual. We also need to find a place to do the ritual." Alec's tone becomes more urgent.

Kade began flipping through yet another folklore treatise, with an intense look of determination. "There might be some needs or accessory preparations for the ritual, let's make sure we check for anything out of the ordinary."

As they continued their digging into their reading, Luna felt a sense of anxiety building. The Nightborne were still out there, and they only had a limited amount of time to access the relic's potential power. While they had discovered some useful information, they still had a lot to learn.

Eventually, after a couple of hours of researching, they were able to find more details about the ritual and some history of the relic. They broke the boredom of turning pages by asking each other questions and having very short discussions.

Eventually, as the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, they began to organize everything they found and wrap things up for the day. With their newfound knowledge, they did not easily mount the weight of their discoveries! However, they now possessed what they thought to be the knowledge they would need to move forward.

After leaving the library and heading back to the car, she could not shake the feeling that something wasn't right. The urgency of the Nightborne and the sense of looming feeling accompanied them both. Obviously, their task was far from over.

"We need to hurry," Alec began as they drove from the library. "We have a lot to do to prepare for the full moon." 

Luna agreed, her mind gripped with the implications of what they had learned. The ritual was their best means to truly plumb the depths of the relic’s power, but it also would come with its own considerable challenges and dangers.

As they drove through the city, Luna looked out the window, her thoughts a maelstrom of trepidation and tenacity. The full moon was coming, with it the pivotal moment when everything would come to an end.

They had the relic, they had the knowledge, and they had each other. But as they prepared for the fight to face the Nightborne, Luna realized that the true test to their strength and resolve still lay ahead.

And as the city whirled in aberrated pastels and lights outside, she couldn't quite shake the sense that something monumental was on the horizon—something that would test the true measure of how they had come together.