Chapter 16: The Mission’s Weight. Lucas' POV

I pulled open my room's creaking door and entered the darkened room. Shadows flowed across the rough wooden walls as a lone candle flickered on the bedside table. I lean back against the door and close my eyes as I gently bang it shut behind me.  

I kept thinking about Anna's face, her reserved demeanor during the day nagging me. She was cleaning floors with her friend Maia, which is definitely not where I expected to see her. I wasn't ready to face the memories she brought up, but I couldn't afford to be distracted. Not right now.  

I walked across the room and sank onto the chair next to the crooked desk. There, silent and modest, lay the treasure. A sliver of polished obsidian, scarcely bigger than my palm, with unreadable runes engraved on it. Its surface glowed dimly, as though it were absorbing the surrounding light.  

This mission was not your typical one.  

Before I left my pack, I pondered the significance of the elders' words as I ran my fingertips over the shard. "The threat needs to be removed before it destroys us all." They had given me this artifact with serious eyes and determination in their voices.  

As usual, the prophecy had been ambiguous. A shadowy power attached to a far-off pack. A threat so immense that it might wipe out everything. The rituals had narrowed it down to this pack, Nightshade Pack.

And so, I’d come here under the guise of a wanderer. Taking note. Waiting.  

I grabbed the leather-bound journal next to the relic and opened it to the final page. Hurried and uneven, my handwriting scribbled across the paper.  

Day 12: As of yet, the relic has not responded. Although they don't seem like a threat, I have detected rogue activities close to the perimeter. Here, something else lurks, closer, invisible. Although they are cautious, the pack members are unaware of the actual threat they pose.  

I tapped the pen on the page while I relived the day's events in my head. Anna. Her wrist was marked. Its lines were vibrant and detailed, and it sparkled like nothing I had ever seen.  

Is she there?  

I was surprised by a gentle knock on the door. I straightened my posture, tucked the notebook and relic into the drawer, and walked across the room.  

"Who is it?" My voice was quiet as I asked.  

One of the guards stationed to the guest quarters responded, "It's Marcus."  

He was standing there with a frown on his face when I opened the door. "What's wrong?"  

He stated, "There has been movement in the vicinity of the eastern border. Tonight, Oliver wants all warriors to remain vigilant."  

"Rogues?"  

"Probably," Marcus answered. "We'll find out more in the morning."  

I gave a nod. "Thank you for informing me."  

He nodded curtly, then turned and walked down the corridor. My thoughts were racing when I shut the door.  

Rogues may make matters more difficult if they were close by. However, I couldn't get rid of the impression that they weren't the actual threat here.  

I took the relic out of the drawer and sat down at the desk once more. I held it in my hand and concentrated, hoping it would respond.  

“Show me,” I muttered. “Who is the threat?”  

As for weeks, the relic was still cold and unresponsive. Despite my frustration, I forced it to the back of my mind. It took time to do these things.  

But how much longer could I wait?  

I saw Anna again, with her piercing words and her flaming eyes as she screamed at me. When I first noticed the mark on her wrist, it pulsed very weakly; if I hadn't been looking, I might have missed it.  

The luminous mark carved into the trunk of the tree where I'd seen her the previous evening was something I couldn't forget. It had felt alive. Like the relic.  

Is everything related?  

I reclined in my chair and gazed at the ceiling. In the flickering flame, lengthy shadows were formed by the wooden beams above. The mission's weight and the uncertainty that was eating away at me made my chest feel heavy.  

The elders had cautioned me against allowing feelings to influence my decisions. They had stated, "You must act swiftly when the time comes."  

However, I had no idea who or what I was looking for, so how could I act?  

The shutters shook in the howling wind outside. I rose up and paced the room after pushing the chair back. The chanting, the smoke snaking through the air, and the elders' voices mingling into an unearthly hum were all vivid memories of the rites that came flooding back.  

The relic had pointed me in this direction when it shone. Since then, however, things had been quiet.  

"Why?" To myself, I mumbled. "What have I been missing?"  

I went to the window and pulled the curtain back. Dark and ominous, the forest towered in the distance. The answer was out there somewhere.  

The threat also increased.  

Once more, Anna's resistance and sadness sprang to mind. She didn't appear to be dangerous. However, the mark on her wrist... It wasn't typical. And I couldn’t ignore the way the air seemed to shift around her, charged with something I couldn’t explain.  

How would I respond if she posed a threat?  

The idea chilled me to the bone. I didn't see her as a murderer or a sign of impending doom. Prophecies, however, had a tendency of distorting reality.  

With the mission's weight bearing down on me, I balled my fists. I had to be prepared for anything.  

A tiny whisper, almost like a voice calling my name, was borne by the wind outside.  

"Lucas."  

With my heart racing, I froze. However, there was silence in the forest when I glanced again.  

I still had the unshakeable sensation that someone was observing me. Awaiting.