"Helon!" Trisphyra tried to get his attention as he pulled her further away from the oncoming battle. As she looked back, she could see Guprix and Ailluin form a giant magical wall as the wolves came charging. The forcefield kept them at bay but both the mages were struggling. It felt like her heart was stuck in her throat. She didn't want anyone to get hurt because of her.
Her attention turned back to her silver knight who was leading her through the crowd of soldiers and students now taking formation behind their commander. Trisphyra could hear a loud shriek but dared not look back.
"Helon, stop!" She begged.
He ignored her, "I have to get you safe first. Lombard ordered-"
"I don't care! If you're doing this for me then I'm ordering you to stop! I have to know what-"
The words disappeared out of her mouth as Helon took a sudden turn behind a corner, pulling them out of sight. They found themselves in a narrow, dark gap between two large tents. It somehow closed off all the noise from the camp. It gave her a chance to catch her breath and gather her thoughts. Helon was towering over her. His one arm leaned against a wooden pole, looking at her. Those golden eyes had an intensity to them that she'd never seen before. Was he angry with her?
He sighed in frustration, "I don't mean to push your boundaries, Trisphyra. But I feel like I need to know what the deal is here."
She looked down, "I can't. I-"
He grabbed a string of her hair, gently sliding it through his fingers, "I get that you're a moon elf. Hells, you're the most beautiful creature I've ever seen but… Why would that be the reason for a lycan-"
"The moon…" The realization dawned on her, "Could it be…?"
"Trisphyra." Helon said sternly. In truth, he was getting frustrated. Frustrated because he felt like there was something he could do but she wasn't letting him. However, the feeling faded away instantly as she met his gaze. Her face was pale and her hands were shaking. She was scared.
He smiled at her and stroked her shoulder, "Please… Talk to me."
Her entire body tensed as if she braced herself.
"I'm scared you'll think of me differently if I tell you."
"Hey…" He lowered himself, forcing her to keep his gaze, "I like you for who you are. The most warm, kind and caring person I've ever met. I feel like I can tell you everything and you won't judge me. Let me return the favor." He squinted his eyes and smiled teasingly, "Are you a princess, is that it?"
Trisphyra couldn't help but smile at his joke, "No."
"Because in my family I am considered a prince actually." He bragged.
She hugged herself and took a deep breath, "I'm a daughter of the moon."
His eyes widened and stood completely still.
"I was put in this world by Luna'Celesia." She continued with a shrug, "She's kinda my mother."
Helon chipped for air, as if he'd been holding his breath, "So… you're a god?"
"Demi-god. My birth parents were moon elves. Which is why I'm so awfully bad at all this." She cried and hid her face in her hands. Her whole body felt like it wanted to sink down in the dirt from the shame she was feeling, "So many things are happening around me because of this and yet I'm so useless. I can't do anything by myself!"
Helon wrapped his arms around her and held her close, "That explains a lot." He spoke with a comforting tone, "Thank you for telling me. I know it can't have been easy."
She sniffled into his chest, "Everyone keeps telling me what I'm capable of and I feel so slow and stupid and-"
He hushed her and squeezed her tight, "Stop that. You're amazing. I've seen it myself. Don't be so hard on yourself."
"But what about now? I caused this and can't even help-"
"You sensed this before anyone else. Perhaps your magic is trying to talk to you more than you realize? Why don't you follow it?"
She felt herself relax in his embrace, "I want to but I'm scared I'll do something wrong."
"Well, you can't do anything right if you don't do something wrong first."
The commander's voice suddenly echoed through the camp, "MORE INCOMING!"
All the commotion dawned on them. The loud snarling of the voice and the battle screams of the soldiers. Trisphyra and Helon looked at each other. He grabbed her hands firmly, "I'm with you, alright? What do you want to do?"
She pondered for a second, "Well, I'm not sure if the lycan was the voice that cried out to me but…"
"But lycans… werewolves and wolves are connected to the moon, right?"
"I need to get close to it. I feel like it wants something."
"It looked like it wanted to kill you."
"Then I guess it'll have to go through you first." She smirked. He chuckled at her comment, "I've always wanted to fight a lycan."
"I don't want to hurt it. I just want to see if I can… talk to it, I guess."
"Well, we're out of my field of expertise, that's for sure."
"If we could just get close to it, but Master Lombard will send me away before I can even-"
"I have an idea. Come!" He took her hand and pulled her along.
The battle was afoot out on the field. The giant direwolves were charging through the soldiers, knocking them several feet into the air. More was emerging from the woods. How could there be so many of them? Something stinged in Trisphyra's heart as she watched. There was definitely something wrong.
"They're hurting." She muttered.
"They better be. They're fighting the finest soldiers in this realm!"
"No! I mean… It's going to sound strange…"
"In comparison to you being a demi-god? Unlikely."
"I can feel their souls hurting. Something is doing this to them."
"Can you tell what it is?"
"I don't think so."
"Then let's stick with your first plan."
"I thought this was your plan." She exclaimed.
"It's my plan to help you plan, I mean."
A loud roar soared through the woods. Everyone in the backline froze, including Trisphyra and Helon. Out from Elandorr stepped a giant tree. Tall and skinny with rotting bark. Its face was withered and twisted. Dark leaves hung from its branches. From its large shadow that it cast on the field came a handful of shade creatures. Guprix, who stood in the middle of the battle, felt his heart sink.
"Fall back!" He shouted. It was too late. The shades tossed themselves on the nearest soldier and began to drain their life. The students began to panic. They'd never faced monsters like these before. Zark flew over to his soldier and grabbed the shade from his body, tossing it on the ground. The creature hissed and readied to charge, but a glowing sword stopped it in its track and rendered it to dust. The familiar sound of thundering hooves approached. Ismastis came into a sliding stop and pulled her sword from the ground.
"General!" Zark exclaimed.
"What's the status, commander?"
"Not good. We don't know what is going on."
Ismastis tightened her grip on her two swords and looked up at the tree. She recognized it as a caligo, a tree-folk cursed with dark magic. It couldn't have grown in Elandorr. Vitellia would've made sure of that. It raised its foot to charge a stomp attack but got blasted from a force in the sky. It was Lumtor. The tree roared as it rubbed off the electrical charges from his attack. It raised its hand towards him. Several shades seeped out from its palm. They overwhelmed the council member and he had to fall back.
Ismastis cursed to herself as she witnessed what happened. She pointed to Zark, "Get the knights to form a protective line. Arm them with sunbolts."
"Yes, General!"
Her attention turned to Guprix and Ailluin, "We need fire, ASAP. Deal with that caligo. I'll take care of the lycan and make sure it doesn't bite anybody."
"Don't kill it." Guprix urged, "We need to know where it came from."
"I'll neutralize it if I can but we don't want it to spread."
"Thank you, General."
"Don't thank me, just go!"
They both rushed to their students, "Mages! Prepare fire blasts!"
Ismastis scanned the battle for the tall lycan. It was being held at bay, surrounded by some of the silver knights. Its long arms thrashed at their shields, claws digging into the metal. She'd had enough of this.
From afar, Helon could see his General charge into the battle.
"We need to hurry before this ends badly."
"How are we ever going to get close enough?"
"You'll see." He smiled and showed her the way. Behind the camp, closer to the mother tree were the stables. All the horses neighed and snorted nervously. Trisphyra was stunned. It was like she could hear their thoughts. She felt sad for them. Poor things.
Helon took her inside to one of the stalls. A large, black head peeked out. His mane was long and wavy. Trisphyra could never have imagined a horse could be so glorious. It tossed its head and snorted. Helon caressed its forehead, "Hey, boy."
Just like the other horses, she felt like she could hear his thoughts. He was excited to see the dark elf. The horse turned to her and the sensation remained.
"This is Keldoron." Helon introduced.
"He's magnificent. I didn't think a horse could be this large."
"He's a special breed of warhorse. We've trained together since he was just a colt."
Helon grabbed a rope and opened the stall, "He's gonna get us to the lycan."
"We're gonna ride?" Trisphyra asked in shock. She'd never ridden before.
With a swift move, he tossed the rope around the giant neck of the horse and led him out of the stall.
"We'll have speed, a height advantage and there's nothing he's scared of." He jumped onto Keldoron's back as if it was nothing and reached his hand down to Trisphyra.
"I've n-never…" She stuttered. Keldoron nuzzled her arm and looked at her with his big brown eyes. 'It's okay. I won't drop you.' were the words she got from him. She grabbed Helon's hand and he pulled her up with ease. Her arms immediately wrapped around his waist. He couldn't help but laugh, "Don't worry. Just follow his rhythm."
Keldoron was a smart horse. Helon only needed to lean forward for him to understand that it was time to move. The black horse settled into trot. At first, Trisphyra was hanging on for dear life but soon got the hang of what Helon had talked about. Eventually, she realized she actually enjoyed it and smiled brightly.
"Helon!" Duncan came running towards them, "What are you doing? We need you out there!"
"Great timing, Duncan. I was just getting to it."
His brows furrowed when he saw who was sitting behind him, "With Trisphyra?"
She waved shyly.
"The lady has a plan." Helon said, "No time to explain."
"You coming, sir Duncan?" She asked him.
The horse was large enough to fit three people. Duncan shook his head, "Eleven hells, why is it always such a show with you?" He flung himself onto the back behind Trisphyra. Helon spurred Keldoron into a gallop.
They came charging out of the stable. People were scattered all around but the horse easily maneuvered through them. Helon was always impressed by how well Keldoron responded to his signals. It only took them a minute to get through the camp. Seemingly not bothered by the extra weight, the horse jumped over the defensive line of soldiers and ran out on the battlefield. People were screaming after them.
The three gazed up on the giant caligo, who was swinging its arms, tossing people all around it. Some of the mages were able to trigger a spell to ease their fall. Some soldiers weren't so lucky. The severity of the situation began to hit in.
Duncan swallowed nervously, "So, mind filling me in here?"
Helon glanced back at Trisphyra. Her eyes were searching for the lycan. That's when she heard it, "Naegra!"
She turned to the tree, "It's them!"
"What?"
"The tree! They're the ones speaking to me."
Helon noticed how some of the wolves saw the running horse and began to chase after. Time was running out.
"What do you want to do?" He asked.
"I-I don't know. I'm trying to think of-"
"Hey! Don't think." He insisted, "What does your gut tell you?"
She focused on the weird sensation growing inside of her and listened.
The wolves got closer. One leaped into the air and attacked. Helon was just able to knock it away.
"Trisphyra!"
She looked up. Her eyes had a new glow to them. When she spoke, there was something different. It was like another voice spoke with her.
"Get me closer to it. Don't let the wolves near me."
"Come one, boy! Go!" Helon shouted.
Keldoron lengthened his strides and gained more ground, approaching the caligo. Duncan readied his sword, "You better know what you're doing."
Trisphyra's hair began to glow as well. The tree noticed and turned to face them. It raised its arm, ready to swing. With its huge size, it was difficult to determine when the hand was getting closer. Helon kept steering towards it, waiting for Trisphyra to tell what to do next, but even he was getting anxious now. She remained silent.
"Uh, Trisphyra?" The tree's hand came closer with an incredible speed. "Trisphyra!"
He had no choice but to turn , however Keldoron lost his footing in all the loose dirt. They weren't gonna make it away fast enough. Both Helon and Duncan covered their heads. Trisphyra raised her hand with a swift move. Just as the tree was about to hit them, ice spikes shot out from the ground. The sharp ends pierced its palm whilst also preventing it from slamming into Keldoron and his riders, but the horse stumbled from the mere gust of the impact. They all fell to the ground. Helon felt his head spin and sight grow dizzy. When he came to his first thought was of Trisphyra. He looked up from the ground. Where was she?
She was walking a few feet away from him. Going towards the caligo as if in trance. Her hair was flowing weightlessly in the air. There was a shimmer around her. Almost like a halo. Some of the shades tried to attack, but the light protected her somehow.
From the corner of his eyes, he could see a large gray figure come running. Helon realized he had no weapon, but he couldn't let it get to Trisphyra. He stood up on wobbly legs and charged for the lycan, "No you don't!"
They tackled one another, tumbling away from her. The lycan turned to Helon, snarling and showing its sharp fangs. He hissed back, revealing his pointy, dark elven teeth.
The lycan circled him, looking for an angle. Helon realized there was no way for him to keep it at a distance, but it mattered little now. He glanced back at Trisphyra. She was slowly approaching the raging caligo. Foolish move. The lycan sprung towards him, digging its claws into his side. Grinding his teeth through the pain, he grabbed hold of the creature's arm and broke it by the elbow. It let out a cry, but countered quicker than Helon had expected. It bit him in the shoulder.
"Argh!" He grunted. Desperate to get it off of him, he punched the lycan in the throat and kicked it in the stomach. It let go of him, growling for more. Helon had enough. It was time to go on the offense. The warm blood gushing out from the wound at his side reminded him that he was not at his best, but he had to try. He charged it. As it raised its claws to strike at him, he rolled underneath and punched it in the hollow of the knee. It fell to the ground. Helon climbed up its back, punching it several times along its spine. The lycan howled and tried to reach the elf. Even though its limbs were long it could not reach its back. Helon wrapped his arm around its neck and squeezed tightly. The creature trashed and tossed itself all around but he was able to hang on. All of a sudden a direwolf came to its aid. It grabbed Helon by the boot and yanked him loose. It stood on top of him, preparing to sink its teeth into his bruised body.
"Krisric!" General Ismastis rushed in, throwing a spear through the head of the wolf. It fell limp on its side.
"General!" He exclaimed in relief. Ismastis placed herself between her student and the lycan.
"Can you fight?" She asked.
Helon pulled the spear out from the wolf's head, using it to heave himself back up on his feet, "Don't worry about me."
"I'm assuming you know what the little lady's plan is over there?" She gestured back to Trisphyra, without taking her eyes off the lycan. Helon scoffed, "We're improvising."
"Great."
He could hear she wasn't amused.
"Then you better go protect her. I'll deal with this one."
"But-"
"That's an order, Krisric. She needs your help more than I do."
The lycan growled and tossed itself towards the centaur. She rose to her hindlegs and reached the same height as the creature. It was clearly shocked by her action and hesitated, giving her the opportunity to slash her longsword across its face.
"The other commanders are on their way. Now move!" She ordered, going for the lycan again.
Trisphyra had covered a great distance and was surrounded by shades trying to pierce through her shield. Helon searched around for Keldoron.
"Over here, brother." Duncan rode into view on the horse, reaching his hand towards him. He was covered in blood from battling the wolves. Keldoron also had a few scratches on him but seemed to be doing okay. Helon jumped on without hesitation.
Trisphyra looked up at the giant tree. She heard its inner voice cry out. It was hurting and it was confused.
"You have to stop." She whispered to it.
The shrieks of the shades filled her ears. Her eyes darted around. They had surrounded her. Panic grasped her heart for a second, but was quickly replaced by anger. She recognized them from her room that night. The dark sensation she'd always felt lurking around. Had it been them all along?
"Leave me alone!" She yelled, covering her ears. The light luminating around her sparked even brighter. From the outside it looked like a large star had emerged. All the shades dispersed immediately.
Guprix, who had been busy helping his students up to this point, now noticed the bright glowing light. Sensing the magic, he understood who it was.
"No…" He gasped and began to rush towards it.
The light faded. What remained was only her. The essence of the moon herself. She looked at her hands, speckled with little bright dots.
"Mother, is it really you this time?" She whimpered.
There was a sudden pain in her arm. The direwolf tossed its head around, digging its teeth in deeper. She couldn't even scream. It was all just too much. As she looked into its eyes, there was a cloudiness to them. It was like it wasn't even aware of what was happening. Trisphyra acted on instinct and knelt down, not resisting.
"You have to let me go." She said and caressed the side of its head.
The wolf blinked in confusion and released its grip. It looked at Trisphyra curiously. She smiled.
Suddenly, a large horse crashed into it. She watched it shake its head and look at her one more time, before rushing into the forest. What just happened?
"Trisphyra!" Helon came into view. He grabbed hold of her arms and helped her up, "Are you okay?"
Still grasping what just happened, she stammered, "Y-yes. I'm fine." She saw the blood at his side.
"Helon, you're bleeding!"
He stopped her from reaching towards it, "I'll be okay. You need to focus on that thing." He pointed towards the caligo. It roared and stomped its foot down. Large rocks and boulders burst out from the ground. She lifted her hand and another large block of ice shielded them from the blows.
"Whatever you've tapped into, don't stop." He smiled, "We've got you!"
She looked at Keldoron and Duncan. They were fighting off the wolves trying to get close to her.
"Please, be careful." She said to Helon. He cupped her face with his hands. Without thinking, she leaned in, meeting his eyes. She waited for him to move closer. He almost did, but then something stopped him and he let go, rushing to Duncan's aid.
She looked after him, not seeing the tree's hand come swinging towards her.
Someone pushed her to the side and blasted a huge ball of fire at its torso.
"Master!" She wailed.
"You need to get out of here, child!" He readied another fire attack.
She grabbed his arm, "No! Don't hurt it! I can do this!"
He pushed her away, "You're not ready!"
It was the final straw for her, "And I never will be if you never let me try!"
Her eyes glowed even brighter as she raised her hand towards him. Thick vines crawled up from the ground, ensnaring Guprix's entire body. He was unable to move. Even his magic seemed to be strangled.
"What are you doing?"
"What you've trained me for." She answered coldly and walked up to the caligo.
It saw her clearly, raising another hand to slam into the ground.
"STOP!" She ordered. Her voice carried loud and far. It was as if all of nature suddenly stopped breathing. Everything but the caligo, who tried to shake off whatever had its grasp on its mind.
"You will stop!" Trisphyra continued and raised her hands. As with Guprix, giant vines emerged from the dirt and along the tree's limbs. It tried to pull free but in vain. She lowered her hands and the vines tightened, forcing the tall creature down on the ground. As it fell it created a huge wall of dust. The battlefield went quiet as the dirt settled.
Trisphyra was standing below the caligo's head. Its breath was heavy and corrupted.
"Naegra." It whispered.
She touched its cheek, "I understand. We'll figure out who did this to you. I promise."
They closed their eyes together. Trisphyra took a deep breath. The light from her body faded away and then burst into the tree from the palm of her hand. The caligo's bark cracked and white flowers bloomed. As it had done with Aldertrunk, the flowers spread across the caligo's entire body. Sadly, it was too late to save it. The roots and branches were too weak. With an exhale of relief, the caligo withered away and the petals from the flowers showered across the battlefield.
All of the wolves suddenly shook their heads and started to whine. Duncan and Helon breathed heavily, waiting to see what would happen. The direwolves turned tail and ran back into Elandorr, disappearing without a trace.
The vines loosened around Guprix. He looked at his pupil in awe. She was gazing at the millions of petals flowing across the sky. There was still a faint glow in her eyes.
"Hold him down!" Ismastis voice shouted. Everyone's attention turned to her.
Commander Senjumon and Zark, together with five other soldiers, were working together to keep the lycan at bay. It seemed as if the creature had been the only one not affected by whatever Trisphyra just had done.
Helon felt the bite in his shoulder starting to burn, "Fuck." He fell to his knees.
"Buddy! What's wrong?" Duncan dismounted Keldoron and ran up to him.
"The fucker bit me."
"Shit! Master Lombard!" He yelled for Guprix.
It took the master a moment to come out of his thoughts. Trisphyra turned to Duncan. She bolted for them as soon as she saw what was happening.
"Helon!" She knelt down in front of them, "What's wrong?"
"I think the lycan bit him." Duncan answered.
"What?"
Guprix approached, "Let me look at that."
She moved out of his way but searched for Helon's hand, grabbing it tightly.
As he inspected the wound, his eyes got dark, "He needs to be taken to the healers straight away."
"I'm fine." Helon grunted.
"You're turning, son."
Trisphyra looked at Guprix, "What do you mean?"
"Lycan bites are infectious. He's turning into one."
Helon couldn't help but laugh, "Great."
"Then let's get him to Matilda!" Trisphyra tried to pull him up.
Lombard inspected her intently, "There's another thing we could try. You."
"Me?"
"Lycans are connected to you. You might be able to reverse the process and heal him."
"H-How?"
"That I cannot answer, dear. Just like I cannot answer how you just did all of this." He glanced up at the petals, "But… I'll let you try. If you wish."
She swallowed, "Okay."
Helon squeezed her hand. She looked at him.
"You can do it, T-Tris-" He gritted his teeth, "If not- I think I'd make a s-sexy wolf."
She placed her palm above his wounded shoulder, "Don't even joke about that."
Her eyes closed as she tried to search for the foreign blood seeping through his veins. When she sensed it, she attempted to replace it with her own essence, pushing it out.
Guprix watched. There was a glow beneath her palm. Helon's breath got steadier. It was working.
The old elf looked over at the lycan. The soldiers had it under control. It triggered another idea in his head.
Helon suddenly gasped and Trisphyra released her grip.
"Shit!" He scoffed and turned to her. He felt an energy unlike anything before. Was it all her doing? She looked exhausted.
"Tris… Your-"
"There's one more thing." Guprix helped her up and turned her towards the lycan.
Both Helon and Duncan looked at each other confused.
Trisphyra shook her head. Lombard leaned over her shoulder, "It came for you. You have the power over it. Command it."
He pushed her forward. Helon immediately rushed to his feet, but Guprix held his arm up.
"General. Release it."
Ismastis looked at him with big eyes, "Are you mad?!"
"Trust me."
Trisphyra held her breath as the soldiers released their grip around the lycan. She tried to hear its thoughts like she had done with the other creatures. It seemed… confused. Then, she found something deeper.
"Do you see me?" She whispered.
The lycan growled at her.
"I see you." She continued, "You don't need to hide."
It charged for her. She lifted her hand and it stopped right in front of her, still growling.
She repeated the words, "I see you. The real you."
Her hand touched its nose, "I release you."
A light flickered. The lycan began clawing at its head. Trisphyra fell to the ground. She was knocked out cold. Helon ignored Lombard's hand and rushed to her body, lifting her away from the creature who was now wailing in pain. However, the growls and the howls slowly turned into grunts and shouts. The gray fur shedded away and the long limbs shrunk to a normal size. Everybody but Guprix seemed shocked at what was going on.
When the transformation was complete, all that remained was a naked, half-elven man.
Commander Senjumon took a step closer, "It can't be... General!"
Ismastis stared at the unconscious body, "I- It's Koa."
"He disappeared months ago." Zark added, "Has he been hiding all this time?"
"General!"
Everyone turned to the voice.
"Master Ibarin." Ismastis bowed.
Ishan, Aaliyah, Therion and Lumtor approached. The principal seemed tired, which was a rare sight for all of them.
"How are your men?"
"A lot are injured, sir. We're spread thin."
"I need you and Norkas to gather the ones capable, to venture into Elandorr and meet up with Elder Vitellia. She is in need of your assistance. Sharis and Bakur will assist your commanders here."
"Yes, sir!" She sheathed her sword and whistled for her soldiers. It filled her with pride when a lot who were obviously bruised came to her aid.
"With me!"
Duncan rose to his feet and Helon was about to tag along but was held down by his friend. He gestured with his eyes to the wound at his side, "You need to rest."
"I heal fast." Helon muttered.
"You still need to get checked on." He looked at Trisphyra in his friends arms, "You also need to stay with her."
Helon held her a bit closer, "Take Keldoron with you."
Duncan smiled and mounted the large stallion, waving his friend goodbye. He waved back.
Ishan looked first to Guprix, then to Trisphyra and last at Koa on the ground.
"Get those two to the medic immediately. Let me know when he wakes up."
"Master Ishan." Guprix took a step forward.
"Not now, Lombard." The principal took a deep breath, "I will talk with you later."
He left the others to clean up. Aaliyah used her magic to restore the ground to its original state. Lumtor used his flight and strength to help the commanders gather the injured soldiers around the field.
Helon felt his knees give in and lowered Trisphyra down. He peeked at the wound at his side. It didn't look good. There was a lot of blood. He felt like he was going to pass out.
It was a struggle to even speak, "Master Lombard."
Guprix came to their aid, "Let's get you to the healers. You did good, son."
"Just... Take care of her first." His voice faded.
The last thing he felt before the darkness took over was Trisphyra's hand in his.