Months had passed since we first stepped into the brotherhood. Kaelith had come a long way—no longer the scared girl hiding behind small magic. She now commanded the trees with ease, bending the forest to her will. It was impressive to watch her weave branches into traps, controlling more than one at a time like it was second nature. She was growing into her own, becoming more powerful with every passing day.
As for me, I'd spent much of my time either helping Kaelith, deep in conversation with Lyra, or off with the brotherhood on various quests. We had both moved into the brotherhood's headquarters—an old, abandoned house just outside the city. It wasn't much, but it was shelter, and being part of the brotherhood had its advantages. The downside was we had to pay a percentage of our earnings to them, but it allowed us the freedom to take on more quests.
Today, we picked up a new quest. It wasn't a big one, just the two of us. It seemed straightforward—something about a wild animal causing trouble for a nearby village. I thought it would be an easy payday.
But I was wrong.
The forest was quiet, too quiet. The air hung heavy with an unnatural tension. I could feel it in my bones—something wasn't right. The village had warned us of a dangerous beast lurking in the woods, but they didn't mention anything about the... atmosphere. It was oppressive, thick with unease.
"Do you feel that?" I asked Kaelith, my voice low.
She nodded, her eyes scanning the trees. "Yeah, it's... strange. Like the forest is holding its breath."
We continued forward, cautiously, every step measured. Lyra was silent in my mind, her presence more distant than usual. That was another bad sign.
Suddenly, there was movement ahead. The underbrush rustled, and a creature emerged—a massive wolf, easily twice the size of any normal one. Its fur was matted and black, but that wasn't what stopped me cold. It was the eyes—glowing, swirling with something dark and unnatural.
I knew that aura. I had seen it before in people.
This was a curse.
"Kaelith, stay back!" I ordered, moving in front of her. My heart raced as the beast snarled, its eyes fixed on us with a malevolence I had only seen in cursed individuals.
The curse had twisted the animal. Its movements were erratic, its body jerking unnaturally, as if it was struggling against something unseen. This wasn't just a wild animal anymore—it was something far worse.
The wolf lunged at us, faster than I expected. I barely had time to react, raising my arms to defend against its attack. The weight of the beast slammed into me, knocking the wind out of my lungs. I staggered back, feeling the sharp pain of claws raking across my side.
"Torrack!" Kaelith shouted, but I couldn't afford to look back at her.
I felt the pressure building in my chest, the familiar sensation of my aura rising to the surface. I tried to tap into Lyra's world, to grasp the beast's aura and hold it down, but something was wrong. The curse inside it... it was too chaotic, too twisted. I couldn't get a proper grip on it.
The wolf lashed out again, and this time, I wasn't fast enough. Its claws tore through my arm, sending searing pain shooting up my side. I fell to the ground, gasping for breath.
Kaelith screamed, and I heard the familiar creak of tree branches as she unleashed her magic. Two thick branches shot from the trees, wrapping around the wolf's legs, holding it in place. For a moment, I thought she had it.
But the curse was too strong.
The wolf twisted violently, snapping the branches like they were nothing. It lunged again, this time toward Kaelith.
"No!" I forced myself to my feet, ignoring the pain that wracked my body. I couldn't let it hurt her.
In a desperate move, I focused everything I had, reaching out with my aura. This time, instead of trying to bind the beast, I attacked its curse directly. My aura clashed with the twisted energy inside it, the force of the connection almost overwhelming. It felt like I was sinking into a dark, suffocating void. The curse resisted me, pushing back with a ferocity that took my breath away.
But I didn't let go.
For a moment, the wolf froze, its body trembling as I fought to suppress the curse within. My entire body shook with the effort. Sweat poured down my face, my vision dimming. But it wasn't enough.
The curse fought back with everything it had, and in the end, I wasn't strong enough.
The wolf broke free, and before I could react, it struck me again. This time, I felt the full force of its claws rip through my chest. The world tilted, and I collapsed, blood soaking into the earth beneath me.
"Torrack!" Kaelith's voice was distant, muffled.
I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. Pain wracked my entire body, and I knew... I wasn't going to make it.
The wolf, weakened by our combined efforts, hesitated. It snarled once more but then turned and fled into the trees, leaving us behind.
Kaelith was by my side in an instant, her hands trembling as she tried to stop the bleeding. "Torrack, stay with me!"
But I could barely hear her. My vision was fading fast, and all I could feel was the cold creeping in.
Lyra's voice echoed faintly in my mind, but I couldn't make out the words.
I was slipping away.
The cold crept into my bones as the world around me faded into darkness. I was vaguely aware of Kaelith's voice—distant, frantic, as she pressed her hands against my wounds. But the pain dulled, and a deep, unnerving quiet settled in.
I floated in the silence, barely conscious, slipping further away.
"Torrack… don't…" Lyra's voice came through, faint and strained.
I tried to reach out to her, but my mind was sluggish, my aura drained from the struggle against the cursed beast. My thoughts felt distant, heavy, and I couldn't tell if I was still breathing.
Time seemed to blur. I wasn't sure if I was dreaming or awake when something pulled me back.
Warmth. Faint at first, like a flickering ember. It spread through my chest, banishing the cold. Lyra's presence grew stronger, her voice more insistent.
"Wake up, Torrack. You're not done yet."
A sharp intake of breath ripped through my lungs, and suddenly, I was back. The world snapped into focus as I gasped, coughing and choking on the air that burned its way into my body. My chest ached, and I could feel the raw, brutal pain of my wounds. But I was alive.
Kaelith knelt beside me, her face pale and streaked with tears. Her hands were glowing, surrounded by faint green magic. I realized she had been trying to heal me—her abilities with plants were growing, but they weren't meant for this kind of injury. Still, she had managed to keep me from bleeding out.
"Torrack," she whispered, her voice shaky, "you're going to be okay. You'll be okay."
I nodded weakly, though every movement sent fresh waves of pain through my body. I could barely keep my eyes open, but the warmth of Lyra's presence, now stronger than before, anchored me to consciousness.
"I… I'm not dead," I rasped, trying to smile despite the agony.
Kaelith let out a breath, half a sob, half a laugh. "No, you're not. But you almost were."
With her help, I managed to sit up, though my vision swam, and it felt like the earth was spinning beneath me. The cursed wolf was long gone, but its presence still lingered in the air, dark and oppressive. My mind flashed back to the fight, to the way the curse had fought me off. I wasn't strong enough to suppress it. Not yet.
"We need to go," I said, my voice rough.
Kaelith helped me to my feet, though I was barely able to stand. Every inch of me screamed with pain, and I could feel the wetness of blood soaking through my clothes. But we had no choice. The cursed wolf might return, and in my current state, we didn't stand a chance.
With Kaelith supporting most of my weight, we stumbled our way through the forest, retracing our steps back toward the village. It was slow, agonizing progress. Every step felt like fire burning through my veins, but I had to keep moving. I couldn't let the curse claim me like it had claimed that beast.
By the time we reached the village outskirts, the sun had started to set, casting long shadows across the ground. A few of the villagers noticed us and rushed over, their eyes wide with alarm when they saw the state I was in.
"We… we need help," Kaelith said, her voice cracking. "He's hurt. Badly."
They didn't hesitate. Two men hoisted me up between them and carried me to the nearest building, where an older woman—likely the village healer—took charge. Kaelith stayed by my side the whole time, watching as the healer worked to bandage my wounds and administer some sort of herbal remedy to ease the pain.
But I could still feel it—the curse. It hadn't left me entirely. It clung to my aura, a dark, festering presence just beyond the edges of my consciousness. I wasn't sure how much longer I could fight it off.
Hours passed, or maybe it was days. My sense of time was warped, twisted by the pain and the strange fever dreams that came and went. I could feel Lyra's presence more often now, steady and comforting. She was stronger than she had ever been, and I didn't know if it was because of the curse or something else entirely. But she kept me grounded, pulling me back whenever the darkness tried to take over.
Eventually, I opened my eyes to find Kaelith sitting beside me. She looked exhausted, her face pale, but she was alert, watching me with concern.
"You're awake," she said softly.
I nodded, wincing at the movement. "Barely."
She gave a small smile. "You're tougher than you look, you know that?"
I didn't feel tough. I felt broken, like something inside me had been torn apart during the fight with the cursed wolf. And I knew that if I hadn't fled when I did, I wouldn't have survived.
"The curse…" I started, my voice weak.
Kaelith's expression darkened. "It's still in you, isn't it? I can feel it."
I nodded slowly. "Yeah. It's not gone. But I'll fight it."
She looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers as if trying to summon her magic. "I'll help you. Somehow, I'll help."
I believed her. She had already grown so much in such a short time, and I had no doubt she would continue to become stronger. But this curse… it was something beyond either of us. Something far more dangerous.
"We need answers," I said, my mind drifting back to the cursed wolf. "We need to find out where these curses are coming from. And why."
Kaelith nodded in agreement. "We'll figure it out, Torrack. Together."
I gave her a weak smile, though deep down, I knew it wasn't going to be that simple. The curse had nearly killed me, and it wouldn't be the last time we encountered something like this. We needed to be prepared. I needed to be stronger.
But for now, all I could do was rest.