The castle's ancient stones seemed to shudder in the cold night air as Elara's feet pounded against them in urgency. She ran, her breath sharp and fast, echoing in the dimly lit hallways.
That growl still lingered in her mind a low, primal sound that stirred something deep within her. Her hands gripped her cloak tighter around her body, but no matter how fast she ran, she couldn't shake the sensation that something was following her. No, not following. Calling to her.
Her heart hammered in her chest as she reached her chamber door. The heavy wood groaned as she pushed it open, stepping inside the dim room and slamming it shut behind her. She leaned against the door, eyes closed, trying to steady her breathing. She was sure that growl had come from deep within the castle below, in the shadows of a place she had never ventured. Ravenor's words echoed in her mind, Run.
So he wasn't bluffing earlier.
A strange heat bloomed beneath her skin as if something was stirring her blood, pulling her downward. She opened her eyes, her silver gaze catching the moonlight spilling in through the narrow window.
For a moment, she thought she saw something move in the shadows. A flicker. A presence, far below, in the depths of the castle was calling to her. She pressed her hand to the stone wall, feeling the pulse of something, a force that made her fingertips tingle.
Elara's eyes narrowed as she fought the sensation pulling at her, an invisible tether reaching from below, almost... beckoning her. But before she could act on it, a sharp pain spiked behind her eyes, forcing her to retreat to the bed, clutching her head. She didn't notice the moonlight streaming through the window growing faintly brighter, casting an eerie silver glow over her hair.
---
Ravenor stood in front of the iron door, a chill settling into his bones. This part of the castle, deep in the labyrinth of forgotten halls had always been colder, as if time had refused to warm its stones. The silence here was oppressive, thick with secrets buried centuries ago.
He didn't come here often, preferring to leave the past untouched. Yet tonight, something had changed. Fenrath had stirred, and Ravenor had felt it, like a tremor in his veins, a subtle shift in the air that told him the beast's long slumber was nearing its end. He could not ignore it any longer.
With a creak, the heavy door groaned open. Darkness swallowed the narrow stairwell that spiraled downward, winding into the castle's heart. His footfalls were silent, yet the stones seemed to pulse under his boots, whispering warnings as he descended deeper into the abyss. The torches lining the walls flickered weakly, casting long shadows that danced in the corners of his vision.
The temperature dropped sharply as he reached the bottom, the air colder than death itself. A low hum thrummed in the back of his skull, a familiar sensation he had learned to ignore. But now it grew louder with each step, as if the very walls had come alive with ancient memories.
He stopped in front of another door, this one much older than the rest. Its surface was blackened and warped, etched with symbols long forgotten by most. Ravenor's hand hovered over the rusted latch, hesitating for only a second before he pushed it open.
The chamber beyond was vast, cavernous, and pitch black. Only the faintest light from the torches behind him seeped into the space, illuminating the edges of thick iron bars that formed a cage in the center of the room. The air here was heavier, saturated with a raw, untamed energy that made his skin crawl.
Ravenor stepped closer, his eyes adjusting to the gloom. In the center of the cage, something moved slowly, deliberately. A massive shadow, hunched and still, its form obscured by the darkness. The air seemed to ripple around it, as if it were more than just flesh and bone.
For a moment, silence reigned, broken only by the faint rustle of movement from within the cage. Then, a low growl vibrated through the chamber, rattling the iron bars and sending a chill down Ravenor's spine. He kept his composure, his expression impassive, though he felt the weight of the beast very well.
The creature shifted, and for the first time, Ravenor saw its eyes, two luminous orbs glowing faintly in the dark, not silver, but something deeper, ancient, like the heart of a dying star. Those eyes locked onto him, and the growl ceased, replaced by a silence more unsettling than the noise had been.
The curse had held for centuries, binding the beast's power within these walls, but Ravenor could feel its strain now. Cracks were forming in the ancient magic. Fenrath's time in slumber was ending, and Ravenor knew that soon, it would no longer be contained.
He stepped closer to the bars, the cold biting into his skin. "Not yet," he murmured, his voice low.
The eyes blinked slowly, but there was no mistaking the simmering rage that lay beneath their calm surface. Another growl rumbled through the room, softer this time, as if the beast was speaking a language only Ravenor could understand. A warning, perhaps. Or a promise.
Ravenor stood there for a moment longer, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. He wouldn't draw it not here, not yet but its presence reminded him of the thin line he walked. Between power and destruction. Between control and chaos.
With a final glance at the glowing eyes, he turned and left the chamber, the iron door closing behind him with a heavy clang. As he ascended the stairs, the whispers of the stones followed him, the tremor still lingering in his blood. Fenrath was waking, and he knew there would be no stopping it.
But what caused this sudden awakening?
---
Ravenor's steps grew quieter as he neared the upper levels of the castle, the weight of the darkness slipping from his shoulders like a fading memory. Yet even as he left the dungeons behind, he could feel Fenrath's presence, as though the beast's very essence had sunk into the walls of the castle itself.
The moon was high now, and as Ravenor passed by the narrow windows, the silver light seemed to flicker just for a moment before settling back into its usual glow. He paused, his black eyes narrowing as he felt the faintest shift in the air, a ripple of power.
Somewhere above him, Elara's heart beat in time with the pulse of the moon as she struggled with that sharp ache in her head.
Along with the beast, something else was awakening as well...