Aria's POV
First Scene: Whispers and Visions
The dream started off tiny and short, like a wisp of smoke. There was a peculiar, old vibe in the air as I stood in a silver-lit clearing. The Eclipse Stones towered big and threatening in front of me, their sharp edges piercing the night sky.
"Aria..."
My name was muttered, softly yet insistently. My parents were there, flickering like dying embers, as I turned. I could see the anguish and something deeper in my mother's violet eyes.
Her voice broke as she continued, "Find the truth." "Prior to it being too late."
The Moon Goddess herself appeared out of the shadows as the scene changed. Her eyes blazed with heavenly intensity, and her silver hair flowed like liquid stars.
With a tone that was neither gentle nor harsh, she said, "You are bound to the stones." "However, salvation is not always destiny."
The stones started to glow, throbbing with a frightening, rhythmic light as her words chilled me.
Despite the cold night air, I was soaked in sweat when I woke up with a start. As if it had been more than a dream, the dream stuck to me, intense and persistent.
There was no denying the attraction toward the Eclipse Stones.
I was unable to resist as the first rays of dawn appeared in the woodland. My footsteps were silent as I snuck out of my cot and into the woods.
The only sound in the eerily quiet woodland was the gentle crunch of leaves under my feet. However, a deep, recognizable voice broke the stillness as I got closer to the boundary.
"Why are you in this place?"
I turned to see Kael come out of the darkness and froze, my pulse pounding. His amber eyes shone dimly, and he had a suspicious, unidentified look on his face.
"I—" I stumbled as I tried to come up with a reason.
With a stern tone, he said, "Don't lie to me." "You were approaching the border covertly. Why?
I looked into his eyes and swallowed hard. "I dreamed. Regarding the Eclipse Stones. I have no idea what that means, yet Uncertain of how much to divulge, I hesitated.
"But what?" Kael stepped closer and pushed.
With my words hardly audible above a whisper, I said, "I believe they have something to do with me." "To my parents." To everything that is taking place."
For a second, I thought he may believe me as his jaw clenched. However, his countenance hardened as he shook his head.
He said icily, "Dreams don't justify risking your life." Keep your distance from the boundary. That is a directive.
His tone made it obvious that the talk was done as he turned to go.
I blurted, my desperation showing. "I can't."
Kael stopped, facing away from me. "You're a fool, then."
Long after he left, the sound of his wolf howl continued to reverberate in the atmosphere.
His comments were insufficient to deter me. The dream was too important and too genuine to ignore. I left for the Eclipse Stones a few hours later, when the sky was overcast.
With its deep woodland and shadows that appeared to move on their own, the trek seemed perilous. However, I was drawn onward by an unexplainable power.
I froze when I finally arrived to the clearing. In person, the Eclipse Stones were even more formidable, their black surfaces glimmering subtly as if they were alive.
I was startled to hear a raspy voice say, "You've come."
I turned to find an elderly guy leaning on a twisted stick, his milky eyes penetrating despite their blindness. He exuded a disconcerting intelligence, and I naturally took a step back.
"Who are you?" With a shaky voice, I asked.
He said, "Eldryn Moongrove." "The stones' seer."
"What are you looking for from me?"
Eldryn's laugh sounded like the rustle of dried leaves. "Child, that is not what I want. That's what the stones need.
He pointed to the biggest stone, which had a slight glow on its surface.
"Your answers are in them," he continued. "However, they won't give them freely."
My instincts told me to flee, but I hesitated. However, the stones' attraction was too much.
I felt a weird warmth come over me as I got closer, and I saw visions of the Moon Goddess, of old conflicts, and of my parents' frantic expressions.
"What does it signify?" I muttered.
Eldryn's tone was solemn. It implies that you are bound to a destiny that is far bigger than you can comprehend. But watch out, Aria. Your journey will become more perilous as you approach the truth.
For the first time, his milky eyes appeared to be fixed on me. "The betrayal that destroyed your family has a connection to someone close to you."
The words struck me like a punch to the body. "Who?" I insisted. "Who turned on them?"
Eldryn gave a headshake. You have to find it out. But be cautious, kid. Trust is a delicate concept.
My thoughts whirled with questions and anxiety as I staggered away from the stones, dazed from his cryptic warning.
By the time I got back to Duskridge, the hamlet was in shade as the sun began to set. I was rattled by my experience with Eldryn, but I knew I needed answers.
In the training grounds, I discovered Kael, intently watching his troops engage in combat.
"We need to talk," I said firmly.
Kael hardly gave me a look. "How about? Your noncompliance?
"No," I responded, taking a step forward. Concerning the rogues. Regarding the signs I seen close to the border. These are the same ones Celeste drew when she and Jax met.
He was interested in it. His demeanor was inscrutable when his golden eyes met mine.
"Are you certain?" he said in a circumspect tone.
"Yes," I said. Celeste is a party. She's working with them, but I'm not sure how far that goes.
Kael's jaw tensed, and I briefly believed he would accept my story. But then his doubt returned, and he shook his head.
"You have no evidence," he said in a chilly tone.
"I am being honest!" My annoyance boiled over and I lost my temper.
"And why should I have faith in you?" His tone was fierce when he retorted. "Since you arrived, you have only lied and disregarded orders."
I stepped back, my chest constricted, as his comments struck a deeper chord than I had anticipated.
"All right," I answered softly. "Don't trust me. But don't claim I didn't warn you when your heedless allegiance causes this pack to disintegrate.
With a mixture of pain and rage in my chest, I turned and left.
Kael sat by himself in his chambers that night as the colony became silent, his thoughts weighed down by uncertainties. He kept thinking about Aria's charges, and the jigsaw pieces didn't fit together.
His reverie was interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Is it something?" he called.
With a groan, the door opened, and Jax entered, his mismatched eyes glimmering with danger and mischief.
Jax stated in a hushed voice, "We need to talk." "The rogues aren't operating in isolation. They have a strong ally that is interested in seeing Duskridge burn.
The room echoed with the quiet growl of Kael's wolf as the impact of Jax's words set in.
"And they'll succeed if you're not careful," Jax said, his smile waning.