The air around them thickened an unnatural coldness.
Kael and Darius stopped in their tracks, their sharp senses prickling.
"There is something here" Kael sniffed.
"No, Kael, not something. A lot of things.
The mist swirled, and grotesque creatures; beasts twisted by Morgath's magic emerged from the darkness. Their bodies were stitched together from different animals and their eyes were glowing with a strange red colour.
"These creatures— what are they? Abominations!" Kael murmured angrily.
Darius exhaled sharply. "Dear Moon, please help us."
Kael's claws extended and he braced himself for a good long fight. "We don't need the Moon's help."
Then the battle began.
Kael dodged as a massive beast—a wolf-like creature with six burning eyes and a serpent's tail—slammed its claws down where he had stood.
Darius snarled and ripped into another abomination's throat, only to find its body stitching itself back together.
"Fuck! These things don't die!" Darius shouted in frustration, dodging a strike.
Kael gritted his teeth. "Then we tear them apart faster than they can heal!"
He leaped and sank his fangs into the largest creature's neck, using his full strength to snap its spine.
The beast collapsed, but even as it did, black tendrils gathered from the ground and pulled it back together.
Kael cursed. Morgath's magic was keeping them alive.
A low, devilish laugh echoed through the mist.
Kael's blood ran cold.
Morgath was watching and enjoying the show.
"We need to move!" Darius yelled, clawing his way through another beast. Kael nodded sharply. They couldn't afford to waste energy on monsters that wouldn't stay dead.
So, instead—they ran.
They pushed forward toward Lyra, ducking and weaving through the chaos with their bruised blood-stained bodies. But then—a massive figure suddenly emerged from nowhere and blocked their path.
A beast unlike any they had ever faced.
Its body was covered in strange symbols and its eyes were deep and hollow
This isn't just one of Morgath's creatures.
It's her champion.
A beast specially made to kill them.
Kael's body was already screaming for rest. But he cannot stop now.
No, not at this point. Because somewhere beyond this nightmare, Lyra is waiting.
And he would burn the world to get to her.
—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The blinding pulse of blue energy that erupted from Lyra's chest suddenly started dimming. Her mind was fracturing.
Darkness pressed against her, entering into every part of her soul.
She could feel Morgath's grip tightening.
"I cannot lose my old on you child" Morgath whispered in her mind.
Lyra's breath hitched.
She could feel her thoughts slipping away.
Morgath was starting to gain control over her entire mind and body.
"Give in dearie, and I will make the pain stop."
Lyra screamed.
The shadows inside her were fighting back.
Morgath's voice was everywhere.
"You can't win, child. Your body is already mine."
Lyra's hands clawed at her skull.
She could feel herself slipping.
Her memories were fading.
Even her name—Who was she?
"Let go."
No.
She couldn't.
She wouldn't.
A part of her wanted to.
To let go.
To let the shadows take her.
But then she heard a voice.
A familiar, feral growl.
"Lyra!"
Kael.
Lyra's eyes snapped open.
And in that moment, she fought back with everything she had.
The shadows screamed and Lyra got her mind back.
Morgath gasped. "No—"
But it was too late.
Lyra unleashed a pulse of pure energy and the shadows exploded.
Lyra—for the first time in a while felt truly awake.
But something was wrong.
Because when she looked down at her hands they were glowing.
And this was no ordinary glow.
A power older than Morgath.
A power she didn't recognize.
But before she could process it—a gut-wrenching howl tore through the air.
Kael
Lyra swam faster than she ever had before.
The ocean's currents parted as she moved with her entire body burning with newfound energy.
She had never felt this much raw power coursing through her veins before.
It scared her, it's a really strange feeling.
But she didn't have time to dwell on it.
Because Kael was dying.
She could feel his pain like their souls were linked together by something invisible.
Then—she heard a deep agonizing howl that rattled her bones.
"Hold on, Kael!" she whispered, pushing herself harder.
Getting to the surface, the air was thick with blood and magic.
She saw Kael, barely standing with his body battered and his fur soaked in blood.
Morgath's champion was in front of him, completely unharmed.
Kael was losing blood.
Darius lay unmoving nearby, blood pooling beneath him.
Something inside Lyra snapped and she screamed.
Then—everything exploded.
Kael barely had time to react.
A blinding wave of blue and white energy blasted through the whole place, sending Morgath's champion staggering backward.
The force shattered the trees, parted the mist, and sent a tidal wave crashing onto the shore.
Kael staggered back, eyes wide.
At the center of the storm stood Lyra.
Her body hovered a few inches above the ground, glowing with power that shouldn't exist.
Her eyes burned with ancient magic. They weren't hers.
Kael's heart pounded.
What is happening to Lyra?
Then Morgath appeared laughing so heartily with a slow and satisfied chuckle.
Kael's blood ran cold.
No.
No, no, no.
Lyra turned to face him with a vacant and unreadable expression.
"Lyra?" Kael called hesitantly.
She didn't respond.
Then, in a voice that is not entirely hers, she whispered—
"It's too late, Kael."
Kael's chest tightened. "Lyra, fight it!"
But her body moved on its own and she attacked him.
Kael stumbled back, panting.
The woman he loved—his Lyra—stood before him, but her eyes were something else.
They had an ominous and unnatural blue glow in them and were radiating raw magic. And worst of all—she was aiming that power at him.
"Lyra…" Kael breathed, his voice pleading. "It's me."
But she neither flinched nor blinked.
Without hesitation, she sped towards him with a surge of pure energy.
Kael barely dodged as the blast tore through the ground, leaving a smoldering crater where he had stood.
He landed hard with his ribs screaming in pain.
But none of that hurt as much as the look on Lyra's face—so empty and lost.
"She's mine now, Alpha," Morgath's voice echoed through the air, thick with satisfaction. "And she will be the one to kill you."
Kael gritted his teeth.
"Never! That will not happen. Not even in your wildest dream you wretched witch."
Lyra rushed him.
Faster than she had ever moved before, unnaturally fast.
Kael barely had time to raise his arms before her claws slashed across his chest, sending him staggering.
"Lyra, stop!" he gasped.
She didn't.
She did not even seem to hear him.
She attacked again.
Kael blocked, his arms shaking from the force of her blows.
She was stronger than before.
Stronger than him.
Another blast of energy sent him flying backward and his body slammed into a tree.
Pain exploded through him.
He coughed, blood staining his lips.
But he wouldn't fight her.
Even if it meant dying.
"Kael, MOVE!" Darius' voice though weak, cut through the chaos.
Kael looked up just in time to see Lyra aiming for his heart.
But at the last second—
She froze.
Her entire body tensed and trembled.
Her glowing eyes flickered.
"Lyra?" Kael called softly.
She gasped, stepping back like she had just woken up from a nightmare.
"Kael?" her voice was small and broken.
For a moment, just a moment, she was herself again.
But Morgath's hold was not gone.
Lyra screamed, clutching her head, as the darkness tried to reclaim her.
Morgath hissed, furiously. "NO!"
Then—the ground beneath them shattered.
The earth crumbled beneath Kael's feet.
"You think you can save her?" the dark sorceress sneered. "She is already MINE!"
Lyra screamed as black veins spread across her skin, glowing like molten fire.
Her body convulsed, hovering above the shattered ground.
Kael's heart hammered.
She wasn't just under Morgath's control anymore.
She was becoming something else.
Then—
A voice thundered through the storm.
"ENOUGH!"
The sky split open.
And from the clouds, King Thalor descended.
A Father's Wrath
The sea rose behind him.
King Thalor wielded a trident of glowing sapphire, his eyes burning with divine rage.
"Dark witch," he growled, "release my daughter."
Morgath only laughed.
"Oh, Thalor… you're too late."
The dark magic surged around Lyra, twisting her screams into something unnatural.
Her form shifted.
Her fins darkened, her teeth lengthened, and her voice turned into an inhuman wail.
Kael felt his blood run cold.
Lyra was becoming a monster.
Morgath smirked. "She is perfect, isn't she?"
King Thalor's trident blazed with power.
"Not while I still breathe," he snarled.
With a roar, he hurled a wave of magic at Morgath.
But Morgath only snapped her fingers.
And Lyra—possessed, transformed—turned against him.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------
Nixie had been watching from the shadows.
Tears streamed down her face as she saw her best friend and mistress losing herself.
"No… no, Lyra, please!" she whispered.
She had to do something.
Before Kael, before Thalor—Lyra had always trusted Nixie.
So, she did the only thing she could.
She ran straight into the battlefield.
Straight into the storm of dark magic.
"LYRA!" she screamed. "IT'S ME!"
The moment Lyra heard her voice, she hesitated.
Just for a second.
But a second was all they needed.
King Thalor thrust his trident forward.
A blinding blast of energy erupted—
And Lyra collapsed.
The magic faded.
Morgath shrieked in fury.
"You will PAY for this!"
The ground shook violently.
And then—Morgath disappeared.
But not before leaving one final curse.
—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kael rushed to Lyra's side.
She was unconscious, trembling, her body still tainted with dark veins.
Thalor knelt beside her, his expression unreadable.
"She is… changed," he murmured. "The magic is still inside her."
Kael's chest tightened.
"What does that mean?"
Thalor's voice was grim.
"It means she may never be the same again."
Kael's world shattered.
As he stared at Lyra, he realized—
Even though they had saved her… they might have already lost her.