The air within the forbidden territory was unlike anything Aurora had felt before thick with magic, yet somehow painfully clear. Each breath burned her lungs and left her feeling both invigorated and fragile, like glass under pressure. Around her, the landscape stretched in eerie, alien beauty. Trees with shimmering leaves cast multi-colored shadows, and the ground glowed faintly with pulsating veins of light.
"Stay close," Cassian warned, his blade at the ready as he scanned the shifting terrain. His presence was a steadying force against the chaotic energy pressing in from all sides.
Aurora nodded, her focus locked on the faint pull of the Pact's energy. It wasn't a direction so much as a feeling, an instinct that urged her forward. "This way," she said, her voice soft but resolute.
Anica crouched near a series of strange markings etched into the glowing ground. Their eyes narrowed as they traced the symbols with their fingers. "These are warnings," they said. "The Lycan King's influence is here and growing." "Good," Cassian muttered. "Let him come."
As if summoned by his words, a shadow beast emerged from the mist, its monstrous form twisting and expanding as it lunged at the group. Cassian and Nathan charged, their blades cutting through its dark mass, but the beast reformed instantly, its claws swiping dangerously close to Aurora.
Cassian shoved her behind him, growling, "Stay back!"
Aurora clenched her fists, the Pact's energy sparking faintly around her hands. "I'm not hiding."noveldrama
Together, they drove the creature back, but more beasts began to emerge from the shadows, their glowing eyes fixed on Aurora. Each attack was more frenzied, more desperate, as though the beasts knew she was their true target.
As the group pressed forward, Anica began deciphering more symbols along the way. "They're guiding us," they said, their voice tight with urgency. "This path leads directly to the heart of the Pact."
Aurora's steps faltered as a voice whispered through her mind, cold and taunting. "You can't outrun destiny, little Luna."
She froze, her breath catching. "Did you hear that?" she whispered.
Cassian turned to her, his brow furrowed. "Hear what?"
"The Lycan King," Aurora said, her voice trembling. "He's in my head."
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