Lira’s scream echoed in her ears as the world dissolved into shards of light and darkness. She was falling, or maybe she was flying—there was no ground, no sky, just an endless void of blinding white and consuming black. The glowing mark on her chest pulsed like a second heartbeat, dragging her deeper into the unknown.
When she landed, it was not with the jarring thud she expected. Instead, her feet touched solid ground, but the surface was unlike anything she’d ever felt before—smooth, cold, and alive, almost like liquid light hardened into form.
Lira looked around, her breath hitching. The space was vast, endless. Lines of glowing symbols stretched across the ground, forming intricate patterns that radiated an energy she couldn’t begin to comprehend. The air hummed, thick with a presence that made her wolf stir uneasily within her.
And then she saw it—the figure.
It stood in the distance, shrouded in shadow, its form flickering like a dying flame. Though its features were obscured, its presence was overwhelming, filling the space with a weight that pressed down on her chest.
“Lira,” the figure spoke, its voice reverberating through the void like the toll of a distant bell. It was both male and female, old and young, a thousand voices speaking as one.
Lira took a step back, her wolf bristling. “Who are you? What is this place?”
“This is the Between,” the figure replied, its shadowy form gliding closer. With each step, the symbols on the ground flared brighter, their light rippling outward like waves in a pond. “A space beyond the mortal world, where the veil thins, and truth reveals itself.”
“The Between?” Lira repeated, her voice trembling. She pressed a hand to the glowing mark on her chest. It was warm, alive, as if it had become a part of her. “Why am I here? What do you want from me?”
“You carry the mark,” the figure said, its tone heavy with meaning. “The blood of the Forgotten flows in your veins, and with it, the power to reshape the fate of this world.”
“The blood of the Forgotten,” Lira murmured, the words sending a chill down her spine. The phrase felt familiar, as though it had always been a part of her, buried deep within her soul.
“You were not meant to awaken,” the figure continued, its voice hardening. “Not yet. But the darkness comes faster than we anticipated. It hunts you, Lira. It hungers for the power you carry.”
Lira’s hands clenched into fists. “Then tell me what to do. Tell me how to fight it.”
The figure stopped a few feet away from her, its shadowy form towering over her. “You must find the other half of the mark,” it said, its tone grave. “Without it, you will fall. And if you fall, the world will fall with you.”
“The other half?” Lira’s brow furrowed. “What does that mean? Where do I find it?”
The figure didn’t answer immediately. Instead, it extended a hand, its shadowy fingers unfurling to reveal a glowing shard of light. The shard floated toward Lira, hovering just above her palm.
“This will guide you,” the figure said. “But the path will not be easy. The darkness will follow you, and the choices you make will determine more than your own fate.”
Before Lira could ask more, the ground beneath her began to crack. The glowing symbols shattered like glass, the light draining away as the void around her surged forward. The figure’s form began to dissolve, its voice growing faint.
“Awaken, child of the Forgotten. And remember—time is not your ally.”
---
Lira’s eyes snapped open, her body jerking upright. She was back in the ravine, the cold, hard ground beneath her and the scent of blood thick in the air. For a moment, she thought it had all been a dream. But then she felt it—the shard of light.
She looked down and saw it resting in her palm, glowing faintly. It was real.
“Lira!” Damon’s voice broke through her daze.
She turned to see him limping toward her, his wolf form battered but alive. Blood matted his fur, and his golden eyes were filled with both relief and urgency.
“Thank the moon, you’re awake,” he said, shifting back into his human form as he knelt beside her. “I thought…” His voice trailed off, and he shook his head. “We don’t have time. More of those things are coming.”
Lira forced herself to her feet, ignoring the throbbing pain in her side. The shard pulsed in her hand, its light growing stronger as she clenched it tightly. “Damon, something happened,” she said, her voice trembling. “I—I saw something. Someone. They said the darkness is hunting me, and I need to find the other half of the mark.”
Damon frowned, his gaze flicking to the glowing shard. “What does that mean? The other half?”
“I don’t know,” Lira admitted. “But I think this…” She held up the shard. “I think it’s supposed to lead me to it.”
Before Damon could respond, a low growl echoed through the ravine.
Lira’s head snapped up, her wolf’s senses sharpening. The shadows at the edge of the ravine seemed to move, twisting and writhing as the creatures emerged once more. There were more of them now, their glowing green eyes fixed on her with unrelenting hunger.
“Damon,” Lira said, her voice low and steady. “We need to move.”
“No,” Damon said, stepping in front of her. “You need to run. I’ll hold them off.”
“What? No!” Lira grabbed his arm, her golden eyes blazing. “I’m not leaving you!”
“Lira,” Damon said, his voice soft but firm. He turned to face her, his expression filled with a mixture of determination and pain. “If they get you, it’s over. Whatever that mark is, whatever this power is—it’s bigger than me. Bigger than both of us. You have to go.”
Tears stung Lira’s eyes, but she didn’t let them fall. She shook her head. “I won’t let you die for me.”
“I won’t die,” Damon said, a faint, bitter smile tugging at his lips. “I’m too stubborn for that.”
Before she could argue further, the creatures lunged.
Damon shifted in an instant, his wolf colliding with the first of them in a blur of fur and fangs. Lira’s heart clenched as she watched him fight, his strength and ferocity unmatched. But there were too many of them, and for every one he brought down, two more took its place.
“Run!” Damon roared, his voice cutting through the chaos.
Lira hesitated for a split second, torn between the instinct to fight and the desperate need to survive. Then the shard pulsed again, its light growing brighter, and she felt it—a pull, a direction.
“I’ll come back for you,” she whispered, her voice breaking.
With one last look at Damon, she turned and ran.
As Lira raced through the forest, the shard’s light guiding her, the sound of the battle behind her grew fainter. But the mark on her chest burned hotter, and the shadows around her seemed to close in.
Somewhere in the distance, a new sound emerged—a low, bone-chilling growl that made her blood run cold.
And then, from the darkness ahead, a pair of glowing red eyes appeared.