Malik
The battlefield loomed ahead, and with every step, I felt the weight of what was to come. Werewolves and elementals—once divided—now marched as one. We should have stood together long ago, before Acheron stole the throne. Before he turned the balance of the elements into chaos. A thousand years ago, Acheron was born with a rare affinity for fire. Every five centuries, the gods choose a new elemental ruler through a test that either crowns the chosen one or strips them of power. Acheron wanted that title. He believed it was his. But Ignisara (Ig-nih-SAH-rah) did not choose him. The fire goddess saw another fit to rule, and Acheron… he refused to accept it. He gathered his followers, promising them wealth, power—an easy life under his reign. Then, he burned his way through the castle gates, slaughtering all who stood in his path. He took the throne, and for eight centuries, he has sat there, ruling with unchecked fury. The other gods—Thalgron (THAL-gron) of Earth, Zephyran (ZEF-ear-an) of Air, and Nixthul (NIX-thool) Goddess of Water—stood by. They watched as Ignisara, the rightful goddess of fire, was pushed from her place. They did nothing while the balance crumbled. Now, fire no longer bends to reason. It does not flicker. It does not fade. It rages—unrelenting, unstoppable, too hot, too wild. A reflection of the tyrant who stole its throne.
And tonight, we end it.
I look up towards the sky, a thick black haze looming overhead. He had started. I clenched my jaw, we were so close. I'm coming Audra. Please don't die, hold on for me. I barked the command and sixty five hundred men veared towards the front lines. The remaining 700 followed me to our ambush. I heard the clash of war ringing through the trees as my forces met Acheron's. Magic crackled in the air around us it's presence was thick. I just hope it was enough to win. My paws pounded into the earth, my claws digging up the wet soil as I propelled myself forward. Despite the soft trickle of rain the air was dry, still with the looming outcome of war. We still had a long trek before we would reach the back of the alter. Before we would reach her. Can we make it in time?
Audra's Pov
The runes started rotating slowly as magic pulsed within them. Multiple cloaked people started chanting and moving in practiced patterens around the alter. Acheron stepped by my feet his icy gaze pierced mine. I saw the whites of his teeth through the darkness of his hood as he started singing an ancient song, his voice a baritone melody, as it carried out into the night sky.
"Hush, my little tide, don't fight the flame,
The moon will mark it's claim.
Drift away, and let darkness grow,
Your song is mine, your power flows…"
He hummed. As he finished chanting I could feel it. Some force tearing at my skin. Ripping at my very essence. Severing my being. It was like my soul was being ripped out of my body. Slowly I felt the tethers of my magic start to disconnect. I could see it. Little wisps of blue and gold hues started tearing away from my skin floating in collected tendrils towards a dull white crystal. Whatever Sylvin gave me numbed it completely, all I could feel was a dull ache as my magic was ripped away, and I slowly felt my life flicker between consciousness and death.
Acheron Pov
Something was wrong. My gaze was steady as I watched her. I kept my hands raised, held above the crystal her magic was being siphoned into. Instead of writhing in pain she only sat in mild discomfort. Her magic flowed into the crystal like a slow trickling stream instead of a rushing geyser. My eyes flickered to everyone around me, Sylvin stood by her head watching the events unfold with a blank, uninterested expression. I calmed my thoughts, no he wouldn't betray me. We have the same goal. I look at my servants, one of them had to have given her something. No matter. The ritual would still work, it would just progress slower. I was slightly irritated but I managed to calm myself focusing on chanting. As her power left her I could see the light in her eyes slowly start diming. Her body once tense with fear and anticipation was starting to slack, and fall limp. I smiled wickedly in satisfaction, everything was falling into place. She was starting to die, that meaned the ritual was nearly complete. I glanced over at the crystal, it was nearly full, it shone bright with hues of blue and gold. The colors swirling around each other in a perfect shimmering balance. This was the mark of her power. It was brilliant. I let my gaze fall on the crystal as I admired the magic I would soon posess. I had never it contain two different colors before. Shades of the same color yes, but two totally different colors, it was unheard of, and it was all mine. A wicked smile formed on my lips. All my dreams would come true soon.
Sylvin's POV
The runes gleamed brighter as her magic flowed, the crystal shone like a beacon, the glow reflecting off Acheron's gleaming eyes. I clenched my fists. It was working. Her power was unraveling, slipping from her grasp, and slowly killing her. I had prepared for this, convinced myself that it had to be done. And yet, as I watched her body tremble, the weight in my chest grew heavier. I couldn't take it. I couldn't even begin to imagine the pain and suffering she endured the past two years. My expression remained unreadable but I was slowly starting to question my brother. Acheron's dream had once been my own. Or at least, I had convinced myself of that. But as Audra's body trembled, as her magic was siphoned away, a sickening weight settled in my chest. Was this truly the only way. My face contorted finally showing emotions as I realized, I didn't want Audra to die. I wanted to find a different way for Acheron to win, one where Audra would live. Memories crowded my vision. Teaching her. Guiding her. Her quiet laughs as she succeeded. I truly thought we could have still been friends under different circumstances. I had to put a stop to this. I clenched my hands into fists at my sides. Slowly, I moved my hand, and held it behind my back, forming a dagger made of ice. My creation dripped from the heat that radiated around us. Hesitation creeped in. If I went through with this, there was no going back. Once my dagger pierced the rune, I knew it would shatter, and ruin a key piece to the ritual making it fail and fall into itself. Her magic was not fully gone, it was still tied into her soul, I knew it would go back, it wasn't to late. I step, moving quickly, I turn slightly bringing the dagger up and driving it straight into the rune to my left, piercing it. The rune cracked, making a loud deafening sound, the blue light faltered, flickering, and eventually dying, as the runes crashed onto the stone floor one by one as the ritual started to fall apart. Acheron's twisted gaze snapped to mine as he realized what I had done. "Sylvin! What have you done!" He screamed as he lunged, scrambling to put the runes back into their place. But it was no use. I had ruined everything. A small smile tugged at my lips. Audra started screaming, thrashing against her restraints. The power that filled the crystal cracked, and shattered, the ritual incomplete, releasing the magic within. The power that was being taken from her violently crashed back into her. Magic power lit up the night sky in beautiful hues of blue, gold, red-orange, and white. Her whole body glowed as the people around us started running away screaming, some collapsed onto the floor, unmoving, dead. That's when I felt it. A strange pull towards her. Like I was next to be taken. The tethers on my magic wavered. Acheron's flames went wild as he stared at me, rage filling every ounce of his being. The wind threw off his hood and whipped through his silver hair, slapping him in the face. "This is wrong Acheron! She should not have to die for this. Like the others." I say my voice cracking, being overshadowed by the wind. "You don't understand the goal!" He yelled, frustrated. "You never told me brother! You always kept it to yourself!" I countered, rushing to Audra and fumbling to undo her restraints. Her body started convulsing as she glowed hues of blue, red, gold, green and white. "You don't understand!" Acheron's voice cracked, raw with something unfamiliar—desperation. "You never did! This was never about power. It was for her. For Mallory. To bring her back!" his voice cracked and cut across the chaos of people running for their lives. His flames went wild mixing with the wind. Heavy rain started pouring down as lightning cracked, lighting up the night sky. The ground rumbled, shaking violently. I stumbled catching myself. "She's dead Acheron! There's no coming back from that!" I seethed, after all these years! He had never let go of what happened, what Nixthul did. His face hardened, his eyes narrowing. "What if there was . . . Was a way we could bring her back?" He asked his voice cracked as he choked on his words. I could barely hear him over the whipping wind. Audra screamed as I felt my body being violently pulled towards her. What was happening? Something was wrong! Then I saw it. A shard from the shattered rune, sticking out from the palm of my hand. It was collapsing, and now. Acheron and I had been stabbed by its fragments, marked for ruin. I looked at my hands, they felt numb as I started to disintegrate. My icy blue magic frayed, being pulled away from me. The falling ritual claiming us as it started to crumble and fade away. Flakes of my skin peeled off, being carried away by the wind. I looked around wildly, my eyes landing on Acheron, I could see his magic, it twisted off his body slowly shifting towards Audra. Panic flew across his face, he was fading, slowly, just like me. Twisting into dust being hurled by the wind into the night. Her magic was spiraling as she sucked in every ounce of magic around her. Including Acheron and I. It wasn't Audra that would die today. It was us, and I wasn't ready.