The cold night air pressed against Ayana's skin, sharper than before, as if the forest itself sensed the storm gathering on the horizon. The moon hung low and heavy, its pale light filtering through the bare branches and casting long, twisting shadows across the ground. She stood at the edge of their camp, watching the faint glow of the dying fire, her thoughts tangled and restless.
Kael sat nearby, sharpening his blade, his expression unreadable in the flickering light. Elira and the others had already settled into uneasy sleep, their faces drawn tight with exhaustion and worry. But Ayana couldn't find peace. Not tonight.
The visions haunted her—the rift bleeding darkness into the world, the twisted faces of the Hollowed, the dark alpha's mocking grin as he whispered promises of power and ruin. She traced her fingers absently over the pendant at her throat, its glow faint but steady—a reminder of the bloodline she carried and the curse she fought to break.
A soft rustle from the trees made her spin, dagger in hand. Kael was immediately alert, rising beside her, his gaze slicing through the darkness.
"Easy," she whispered, lowering the blade slowly.
From the shadows emerged a figure — tall and graceful, moving with a confidence that spoke of battles fought and won. The stranger stepped into the firelight, revealing a young woman with piercing green eyes that shimmered faintly, framed by wild curls and skin like polished obsidian. Her cloak bore the symbol of a crescent moon over crossed daggers, worn and faded but unmistakable.
"My name is Nova," the woman said calmly. "I'm here to warn you."
Kael's hand instinctively went to his sword. "Warn us about what?"
Nova's eyes flickered with a strange light. "The dark alpha's plan is changing. He's no longer satisfied with sending Hollowed to hunt and kill. He's building a new kind of weapon—a bloodline twisted by stolen magic and bound to his will."
Ayana's heart clenched. "You say this as if you've seen it."
Nova nodded. "I've lived through it. I was one of the first."
She reached beneath her cloak and pulled out a cracked pendant, its surface marred by deep fractures. "They called me a failed vessel—someone he rejected. But I survived. And I escaped."
Kael's voice was low and steady. "Why come now?"
"Because he's coming for you next. And time is running out."
The fire crackled between them as the weight of Nova's words sank in. Ayana glanced at Kael, then back at the stranger.
"We need to know everything," Ayana said finally. "If we're going to fight this, we need to be prepared."
Nova pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders and began to speak.
---
The story Nova told was one of loss and survival. Of villages swallowed whole by darkness, families torn apart by twisted magic, and children taken from their homes—converted into weapons of the dark alpha's will. She spoke of nights when the sky itself seemed to bleed, and the earth cracked open to swallow hope.
But more than that, she told of resistance—small pockets of fighters who refused to bend. Of secret gatherings beneath the light of the moon, where whispered prayers and ancient magic held the darkness at bay.
Ayana listened, absorbing every word. Her own memories mingled with Nova's tales—the narrow escapes, the cost of every victory, the faces of those lost.
"This isn't just a war of strength," Nova said, eyes glowing. "It's a war of wills. If he can break your spirit, he wins."
Kael's jaw clenched. "Then we don't give him the chance."
Training took on a new urgency. Days blended into nights as Ayana, Kael, and Nova pushed each other harder than ever before. Nova's fighting style was different—fluid and fast, with bursts of light magic that seemed to dance around her foes like flames. She taught them to harness their power in new ways, to see beyond the obvious, and to strike where the enemy was weakest.
Yet beneath her strength, Ayana sensed pain. One evening, as they sat beside the fire, she dared to ask.
"Why didn't you give in? To him?"
Nova's gaze dropped to the flames. "Because I hated the part of me he wanted to steal."
Ayana understood that all too well. "You're not alone anymore."
For the first time, Nova's lips curved into a faint smile.
---
But the calm didn't last.
A scout arrived late one night, breathless and pale. "They're moving," he gasped. "The Black Howl spreads from the north. The dark alpha's army is on the march."
Kael stood immediately, eyes burning. "Then the time has come."
Ayana drew a deep breath, feeling the weight of everything they'd fought for. "We don't wait for them to come to us."
She looked at Nova and Kael, her voice steady. "We take the fight to the darkness."
The three of them stood beneath the cold moonlight, bound by purpose and the silent vow to end the curse once and for all.
---
The days ahead would test them in ways they had never imagined.
But Ayana was ready.