The journey eastward was different from the path to the Forbidden Forest. This time, Lyra did not feel the dark, oppressive grip of the Shadow of Oblivion, but rather its ominous proximity. She knew the plague had spread far, and Kaelan's pack was another victim. Lyra moved with the speed of a werewolf, her senses sharpened. Every tree, every stone seemed to whisper of the approaching threat.
Kaelan's aura grew stronger, pulsating with desperation and struggle, yet also with a pure, though untamed Primeval Magic that echoed her own. This confirmed Aeris's fears – Kaelan was more than an ordinary Alpha. Lyra felt she was approaching the place where the truth about the plague and her role in the world would finally be revealed.
As day turned to night, Lyra entered territory that clearly belonged to the Silver Claw Pack. The border trees were marked with warnings, but many were distorted, and traces of battle were visible on the ground. Fresh, dark signs of the Shadow of Oblivion were everywhere. Lyra felt a pang of unease. Had she arrived too late?
Suddenly, from a distance, she heard the sounds of battle – screams, werewolf roars, and strange, hissing noises she knew too well. The battle was ongoing. Lyra accelerated, her heart pounding.
The Silver Claw Pack's valley stretched before her. It was much larger and more open than the Gray Moon Valley, surrounded by high, rocky peaks. The scene, however, was terrifying. The entire valley was shrouded in darkness, and its inhabitants fought hordes of Shadows of Oblivion that were denser and more aggressive than any she had seen before. Some of the Shadows were enormous, with tentacles that tried to consume the werewolves.
Amidst the chaos, Lyra spotted Kaelan. He fought at the heart of the battle, his silver fur gleaming in the pale moonlight. He was powerful, his movements fluid and deadly, but he was surrounded by an aura of pure, untamed magic that seemed to hurt him as much as his enemies. Lyra noticed that his claws and teeth glowed with a delicate, greenish light, and when he struck the Shadows, they hissed and dispersed, but his power was on the verge of exhaustion. He fought, but his eyes were empty, as if controlled by instinct.
"He is a Primeval Alpha," she heard Aeris's voice. His power is similar to yours, Luna, but he doesn't control it. It consumes him. You must help him before he is destroyed by it.
Lyra plunged into the battle. She could not let Kaelan perish, especially if he was to be the key to destroying the true source of the plague.
As Lyra entered the fray, the Shadows of Oblivion, which had previously focused on Kaelan and his pack, suddenly turned towards her. They sensed her Primeval Magic. Lyra raised her hands, creating a powerful barrier of life energy that dispersed the Shadows around her. From her hands shot vines that wrapped around larger shadows, holding them in place while Lyra destroyed them with streams of pure energy. Her control over Primeval Magic was far superior to Kaelan's.
Kaelan, who had been fighting like a madman, suddenly froze, sensing the powerful, familiar aura. He turned, his empty but sharp eyes fixed on Lyra. He sensed her power, but also felt irritation that someone dared to intrude on his territory.
One of the giant, tentacled Shadows lunged at Lyra. Kaelan, seeing this, roared, and his body blazed with green light. He leaped in front of Lyra, blocking the attack and tearing the Shadow to shreds. He fell to his knees, panting heavily, his wolf form beginning to flicker.
"Kaelan!" Lyra cried, running to him. She noticed that his skin, where his wolf form cracked, glowed with a greenish light, and his eyes were empty, almost frantic. He was on the verge of losing control.
"He's losing it," she heard Aeris's voice. His mind is being flooded by Primeval Magic. You must heal him. You must help him regain control.
Lyra knelt beside Kaelan, ignoring the ongoing battle around them. Kaelan looked at her, his eyes clouded. His wolf tried to attack her, but Lyra did not flinch. She placed her hands on his head, closing her eyes and concentrating.
She poured her Primeval Magic into him, not to attack, but to heal. Her magic was like a soothing balm that tried to quell the storm in his mind. She saw his memories – his pack, his beloved, his father. She also saw the moment the Shadow of Oblivion first touched his pack, and in desperation, he unleashed his power, unknowingly becoming a vessel for uncontrolled Primeval Magic.
It was like two intertwined river streams. Lyra guided her magic to organize and purify his own. She felt that Kaelan's Primeval Magic was powerful, but wild, untamed. Lyra guided him, showing him how to control this power, how to draw from it without letting it consume him.
Kaelan roared, and his body trembled. His wolf form began to stabilize. The green in his eyes became clearer, and the emptiness slowly gave way to awareness.
When he opened his eyes, he looked at Lyra with clear understanding, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes. "You… you are the Luna," he whispered, his voice deep, but now sounding clearer. "The true one."
Lyra nodded. "Yes. And we both have Primeval Magic. We must work together, Kaelan. Or we will all perish."
Kaelan stood. His body was still wounded, but his power was under control. He looked at his struggling pack, and a new determination appeared in his eyes. "Help me," he said. "Show me."
Lyra smiled. "I will heal you, and then together we will push them back. I will teach you to control your power."
She began to heal his wounds, and Kaelan felt the life energy filling him. With it, came a sense of unity with the forest, which had never been so clear before. He felt every plant, every animal, every drop of rain. Lyra had unlocked something more in him than just control over magic – she had unlocked his true connection to the Primeval World.
When they were ready, Lyra and Kaelan stood side by side. Lyra raised her hands, and green vines shot from the earth, encircling the Shadows of Oblivion, restricting their movements. Kaelan, with newfound control, began to hurl powerful waves of green energy that dispersed the Shadows without harming the werewolves. His attacks were now purposeful, precise, and destructive to the plague.
Their combined power was overwhelming for the Shadows. They worked together, covering each other, healing wounded werewolves, and pushing back the enemy. The werewolves of the Silver Claw Pack, seeing their Alpha at full strength and acting in harmony with the new Luna, gained new hope and fought with doubled vigor.
The battle lasted another hour, but eventually, the Shadows of Oblivion, weakened and disorganized, began to retreat. Their dark energies dissipated into the air, leaving behind only destruction, but also the promise of peace.
When the last Shadow disappeared, Lyra and Kaelan stood, breathing heavily. Their packs were decimated, but survivors. Lyra looked at Kaelan. "This was just the beginning," she said.
Kaelan nodded. "I know. But now… now I am no longer alone. Thank you, Luna." There was sincere gratitude in his voice, and his eyes, though still tired, radiated a new, pure energy.
Lyra and Kaelan knew a long road lay ahead. They had to combine the forces of both packs, find more bastions, and finally destroy the true source of the Shadow of Oblivion. But now, for the first time in centuries, there was hope.