Page 195 of Crimson Promises
Aurora let out a breath she seemed to have been holding. "This forest... there's something not quite right here." She stopped for a second and mumbled something that sounded like mirrors.
“What?”
“Oh, nothing. We should try to shield ourselves like you taught me.”
I couldn't disagree. Every tree, every whisper of wind, seemed to be watching us, judging us, taunting us. Waiting.
* * *
Aurora and I were walking through the forest blind. We had no clue what to look for. Or what we were supposed to do. I rubbed the back of my neck. We had no choice but to trudge forward.
Time was something we could not afford to waste. And I refused to be at the mercy of Lucifer ever again.
The forest's density tightened, its grip choking out the dim luminance from the overhead sky. A noticeable drop in temperature swept over us, with each breath misting in the frosty air.
A sea of shadows rippled a barely audible whisper threading through the undergrowth, setting every nerve on edge.
"Did you hear that?" Aurora murmured, her eyes darting towards the inky abyss.
I nodded, trying to discern the source of the noise. The dense canopy transformed the world around us into a patchwork quilt of darkness, every rustling leaf a potential threat, every distant call a harbinger of doom.
Then it started: a soft patter of paws on the forest floor grew louder and more pronounced. The movement of steps surrounded us, drawing closer and closer. My heart thudded loudly against my ribcage.
Out of the periphery, a pair of luminescent eyes blinked into existence, followed by another, then another. Soon, we were encircled by a dozen glowing eyes.
We both dropped the extra weight of our packs.
The owners of those eyes stepped into the dim light, revealing sleek obsidian bodies, their fur glistening as if studded with countless diamonds. Wolves, but not just any wolves. Their size was colossal, every muscle defined, power emanating from their very being. My hand instinctively reached for the hilt of my sword.
Aurora whispered, barely audible, “Don’t provoke them.”
The alpha, distinguishable by its sheer size and a jagged scar running across its eye, stepped forward, its stance challenging. This beast was dark, mysterious, and unfathomably powerful.
A low growl sliced through the stillness, its resonant rumble sending a shiver down my spine.
Pulling my dagger broke the silent tension of the forest. Aurora summoned her magic, hands glowing. We stood back-to-back.
The alpha, its size dwarfing its pack, stepped into the dim glow of Aurora’s magic, its eyes locked onto mine. With a guttural howl, the alpha lunged forward, its group following suit.
Instinct took over. I parried the alpha’s snapping jaws with my blade, using the force of its own lunge against it, pushing it off-balance. To my right, Aurora unleashed a torrent of her magical energy, sending several wolves flying backward. Yet, for each one we fended off, two more took their place. Their assault was relentless, a dance of flashing teeth and gleaming eyes.
A particularly cunning wolf, smaller but swifter than the others, managed to slip past my defenses. Its teeth sank into my arm, hot pain flaring instantly. Gritting my teeth, I slammed my elbow into its snout, forcing it to release its grip. Blood streamed down my arm, but there was no time to think, no time to heal.
Aurora’s magic sliced through the obsidian hides of our attackers, each burst of energy followed by the shattering sound of the wolves breaking apart, only to reform moments later. The realization hit me like a gut punch—these weren’t just wolves. They were constructs of the Heartless Forest itself, immortal as long as they remained within its boundaries.
The weight of despair threatened to settle in, but the determined set of Aurora's jaw, the fierce light in her eyes, fueled my resolve. I lunged at the alpha, my sword cutting through the air in a deadly arc. It deftly avoided the blow, its movements eerily reminiscent of a trained warrior.
In the pulsating heart of the fray, with obsidian jaws snapping at my heels and Aurora's magic crackling in the air, I realized the futility of our attacks. Myilliciumdagger, sharp and deadly against any demon, seemed ineffective against the onyx constructs. Their hunger was insatiable.
But then, a flash of insight struck me. An idea I had once read from a book I had stolen from Jos’ family’s library. My angelic blood, a violet hue, combined with Aurora's unparalleled magic, might be our only hope. Lucifer had said she had the power to control the living or dead, and while she knew how to reawaken something, she had never intentionally taken a life. That wasn’t something I was going to force her to do, but perhaps a spark of her magic was all that was needed to tear apart the wolves’ bond with the Heartless Forest.
While fighting back-to-back, I yelled out the plan to her.
"Anything to stop these things," she shouted back.
Drawing the dagger, I made a swift incision on my palm, the pain biting. The deep violet of my blood stained the blade's silver sheen. Aurora conjured a sphere of her radiant energy. I thrust the knife into the glowing orb, allowing her magic to infuse the dagger.
The reaction was immediate. The dagger pulsated with power, a harmonious fusion of celestial blood and ethereal magic.
