Eclipsed Destiny

The camp was always alive with the early morning activity. However, in this case, the energy that filled the pack was tense, wary. Their eyes darted toward the edge of the forest as if any moment now a new attack will come. Such a battle left scars- emotional and physical-that would have to be forgotten in time, but time, unfortunately, wasn't something this pack had for itself.

Celia stood near the central fire, her blade resting at her side. Her mark burned faintly, the blessing's energy humming beneath her skin like a living thing. She replayed the vision from the previous night over and over in her mind, the voice's warning ringing in her ears: "Find the hidden betrayer. Before it's too late."

Her chest tightened as she swept her gaze over the camp, now settling on the familiar faces of her pack mates. She trusted them-she had to. But the voice was clear. Someone among them was working against them. And if she didn't act fast, the consequences would be disastrous.

"Celia," Aziel broke in sharply to her train of thought.

She turned to see him approaching, his movements slow but steady. His injuries had healed a lot, but there was still tension in his frame, reminding him of how close he came to falling in battle.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his blue eyes scanning her face.

She nodded, though the weight in her chest remained. "I'm fine," she said softly. "Just... thinking."

Aziel frowned, his jaw tightening. "About the blessing?"

"About everything,” she admitted. "The pack, the rogues, the blessing... and what comes next."

Aziel stepped closer, his hand brushing against hers. "We'll face it together," he said, his voice steady. "Whatever comes next, we'll handle it."

Celia's chest tightened at his words, a flicker of warmth cutting through the cold doubt. She wanted to believe him-to trust that they could overcome whatever was coming. But the shadow of betrayal loomed over her, and she couldn't shake the feeling that the worst was yet to come.

The day had elapsed in a haze of preparation and tension. And yet, as if driven by this common purpose of preparing to defend their home, the pack tirelessly worked to strengthen their defenses. But unease seemed to hover in the air, like a cloud upon every corner of the camp.

Celia spent most of the day observing, her gaze sharp as she watched the pack go about their work. She could not afford to miss anything, no matter how small. The blessing's warning had been clear, and she could not ignore it.

As the sun went under, casting the camp into a shadow, it was as if Celia felt herself being guided from the edge of the clearing. The gentle energy of the blessing pulsed faintly, beating quietly, like a melody guiding her steps.

And then she saw it, a figure moving through the darkness, their movements quick and deliberate. Her heart raced as she followed, her footsteps silent as she slipped into the trees. The figure moved with practiced ease, their path winding deeper into the forest.

Celia's mark burned hotter as she drew closer, the heat sharp and insistent. She tightened her grip on her blade, her chest tightening as she prepared for whatever was waiting.noveldrama

The figure stopped in a small clearing, their back turned to her as they crouched over something. Celia's breath caught as she recognized them-Kael.

Her chest constricted in a mixture of anger and betrayal as she stepped forward, her blade glinting in the faint moonlight. "Kael."

He stilled, his shoulders stiffening as he turned slowly to face her. His face was a mixture of guilt and defiance, his red-tinged eyes meeting hers.

"Celia," he said, his voice steady despite the tension in his frame. "What are you doing here?

"I could ask you the same thing," she said sharply, her voice low. "What are you doing out here, Kael? Sneaking around in the dark, away from the pack?"

Kael's jaw locked tight and he flicked his gaze away, to the ground. "I was scouting. Making sure the rogues aren't regrouping," he said

"Alone?" Celia's voice betrayed her skepticism. "And you didn't think to tell anyone?" Kael hesitated, his chest rising and falling in a heavy breath. "I didn't want to risk anyone else. If something went wrong..."

Celia's mark burned hotter, the blessing's energy flaring as her doubts deepened. She took a step closer, her blade still raised. "You've been lying to us, Kael. Working with the rogues. Feeding them information. I saw it with my own eyes."

His red-tinged eyes narrowed as Kael's face hardened. "I had my reasons."

"But reasons that almost got us all killed, betrayed the pack and now are still sneaking around, hiding something. What is it?" Celia shouted out, her voice trembling with rage.

His eyes flickered down to what he had been squatting beside; his body stiffened and stepped forward into blocking her line of sight. "You wouldn't understand, "Try me," Celia said, her voice cold.

Kael said nothing for a long time, his chest heaving with the burden of his choice. And then, slowly, he stepped to one side to reveal what it was he guarded.

Celia's breath caught at the view-a small glowing shard of crystal, its light faint but unwavering. The blessing in her flared up in answer, its power surging out as it recognized the shard.

"What is that?" she asked in a barely above-whisper tone.

Kael hesitated and looked down to the ground. "It is a piece of the Shadowbeast's core. I have taken it during the battle. I thought...I thought I would use it for something."

"For what?" Celia's voice was sharp and her chest had tightened with a mix of anger and disbelief. "Do you know how dangerous that thing is?"

"I know," Kael whispered, his voice quivering. "But I thought... if I could master it, if I could contain its power, I could guard the pack. I could undo all that's happened."

The burning mark felt the power from Celia's blessing spilling outward as she reacted. "You don't defend the pack by introducing the danger to its doors. That shard-it isn't a blade, Kael. It is a curse

Kael's gaze met hers, his expression a mixture of guilt and desperation. "I just wanted to fix things, Celia. To prove that I'm not a traitor."

Her chest tightened at his words, the anger softening as she saw the pain in his eyes. She lowered her blade, her voice steady but filled with emotion. "You don't prove loyalty by hiding in the shadows, Kael. You do it by standing with the pack. By fighting for them, not against them."

Kael nodded slowly, his gaze dropping to the shard. "What do we do with it?

"We shatter it," she said, steady. "Before it shatters us."

Lifting the shard, Celia's mark flashed with blinding light, blessing energy surging as it met the core. A jolt of pain had her gasp, her sight blurring in a world which seemed to contort and curve.

The final thing she knew was Kael's voice - panicked: "Celia!"