Chapter 5 Echoes Of The Lost

The ruin shook, stone crumbling as the Moonweaver relic pulsed, its silver light searing Elyra's eyes. Her mother's face-alive, glowing with Moonseer power-burned into her soul, a vision or a lie that shattered her world.

The mayor's dagger, glowing with dark runes, hung mid-air, inches from her heart. Zane's bloodied wolf form lay crumpled, Kael's blade clashed with cultists, and Lila clung to her, sobbing. Mira's laugh echoed, a venomous thread weaving through the chaos.

"Mom?" Elyra's voice cracked, tears streaming down her face. Her powers surged, violet sparks crackling, freezing the moment.

The cloaked figure-her mother?-stepped closer, her violet eyes mirroring Elyra's, a claw pendant glinting at her throat. But something was wrong. Her mother's smile was cold, her hands stained with blood, not her own."Elyra, my light," the figure whispered, her voice a haunting echo.

"Your blood will free us."Elyra's heart lurched. Free us? Her mother died eleven years ago, slaughtered with her family. This couldn't be real. Her vision shifted, a memory clawing free: her mother's scream, Mira's shadow in the flames, a second relic glowing.

Elyra's powers roared, shattering the illusion. The figure flickered, revealing Mira's face, her blue eyes gleaming with triumph."You!" Elyra screamed, her dagger slashing, but Mira vanished, her laugh lingering.

The mayor lunged, his dagger grazing Elyra's arm, drawing blood. Her powers exploded, a violet wave hurling him back, the relic's light pulsing faster, the ruin trembling.

"Elyra, get down!" Kael tackled her, shielding her from falling stone. His amber eyes burned, blood streaking his tattoos. "Mira's using the relic to twist your mind!"Lila's sob cut through. "Elyra, I'm sorry!"

Her pendant's shards lay scattered, her wrists raw from chains. "Mira made me... the pendant controlled me."Elyra's heart fractured, Lila's guilt mirroring her own. She grabbed Lila's hand, pulling her close. "You're not their pawn anymore," she said, her voice fierce despite the tears. "We end this together."

Zane's groan snapped her focus. He shifted back to human, his green eyes dim, blood pooling beneath him. "Elyra," he rasped, his hand reaching for her. "Don't trust... the visions." Her chest tightened, his words clashing with her vision's dagger.

Was he warning her, or hiding his own betrayal? She crawled to him, her hands shaking as she pressed them to his wound, her powers sparking, trying to heal.

"Stay with me, Zane," she begged, tears falling. "I can't lose you."The mayor staggered up, his claw pendant glowing, Zane's dagger in hand. "Your blood, Moonseer," he hissed. "It unlocks the second relic. The valley's ours."

Elyra's blood ran cold. Second relic? Her vision's shadow, her mother's bloodied hands. Mira's cult wasn't just after power-they wanted the valley's destruction. She stood, her dagger raised, her powers unstable, violet light flooding the ruin.Kael charged the mayor, their blades clashing, but cultists swarmed, their chants fueling the relic's pulse. Lila grabbed a fallen crossbow, firing at a cultist, her hands trembling.

"Elyra, the altar!" she shouted. "The relic's tied to it!"Elyra's eyes locked on the altar, its runes glowing with her blood. Her mother's voice echoed: Your blood is the key. She sprinted, dodging bolts, her leg and arm bleeding, her powers screaming. The relic hovered, a silver orb radiating heat, its power pulling at her soul.

She reached for it, her fingers brushing its surface, and a vision slammed into her: the valley burning, two relics united, her mother's face-not Mira's-pleading, Save us.Elyra gasped, stumbling, the relic's power burning her hand.

Mira reappeared, her amulet flaring, her white hair whipping in the chaos. "You can't stop it, Elyra," she purred. "Your blood, your pain-it's all mine."Rage boiled in Elyra's chest. "You killed my family!" she screamed, her powers erupting, a violet blast hurling Mira back.

The ruin shook, stones falling, the cultists faltering. Kael fought, his blade a blur, but the mayor lunged, his dagger aimed at Elyra's heart.Zane roared, staggering up, his alpha aura pulsing.

He tackled the mayor, blood dripping, his strength fading. The dagger clattered free, and Elyra dove for it, her fingers closing around its hilt. Her powers surged, the dagger glowing, revealing hidden runes-Moonweaver, not cult.

"It's not yours," Elyra hissed, facing the mayor. Her vision lied-the dagger wasn't Zane's betrayal; it was her weapon. She slashed, cutting the mayor's pendant, its glow fading. He screamed, collapsing, but Mira's chant grew louder, the relic's light blinding.

"Elyra, the bond!" Kael shouted, dodging a cultist. "Your mates-they're the anchor!"Elyra's heart stopped. Mates. Kael's bond, Zane's love-both pulling at her soul. Her powers wavered, torn between them.

She looked at Zane, bleeding, fighting for her, and Kael, fierce, unyielding. Her mother's voice whispered: The heart binds the power.She grabbed Zane's hand, then Kael's, their bonds igniting, a warmth flooding her.

Her powers stabilized, violet light merging with their strength. The relic pulsed, its runes aligning, and Elyra's blood dripped, sealing the bond. The ruin stilled, the cultists staggering, Mira's amulet cracking.

"You can't!" Mira screamed, her voice desperate. She raised her hands, dark magic swirling, but Elyra's powers surged, a violet shield protecting her, Zane, Kael, and Lila.The relic's light faded, sinking back into the altar, its power locked-for now.

Elyra's legs buckled, her wounds burning, her powers drained. Kael caught her, his arms steady, while Zane collapsed, his breathing shallow. Lila sobbed, clinging to Elyra, her guilt raw.

"We did it," Elyra whispered, tears falling, but her heart sank. The second relic, her mother's face, Mira's escape-they weren't done. The mayor lay unconscious, his pendant shattered, but the cult's threat lingered.Kael's eyes darkened.

"Mira's gone. She'll come for the second relic."Elyra nodded, her gaze on Zane, his pulse weak. "We need to heal him," she said, her voice breaking. "And find Lila's pendant's source.

It's tied to the cult."Lila's eyes widened, guilt flashing. "Elyra, the pendant... my mother gave it to me. She said it was Moonweaver."Elyra's breath caught. Lila's mother? Another Moonweaver? Her vision's bloodied hands, her mother's plea-too many secrets.

She stood, her powers flickering, and heard a low growl-not wolf, but the beast from the riverbank, its chains broken, its red eyes glowing in the fog."Run!" Kael shouted, pulling her and Lila toward the ruin's exit.

Zane staggered, supported by Kael, his blood leaving a trail. The beast's snarl grew, joined by cultist chants, Mira's voice weaving through.

Elyra's heart pounded, her wounds slowing her. The ruin's runes flickered, a new vision hitting: the second relic, a black orb, hidden in a human manor, her mother's face, not dead but trapped, and a claw pendant, pulsing with her blood. Her powers sparked, unstable, and she stumbled, Kael catching her.

"What did you see?" he demanded, his voice urgent."My mother," Elyra gasped, tears streaming. "She's alive. Trapped by the cult."Zane's hand tightened on hers, his voice a whisper.

"Elyra... find her. I'll hold them off.""No!" Elyra's scream echoed, her heart tearing. She couldn't lose him, not after everything. But the beast's claws scraped closer, the cultists chanting, Mira's magic pulsing. Lila's eyes darted to the fog, her crossbow raised, her guilt fueling her fight.

"We can't fight here," Kael said, his voice grim. "The manor-Duskfall. That's where the second relic is."

Elyra's mind raced. Duskfall, the human town, the mayor's base. Her mother, alive? Her vision's manor loomed, a trap or a truth.

She looked at Zane, his green eyes fading, and Kael, his amber eyes fierce, their bonds her anchor.

"Together," she said, her voice steel. They ran, the beast's roar shaking the earth, the cultists closing in. Elyra's powers flickered, her blood the key, her heart the cost. The manor loomed in her mind, its secrets waiting.

They reached the forest's edge, Duskfall's lights glinting in the distance. Elyra's vision pulsed: her mother, chained, a black relic glowing, and Mira, holding a third claw pendant, its power darker, older. But another figure stepped from the shadows, not Mira, not her mother-a man, his face hidden, his voice chilling.

"Elyra Voss," he said, his claw pendant glowing. "Your blood belongs to me."The beast lunged, Zane collapsed, and Elyra's scream was swallowed by the fog as a crossbow bolt flew, aimed at her heart.