Chapter 4 >>>Chapter 4: The Prophecy Unfolds<<<

Mia's world was a blur as she struggled to regain consciousness. She lay on a cold concrete floor, the cold soaking into her skin like a second layer, her head pounding with a dull ache. Her throat was dry, her limbs were heavy, and the room's metallic, sterile smell made her stomach turn. Finally, she sat up, blinking hard to focus her vision, and saw Lyra standing above her, looking very interested.

Lyra said, "Welcome back, Mia," in a low, husky voice that made Mia shiver. "You appear to be feeling better."

Mia's mind was racing as she tried to make sense of what had happened. She recalled the conflict. The van. The darkness. being pulled through an entrance that throbbed with an odd vitality. Then-nothing.

She was here now. alongside Lyra. And Lyra's eyes conveyed to Mia that she was right in her element.

Even though her limbs were shaking, she required, "What do you want from me?" in a voice that was surprisingly steady.

Lyra smiled, her mouth curved like a predator relishing the pre-kill moment. She had an unearthly radiance in her eyes, which shimmered faintly in the low light.

"Mia," she whispered, "you are essential to the prophecy. a part that will decide the destiny of our world."

Mia gasped. Foretelling?

Her heart was racing, so she automatically searched for a way out, a window, a door, anything. The walls surrounding her, however, were made of solid stone and were only broken by odd carvings that pulsated subtly like veins. Lyra obviously had the upper hand, and she was at her mercy.

"What prophecy?" Mia hardly raised her voice above a whisper.

Lyra grinned more broadly, her face unreadable. "The Blood Moon prophecy," she uttered in a solemn tone. "A prophecy that foretells the imminence of a great and terrible power being released upon the world."

Confusion raced through Mia's head. Moon of Blood? Horrible strength? This was all illogical. Before it wasn't, her life had been typical.

Lyra stepped forward and reached out to her, and a shiver of dread ran through her chest. Lyra's hand tightened around Mia's wrist with unusual force as she attempted to back away.

Lyra whispered, "You'll see," as her eyes grew brighter. "You'll see in due time."

The room's air suddenly became thicker. It changed, Mia noticed-dense, electric, humming with something old and living. Beneath her, a low rumble shook the floor, like a faraway thunder approaching.

Dust poured down from the ceiling as the walls shook. As the carvings started to glow and each symbol blazed red with the intensity of embers, Mia's breath caught. Then-

A heartbeat.

There was a loud, deep thud that sounded as though it came from the earth itself.

With her voice hardly audible, Lyra turned to face the wall. "The Blood moon is rising. And along with it, the prophecy will be fulfilled.

Mia felt her heart pounding in her chest. She made an effort to remain composed and to think. But how was she able to? The world she knew was collapsing. Worse, she was in the centre of it somehow.

The shaking intensified. Mia abruptly left the room as the symbols flashed dazzlingly.

Her mind was filled with visions.

Flashes of the past and future appeared to her, like fragments of glass reflecting various points in time. Her parents. Her pack. Around a bonfire, laughter. Then yelling. Fire. A blood-soaked forest. And Jade-he looked into her eyes with a desperate urgency.

The Blood Moon follows.

The world was smeared with crimson light as a huge, red orb hung low in the sky. It lighted the night with caution rather than consolation. The surrounding air glistened as though reality were disintegrating.

"What does it signify?" Mia clutched her head as she gasped.

The surge of alien energy coursing through her caused her body to convulse, and she fell to her knees. Her veins were burning with light, and her blood felt like it was boiling. The visions then disappeared.

In the middle of the confusion, Lyra remained standing in front of her.

In her eerie voice, she declared, "The time of reckoning is near." "And you are the centre of it all, Mia."

Mia gasped as she looked up at her, the realization of what she had just witnessed weighing heavily on her. How could she have anything to do with this? She was simply-her. Nothing noteworthy. A girl just trying to make it.

"What do you mean?" Mia's voice broke. "Why me?"

Lyra took a while to respond. With her boots clicking on the stone floor like a countdown clock, she slowly made her way around Mia.

"Aren't you curious about what will happen?" Her tone was amused as she asked.

Mia nodded, her heart pounding in her ears like a drum.

Lyra lowered herself in front of her and pressed their faces together. Her face was calm, almost affectionate. She declared, "The prophecy is clear." "You have to decide. a choice that will determine the fate of the entire world.

The cold pricked Mia's skin. "What sort of choice?"

Lyra cocked her head. "Something has to be sacrificed. Either you embrace your role or you find your inner strength. or you turn it down and see everything you hold dear crumble.

Unbidden tears filled Mia's eyes. Her friends were on her mind. of jade. Of how, whenever the world became silent, his hand always found hers. She was unable to lose them. Not in this manner.

Her voice was hardly audible as she asked, "What must I do?"

Lyra grinned. "You'll find out soon enough. Let's just say, though, that things are going to get interesting soon.

The light dimmed like a dying heartbeat as the walls pulsed once more. Stone slabs started to slide apart in the room, revealing a staircase that led down into darkness.

It's time to get started, Lyra muttered.

Mia stood up unsteadily, the burden of fate bearing down on her.

She was certain of one thing, regardless of what lay ahead-

She had to make a decision.

And there would be no turning back once that decision was made.