Chapter 22: The awakening

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Awakening

The world around Ava seemed to pulse with energy, the Bloodstone now thrumming with a power that seemed to resonate in every cell of her body. Her fingers tightened around it, almost instinctively, as if the stone had become a part of her. The overwhelming surge of power was dizzying, but beneath the rush, Ava could feel something deeper—a connection to something ancient, something that had been waiting for her.

She turned toward Damien, still in wolf form, his amber eyes flashing with concern and with something else that Ava just couldn't quite place. The tension was palpable in the air, and Ava could feel it: the battle no longer remained between wolves alone; it was a war of wills, of powers, of fate.

Elara was furious. Her eyes were wild as she stepped forward, her hands crackling with dark energy. "No," she hissed, her voice low and full of venom. "You have no right to wield that power. The Bloodstone belongs to me!

Ava's heart skipped a beat. Elara was dangerous; she knew that. But now, with the Bloodstone in her possession, Ava realized the woman's power was nothing compared to what she was holding. The magic inside her felt ancient, unyielding, and far more dangerous than anything she had ever experienced.

"I don't want this," Ava said, her tone firm but threaded with undercurrents of fear. "I never asked for any of this. But I'm not going to let you use it for your own gain."

Elara's lips twisted into a cruel smile, her eyes glinting with madness. "You think you can stop me, little human?" she taunted. "The Bloodstone is mine. I was born to wield its power. You, a mere human, cannot even begin to fathom what you've unleashed.

Ava could feel the surge of magic at her fingertips, the Bloodstone urging her to act. She wasn't sure how to control it-how to use it-but the pull of its power was undeniable. The moment Elara's dark magic collided with the stone's light, Ava felt a rush of energy, an invisible force pushing her backward.

The wolf growled, Damien taking a step forward almost protectively, but Ava raised her hand. "No," she said, sharp. "This is my fight now."

Damien's wolf paused for a moment, his eyes with hers, that silent understanding passing between them. He knew what she was capable of, knew the bond between them had shifted in ways they had yet to fully understand.

The air between them seemed to crackle as Elara's dark magic lashed out at Ava. But Ava wasn't afraid-not anymore. She could feel the Bloodstone's energy flowing through her, its light pushing against the darkness like a beacon.

With a deep breath, she lifted her other hand toward Elara, and the power of the Bloodstone responded to her summons. A blinding flash of light burst from her fingers, meeting Elara's magic in a blast of energy that sent them both flying.

The blast sent Elara stumbling back, hands lifted to ward off the display as she fought for the control of the magic. A wide-eyed expression of unbelief was the first time an edge of fear crossed her face.

Ava's heart raced with the continued pulsing of light from the Bloodstone as it coursed through her hands. A great and terrible power coursed inside her, tugging at the seams of reality, reaching, stretching, feeling out tendril by tentative tendril for something-anything-to grasp. It wasn't just Elara she was trying to stop; it was the darkness that consumed her, the darkness which had so thoroughly twisted Elara's original intentions for far too long.

"Enough!" Elara screamed, her voice sharp with rage. "You don't understand what you're dealing with!"

But Ava did understand, at least in part. The Bloodstone wasn't just a tool of power—it was a force of balance, of light and dark, a guardian of the natural order. And Elara, with her selfish lust for control, was disrupting that order.

A wave of determination swept through Ava. She wasn't going to let Elara destroy everything just because of her own twisted desires. She drew all her energy together, focusing it on extending the light of the Bloodstone to its fullest extent. The power surged around her like a storm, the air vibrating with its force.

And then, everything shifted. The earth beneath them shook, the trees trembled as if in grace to the force Ava managed to unleash. The energy heightened, and Ava could feel the weight of it bearing down on her.

The earth beneath her feet ripped open, and from beneath the Bloodstone, a wave of light exploded and enveloped Elara. The dark energy that surrounded her dissipated, and in one moment, everything became quiet.

Damien's wolf took a step forward, amber eyes locked onto Ava as his presence settled and steadied her. The power of the Bloodstone had finally begun to subside, her breathing shallow and body shaking with the exhaustion of attempting to harness so much power.

Kneeling in the dirt now, Elara glared up at Ava with hatred burning in her eyes. "This isn't over," she spat, her voice shaking with rage. "You may have won this battle, but you haven't seen the last of me."

Ava didn't answer. She didn't need to. She could feel it, Elara was broken, her magic dissipating, no longer a threat. For now, at least.

As the echoes of battle faded away, the forest seemed to return to its natural stillness. Ava's hand fell from the Bloodstone, its glow gradually fading as the energy inside began to settle. Her heart was still racing, and she could feel the coursing of adrenaline within her, but for the first time, she felt a sense of control.

Damien's wolf came closer, nudging her with his snout, and his gold eyes softened. Ava's trembling fingers brushed against the fur. It was comforting and a reminder that she did not stand alone in this.

"You did it," Damien's voice sounded in her mind with awe. "You stopped her.

Ava nodded, her chest heaving with the effort of battle. "I don't know how, but I just couldn't let her destroy everything."

Damien transformed into his human form; the power of his body still slick with sweat from the fight, a look of admiration, though deeper, set Ava's heart fluttering.

You are no longer human, Ava," he said softly, advancing on her. "The Bloodstone chose you. In ways you have yet to wholly fathom, you now belong to this world."

Ava's eyes latched onto his, a surge of emotion swelling inside her heart-relief and awe, and something more. She didn't know what lay ahead, but for the first time in her life, she wasn't afraid.

She felt that she could now face whatever happened, and with Damien by her side, she knew she could face anything.