The Reckoning

The Hollow Archives trembled as an unseen force rattled the walls, sending ancient scrolls tumbling to the floor. The dim runes flickered wildly, as if the magic holding this place together was beginning to fracture.

Lucian stood in the entrance, his silver eyes glowing eerily as shadows coiled around his fingers like living serpents.

"You've led me straight to it," he said, his voice smooth as silk, yet laced with something far more sinister.

Kai was the first to react, stepping in front of Leah. His body tensed, golden eyes flashing with fury. "Back away."

Lucian smirked. "Why? You still think you can protect her?" His gaze slid to Leah, assessing, intrigued. "Tell me, little one… do you feel it yet? The power waking inside you?"

Leah's heart pounded in her chest. He knew something she didn't. And that terrified her.

Before she could respond, Damon moved.

Fast.

A blur of darkness and lethal precision. His dagger was out, aimed for Lucian's throat—

But Lucian vanished.

The air where he had stood rippled like water, his form reappearing a few feet away, untouched. He chuckled. "Come now, Damon. Surely you can do better than that."

Damon didn't hesitate. He lunged again, this time his blade coated in silver fire.

Lucian barely dodged, but this time his smirk faltered. "Ah. There's the bite."

Kai didn't wait. He shifted mid-step, his massive black wolf form launching forward. Claws raked through empty air as Lucian twisted away, his movements too fast—unnatural.

Leah felt something stir in her chest. An ache. A pulse.

She stumbled back against the pedestal, her hands gripping the ancient book. The moment she touched it, heat seared through her veins, and for a brief second—

She saw everything.

A war. Creatures beyond this world. A prophecy.

And her.

The missing piece.

Leah gasped, reality snapping back into place. The walls of the Archive trembled again, but this time—it wasn't Lucian's doing.

It was hers.

The book in her hands pulsed. The runes on the walls blazed to life. Energy surged through her body, hot and untamed. Her breath hitched.

"What the hell?" Selene whispered, eyes wide.

Lucian's gaze sharpened. "Ah. There it is."

Then—all hell broke loose.

The shadows behind Lucian shifted, morphing into figures. Forsaken. Twisted, reanimated wolves with glowing red eyes and black veins crawling beneath their skin.

Kai let out a feral snarl. "Hold the line!"

The pack warriors spread out, drawing their weapons. Selene charged first, her twin blades slicing through the air as she met the first Forsaken head-on.

Claire and Vivienne hurled fire sigils, bright flashes of light illuminating the chaos.

Leah was frozen. Her fingers gripped the book, her chest heaving. The power inside her wanted out.

"Leah, MOVE!" Damon's voice cut through the madness.

She barely dodged as a Forsaken lunged for her, its fangs inches from her throat.

Instinct took over.

She raised her hands—and the air rippled.

A shockwave burst from her chest, sending the creature flying backward into the stone walls with a sickening crack.

Silence.

Everyone stared.

Lucian's lips curled into something like delight. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

Leah panted, her hands trembling. "What… was that?"

Damon moved to her side, eyes sharp. "That was you."

She shook her head. "No—no, I don't know how I did that."

Lucian tilted his head. "You will."

Then, with a flick of his wrist, the ground beneath them cracked. The entire chamber collapsed.

Stone crumbled. Dust and debris filled the air. The floor beneath Leah vanished, and she plunged into darkness.

Voices shouted her name—Kai, Damon, Selene. But they were distant, fading.

Then—impact.

Her body hit cold stone, pain jolting through her limbs. The world spun, her ears ringing.

Silence followed.

She groaned, pushing herself up. A dim blue glow surrounded her—coming from the book still clutched in her hands.

She wasn't alone.

Footsteps echoed.

Lucian stepped from the shadows, utterly unscathed.

Leah's breath caught. She scrambled back, heart racing. "Stay away."

He didn't.

He crouched in front of her, eyes gleaming. "I don't think you understand, little one." His fingers reached out, barely grazing the book. "You belong to something far greater than them."

Leah's body went rigid as a pulse of energy wrapped around her like a cage.

Lucian smiled.

"Shall I show you?"

---

Now Leah's separated from the others, alone with Lucian, and her powers are waking up fast. What is she? And what does Lucian really want from her?

The battle has only just begun.