CHAPTER 38

THE PURSUIT INTO DARKNESS

The Desperate Chase 

The storm was coming. Fast.

Alden barely noticed the howling wind tearing through his cloak or the bitter cold biting his skin. Nothing mattered except the thunderous rhythm of his horse's hooves pounding against the earth as he rode.

His pulse raced. His knuckles were white from gripping the reins too hard.

"Faster. Faster. Faster!"

He could still hear Lyra's last words before she disappeared into the night.

"I have to do this, Alden. I have to know the truth."

And then she was gone.

Vanishing into the depths of the haunted lands.

You should have stopped her!

The thought clawed at his mind, but regret wouldn't save her now. He had to get her back.

Behind him, Kael and Selene struggled to keep up, but Alden didn't care. He didn't care if he was riding straight into a trap. He didn't care if the enemy was already waiting for him.

All he cared about was her.

"LYRA!" he roared into the night, his voice raw. The trees swallowed his call, offering no answer.

Then—

A scream.

Piercing. Agonized. Hers.

Alden's entire body locked up. His heart lurched—then rage overtook him.

"GO!" he snarled at his horse. The stallion surged forward, breaking into an untamed, reckless gallop. Branches lashed at his arms, cutting through his sleeves, but he barely felt the pain.

The forest thickened around them, the air growing unnaturally cold. Shadows stretched unnaturally long, shifting like living things. The moment he rode past the last familiar landmark, the world changed.

A whispering voice slithered through the trees.

"Turn back, fool."

Alden's sword was in his hand before he even registered drawing it. He refused to be intimidated. Not now. Not ever.

Then, the shadows moved.

And all hell broke loose.

Alden knew immediately they were being watched.

It wasn't just a feeling. It was a certainty.

The air had changed. The trees stood still, despite the wind. The usual sounds of the forest—insects, owls, the rustling of leaves—had vanished.

Dead silence.

Selene rode beside him, her breath visible in the sudden drop of temperature. "This place…" she whispered, her voice tight. "It's wrong."

Alden ignored the eerie weight pressing down on his chest. "Keep moving."

Then, out of nowhere—

A faint giggle.

Low. Sinister. Not human.

Kael cursed. "Did you hear that?"

Alden's grip on his sword tightened. "Yes."

Another giggle. This time closer.

A chill ran down his spine.

From the darkness, figures emerged.

At first, they barely seemed real—just shifting silhouettes. But then—the eyes appeared.

Hundreds.

Burning, white-hot eyes staring directly at them.

Alden's horse reared, nearly throwing him. He yanked the reins, steadying the stallion. Kael and Selene did the same, struggling to control their panicked mounts.

Then—

The shadows moved.

Not walking. Not running. Gliding.

Selene muttered a spell, and light erupted from her fingertips, illuminating the nightmare before them.

It was worse than Alden imagined.

Not just shadows. Creatures.

Elongated limbs. Too many fingers. Teeth that stretched too wide.

And every single one of them was whispering Lyra's name.

Alden's stomach twisted.

"They know her."

Kael drew his daggers. "Alden, what the hell are these things?"

The closest creature tilted its head unnaturally far. Then, in a voice that wasn't its own—

"She belongs to him now."

Alden's blood boiled.

"She belongs to NO ONE."

The moment the words left his lips—they attacked.

The attack came fast.

Alden barely had time to react before something clawed at his chest, throwing him off his horse. He hit the ground hard, rolling just in time to avoid a black talon slicing through the air.

Kael was already slashing at the creatures, his daggers gleaming in the dim light. Selene summoned a burst of celestial energy, sending it blasting through the darkness.

But the shadows kept coming.

Alden staggered to his feet, gripping his sword. His heart was racing. This wasn't just a fight.

This was a message.

They didn't want to kill them.

They wanted to delay them.

To give the enemy more time to take Lyra farther away.

"No," Alden snarled. Not happening.

With a roar, he charged into the darkness. His blade clashed against something solid—something inhuman. Sparks flew as he fought, every strike fueled by rage and desperation.

But the whispers only laughed.

"She is already his."

Alden froze.

The shadows retreated all at once, vanishing into the trees as if they had never been there.

Leaving behind only silence.

Kael cursed, wiping blood from his cheek. "They let us go."

Selene swallowed. "They wanted us to know."

Alden's grip on his sword tightened.

"She is already his."

His worst fear had just been confirmed.

Eryx had her.

The battle had been over for minutes, but Alden's heart was still racing.

The whispers had faded. The creatures had vanished. But the damage had been done.

They had left him with the one thing he feared most.

"She is already his."

Alden stood frozen, his chest heaving, his hands still coated in the dark ichor of the creatures he had cut down.

Selene was saying something. Kael was pacing, cursing under his breath. But their words were distant—muted.

Because in his mind—all he could see was her.

Lyra.

The way she used to look at him—bright-eyed, stubborn, defiant.The way she always challenged him—like she knew he could do better.The way she never hesitated to fight beside him, to stand with him.

He couldn't let that be taken from him.

He wouldn't.

But a terrible thought whispered in his mind.

What if she was already gone?

What if Eryx had changed her?

What if… she wasn't Lyra anymore?

The idea nearly shattered him.

He staggered back, chest heaving. He had never feared death. Never feared pain.

But losing her?

Losing the woman who had come to mean everything to him?

That thought destroyed him.

Selene must have seen the raw anguish on his face because she stepped forward and gripped his arm. "Alden."

He didn't react.

She shook him harder. "Alden, LOOK AT ME."

His eyes snapped to hers.

Selene's expression was fierce, unyielding. "She's not gone. Do you hear me? SHE'S NOT GONE."

Alden's throat tightened. "What if she is?"

Selene's gaze softened. "Then you go and bring her back."

Alden clenched his fists. "And if I can't?"

Selene shook her head. "Then you burn the world down trying."

Alden exhaled sharply.

That was it.

That was the only answer.

No surrender. No hesitation.

He was going to find her. He was going to save her.

Even if he had to go to hell itself to do it.

They rode again, faster this time.

Alden's mind replayed every memory of Lyra.

The way she smiled when she thought no one was looking.The way she held her sword like she was meant to wield it.The way she challenged fate like she could rewrite destiny itself.

And now… she was in someone else's hands.

No.

No, he wouldn't allow it.

Alden gritted his teeth, gripping the reins so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"I'm coming, Lyra," he whispered under his breath.

No matter what it took.

No matter how many he had to cut down.

He would find her.

And he would bring her home.