Chapter Twelve – The Enemy Within

The infirmary was deathly quiet.

Outside, soldiers whispered about what they had seen: the beast that had emerged from their General, the cursed clash, the glowing medallion. Inside, Elara sat by Damon's bedside, wiping the blood from his brow, watching his chest rise and fall slowly.

She had seen his strength, his fury… but this was the first time she saw his vulnerability.

"He won't be able to hold the curse back forever," Ajani murmured from the doorway.

Elara didn't look at him. "I know. But I won't let it win."

Ajani crossed the room and crouched beside her. "You do realize what it means, don't you? The more he uses it, the more he becomes it."

She nodded. "That's why I need to find the source. The true origin. Maybe then… I can end it."

---

Elsewhere in the camp, Kieran sat beneath the canopy of a ruined barrack, his wounds freshly bandaged. The Whisperer stood behind him, a shapeless figure cloaked in black mist.

"You could have killed him," it said. "Why did you hold back?"

"Because he's not my prize," Kieran muttered. "She is."

The Whisperer hissed. "You let sentiment distract you. Again."

Kieran grinned. "No. I'm starting to understand the game now. And if I play it right… Elara will come to me willingly."

---

Elara's mission to understand Damon's curse led her deep into the restricted archive tent that night. She found an ancient scroll, sealed with the same insignia as Damon's medallion. Breaking the seal, she discovered sketches—warriors of old, cursed beasts, and a woman who looked eerily like her.

"Lunara," she read aloud. "Bearer of the Soul Flame…"

The scroll spoke of a bloodline bound to warriors. A cycle of lovers torn apart by a curse. A woman meant to awaken the power—and if failed, to destroy it.

She was the key. Not by chance. By fate.

---

Damon woke to pain and Elara's scent. Her fingers ran through his hair, her presence calming his raging blood.

"You shouldn't be this close," he whispered.

"Why?"

"Because I almost killed you. I almost… became something else."

She leaned in. "But you didn't. You fought your way back. For me."

His golden eyes softened. "I would burn every curse in this world to keep you safe."

"Then let me help you break it."

---

Days passed. The camp mended. But tension hung like fog.

During a training session, Ajani spotted a soldier eavesdropping on their strategy briefings. He followed him—and found the soldier reporting to Kieran in the jungle.

"Traitor," Ajani hissed, blades drawn.

The soldier turned—and wasn't alone. More emerged from the trees. Loyal to Kieran. Twisted by dark influence.

Ajani fought like a demon unleashed. But he was outnumbered. Captured.

Back at camp, his absence triggered alarms.

Elara confronted Damon. "You need to see this for what it is. Kieran is infiltrating your command. Your own men are turning."

Damon's jaw tightened. "Then it's war."

---

That night, a masked man entered Elara's tent. She struck first—knocking him down with a kick.

He removed the mask. Kieran.

"I could've come as an enemy. But I came as… your equal."

"We are nothing alike."

He approached slowly. "You feel it, don't you? The pull. You're not just his. You're part of something older. Stronger. Don't you want to know why you look like Lunara?"

She hesitated.

He smiled. "Come with me. I can show you the truth."

"You already showed me what betrayal looks like."

He stepped back, eyes hardening. "You'll come around. They always do."

He vanished into the night.

---

Damon arrived minutes later, sword in hand.

"He was here, wasn't he?"

Elara nodded. "He's slipping past your walls. And into our minds."

Damon looked around the tent, then at her. "You're not safe here anymore."

She looked up at him. "Then take me where I will be."

---

At dawn, they rode out.

Their destination: a hidden fortress known as The Cradle of Blood—where the curse was first forged.

Damon, Elara, and a loyal escort.

Kieran watched them leave, a smirk curling his lips.

"Let them run. The closer they get to the source, the stronger I become."

Behind him, Ajani—bound and beaten—watched through bloodied eyes. But he was still alive.

And as long as he lived, he would protect Elara.

Even if it meant killing the General's brother.