Chapter 102:
Aisha, fearing the worst, turned within the water mirror—and the one who leapt from behind to catch her fall, getting completely drenched, was Solomon.
"You saw everything."
He reached out his hand to grasp the ebony wolf's, and as their fingers touched, a powerful current surged through his body. For a brief moment, his eyes gleamed with an intense azure glow. He couldn't help but feel that terrifying yet irresistible pull.
"Let's get out of this place," Aisha whispered. "Rasen must return."
"You are dangerously intriguing."
Aisha, fearing the worst, turned within the water mirror—and the one who leapt from behind to catch her fall, getting completely drenched, was Solomon.
"You saw everything…" she murmured, her throat tight.
He extended his hand, firm and steady, to grasp the ebony wolf's. The moment their skin touched, an invisible current surged through him, so intense that his eyes flashed with a fleeting yet powerful blue light. He couldn't help it—that mix of terror and attraction was unavoidable.
"Let's get out of this place," Aisha whispered. "Rasen must return."
"You are dangerously intriguing," Solomon replied, that arrogant half-smile masking something deeper.
Without concern for his soaked clothes, he shed them effortlessly, letting the water slide off his skin. Aisha, uncomfortable, averted her gaze—but couldn't help stealing glances at his long, dark, wet hair dripping down his chiseled face. His blue eyes burned as intensely as ever. The crescent-shaped earring dangled from his ear, swaying slightly.
"You should do the same, Aisha," he suggested.
She stared at him in disbelief, shaking her head.
"Night will fall soon, and my… people from Nevri will be here. You'd better put this on."
He opened his satchel and pulled out a thick fur blanket.
"Why are you giving this to me…?" she asked, distrustful.
"Because if my queen falls ill, she won't be able to crown her king. Understand, Aisha?"
She took it, confused by his words, but wrapped herself in the blanket as he lit the campfire.
Hours passed, and finally, sleep overtook her. But it was far from restful. Her mind filled with distant voices, incomprehensible whispers, and a shadowy figure stalking her. She felt a tug in her chest, as if an invisible rope were dragging her somewhere far away… inevitable.
She jolted awake, gasping for air. The fire had died, and Solomon was gone. Only the blanket remained on her shoulders, the dampness in the air lingering.
Confused, she gathered her things and ventured into the forest, guided by a strange urgency. Something—or someone—was calling her. It wasn't just a feeling; it was as if her body remembered a destiny her mind refused to accept.
The trees whispered her name as she walked, their rustling leaves sharing secrets.
"Aisha…"
She kept moving, her heart pounding. Soon, through the mist and branches, an old cabin appeared, half-hidden by overgrowth. Beside it stood another, smaller and more dilapidated.
Without thinking, she entered the larger one. Inside was chaos—overturned furniture, windows boarded up, candles melted onto the table's scorched surface. Everything suggested someone had lived here… before fleeing in a fit of rage.
Aisha walked through the wreckage, her fingers brushing the charred wood as a heavy sadness settled in her chest.
She understood.
This had been Rasen's refuge. Here, he had hidden. Here… he had suffered.
A creak startled her. She turned just as Solomon reappeared behind her, his silhouette framed by the dim light.
"You're finally awake," he said, his voice low. "I'll check the attic next door. Wait here."
But before she could answer, she sensed it.
A familiar scent. Wild. Cold. Nostalgic.
The white wolf.
"I found you… Aisha."
Sanathiel emerged from the shadows and embraced her from behind. The warmth of his body should have brought her peace… but she only felt emptiness. Something between them had shattered. Something had grown cold, as if time and choices had irreversibly pulled them apart.
She turned, staring straight into his eyes, searching for answers. But instead of speaking, he kissed her—a stolen kiss, unasked for, intense and confusing.
Fury rose inside her. She was about to push him away—
But she never got the chance.
Snarls and cracks filled the air. The cabin was surrounded—enormous, deformed creatures. Gigantic wolves, first-generation hybrids created by the Community. Monsters that couldn't distinguish ally from foe.
They attacked mercilessly, their grotesque bodies moving like a frenzied horde.
Varek appeared among the shadows, watching with an ironic smile.
"I swear this wasn't my doing," he said, unsheathing his sword.
Amid the chaos, Solomon returned, positioning himself in front of Aisha like an unbreakable wall.
"I will be your shield," he declared, his gaze fixed on Sanathiel and the beasts. "And you, my only queen."
Aisha watched in horror as the creatures' blood spilled onto the ground—yet instead of weakening them, it drove them mad. Unstoppable. Frenzied. They wanted only one thing:
A single drop of her blood.
Her power. Her curse.
Solomon struck down the ebony wolf in a single blow, but Sanathiel stood firm. Proud. Unyielding.
"You will not touch her…" Sanathiel growled, his eyes burning like beacons. "Not unless I'm dead."
The whispers of the trees grew louder, carrying a dark omen.
The battle had only just begun.
The temperature dropped, and the metallic scent in the air was enough to reveal who now walked among the undergrowth.
It was Rasen.
He wandered aimlessly—yet with a single drop of blood, he savored the taste of the beasts and the thirst-driven creatures.
But the moment he took a step toward the cabin, his body collapsed, falling into a deep slumber—unnoticed by anyone.
At the same time, Skiller—who had been wandering that same forest with a broken arm—suddenly felt him.
Him. The one who had transformed him into the first diurnal, who had allowed him to see the sunlight.
Rasen.
"How did you get here…?" Skiller whispered, disbelief and alarm mingling in his voice.
Bodies littered the ground around him like a macabre masterpiece.
"I have to hide you well…" he murmured, approaching Rasen's fallen form, knowing that if he were discovered, there would be no turning back.