The moment we stepped through the door, the ground beneath my feet shifted. What had once been solid stone transformed into something soft and wet. The air thickened with the scent of decay–rotting vegetation, stagnant water, and an underlying foulness that clung to my lungs.
A swamp.
The towering trees were twisted and gnarled, their branches weighed down by thick moss that draped like curtains, blocking out most of the sky. The water was dark and murky, stretching into endless pools that reflected nothing. Strange sounds echoed in the distance—low croaks, the occasional splash, and whispers that made my skin crawl.
I took a cautious step forward, my boots sinking slightly into the mud. Alex groaned as he yanked his foot out of a particularly deep
patch.
“Okay, I officially hate hate this place,” he muttered, shaking off the sludge.
Elijah scanned the area, his brows furrowed. “Something’s wrong,” he murmured. “I can feel it.”
Isaiah stiffened beside him. “We’re not alone.” he said and we heard movement from behind us.
The door from which we emerged was gone and Dark shapes flickered in the mist. Cloaked figures emerged from the shadows, their robes blending seamlessly into the murk of the swamp. Their faces were obscured by deep hoods, but I recognized them immediately–the Children of the Eclipse.
They had been following us. Watching. Waiting.
One of them lifted a hand, and before I could react, a pulse of dark energy shot toward me. I dove to the side as it struck the ground where I’d stood moments before, sending a shockwave through the water.
Then chaos erupted.
Austin was the first to counterattack, summoning a powerful gust of icy wind that sent one of the witches flying backward into a tree. There was a sickening crack as they slumped motionless with icicles sticking out of her torso.
Alex’s fire burst to life, illuminating the fog with an eerie blue glow. He hurled a stream of flames at another enemy, forcing them to retreat.
Elijah moved with deadly precision, dodging a dagger strike before slamming his attacker into the mud. Isaiah’s shadows lashed out like living tendrils, wrapping around the legs of one of the cultists and dragging them beneath the water.
I shifted into my wolf form, my senses sharpening instantly. A snarlipped from my throa claws raking across their arm. They screamed and staggered back.
as I lunged at the nearest witch, my
But then the swamp itself seemed to shift.
The fog thickened, curling around us like living tendrils. Whispers filled the air–soft, coaxing voices that sent a shiver down my spine..
Then I saw her.
The voice froze me in place. It was impossible. It had to be impossib. This again? This place really knew how to rub salt into a
wound.
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Chapter 200
Mariah stood a few feet away, her hair tangled and damp, her pale blue eyes filled with sadness.
I couldn’t breathe.
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She looked so real. So alive. But I knew it wasnt real.
“Stormi.” Her voice was soft, trembling. “Why did you let me die?”
I felt my heartbeat slam against my ribs.
“No,” I whispered. My claws dug into the damp earth. “You’re not real.”
But she took a step closer, her expression filled with hurt. “You could have saved me. If you had been stronger, if you had been faster-”
The swamp around me faded. Suddenly, I was no longer standing in the cursed marshland. I was back at the pack holding Mariah’s bloody clothes.
1 felt it all over again. The helplessness. The pain.
“No!” I growled, shaking my head violently.
Then 1 heard Austin gasp.
I whipped around. He was staring at a figure in the mist.
Isaiah was frozen, gripping his dagger so tightly his knuckles turned white. His face was twisted in anguish, his eyes locked on something I couldn’t see.
Alex’s flames flickered. His breathing was uneven, his gaze distant.
Each of us was seeing something.
The illusions were different for each of us.
But then, something worse happened.
The swamp monsters rose from the water.
The first scream ripped through the air.
The swamp monsters grabbed the witches first.
One of the Children screamed as a clawed hand wrapped around their ankle, yanking them down into the muck. They thrashed, but the swamp swallowed them whole.
Another witch tried to run, but the water surged, pulling them under
One by one, the Children of the Eclipse were dragged into the darkness.
Their screams were swallowed by the mist.
More tried to run, but the water surged unnaturally, black tendrils wrapping around their ankle. They shrieked as they were yanked
beneath the surface.
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Chapter 200
Another cultist flailed desperately as a massive, clawed hand emerged from the depths and dragged them down.
They didn’t resurface.
The illusions flickered as more creatures emerged–twisted beings with elongated limbs and gaping mouths stretched into too–wide grins.
One of the witches turned toward us, their face full of terror.
“Help me!”
But before I could react, something grabbed them, and they were gone.
The swamp was feeding.
Mariah was still standing in front of me, her pale face streaked with tears.
I knew it was an illusion.
I knew it.
But it still hurt.
Iclenched my fists, breathing heavily.
This wasn’t real.
“Elijah! Isaiah! Alex! Austin!” I shouted. “It’s not real!. Whatever you’re seeing–it’s a lie!”
Isaiah was the first to snap out of it. His shadows surged outward, crashing against the mist like a tidal wave.
Austin blinked rapidly, his chest rising and falling as he staggered backward. Alex sucked in a sharp breath, shaking himself free of the vision.
Elijah’s face darkened, his jaw tightening, but he turned away.
The swamp monsters screeched. Their illusions had failed.
And there–at the center of the clearing, resting on a broken stone altar–was the final shard.
A sliver of glowing crystal, pulsing like captured moonlight.
I sprinted for a, my heart pounding.
The moment my fingers closed around it, the swamp shuddered.
A deep, echoing groan rumbled through the air.
Then, as if the swamp itself was collapsing, the trees blurred, the mist twisted violently-
And a door appeared.
“GO” I yelled.
We ran.
Just as the swamp let out a Tinal, echoing cry, we plunged through the door–leaving the cursed place behind.
Chapter Comments it’s 3rd not 4th piece
Alomea
i feel like reading it again, all that trial is exactly the same as they were learning, but bigger
