The moment we stepped into the library, the familiar scent of old pachment and burnt wood filled my senses. Alex, using his lunar names as a light source, cast long, flickering shailows against the towering bookshelves, making the space feel smaller than it was. It was a sharp contrast to the wild, mystical places we had just left lnd–the sweltering volcanic fields, the cursed swamps filled with whispering shadows, the endless mare that had tested both our minds and our sanity,
But we weren’t here to rest.
We had come for answers.
I strode straight to the massive oak table at the center of the room, the weight of the cloth bundle in my hands heavier than it should have been. Every step sent a new wave of exhaustion through me, but 1 ignored it. There was no time to dwell on how drained 1 felt, no time to process the bruises and cuts we had gather along the
way.
I carefully unwrapped the bundle, my fingers brushing against the cd, smooth shards nestled within. A faint glow pulsed from them, a silvery–blue light that shimmered under the candlelight,
A broken key.
That was what we had fought
hard for?
After everything–the volcanic beasts, the cursed swamp that had nearly swallowed us whole, the illusions that had made us doubt reality itself–I had expected something more. Something powerful. Something that would reassemble itself the moment we laid it out, as if recognizing its purpose.
But… nothing happened.
I frowned, staring at the scattered shards, willing them to react, to piece themselves together, to show us why we had been led here.
“I don’t get it,
it, I muttered.
Austin leaned over the table, tilting his head as he inspected the fragments with a raised brow. “Maybe we need some glue?”
Alex shot him an unimpressed look. “Yes, because super glue is the secret to unlocking ancient magic.”
Austin shrugged. “Hey, just throwing ideas out there.”
I ignored their bickering, my fingers grazing the largest shard, feeling the way it pulsed beneath my touch. There was something missing. Something crucial. The key wasn’t just broken–it was incomplete.
The sealization settled deep in my chest, bringing a sharp ache with t..
We had some so far, lost so much, only to find another obstacle standing in our way.
No.
No, I refused to believe that.
Instinct took over.
I turned to Elijah, my gaze locking onto his. “Give me your dagger.”
His brows furrowed. “Stormi, what are you
1/4
Chapter 204
just trust me… 1, rald, my volée firm.
For a moment, he hesliated, Then, with a heavy sigh, he unsher
ingger from his belt and banded it to me
The weight of the blade felt natural my grip. I didn’t pause. Didn second–guess
I seed my palm.
A sharp sting, followed by the warm trickle of blood as it slid down my skin.
Isaiah moved toward me, alann flashing in his golden eyes, but I ll my other hand, stopping him. I knew what I was doing.
I turned my bloodstained palm over the shards and let the drops fall
The moment the first drop touched the crystal–like fragments, something shifted. The air grew thick with energy, pressing against my skin like a living force,
The shards absorbed the blood instantly, glowing brighter, as if awakening.
Then, as if guided by something beyond me, words formed in my mind. A riddle, ancient and powerful.
spoke them aloud:
Whispers from the ancient Willow’s boughs,
In a cavern’s shadow where history allows.
By the moonlit lake, reflections guide,
Symbols hidden in ripples, where secrets abide.
Guardians of the night, statues stand tall,
Midnight echoes in the pack’s sacred hall.
Within the
est, the hawls ros
howls reveal,
the ancient forest,
A path to follow, a destiny to unseal,
At the mountaintop ruins where stars align,
Celestial convergence, a gateway to find.
Decipher these riddles, a cosmic quest,
To the Moonlit Nexus, where the Keystone rests.
The moment the last word left my lips, the shards trembled.
A pulse of energy rippled through the room, making the candles flicker wildly. Then, like liquid, the fragments began to melting together in an intricate dance of light and shadow.
A radiant glow filled the space, blinding yet beautiful,
shift.
2/4
Chapter 204
When the brilliance finally didimed, the broken pieces had become
A single, perfect key rested on the table.
It wasn’t ordinary..
The crystal shimmered with the brilliance of the moon, thifting belujen huey the surface, forming an intricate design that pulsed like a heartbeat
it was alive.
1 swallowed hand, my chest lightening.
Alex let out a low whistle. “Okay. That was pretty h
pretty hadas.”
Fallver and faint blus. Pines etched themselves into
Austin crossed his arms. “Yeah, yeah, but how? What did you do?”
I lifted the key, turning it over in my hand, feeling the hum of power thumming beneath my fingers.
“It’s in my blood,” I murmured.
Elijah exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Okay, but now that we have it… what do we do?
The answer came as a whisper in my mind.
At the mountaintop ruins where stars al
align,
Celestial convergence, a gateway to find
Decipher these riddles, a cosmic quest,
To the Moonlit Nexus, where the Keystone rests.
The words sent a shiver through me..
I lifted my head, my breath catching in my throat.
“Mount Denali,” I murmured.
Silence fell over the room.
The weight of the moment pressed against all of us.
Everything we had fought for–the trials, the betrayals, the monsters, the illusions–it had all led to this.
To Denali
Where the Shadow Weaver was li
imprisoned.
A place where the stars would align.
A gateway to something greater.
Austin stretched, rolling his shoulders. “Well, I guess we’re going mountain climbing.”
3/4
Chapter 204
Alex shook his head. “No, we’re going on a quest.”
I tightened my grip on the koy, my gaze drifting toward the library sendow, where the moon fring high, casting a silver glove over the world.
The stars were waiting.
Chapter Comments
