SWNOVELS Chapter 40
Fenris shook his head. “Something’s not right here. The pack is restless. They can sense… darkness. Corruption.”
Lyra’s brow furrowed. “I’ve felt it too. It’s like the very air is tainted somehow.”
They spent the next hour discussing their concerns in hushed voices. As the first light of dawn began to filter through the windows, they came to a grim conclusion – there was a traitor within the coven, someone working against their efforts to save the cosmic tree.
“But who?” Lyra whispered, her mind racing through possibilities. “And why?”
Before Fenris could respond, an ear-splitting shriek tore through the air. They raced from the room, following the sounds of commotion to the main courtyard. There, they found a scene of chaos.
The scrying pool had overflowed, its waters seething with dark, oily shadows. Tendrils of corrupt magic lashed out, ensnaring anyone who came too close. At the center of it all stood Elara, her eyes blazing with unholy power.
“Fools!” she cried, her voice distorted and inhuman. “You cling to your petty magics while true power lies within your grasp! The cosmic tree will fall, and from its ashes, we shall forge a new reality!”
Lyra felt her heart drop. “Elara… how could you?”
The corrupted witch turned her gaze on Lyra, a cruel smile twisting her features. “Ah, the prodigal daughter returns. How fitting that you should witness the dawn of a new age.”
Fenris growled, shifting halfway to his wolf form. “You’re mad. You’ll destroy everything!”
Elara laughed, the sound sending chills down Lyra’s spine. “Destruction and creation are two sides of the same coin. The old must be swept away to make room for the new.”
All around them, coven members scrambled to contain the spreading corruption. Morrigan stood at the forefront, her hands weaving complex patterns as she chanted words of binding and banishment.
Lyra knew they had to act fast. She reached for the artifacts they carried, feeling their power surge in response to the threat. “Fenris,” she said urgently, “we need to close the breach. Can you and the pack hold off those shadow tentacles?”
Fenris nodded grimly. With a howl that shook the very foundations of the coven, he called his pack to action. The massive wolves poured into the courtyard, teeth and claws tearing into the writhing shadows.
Lyra sprinted towards Morrigan, dodging grasping tendrils of dark magic. “High Priestess!” she shouted over the chaos. “We have to combine our power. The artifacts, the ley lines – it’s our only chance!”
Morrigan’s eyes widened in understanding. Without a word, she grasped Lyra’s hand. Power flowed between them, raw and primal. Lyra felt the artifacts respond, their energies harmonizing with the ancient magics of the coven.
Together, they began to weave a spell unlike anything Lyra had ever attempted. Light and shadow danced around them, the very fabric of reality bending to their will. Elara screamed in rage and defiance, hurling bolts of corrupted energy their way.
But Fenris and his pack were there, forming a living shield around Lyra and Morrigan. They took the brunt of Elara’s attacks, their fur smoking from the dark magic but their resolve unshaken.
As the spell reached its crescendo, Lyra felt something vast and ancient stir. For a moment, she glimpsed the cosmic tree in all its glory – branches stretching across infinities, roots delving into the deepest mysteries of existence. And there, at its heart, a wound slowly beginning to heal.
With a final, thunderous crash, the corrupted scrying pool imploded. The shadows were sucked back into the breach, howling in fury as reality reasserted itself. Elara collapsed to her knees, the unholy light fading from her eyes.
In the sudden silence that followed, Lyra became aware of the devastation around them. The courtyard was in ruins, scorch marks and magical residue marring every surface. Coven members lay injured or unconscious, while others stared in shock at the aftermath of the battle.
Morrigan’s hand trembled as she released Lyra’s. “It’s done,” she said, her voice hoarse with exhaustion. “The immediate threat is contained. But this… this changes everything.” Lyra nodded grimly. “The corruption runs deeper than we thought. Elara couldn’t have done this alone. There may be other traitors, in other covens, other places of power.” Fenris limped to her side, his fur matted with blood and ichor. “Then we keep fighting. We root out the corruption wherever we find it.”
As the sun rose over the battered coven, Lyra felt the weight of their task settle more heavily on her shoulders. They had won this battle, but the war for the very fabric of reality was far from over.
Morrigan straightened, her voice ringing out with renewed purpose. “Gather the wounded. Secure Elara and any suspected collaborators. We have much to discuss, and little time to waste.”
Lyra met Fenris’s eyes, seeing her own determination reflected there. Whatever came next, they would face it together. The cosmic tree still stood, battered but unbroken. And as long as it endured, there was hope for all realities.
As the coven bustled into action around them, Lyra allowed herself a moment of quiet reflection. The path ahead was more treacherous than ever, fraught with dangers both seen and unseen. But for the first time since their journey began, she felt the stirrings of true hope. They had faced betrayal and corruption and emerged stronger for it.
With Fenris by her side, the artifacts humming with barely contained power, and now the full might of the Mistwood Coven at their backs, Lyra knew they stood a real chance of saving not just their world, but all worlds.
The next phase of their quest was about to begin – one that would test them in ways they couldn’t yet imagine, but also offer the promise of salvation for all of reality. With love as their guide and determination as their shield, Lyra and Fenris prepared to plunge once more into the unknown, ready to face whatever challenges awaited them on the cosmic stage.