Luna Aurora (Alpha Fenrir)

Chapter 122

The wasteland stretched before Aurora and Cassian, a desolate expanse of ash and jagged rock. The air felt heavy, suffused with an oppressive stillness that pressed down on them with every step. Here, the Pact's influence was faint, like a dim light flickering in the distance.

Aurora tightened her grip on the fractured Lunar Key, its faint pulses of energy her only reassurance. She could feel her child stirring within her, a gentle but persistent reminder of what was at stake. Cassian walked beside her, his posture tense, his golden eyes scanning the horizon for threats.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" he asked, his voice low.

"Yes," Aurora said, though doubt gnawed at her. She could feel the pull of the Pact, a whisper in the back of her mind guiding her forward. "It's here. I can feel it."

The ground beneath them shifted suddenly, and a low rumble echoed through the wasteland. From the ashen ground, spectral figures began to rise, their forms translucent and glowing faintly with an eerie light. They were humanoid but otherworldly, their eyes empty and unblinking as they encircled the pair. Aurora stepped back instinctively, raising the Lunar Key. "What are they?"

Cassian unsheathed his blade, positioning himself protectively in front of her. "They don't look friendly."

The nearest specter stepped forward, its voice a hollow echo. "You seek the heart of the Pact," it intoned. "Prove your worth or turn back."

Aurora could respond, the ground split

appeared to be a vast, shadowy void. Cassian's voice

long shadows. "Face your fears,

familiar shapes. Cassian lay before her, his body broken and lifeless.

her heart pounding as she backed away. "No... this

it?" the specters asked, their hollow voices surrounding her. "Do you

breathing. "This isn't real," she repeated, her voice firmer.

Pact flaring. The shadows dissipated, and the specters stepped back, their glowing forms softening.

with his blade, widening the fissure. "I'm coming down," he

her voice steady. "Stay there. I

portal at the far end of the void.

Cassian. His golden eyes