Luna Aurora (Alpha Fenrir)

Chapter 323

The Crimson Ruins loomed around them, an eerie silence settling in as Elyra and Dain ventured deeper into the ancient structure. The shadows grew thicker, pressing in from every side, as if the very walls were watching them, waiting for them to make their next move.

The shard pulsed in Elyra's hand, a steady rhythm that felt both comforting and unsettling.

"Do you feel it?" Elyra asked, her voice barely more than a whisper. The oppressive energy in the air was palpable, making it hard to breathe. It was like the ruins themselves were alive, breathing with them.

Dain didn't answer right away. His gaze was fixed ahead, where the path ahead forked into two directions. One led toward a grand doorway, carved with symbols she didn't recognize. The other wound down into a shadowy corridor. His grip on the darkness around him seemed to grow stronger with every step they took.

"I feel it," he muttered finally. "This place... it's not just cursed. It's a prison."

They moved toward the grand doorway. The closer they got, the colder it became, as if the temperature itself was dropping under the weight of unseen forces. As they stepped into the chamber beyond the doorway, the temperature seemed to plummet further. The walls of the chamber were adorned with intricate carvings, glowing faintly with the same ominous red light. The ceiling arched high above them, disappearing into darkness.

In the center of the room, a large, crystalline structure stood. The shard pulsed in Elyra's hand, reacting to the energy of the room. The structure was unlike anything they had seen before-glowing with an unnatural light, it seemed to hum with power. Elyra stepped forward, drawn to it, but as she neared, something shifted. The air around them thickened.

and distant,

and see what lies ahead," the voice said, its

form around the crystal, growing denser with each passing second. The mist shifted and changed, taking on the form of images-visions. Elyra blinked, her heart pounding as she recognized the scene unfolding before her. In the vision, she stood in front of a grand throne, her hands bloodied as she held a crown aloft. The people around her bowed in fear, their faces twisted with terror, as if she were a ruler who had taken everything from them. She could

horrified by the image. "This

saw herself standing in the middle of a battlefield, surrounded by lifeless bodies. The crown was gone, replaced by a dagger-her hands slick with blood. And in the distance, she saw Dain. His face was cold, expressionless. He turned his back

around her. The people she had once ruled were gone, and all that remained was an empty throne.

"No," she gasped, her voice trembling. "That's not who I

fixed on the crystal structure, his expression unreadable. "You don't have a choice," he said softly, his voice distant. He reached for the shard in her hand,

respond, another vision materialized in the mist, one that made her blood run cold. She saw Dain, standing alone in a darkened forest, the shadows swirling around him. His eyes were black, consumed by the darkness.

standing before her, his eyes filled with pain and betrayal. "You never saw me," he whispered, his voice full of hurt.

faded just as quickly as it had come, leaving her feeling empty. She reached for him, but Dain had already turned away, his gaze fixed on the crystal, lost in

with a desperate hunger. The shadows that had once clung to him were now part of him, consuming him from within. He raised his hand,

echoed through the chamber, a deep, resonating sound that seemed

"Only one can ascend."