Chapter 6 – The Shadow in the Forest
Elvis stood frozen in the moonlit clearing, her body tense, her mind a flurry of thoughts. The figure before them—Elder Varion—was a presence she hadn't anticipated. His tall, imposing frame cut through the darkness, and his glowing eyes locked onto hers. There was no mistaking the malice radiating from him.
"Unfinished business?" Alexander growled, his hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of the dagger at his side. But he didn't draw it. Not yet.
Varion stepped closer, his movements slow and deliberate, as if savoring the moment. "You've made a dangerous choice, Alexander. And now, the price will be paid."
Elvis felt her breath catch in her throat. The tension between them was suffocating. The air itself seemed to bend with the weight of their unspoken history, but Elvis couldn't understand what had just transpired. She had never heard of Varion until now, but his connection to Alexander was undeniable. The way they spoke to each other… as though this wasn't just a matter of power, but betrayal.
"What are you talking about?" Elvis asked, stepping forward slightly, her voice quivering but defiant. "What choice?"
Varion's lips curled into a smirk, and he glanced at her for a fleeting moment before returning his attention to Alexander. "The girl," he said softly, the words dripping with disdain. "You should have known better than to awaken her. Now you've doomed us all."
"Shut your mouth, Varion," Alexander snarled. "You're not welcome here. Leave now, or I'll—"
"You'll what?" Varion interrupted, his voice like a whip. "I'm not afraid of you, boy. You're nothing but a puppet. Your bloodline is tainted, and the flame you've awakened will burn us all to the ground."
The air between them crackled with raw energy. Elvis could feel it—the ancient power surging beneath the surface of their words, but she couldn't understand it. She didn't know what Varion meant by "tainted bloodline," or why the white flame had awakened within her.
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Elvis said, her eyes darting between the two men. "I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask for any of this!"
"You're too ignorant to see the danger, girl," Varion spat, his eyes narrowing. "The flame is a curse, and now it has chosen you. We've all been cursed by it, but none more than you."
Elvis's heart raced. Her mind reeled from the onslaught of revelations, her fingers tingling as if the power inside her was awakening again, pushing at her limits. She wanted to run, to escape, but she couldn't tear her gaze away from the sinister figure before them.
"Enough, Varion," Alexander said, his voice cold but steady. He stepped in front of Elvis, blocking her from Varion's gaze. "If you want a fight, then take it up with me. But I'll never let you lay a hand on her."
Varion tilted his head, almost amused. "You've grown bold, boy. But you'll learn, sooner or later, that this power is beyond both of us. We're all doomed to fall because of it."
For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Elvis's heart pounded in her ears, her body trembling. She had never felt so small, so insignificant in the face of such immense power. It was clear that whatever this white flame was, it was more than just a gift—it was a curse that would mark her for the rest of her life.
"You're wrong," Elvis finally said, her voice steady despite the fear that gripped her chest. "I'm not going to let you control me. I don't care what this power is, or where it came from. I'll fight it. I'll fight you."
Varion's smile widened, his eyes glowing with a dark intensity. "Fight me? You think you can fight what's inside you? You have no idea what you're up against."
Before Elvis could respond, the wind howled, and the trees around them shook. The earth beneath their feet trembled, and the ground seemed to pulse with energy. Elvis stumbled, her legs giving out beneath her. The air felt too thick, too heavy, and she could feel something stirring deep within her.
The flames—she could feel them, flickering just beneath the surface of her skin.
"Do you feel it?" Varion's voice was a low, mocking whisper. "The flame is waking inside you. There's no escaping it now. It will consume you… and everything around you."
Elvis tried to stand, but her body felt foreign, as though her muscles were no longer under her control. She gritted her teeth, her fists clenching at her sides. "I don't care. I'll find a way to control it. I'll find a way to destroy you."
"Destroy me?" Varion laughed, the sound sending a chill down her spine. "You think you can destroy me? You're not strong enough. Not yet. But soon, you'll understand."
Alexander's eyes flicked to Elvis. The anger in his gaze softened for just a moment, a fleeting glimpse of the man he had been before this curse tore through their lives. "Elvis," he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "You need to focus. Don't let it control you. You have the power, but you have to learn how to wield it."
"I don't know how," she whispered back, panic rising in her chest. "I can feel it, Alexander. The flame—it's burning inside me, and I don't know how to stop it."
Varion's expression darkened. "There's no stopping it now. The flame will consume you, just as it consumed your ancestors."
The words sent a shiver down Elvis's spine, but something inside her snapped. She couldn't let this monster control her. She couldn't let the flame destroy her. With a surge of determination, she focused, willing herself to stand tall.
She didn't know how to control the flame, but she wasn't about to let it control her.
"I will stop it," Elvis said, her voice steady, the words spilling out with more conviction than she expected. "I'll burn you before you can touch me."
Her words seemed to echo in the night, a promise to herself as much as to the enemy before her.
For the briefest of moments, Varion's smile faltered. His eyes narrowed, and his lips parted in a soundless snarl. Then, just as quickly, his expression shifted back into that cold, calculating mask.
"You're a fool," he hissed. "But it doesn't matter. You'll learn soon enough. This is just the beginning."
Before Elvis could respond, he disappeared into the shadows, vanishing as quickly as he had come.
The forest fell silent, the air clearing as the tension from his presence lifted. Elvis stood there, trembling, the remnants of her fear still clinging to her like a cloak.
Alexander's voice broke the silence. "Are you alright?"
She nodded, but her mind was reeling. "What was that? Who was he? And why… why is he so obsessed with this white flame?"
"Varion…" Alexander shook his head, his voice tight with anger. "He was once a member of this pack, but now he's nothing but a traitor. He's part of the old guard, those who believed the flame should never be allowed to rise again. He's right about one thing—this is just the beginning. And we're all in danger because of it."
Elvis's head spun as she processed his words. She didn't understand everything, but she knew one thing for sure—she wasn't going to let this power consume her. She wouldn't let the darkness win. Not while she still had a breath in her body.
"I'm not going to let him win," she said, her voice unwavering. "I won't let the flame control me."
Alexander nodded, his expression grim but resolute. "Good. But you'll need help. And the time for running is over. We need to find out what Varion is planning before it's too late."
Elvis took a deep breath. "Then let's go."