Chapter 21 – The Shattered Lineage
POV: Seren Thorne
The forest outside the stronghold was quiet, too quiet. Every step we took seemed to echo too loudly in the stillness, and I could feel the weight of the Heartstone's power thrumming inside me, as if it were alive. It was hard to concentrate. My mind kept returning to the memory of the man who had called himself a Fallen One—the one I had unknowingly defeated. His words kept repeating in my head, like an ominous warning.
"You're the key."
I could still feel his dark energy lingering in the air, a stain on my senses. But it wasn't just him that haunted me. It was the pull inside me, the strange connection I had to the Heartstone. My power had awakened, but in doing so, I felt like I had fractured something deep inside me. Something ancient.
"Seren," Kael's voice broke through my thoughts, and I turned to find him standing a few steps away, his expression serious. "We need to move faster. The Fallen Ones won't be far behind."
I nodded, forcing myself to focus. "I know. But I can't shake the feeling that we're missing something. That this—" I placed my hand on my chest, just above my heart, where I could still feel the steady pulse of the Heartstone's magic. "This power is connected to my past. My family."
Kael's eyes softened with understanding, but there was a sharpness there too, like a wolf waiting for the moment to strike. "If there's anything more you need to know, we'll uncover it together. But right now, we need to keep moving. They'll come for us, Seren. We can't afford to stay in one place for too long."
I swallowed the lump in my throat, feeling a surge of gratitude toward Kael for his unwavering support. He had always been there for me, even when I was uncertain, even when I was lost.
But I couldn't ignore the gnawing feeling that the Heartstone wasn't just a tool for destruction. It was a key—a key that unlocked something about my family, something buried deep within me. I had to find out what that was, or we would never truly be free.
"We'll keep moving," I said, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. "But I need to know the truth, Kael. I need to understand what I've become."
He nodded solemnly, his gaze never leaving mine. "And you will. But we'll take it one step at a time. We're in this together, Seren."
I took a deep breath and turned away, the pack following closely behind us. The air felt thick with tension, but I couldn't help but feel a strange pull, a beckoning from something deep in the forest. My instincts screamed at me to follow it, but I knew it would be dangerous.
Yet, I couldn't ignore it. The Heartstone was calling to me. And I had to listen.