*Selena*
“Why are you crying for our enemy? He tried to kill me, and so he had to die,” Damon growled, his voice strained from the impact of Selena’s powerful blow.
“No!” I roared, my eyes flashing with a mix of pain and fury. “He doesn’t deserve death. It’s you who will pay for killing my Zander!” my scream echoed through the room as I unleashed another devastating strike, sending Damon hurtling across the room to crash against a distant wall.
“I can’t believe you would defend him over me. I am your mate, and yet you choose to protect our enemy,” Damon snarled, struggling to rise to his feet amidst the wreckage.
“No!” my voice boomed, my entire demeanor now a terrifying force of vengeance. “I have loved only one man my entire life, and when will you understand that it’s not you!” my words were a declaration, punctuated by the raw power of my attacks as I closed in on Damon once more.
“Then you are a fool, Selena. If you had chosen me, I would have let you live. But you chose death. Perhaps we’ll meet in the next life,” Damon smirked wickedly and summoned his golden trident, which appeared in his right hand.
“Goodbye, Selena!” he whispered sternly, his stony gaze fixed upon me, before aiming the weapon at me.
“Not so soon, Zephyr!” Arena’s voice echoed, and the next moment I felt my entire being start glowing, emitting a brilliant golden light. Arena overtook me.
Damon instinctively raised his arm to shield his eyes as the glow intensified, fearing he would be blinded.
Suddenly, my body lifted into the air, and the entire underground temple trembled, rising towards the earth’s surface.
The ground shook violently as if a powerful earthquake had struck. When the trembling finally ceased, Damon cautiously opened his eyes, only to be confronted by a sight that shocked him to the core.
“How… how is this possible?” he stammered in disbelief as Arena revealed herself hovering over me. The two figures appeared inseparable, not two individual entities but one-a phenomenon that could only mean Arena was…
“The ancient wolf!” Damon gasped with horror.
Before him stood the embodiment of an ancient prophecy, which foretold the reincarnation of the ancient wolf for a sacred purpose.
“No! No! This can’t be possible. This can’t be true,” Damon muttered in shock, his voice trembling with disbelief.
“Now it’s time for you to pay for it, Damon, or should I say Warlock King Zephyr,” Arena snarled, her voice reverberating through the ancient temple. Damon visibly trembled, his arrogance shaken by the presence of the powerful entity before him.
“You… you can’t do anything to me,” Damon managed to utter, though his voice faltered with fear as Arena’s form expanded, filling the entire space from floor to the towering ceiling of the ancient temple.
“I will end you in your own temple, and you will witness it,” Arena challenged, her voice echoing with authority and determination. Damon, however, seemed determined to make a final stand. He lifted his golden trident and pointed it threateningly at Arena and Selena.
“You can’t touch me because I won’t let you live another second,” Damon declared, his eyes filled with a mixture of apprehension and disgust.
As Damon stood there, bewildered by Arena’s display of invulnerability, she suddenly sprang into action. With a speed that defied human comprehension, Arena closed the distance between them in an instant. Her movements were fluid yet powerful, reminiscent of a predator toying with its prey.
Damon, caught off guard by Arena’s sudden attack, barely managed to summon his own dark energies in defense. He conjured swirling shadows and launched them toward Arena, attempting to ensnare her in a web of malevolent energy. However, Arena anticipated his every move with uncanny foresight, effortlessly evading or dispersing the shadowy tendrils with a flick of her hand.
She circled him like a hawk eying its prey, her golden eyes gleaming with anger and revenge. With each dodge and parry, she seemed to be studying Damon’s tactics, understanding his strengths and weaknesses with a predator’s instinct.
As their battle reached its peak, Damon realized he couldn’t overpower the ancient wolf with his own abilities. Arena’s strength seemed insurmountable. However, in the chaos of their fierce confrontation, a crumbling pillar created a split-second distraction.
Damon seized the opportunity. With a whispered incantation, he drew upon his formidable powers, tapping into the dark energies that flowed through him. Shadows coalesced around him, wrapping him in a shroud of darkness. He blended seamlessly into the obsidian void, becoming one with the shadows that flickered and danced in the dim light of the ancient temple.
Arena’s golden eyes scanned the area, searching for any trace of her elusive adversary.
“Coward!” Arena howled.
“We will find him later, Arena. First, we need to bring Zander back,” I pleaded desperately with my wolf, feeling the weight of grief pressing down on me. Arena acquiesced silently, relinquishing control as she shifted back.
I ran towards Zander’s lifeless body and held him in a tight embrace, willing him to wake up.
“Arena, if you’re an ancient wolf, use your power and bring him back to life,” I commanded, desperation creeping into my voice.
“I’m sorry, Selena,” Arena whispered sorrowfully, her own anguish evident. “Bringing back the dead is not within my abilities. It’s beyond my power.”
Tears streamed down my face as hopelessness threatened to overwhelm me. I summoned all the inherited powers from my lineage as a descendant of the moon goddess, but despite my efforts, nothing happened. Zander remained still, his chest unmoving.
“Come on, Moon Goddess! You can’t be so unfair,” I shouted in anger and despair, my voice echoing through the cavernous temple. “Give me back my Zander, or I will join him in death!”