The Desolate Mountains (The Divine Elements Book 2) (22 page)

“Screw this shit!”

Xardoth roared, as he flung the jug of water away from him and roared while raising his head towards the darkening sky.

Grey clouds loomed above, with hints of an impending rainfall.

The rest of the beast troops remained silent, knowing that their king was venting his anger on the loss of his son.

“Fuck these bastards, why haven’t they brought back Rebran to me?”

The Griffon King continued to lash out in fury, and prepared to take flight.

“My King, it is not wise. If the young lord does not return by tomorrow, then we shall all charge the gates of Weir’s city, but it is too dangerous for you to go alone.”

A slender griffon rushed in front of Xardoth, attempting to calm him down.

Although not as large and intimidating as Xardoth, this new griffon was still an impressive sight to behold.

“I will stay here until the sun rises tomorrow. However, if I do not see my son by then, I will charge into the city with or without the troops.”

Xardoth stated in a frosty voice, and turned around to stare at the murky sky above.

Sigh… this is not looking good.

The slender griffon thought, while gazing at his king’s back.

…………………….

“Where in the hell did those little brats run off to? They couldn’t have gone too far on those tiny legs of theirs…”

Calron muttered to himself, gliding across the sky and scouring the land below in search of a lion and a wolf pup.

Will you do it?

Ezkael’s ethereal body suddenly coalesced next to Calron, as they flew side by side.

Do what?

Calron asked, while his eyes continued to scan the forest below.

The thing which is on your mind right now.

His Teacher stated in an even tone.

I don’t know… I do wish to help cure him of his affliction, but how do I know whether or not he is suitable for the Blood Legacy?

Calron said softly after a momentary pause.

Well, why did your Master choose you as the next Inheritor?

Ezkael inquired, as he burst into a cloud of smoke and reappeared on the other side of Calron.

Thinking back to when he was eight years old and alone in the world after the death of his parents, Calron recalled the scene when Elias had looked down at him and asked him whether he had wanted to inherited his legacy or not.

His choice that day had turned around his whole life, and the legacy had given him a way to achieve both strength and power in this brutal society.

Why did Master Elias choose me?

Calron questioned, as more memories of his past surfaced within his mind.

TURN BACK NOW!

Ezkael’s abrupt roar shook Calron out of his thoughts.

Before he could ask his Teacher what had happened, his next words completely froze Calron’s heart.

Avi has been wounded!

…………………………..

“WOOF, WOOF!”

Avi barked at the top of her lungs, finally drawing the attention of the white lion. However, it was too late by then.

“Huh?”

Rebran dumbly stared up at the group of hooded figures in front of him.

Standing still and shrouded in pitch-black cloaks that appeared to devour the very light that touched it, five mysterious figures slowly raised their heads to face the young lion and the little wolf pup.

Although Avi could not see their faces, Rebran had an unobstructed view since he was directly in front of them.

They had the outer shape of a human, but Rebran could clearly see dark reptilian skin and a slithering forked-tongue under their hoods. When one of them noticed that the young lion was staring under their hoods, the figure let out a sinister hiss.

“Are y-you going to e-eat me?”

Rebran stuttered with fright as a chilling aura was released by all five of the hooded figures at once.

“Eatsss? We have to chop you into little bitssss before.”

The figure standing the closest to Rebran hissed with amusement, as it brought down its hooded face close to his trembling face and took a long sniff of the young lion.

“Deliciousssss….”

Hearing the nefarious voice of the reptilian so close to his ears, Rebran immediately shut his eyes and prayed that everything would be over and that this was all just a dream.

If this wasn’t a dream, then it was the most realistic nightmare that he ever had.

Compared to the vile stench of these figures, Rebran would rather face the scary golden bird. At least, that scaly bird did not have an evil aura around him.

I should have never left father’s side.

Just when Rebran thought that his life was about to come to an end, he simultaneously heard the growl of a little beast and a surprised yelp next to his ear.

Swiftly opening his eyes, Rebran saw that Avi had her jaws latched around the foot of the reptilian that was threatening him, while letting out a low growl from her throat.

Where… where does she get this courage from?

Rebran’s thoughts raced, as his eyes met the bright purple eyes of the little wolf pup. Even at this moment, she seemed to be telling him to escape, with no regard of her own life.

We just met, why would you do this for me?

Rebran’s heart was in a turmoil, watching the actions of this pup who was much younger and smaller than him, but had ten times the courage.

A teardrop escaped from his eyes, when he saw the extent of struggle this little pup was willing to go for him.

“You little sshit, how dare you put your filthy teethsss on me?”

The figure icily stated, and within a blink of an eye, its talons grasped Avi by the neck and began to slowly dig into her skin.

Letting out an anguished cry of pain, Avi screamed at the top of her little lungs, feeling the hard nails of the reptilian dig further and further into her body.

Drops of blood seeped out from her fur, dyeing her black coat with a shade of red.

……………………….

“Ran, if you ever make a friend in future who is willing to be by your side through both pain and happiness, never let them go and make sure you protect them with every drop of strength you have. Understood?”

A slim griffon spoke, while deeply gazing into the eyes of a baby beast on the ground.

“Alright, mommy… but, do you really think someone will want to be friends with me?”

A little white lion asked, as he raised his tiny head up to face his mother.

“I’m sure you will find a friend like that one day.”

Denela said warmly, as she ruffled her son’s fur with her beak.

……………………

“I will not let you hurt her!”

A rapid change started to occur within Rebran, as wisps of white light enveloped his body and an illusion of two angelic wings appeared on his back.

This was the first time that Rebran felt an emotion that he had never felt before.

Anger.

………………………….

“How are the preparationsss?”

A silky voice sounded out in the shadow of a cave, as a series of hisses responded to the voice.

“The trapssss have been asset, my lord. The lion runt will be killed tonight, and the war between the two kings will start by tomorrow.”

A feminine voice rasped, as she stepped forward and addressed the shadow at the back of the cave.

“Exssselent! These two idiot kingsss don’t even realize that they are both being played… truly marvelousss! Contact me once everything is ready.”

The silky voice exclaimed in a sultry tone, as it began slithering away.

The rest of the reptilian figures in the cave rapidly moved out and commenced the plans set by their ruler.

In a not so distant location from the cave, a gigantic snake remained coiled behind a large rock as its body began to rapidly distort and mutate until it took on the form of a red-haired woman.

“Let’s see how our Dragon King is doing, shall we?”

The red-haired beauty let out a seductive laugh, as she suddenly vanished from the area.

“Relra, you must hand this child over to the Alpha. Think of how powerful our pack could become in the future! It has been centuries since a beast with a special bloodline has been born within our pack.”

An old silver wolf exclaimed with happiness, as he gazed into the eyes of a dark female wolf under the bright light of the moon above.

“Father, if I hand her over to him, Avi’s life will be devoid of any happiness and she will only have a future of bloodshed and violence. I do not want her to be a warrior.”

Relra softly stated, while taking a quick glance down at the sleeping pup near her belly.

“She has the ancient bloodline of our ancestors, Relra, and there is no way that the Alpha will let her live a normal life. Are you sure about this?”

The old wolf asked in a despondent tone.

He knew that if Relra went through with her plan, then she would be putting her own life at risk, as the Alpha will not dare to harm Avi.

“She is my daughter, I will gladly exchange my life so she can fully live hers. Will you help me, father?”

Relra turned her bright eyes towards her father.

“Sigh… leave right now then. Tonight is a full-moon, so Lexren will be training for a while. It is your best chance of making an escape without the entire pack knowing.”

The old wolf conveyed while slowly standing up on his four feet.

“Thank you, father.”

Relra’s eyes moistened, as she gently grasped the sleeping pup with her teeth and sprinted into the darkness of the night.

“Make your grandfather proud, Avi. You are the greatest hope of our bloodline…”

The old wolf let out a slight smile when the dark wolf departed from the area, and waited for the young Alpha to detect that a member of his pack had just severed her bond.

………………………

*swish-swish*

Swiftly darting around in the forest, Relra frantically sped ahead before the Alpha found out about her. She had already severed the mental connection from the pack, so the others would definitely alert Lexren, rousing him from his training.

“ruff?”

The little pup groaned, the uneven gait of Relra waking her up from her nap.

“It’s alright, little one, just go back to sleep. Mommy just has to run for a while.”

Relra sent her thoughts to the baby beast, focusing on making her quick escape.

“AWOOOOOOOO!”

A series of howls echoed in the night, eliciting a curse from Relra.

Noticing the sense of urgency within her mother, Avi quickly turned silent and looked at the only thing that was visible in the dark night.

The bright shining moon above.

………………………….

Pain
.

It was the first time she ever felt this much physical pain in her life. Even now, she could still feel the cold claws of the hooded beast that dug into her neck.

Pain.

Where was her mother? She wanted to feel her warm fur and smell her scent. She felt safe with her mother. She was starting to feel cold.

Pain.

There was someone else whom she felt safe with. He was her protector and guardian. He would definitely save her. Please… it hurts…

You do not need anyone else’s help. You share the same blood as us, and the power that comes with it. It’s a pity you haven’t awakened to your element yet, but this much of our essence should last you for a while. Open your eyes, daughter of Rahsool!

An ancient voice sounded out within Avi’s mind, sending forth a tsunami of strength into her veins and pushing away the feeling of pain.

Unbeknownst to Avi, her body was currently emitting waves of dark essence and the mark near her belly was glowing with a bright purple light.

“Ack!”

The hooded figure angrily cursed out when a sharp bolt of pain ran through his claws. Quickly withdrawing his hand, the hooded figure glanced at the strange pup standing on the ground. The other figures had looks of shock etched onto their faces, but soon it morphed into one of greed and excitement.

Even Rebran had his mouth open when he saw the clouds of dark essence revolving around the little wolf pup and the aura of death that she was currently emanating.

“Wha-what is this?”

The white light behind Rebran suddenly dissipated under the shock-waves of the dark essence.

However, before he could even make out what was going on, the five hooded figures instantly moved from their locations and quickly surrounded Avi.

It appeared as if the wolf pup was still not conscious, as her eyes remained closed. Only the faint sound of her breathing and the slight rising of her tiny chest indicated that the little beast was alive.

“Hurry! Knock her out before she completely wakesss up. Encountering a beassst with a sspecial bloodline is truly rare, let alone one so young!”

One of the hooded reptilians croaked in delight, as she released her essence and lit her entire arm in an inferno of red flames. The others did the same, unleashing their essence into the open air.

Within seconds, the female reptilian with the flames shot out a torrent of fire towards Avi’s little body!

Although it was clear that these mysterious waves of dark essence were powerful, under the control of a pup who had not even awakened her element, it was unable to completely block the barrage of attacks. Soon, traces of the reptilians’ essence leaked through the dark clouds and struck Avi right in the chest.

*Rackh*

Avi suddenly awoke from her comatose state, and coughed out a mouthful of blood. Staring at the crimson liquid coming out of her mouth, the little wolf pup felt scared and her mind immediately started to panic.

Detecting the waves of dark essence spiraling around her, Avi let out a howl filled with desperation and confusion.

She did not know what was happening with her body, but she wanted it to stop and return back to normal.

Seeing five pairs of evil eyes gazing back at her with hunger, Avi started to shudder and curled herself into a ball.

She was not strong enough, and the pain was returning back to her body. Covering her eyes with her little paws, Avi wished for all the bad beasts to go away and called out for the one person she knew who could protect her.

Calron!

*SCREEEEEEE*

At that exact moment, an ear-splitting cry of a bird reverberated in the forest, as a colossal shadow loomed over them all.

The five figures and Rebran slowly turned to face the sky at the same time, and saw a sight that sent chills into their very bones.

A massive golden bird was charging straight at them, its face twisted with fury and vengeance. Its eyes glowed an unnatural grey, and a bizarre symbol flashed on top of its forehead.

However, none of that was what evoked a primal sense of danger within the five reptilians.

It was the fearsome torrents of azure lightning that were wildly crackling around the bird.