The campfire crackled beneath a cold, starlit sky. Cornelius sat apart from the others, his hands wrapped tightly around a half-empty flask of water. The wind bit against his skin, yet it was the silence inside his soul that chilled him the most. He could still feel the surge of darkness in his veins from the sanctuary—a residue of something ancient and violent that refused to be silent.
Evangeline's soft footsteps approached from behind. "You haven't spoken in hours," she said, kneeling beside him.
"I didn't just fight Lucas back there," Cornelius muttered. "I fought something inside myself… something that didn't want to let go."
She didn't respond, only leaned her shoulder into his, offering quiet support. Around them, the other Outcasts—Asha, the witch with eyes of fire, and Riven, the vampire who had earned his trust with blood—slept with weapons close. Peace was temporary in their world.
But it was Asha who broke the stillness. She sat up suddenly, her eyes glowing unnaturally. "The second seal," she whispered. "It's breaking."
Cornelius stood immediately, as did Riven, weapons drawn out of instinct.
Asha's voice deepened, almost possessed. "The Black Forest. The seal is guarded no more."
The name made Cornelius's heart sink. The Black Forest wasn't just dangerous—it was forbidden, a graveyard for those who dared to believe they were stronger than fate. According to legends, it was where the first werewolf had devoured his own kind and became a beast of madness. And now… it held one of the seals Lucas sought to destroy.
Without a word, Cornelius turned and began packing. The others followed without protest. They all knew—this was war now.
---
Several Days Later – The Edge of the Black Forest
The trees loomed like titans cloaked in mist. Each one older than time, their twisted limbs seemed to whisper warnings with every gust of wind. The deeper they went, the more the forest rejected them—roots that moved, animals that stared with human eyes, and echoes that weren't their own.
It wasn't long before they stumbled upon the first sign of death.
An entire squadron of the royal guard lay scattered, torn and burnt. Asha knelt beside one body. "They weren't killed by beasts," she said. "Magic… strong, dark, and ancient."
"Lucas," Riven hissed.
"No," Cornelius said, his eyes narrowing. "Something else. Older."
Suddenly, the trees shuddered. A roar tore through the air—so loud it sent birds flying from the canopy and shook the ground beneath their feet.
From the shadows, a creature emerged. Towering and monstrous, with skeletal wings, molten red eyes, and claws that scraped the earth like blades.
"The Guardian of the Seal," Asha gasped. "It's been corrupted."
Without hesitation, Cornelius shifted—half-wolf, half-man, his fury awakened. Riven and Asha joined him, flanking the beast. The battle that followed was not clean or heroic—it was brutal.
The creature moved like smoke, vanishing and reappearing, striking without warning. Riven was thrown against a tree. Asha barely deflected a death blow with her staff, and Cornelius… he let the fury take him.
But it wasn't enough.
The beast pinned him, its claws digging into his shoulders. Blood poured from Cornelius's wounds. He reached inward, searching for something—anything.
And then he heard it. A voice.
"You are more than just wolf, Cornelius. You are the Outcast born from betrayal, forged in pain, destined to rise."
He screamed—not from pain, but power. A surge of energy exploded from his chest, blasting the beast off of him. His eyes glowed silver. His body shimmered, flickering between human and wolf—and something in between.
With a final charge, he pierced the beast's heart with his claws, the corruption burning away like ash in sunlight.
Silence fell.
The creature collapsed, dissolving into black mist. In the center of the forest, the seal pulsed once… and then dimmed, stable again.
But Cornelius fell to his knees, gasping, overwhelmed by what had just awoken within him.
---
Meanwhile…
Miles away, in a darkened chamber laced with obsidian chains, Lucas stood before a circle of cloaked figures. His eyes blazed with rage.
"They've reached the second seal," he growled. "And the boy… he's beginning to awaken."
One of the cloaked figures stepped forward. "Your plan remains intact, Lord Lucas. The third seal lies in the ruins of Eldemar, and the last… within him."
Lucas turned to the shadows, eyes narrowing. "Then it's time the world remembers why they feared my name. Begin the hunt."