Episode 14: "The Rift Unleashed"
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EXT. SHADOWBOUND WOODS – NIGHT
The moon hangs high, casting a silver glow over the trees. Kael stands with Tunde, Lana, Rhea, and a few members of the werewolf pack. There's a thick tension in the air.
TUNDE
(low voice)
Something's wrong. I can feel it.
Kael's enhanced senses confirm it. The forest is too quiet. Even the wind seems to hold its breath. And then—
CRACK! A sudden rip through the air.
A portal tears open, swirling with red and black mist. From it, hooded figures emerge—The Hollowed Circle. Rogue spellcasters and dark magic fanatics. Leading them is a woman cloaked in shimmering black—MIRAXA, a powerful sorceress once expelled from Shadowbound.
MIRAXA
(smirking)
Well, well. The new pup and his loyal sidekicks.
Kael steps forward, eyes glowing faintly gold—still not fully turned, but already brimming with power.
KAEL
You shouldn't be here.
MIRAXA
And yet, here I am. We're here for the keystone. Hand it over, and maybe I'll let you all live.
Lana's hand flies up, a glowing barrier forming in front of them. Kael glances at her, impressed.
LANA
We don't have it. Try someone else.
MIRAXA
Lies.
She raises a finger, murmuring a spell. A blast of dark energy erupts from her hand.
TUNDE
"Glacium Fortis!"
A shimmering shield of ice forms just in time to absorb the blast, exploding into sparkling shards.
RHEA
(chanting quickly)
"Solis Flare!"
A golden light surges from her staff, slamming into two of the Hollowed mages. One vanishes into smoke, the other staggers back with a shriek.
Suddenly, the clearing becomes a battlefield.
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FIGHT SEQUENCE: MAGIC MAYHEM
KAEL ducks a blast of energy, rolling across the forest floor, then appears behind one of the rogue mages with a blink step. With a growl, he punches the mage square in the chest, sending them flying into a tree.
TUNDE and LANA fight back to back. Tunde conjures barriers and vines to trap enemies. Lana casts teleportation spells, blinking in and out, slashing her enchanted dagger across enemy robes.
RHEA levitates, casting rapid-fire sigils from her palms. A swirling portal opens beside her—she summons a spectral beast that charges one of the Hollowed and bites down on its leg, dragging it into the shadows.
A blast of corrupted red magic rips through the sky. Kael senses it coming.
KAEL
"Infernis Wall!"
Too late. The explosion hits. Kael and Tunde are blasted backwards, landing hard. Kael groans, his body sizzling with dark energy.
MIRAXA
Poor Kael. You're changing faster than expected, aren't you?
Kael's body begins to shift uncontrollably—muscles tightening, bones cracking slightly as his werewolf blood reacts to the energy. His claws partially form. His canines lengthen.
But instead of panic, there's a sudden pulse inside him—something ancient.
KAEL
(growling)
Don't. Touch. My. Pack.
He lets out a shockwave roar—not a spell, but pure instinctual power. The soundwave knocks three Hollowed mages into the trees.
TUNDE
(wide-eyed)
What... was that?
LANA
That wasn't spellcasting. That was something else.
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INT. RIFT BETWEEN REALMS – SAME TIME
Elsewhere, beyond the battlefield, a cloaked figure watches through a swirling mirror. It's an ancient being—the First Alpha, his face hidden in shadows.
FIRST ALPHA
The power awakens early. The bloodline holds.
He steps back into darkness, his voice echoing.
FIRST ALPHA
The True Alpha rises… and with him, the war.
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EXT. SHADOWBOUND WOODS – CONTINUED
Back on the battlefield, the Hollowed regroup. Miraxa hisses, her pride wounded.
MIRAXA
You think you're special, boy? You haven't seen true darkness.
She lifts her staff and slams it into the earth. A massive portal opens behind her, crackling with unstable magic. Trees bend away, the ground shakes.
MIRAXA
Let's see how you handle this.
From the portal steps a monstrous creature—ten feet tall, stitched from shadow and bone. A Wraithborn Golem.
Kael stares at it. His instincts scream. Every nerve in his body is on fire.
KAEL
Everyone fall back! I'll hold it!
LANA
Kael, no!
KAEL
I've got this!
The creature lunges at him. Kael roars, leaping forward. Claw against steel, magic against darkness. The impact blasts the trees back. Kael is faster now—his wolf power partially awakened, muscles flowing with magic and instinct.
The creature swings, but Kael ducks, rakes its side with glowing claws. Sparks and shadow burst. He punches it backward, into a portal Lana opens just in time.
LANA
Now, Kael! Finish it!
Kael concentrates. One hand glows with his inner golden magic, the other pulsing with werewolf strength. He thrusts both forward—
KAEL
"Lux Umbra!"
The combination of light and shadow explodes, destabilizing the golem. It disintegrates in a scream of agony.
The forest falls still again.
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AFTERMATH
The Hollowed vanish through another portal, dragging Miraxa with them. Defeated—for now.
Kael collapses to his knees, breathing hard.
TUNDE
You good?
KAEL
Not really.
LANA
You... you're changing. Faster than we thought.
KAEL
It's like something inside me unlocked. I felt... ancient.
RHEA
That wasn't just werewolf. That was something more.
They help him to his feet.
KAEL
If I'm going to survive this... I need to know who I really am. What I'm becoming.
Behind them, the werewolf alpha steps out of the shadows. He bows slightly to Kael.
ALPHA
You are not just becoming one of us. You are becoming more than any of us.
Kael's eyes glow gold for a second, then dim again.
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INT. SHADOWBOUND HIGH – HEADMASTER'S OFFICE – LATE NIGHT
The Headmaster watches through an enchanted orb.
HEADMASTER THORNE
The Hollowed are moving fast... and Kael's awakening even faster. We'll need the others. All of them.
He turns to a shelf, pulling out a scroll sealed in dragon bone wax.
HEADMASTER THORNE
Time to awaken the Fallen Seers.