Chapter 183: Shadows on the Horizon

The world spun maddeningly as Lleus and Reika were pulled from the Void's fatal grasp, their bodies hitting the hard earth. Cold air filled Lleus's lungs, and finally, he was breathing. Reika whimpers beside him, her shivering body strained with fatigue. Lleus leapt into her in a heartbeat, his racing chest tense with worry. "Reika? You all right?" She nodded weakly, her pale face set but firm. "I'm okay." Lleus gazed about. They were home. The eerie vastness of the Void had receded before the rugged slopes of the northern highlands, where they had dwelled for so long. The witches' land. A flash of running footsteps filled the air. Kael and Athena arrived first, their faces a mix of shock and relief. Elira trailed behind, her golden eyes worried. "By the Goddess, you live!" Kael rushed toward them to kneel. "We thought—" He could not go on. Athena exhaled. "We went through the change. The Void. it released you." Reika held Lleus's arm so hard, her knuckles whitened. "Ariadne bargained. But we have no time. I sense her coming." Elira's eyes grew wide. "Then we must hurry." The Gathering Storm Lleus stood tall in spite of pain coursing through his body. "What's happening?" Kael gazed at Athena, then him. "Ariadne's army is being mobilized. Her werewolves, tainted ones, and now these Shadowborn creatures who were torn from the Void." Reika's hands curled into fists. "She's going to war." Athena nodded firmly. "And if we're not moving quickly enough, she'll devour the world.". Elira placed her hand on Reika's shoulder, her fists tightening. "You need to rest. Your body still recovers." Reika denied it violently. "I won't rest while our people are threatened." Lleus let out a deep sigh, his golden eyes rough. He'd only come back from the Void, and now there was yet another fight ahead of him. But this time, they were prepared. "We have allies. The desert wolves, the witches, even the land spirits. We will not fight alone in this war." Kael waited for a single breath before he went on. "There is more." Lleus's face fell into a line of distrust. "What?" Kael stood ready to strike. "The only way to actually overthrow Ariadne's reign is to sever her from the Void. But to sever her. we'll be requiring something strong. Something strong enough to sever her at the root." Reika's gaze turned cold. "You mean—" Kael nodded. "The Army of Death." There descended a chilly silence in the air. Even the wind hesitated at the mention of the legend. Elira spoke softly enough to be heard. "You can't possibly be suggesting that. The Army of Death had not been called in more than three centuries." Athena crossed her arms. "And rightly so. They are neither friend nor foe. They serve the one who calls them." Lleus frowned. "So we'll have to make sure it's us who call them." Reika drew a breath. She understood the risk, but this was the second option. Ariadne was no longer a werewolf queen—now she was an evil, a monster. Reika broke the long silence at last. "Then we have no choice. We call in the Army of Death." A Dangerous Ritual The witches hastened to clothe the ritual grounds, their incantations echoing off the cliffs as they set forth tokens in the soil. A chill spread into the air, the skies to grow dark, and an oppressive hush over the earth. Reika stood within the ritual circle, her hands around the pendant on her throat—a family treasure from her mother, a tie to the powers of the ages. Pregnancy might have made her wary, but she could sense power running through her veins. Lleus was at her shoulder, his tranquility a soothing presence of peace. "You sure this is what you should be doing?" Elira stepped forward, worry evident in her expression. 'Once they arrive, there's no turning back. They don't fight for free." Athena added, 'They demand a price." Reika lifted her chin. 'Then I'll give them whatever they ask." Kael muttered under his breath. 'Let's just hope it's not your soul." The Army Awakens The sky ripped open. Dark, boiling mist boiled from the skies, bubbling over the ritual circle. A cold, drawling scream ripped the air, monstrous and of unimaginable vintage. And then the figures began to emerge out of the shadows. They were clad in black armor, their eyes empty and aglow with otherworldly light. They were not alive. They were not dead. They were something in between. At their head was a colossus of a man with a cloak of writhing shadows. His bony fingers grasped a nightmare sword that pulsed with dark energy. The General of the Army of Death. He strode, his gaze fixed on Reika. "Who has summoned us?" Reika controlled her breathing. "I am Reika. Daughter of the Moon. Heir of the Northern Cliffs." She did not blink, unshakable. The General leaned forward, head on the heel of his hand. "And why are you fighting on our side?" Reika did not blink. "Because if you do not, Ariadne will consume this world—and not even you will be secure." The General laughed, a laugh that was like a void. "A risky thing to claim. And yet… true." Lleus stood behind her, at her shoulder. "We need your help." The General's empty stare fell upon him. "Desert wolves' Alpha. Your heart carries the scars of so many wars." He glared between them, then spoke at last. "We will fight. But our demand…" He plunged his sword, point straight into Reika's bulging belly. "Your firstborn." The air hung there. Lleus growled, moving in front of Reika to protect him. "No." Reika's breath caught in her throat. She had been willing to do anything, but not this. Elira stepped forward at once. "You can't insist on that." The General's eyes blazed unnaturally. "Life for death. That is the law." Reika's heart pounding, she looked at Lleus, his jaws locked in rage. She would not lose their child. But they could not refuse the Army's assistance. They would all be slaughtered. Lleus tossed his head back to the General, his voice gruff but shaking. "Take my life, then." The witches gasped in shock. Reika's arms flashed out, circling Lleus's arm. "Lleus, no—" The General looked at him. And to their surprise, erupted into laughter. "Brave. But unnecessary." He slid the sword back into its sheath. "I was merely testing to determine if you were worthy." The tension broke like glass. The General nodded. "The Army of Death will be with you." A War Begins The ritual finished, the Army of Death disappeared into the shadows, waiting. But their shadows lingered, dark and ominous. Lleus loomed over Reika, his gold eyes burning. "We end it. Today." Reika nodded, a clasp of his hand on Lleus's. The war was imminent. And they would be ready this time.