Eclipsed Destiny

The rogue lieutenant's order shook the clearing. The rogue horde surged forward, sharp steps calculated, eyes glowing red in the weak firelight. Celia's breath caught in her throat as the weight of that moment pressed down on her. Her mark burned bright, the blessing's power surging as she clenched her grip on her blade. Heat flowed through her veins steady and strong, but the sheer scope of the battle before her threatened to crush her under its weight. "Stand your ground!" Aziel's voice cut through the melee.

Just at the edge of the perimeter, a small group of warrior escorts stood ready, lashing open their arms to raise deadly weapons as they prepared to face the onslaught. Thick with tension, every breathing was heavy with the threat of violence. Kael stood motionless, his eyes moving between Celia, Aziel, and the approaching rogues. For a second, something flickered in his gaze-regret, perhaps, or hesitation-but it was gone almost as soon as it appeared. He drew his blade, his stance tense as he faced them.

"Kael, don't do this," Celia said, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and desperation. "You don't have to fight for them."

His face set, his hand clenching around his sword. "I made my choice, Celia. Just like you made yours."© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

"You chose betrayal," Aziel growled, his claws extending as he stepped forward. "You betrayed your pack. Your family."

"I did what I had to do," Kael snapped, his voice sharp. "You don't understand what they were offering what they threatened."

"I comprehend well enough," Celia replied, her chest tightening in place as she met his gaze. "You let fear get a hold of you. You let it make you something you're not."

Kael's jaw locked; his eyes narrowed. "Do not pretend to understand me, Celia," he said. "You are always the outsider-the person who doesn't belong here.

Her heart wrung itself, but she was determined to hold him off. She held her sword steady with a voice firm with a calm that threatened to split inside of her. "Though I am not a part of this pack, I'll fight for it. And I'll defend it from whatever and whoever comes along and destroys it-including you.

Kael hesitated, his eyes darting to the rogue lieutenant. The man's smirk grew wider, his red eyes glinting with amusement. "Touching," he said, his voice dripping with mockery. "But words won't save you now, Luna.

The rogues advanced, their snarls echoing off the trees of the clearing. Celia's mark flared bright, the blessing's power blazing as she readied for battle. The firelight danced on her blade, illuminating the darkness around her with the glow of the blessing.

Aziel stepped to her side, his presence steady as he faced the enemies advancing on them. "We take them together," he said, his voice low but full of determination.

She nodded, her chest compressing against itself by both fear and resolution. "Together."

\---

The fight burst forth in violent crescendo.

Celia's blade struck claws first with a jagged impact down her arm. She stepped with intent now, the power of the blessing fueling each strike in a struggle to keep back. Rogues were ferociously tenacious, relentless, coordinated and deadly.

Aziel moved beside her, a blur of motion tearing claws into the enemies close enough. His movements fluid and powerful, every strike an expression of his strength and skill, Celia felt admiration for him, even as she remained in the heart of chaos.

Marcus held the line with the other warriors, his blade flashing as he fought off the advancing rogues. It was a small force by the pack's standards, but they were holding their own, their determination unyielding.

But the rogues were too many. For each one they brought down, two more seemed to take its place. The pack was being pushed back, and their defenses were cracking under the relentless assault. "Celia, fall back!" Marcus shouted, his voice strained as he fended off another rogue.

She ignored him, her focus on the fight. The blessing's power surged within her, the heat sharp and insistent as she channeled its energy into her strikes. The rogues fell before her, but the cost of the power was heavy. She could feel it draining her, the bond with the ancient energy taking its toll.

"Celia!" Aziel's voice came through clear against the noise, urgent sharp. "Behind you!"

She had just turned time enough to see Kael launching himself at her, the blade shining in the flickering light of the flames. Her mark throbbed, the blessing kicking alive as she raised her blade to knock his blow off course. The two bits of metal clashed through the clearing with a sharp strike that left her staggering off-balance.

"Kael, stop!" she shouted, her voice filled with desperation. "This isn't who you are."

He didn't respond, his movements sharp and calculated as he pressed the attack. Celia's heart twisted as she fought him, her strikes precise but defensive. She didn't want to hurt him-not if there was still a chance to save him. "Celia, don't hold back!" Aziel growled, his voice filled with frustration. "He's made his choice."

Her chest tightened at his words, but she couldn't bring herself to deliver a killing blow. Kael's strikes were relentless, his attacks forcing her back with every step. The blessing flared again, its energy surging as she blocked another strike. "Kael, please," she said, her voice trembling. "You don't have to do this."

He hesitated for an instant, the blade halting. The rogue lieutenant's voice tore through the time, cold, commanding, "Finish her."

Kael's eyes snapped hard now, and once more he ran at her with his blade intended for her heart.

\---

Celia's mark flared with blinding light, the blessing's energy bursting forth as she raised her blade. The clearing was consumed by the clash of power, the sound of steel meeting steel ringing out like a thunderclap.

When the light faded, Kael stood frozen, his blade inches from Celia's chest. His eyes flickered with confusion and pain as he looked down at her glowing blade, pressed against his own throat.

Why didn't you kill me?" he whispered, his voice so soft that she could barely hear him.

Celia's voice was trembling as she answered, her chest heaving from the effort of holding it back. "Because there's still good in you, Kael. And I won't give up on you.