Myths and Legends

Chapter 19 | The Battle

The battle between Meldrid and the werewolf raged on, a brutal dance of claws and steel under the pale moonlight. Each swipe of the werewolf's massive paw sent tremors through the ground, while Meldrid weaved and parried with desperate agility. Yet, her dagger felt like a toy against the creature's monstrous form.

Caspian remained frozen on the ground, tears streaming down his face as he cradled his father's lifeless body. A strangled sob escaped his lips, a sound that tore at Meldrid's heart even amidst the chaos.

"Caspian! Take Aurora and run already!" Meldrid shouted, her voice hoarse with a mixture of urgency and raw grief. Her every fiber screamed at her son to escape, to save himself and his sister.

But her desperate pleas seemed to fall on deaf ears. Caspian remained fixated on Elric, his small body wracked with tremors. The sight of his father's fallen form seemed to have broken something within him, leaving him in a state of numb paralysis.

Suddenly, the tide of the battle shifted. The werewolf landed another ferocious blow, its massive paw connecting with Meldrid's shoulder. A scream ripped from her throat as she was sent hurtling through the air. Pain exploded in her shoulder and ribs, stealing her breath. She tumbled across the grassy floor ten meters away from Caspian and Aurora, the impact shaking her vision and sending stars exploding behind her eyelids.

For a moment, the world remained a blur of agonizing pain and ringing silence. Then, slowly, agonizingly, her senses returned. A groan escaped her lips as she tried to push herself up, but a searing ache lanced through her side, forcing her back down.

She lay there, gasping for breath, her vision flickering between the clearing and the inky blackness threatening to consume her. Through the haze of pain, she saw the horrifying sight unfolding before her. The werewolf stalked towards Caspian and Aurora, its yellow eyes gleaming with predatory hunger.

Despair threatened to engulf Meldrid, but a primal instinct, fierce and protective, roared to life within her. They would not take her children. With a surge of adrenaline fueled by a mother's love, Meldrid pushed through the agonizing pain in her ribs. Ignoring the limitations of her injured body, she lunged at the beast.

"Leave them alone!" she screamed, her voice echoing through the clearing. But the werewolf barely acknowledged her, its focus solely on the defenseless children.

Just as the creature towered over Caspian and Aurora, a gasp escaped Meldrid's lips. A glint of metal caught her eye - the dagger she had lost lay discarded near her son's hand.

Unexpectedly, Caspian reached for the weapon, his movements uncharacteristically fluid and precise. His face, once etched with grief, was now a mask of chilling neutrality. The tears that streamed down his cheeks moments ago had vanished, leaving behind a terrifying emptiness in their wake. And his eyes... they were no longer their usual brown. They had turned a chilling black, like an abyss that swallowed the light. The whites of his eyes had vanished too, consumed by the same inky darkness.

A tremor of fear ran through Meldrid. In that moment, she didn't recognize her son. His movements, as he charged at the werewolf, were swift and calculated, devoid of the hesitation that plagued him moments ago. His strikes were precise and brutal, fueled by a raw power she couldn't comprehend.

The werewolf, taken aback by Caspian's sudden attack, found itself on the defensive. The creature roared, a sound laced with surprise and anger, as a deep gash tore across its belly. But the fight was far from over. The beast lashed out with a swipe of its massive paw, catching Caspian across the chest and sending him flying backwards. He landed in a heap a few meters away, a cough escaping his lips.

Panic surged through Meldrid. 'No!!' she screamed internally, her own injuries momentarily forgotten. But before she could even contemplate crawling towards him, Caspian was back on his feet, his movements seemingly unfazed by the blow.

The air crackled with a dark energy that clung to the dagger in his hand. With each strike, a wave of this ominous power surged forth, amplifying the force of his attacks. The fight devolved into a whirlwind of inhuman agility and raw power. Caspian danced around the werewolf, his black eyes fixated on his foe, a predator with a chilling focus.

Meldrid watched in stunned disbelief. A part of her marveled at the newfound prowess he displayed, a warrior born from grief and rage. But another part, a deeper, more primal instinct, thrummed with fear. This wasn't her son anymore. This was something monstrous, fueled by a darkness she couldn't begin to understand. The thought sent a fresh wave of terror crashing over her, momentarily eclipsing the pain radiating from her injuries.

Caspian lunged again, his black eyes gleaming with a cold, predatory hunger that mirrored the werewolf's own. The dagger blurred in his hand, a streak of obsidian against the pale moonlight. This time, he aimed for the creature's throat.

The werewolf, desperate, threw up a massive paw to block the blow. There was a sickening crunch of bone meeting metal, and the werewolf shrieked in pain. Its swipe connected with Caspian's shoulder, sending him staggering back a step. But he didn't falter for long. With a snarl that ripped from deep within him, a sound devoid of any humanity, Caspian pressed the attack.

Meldrid watched, horrified, as the fight reached its climax. The clearing echoed with the clash of steel and bone, the werewolf's enraged roars punctuated by Caspian's inhuman snarls. The dark energy swirling around him intensified, crackling with an ominous power.

In a final, desperate lunge, Caspian sidestepped a swipe from the werewolf's claws and plunged the dagger deep into the creature's chest. A horrifying howl erupted from the beast, a sound that sent shivers down Meldrid's spine. The werewolf staggered back, its massive form trembling.

Caspian ripped the dagger free, and the werewolf crumpled to the ground with a deafening thud. It lay motionless, a pool of dark blood spreading beneath its body. The clearing fell silent, broken only by Meldrid's ragged gasps for breath.

Slowly, the darkness that had clung to Caspian began to recede. The chilling black in his eyes remained, fixed on the fallen werewolf. A faint, malevolent grin stretched across his face, a chilling contrast to the tears tracing paths down his cheeks.

A voice, cold and insidious, echoed in the recesses of his mind, but unheard by anyone else. "You're weak, Caspian," it rasped.

Caspian's lips twitched, a single word escaping them in a breathless whisper. "Weak..."

The darkness within him pulsed faintly, a final desperate bid for control. But the raw emotion fueling it began to ebb. Exhaustion overwhelmed him, his vision blurring and the clearing tilting at an alarming angle.

With a final, shuddering breath, Caspian collapsed to the ground. The chilling black in his eyes lingered for a fleeting moment before fading completely, replaced by the familiar brown. But unconsciousness claimed him before the transition finished, leaving his face a mask of conflicting emotions - grief, rage, and a hint of a chilling smile.