The battle is won, but the war is far from over. With his new powers on the loose, Oliver must find balance between good and evil - before the world dies.
*****
"The old world walks the earth once again."
Something big is comi...
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-Oliver-
I was told that I slept twenty-six hours after the battle ended. The shadows had finally scattered in the wind, screaming in fear at the sight of me. Jaden spoke proudly about it, but when I looked back at that moment, I wasn't sure if it really was me, or the Echo in me.
The following week was long. We mourned those we lost and celebrated the victory by spending time with our loved ones. To be honest, it didn't feel like we won the war. We only won that one battle, and the second one would not be that easy. Not when the enemy knew that the Echo of Hades was now walking the Earth.
We spent a lot of time rebuilding the little town, dealing with the prisoners and taking care of the poor, possessed humans. Most of them already knew about the supernaturals, so it was easy to explain what had happened, but not everyone was in the loop. Those people had to have their memories wiped, which wasn't an easy task taken the fact that they were scared and confused enough, and then they were asked to drink a potion that made them forget the past day.
But eventually, everything went back to normal.
One night, we all stood in front of the Hall in silence. It was dark, but the street was lit up with torches. It was cold, but Jaden was resting his arm on my shoulders while we listened to his father.
"...and we may have lost the portal, but not our meaning. We are still guardians of this land. We still owe our lives to Spirit Walkers who gave us this place to build our homes when we had nowhere else to go."
The people around me mumbled in agreement, nodding their heads. I had a tiny smile on my lips as I watched their pride. Rayleigh was silent for a moment as he stood on top of the stairs, his eyes sweeping over us.
"You deserve to know the truth – you already do know it. The Echo of Hades is real, and it's right here with us. The enemy knows this too, and while we don't know who they are, they know who we are." He was silent again, and a crooked smile appeared on his lips. "And now they know how hard we bite and think twice before returning here."
The crowd broke out in loud cheers. I was feeling emotional. I was happy that none of them hated or feared me, and that I was still one of them, but I was worried at the same time. We nearly lost already, and the enemy would be more careful next time... These people were taking huge risks just by letting me stay there...
"And once they do, we are ready!" Rayleigh yelled over the noise. "Today, we are no longer the pack of Blue Moon, we are the alliance of the Blue Moon!" More cheering ensued, but even louder this time. "The packs of Midnight Grove, Hollow Oak, Black Thorn and us Blue Moons have reached an agreement and we are now officially joining forces to protect ourselves and this land."
"Well, what is left of Black Thorn," Jaden muttered, making me sad. After being possessed for such a long time, the Black Thorns needed a lot of time to recover and heal. I had seen them, and just like Jack, they all were infested with shadows. They had to live away from everyone else so that the infestation couldn't spread. At least they now had an actual roof over their heads – Jaden's pack had turned one of their old barns into a shelter for them.
