Chapter 40
Lisa’s POV
Rylan’s voice broke through the silence. “But… there is no such place on any map,” he said slowly, his brows pulled together. “Nightcrest Pack doesn’t exist. I’ve never seen it marked anywhere.”
I turned toward the Seer, my chest tightening. “Then how do we find them?”
The Seer didn’t speak right away. Her eyes dropped to my wrist again. Slowly, she reached into her pouch and pulled out a small pouch made of black velvet. She untied the string and revealed a white powder
inside. It shimmered slightly, like crushed pearls under the light.
“What is that?” I asked, watching as she pinched some between her fingers.
“Seeker’s Dust,” she said, her voice low and distant. “Very old. Very rare. It reveals what the eyes cannot
see.”
Without another word, she carefully sprinkled the powder over the mark on my wrist. It clung to the skin,
covering the strange symbol entirely. It felt cool, almost like snow, and then… it began to glow.
I gasped.
The white powder shimmered gold for a second before pulsing with dark silver light. The air around us
shifted. It became heavy and cold.
She closed her eyes and began to whisper in a language I didn’t understand. Her voice was soft and rhythmic, like the rise and fall of a song carried by the wind. The air in the room grew still. Even the sound of my own breathing felt too loud.
Sierra didn’t speak. She was quiet.
The Seer’s hands trembled slightly. Her lips were still moving. Then she inhaled deeply and her whole body
stiffened. A faint glow pulsed from the mark beneath the powder. I gasped and clutched the edge of the
bed.
And then, she spoke.
“In the east, where the sun hides behind cursed peaks,” she whispered, her voice faraway and dream-like.’
Where rivers run red with old blood and the wind sings in forgotten tongues…”
My heart pounded, I didn’t understand the words, but I knew that she was seeing something.
“Behind the mountain that wears a crown of ash,” she continued. “Beyond the forest where shadows
dance, and the trees whisper secrets only the dead can hear…”
I stared at her.
“There lies the path,” she said, still in that haunting tone. “But the path is hidden. Guarded. Waiting for the
one who bears the mark.”
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Chapter 40
She opened her eyes slowly and looked at me.
“That’s all I could see. A vision. Not a map. But it’s something.”
The room was silent for a moment. I tried to process what she had said.
A mountain with a crown of ash?
A forest of whispering shadows?
It sounded like something from a nightmare.
“Is it dangerous?” I asked in a small voice.
She nodded. “Yes. The way is old. It has been forgotten for a reason. And whatever lies at the end… it does
not want to be found.”
Sierra stirred in my mind.
We should be careful, Lisa. This isn’t just some journey; it’s a test. A warning.
But I already knew that.
The Seer stepped back. “You will get answers, child. But answers come with a price. Be ready to pay it.”
Rylan stood beside me now. He bowed his head slightly to the Seer. “Thank you. Truly.”
She gave him a small nod. “Be swift. The mark has awakened. And others may be watching.”
That sent a fresh chill down my spine.
Others? Who?
The Seer left quietly, her robes whispering against the floor as she disappeared into the hallway. I sat in
silence for a moment. My thoughts were spinning.
Rylan sat down next to me on the bed. “You look pale,” he said softly.
“I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck,” I mumbled. “Or maybe a vision.”
He tried to smile but I saw the concern in his eyes. “Do you believe all of that? The Nightcrest Pack? That
it’s real?”
I looked at my wrist. The powder was gone, but the mark remained. It was dark and unfading.
“I have to believe it,” I whispered. “Because if it’s true… maybe I’ll finally find out who I am.”
Rylan sighed and rubbed his hand through his hair. “Lisa… there’s a reason no one talks about Nightcrest. It’s always been a ghost story. A legend told to scare pups. Packs vanish. Lands disappear. And sometimes… they were never there to begin with.”
I shook my head. “But the Seer saw something. You saw it too….she wasn’t lying.”
“I know,” he said quietly. “But visions are tricky. And we don’t even know where to start. A mountain that
wears a crown of ash? That could be anywhere.”
“I want to find it,” I said firmly. “Even if it’s far. Even if it’s dangerous.”
“You’re so stubborn,” he muttered with a tired smile.
+25 Points
I met his eyes. “I have to be. This… it could be everything, Rylan. My past. My parents. Maybe even the
reason why I have powers.”
He was quiet for a long time.
Then he nodded. “Alright. We’ll leave tomorrow at dawn. I’ll get us a map, supplies, and a vehicle. But if
this gets too dangerous….”
“It already is,” I interrupted.
He gave me a look. “Then I’ll be right there with you at every step.”
I smiled, even though I felt like crying.
“Thank you.”
He stood and gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Rest. You’ll need your strength.”
He left the room quietly, and I was alone again.
Except I wasn’t.
Sierra? I called gently in my mind.
I’m here, she said.
What do you think? About the vision? About Nightcrest?
She hesitated.
It feels… right. Familiar, somehow. Like we’ve been called. I don’t know why. But I felt something stir inside
me when the Seer said that name.
Do you think we’ll find it?
Yes. But we’ll have to fight for every step. Something is waiting for us, Lisa. Something old.
I lay back against the pillows and stared at the ceiling. My thoughts were a blur of fear and excitement.
A part of me still wanted to run. To hide in the safety of Rylan’s mansion. To pretend that the mark wasn’t
there, and that I could be normal.
But I wasn’t normal.
Not anymore.
Maybe I never was.
The pain, the power, the vision…..it all pointed to one thing.
I had a destiny. And it wasn’t here.
It was behind the mountains, through cursed forests, past rivers soaked in old blood.
Where shadows whispered and secrets waited.
Where the truth lived.
Nightcrest.
Even the name sent shivers down my spine.
I touched the mark one more time.
It was cool now, but still pulsing faintly beneath my skin.
Tomorrow, I would begin the journey.
No more hiding.
No more running.
It was time to find out who I really was.
