Adrian’s Plea
Adrian pushed through the chaos, his heart pounding with every step. The clang of blades and the cries of battle blurred into a cacophony around him, but his focus never wavered. His crimson eyes remained locked on Lyra, her form a beacon of dangerous light amidst the fray. Knights fell around him, their attacks narrowly missing as he dodged and weaved with precision. He kept his own blade lowered, refusing to contribute to the carnage. He had only one goal: reach her.
“Lyra!” he shouted, his voice raw, urgent. “Stop this!”
Lyra turned to face him, her silver eyes ablaze with fury and pain. The artifact in her hands pulsed violently, its erratic energy swirling around her like a tempest. Her face twisted with anger, and her voice trembled with betrayal. “You betrayed us,” she spat. “You let this happen!”
Adrian froze, her words striking like a physical blow. “I didn’t betray you!” he said, his voice breaking under the weight of her accusation. “I’m trying to save you. Lyra, you have to believe me!”
But the artifact’s whispers roared in her mind, louder and more insistent, twisting her thoughts and feeding her fury. Her wolf surged beneath her skin, its rage mirroring the chaotic power of the crystal. Lyra’s expression hardened, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous growl. “I trusted you.”
Adrian took a cautious step closer, raising his hands in surrender. “I’m on your side,” he said, his tone steady despite the storm raging around them. “But that thing in your hands—it’s going to destroy you. You have to let it go.”
The artifact flared brighter, the jagged glow casting fractured, menacing shadows across the clearing. Crackling sparks of crimson energy radiated from Lyra, feeding on her emotions—her doubt, her anger, her fear. “Stay back!” she warned, her voice cracking with desperation.
Adrian didn’t move. His eyes, filled with unrelenting determination, never left hers. “You’re stronger than this,” he said, his voice soft but steady, almost breaking under the weight of his plea. “Don’t let it control you.”
For a moment, Lyra faltered. The tightness in her grip eased, her silver eyes flickering with hesitation. But the artifact’s whispers surged louder, their demands deafening. They fed her fear and mistrust, amplifying her wolf’s feral rage.
The artifact’s energy surged, the crimson glow engulfing her in a wild, chaotic tempest. Lyra could feel it ripping through her control, the voices in her mind now screaming commands. Her wolf clawed relentlessly at the edges of her consciousness, its primal instincts demanding she unleash the full force of her power.
Adrian’s voice broke through, one last desperate plea. “Lyra—don’t give in! You’re better than this!”
But it was too late.
With a cry of desperation, Lyra gave in. The artifact’s power erupted, an explosive wave of crimson energy tearing through the clearing. The ground trembled violently as the surge rippled outward, sending knights and allies alike sprawling to the ground. A blinding light engulfed her, her body suspended in a vortex of raw, untamed energy.
Adrian was thrown backward, hitting the ground hard, but his gaze never left her. “Lyra!” he called out, his voice drowned by the roar of the artifact’s power.
Within the vortex, Lyra felt the artifact’s energy merge with her own, its chaotic whispers weaving into the primal howl of her wolf. Her senses blurred, her vision consumed by crimson light. Somewhere deep within, a voice—her voice—fought to rise above the cacophony, to take back control.
But the artifact’s hold was too strong.
And as the light consumed the clearing, Adrian’s heart sank with the realization that he might have lost her—to the artifact, to her wolf, and to the chaos she could no longer escape.
