Chapter 129: Blood and Silver (রক্ত এবং রূপা)
The obsidian blade in Silas's hand thrummed with a dark, rhythmic pulse, syncopated with the beating heart of the abyss. Elder Thorne, now in his massive grey wolf form, snarled, his eyes fixed on the silver chains that bound the Sleeping King.
"You are a fool, Silas!" Thorne's voice reached Silas's mind through the pack link, distorted and filled with malice. "The Moon-Oak has stood for a thousand years because of our silence. If you break those chains, you destroy everything we have built!"
"You didn't build a kingdom, Thorne," Silas countered, his voice steady even as the other Elders closed in. "You built a graveyard and called it home. Elara, get behind the throne!"
Elara didn't move. She stood with her arms outstretched, her eyes glowing with a silver radiance that hadn't been seen in an Omega for centuries. "I am done hiding, Silas. If this is the end of the Moon-Oak, then let it burn with the truth."
She slammed her palms against the stone floor. A wave of pure lunar energy rippled outward, freezing the charging Elders in their tracks. It wasn't an attack meant to kill, but to bind.
"Now, Silas!" she screamed.
Silas turned toward the King. The chains of pure silver were cold, absorbing the heat from his hands. He could feel the King's purple eyes boring into his soul, waiting for the moment of liberation—or damnation.
With a roar that shook the very foundation of the cavern, Silas brought the obsidian blade down on the first link. The sound was deafening, like a mountain splitting in two. A shockwave of dark energy threw everyone back, including the Elders.
The first chain shattered into dust.
The Sleeping King's laughter echoed through the silence that followed. "One more, little Alpha. One more, and the debt is paid."
But as Silas raised his sword for the final blow, Thorne lunged from the shadows, his claws aimed directly for Elara's throat.