The Chronicles of Onyx Book Two - Fight of a Hero

Chapter Twelve - Hours Before the battle

Onyx awoke to the sound of dripping water echoing in a stillness. The air itself seemed caught, as though trapped. Even her own breath seemed to reverberate, each movement she made echoed in the cavernous silence, magnified by the absence of any other sound.

"Hello?" Onyx called out, only to hear her own echo in reply.

She sat up, her muscles stiff and sore. Cold stone surrounded her completely, the rough texture pressing against her skin. Gathering herself, she stood up, the coldness of the ground seeping through the souls of her boots.

She walked cautiously, her fingers brushing against the rough, damp walls as she ventured further into the unknown.

The passageway twisted and turned, narrowing in places, making her feel as though the stone itself was closing in around her. After what felt like an eternity, she emerged into a vast, dimly lit chamber. A soft glow emanated from torchlight, casting long shadows that danced and flickered.

In the center of the chamber stood a figure, her presence both commanding and hauntingly beautiful. Onyx's breath hitched as she took in the sight before her.

Raven.

"Mother?" Onyx's voice quivered.

Despite knowing the truth, Onyx couldn't suppress her inner child as she ran up to the woman, forcing her way into a cold embrace. Raven's arms wrapped around her, and for a moment, Onyx felt like a child that had found something she had long been searching for.

"Onyx," Raven whispered, her voice like a ghostly echo. "I've missed you."

Tears welled in Onyx's eyes. She knew this wasn't her mother, but for this moment, it felt like it was. Selfishly, she didn't want it to end; she wanted to stay here in her mother's arms, whether it was real or not.

Then, void of any warning, Raven's grip tightened, her fingers forcefully pressing against Onyx's skull. The sudden, searing pain shot through Onyx's head, gasping, her eyes widening in shock.

Raven's milky eyes bore into hers, and with little more than a whisper, she said, "See."

Onyx's vision blurred as the chamber dissolved into a battlefield, drenched in blood and roaring with an untamable fire. The war seemingly took place at the foot of Demeter's kingdom. Her castle too, was engulfed in flames.

All kindred intermingled in the chaos of battle, but standing at the center of it all was her, only it wasn't. Her own eyes burned with a ruby haze, her ivory skin stained with the sticky crimson of, what she assumed to be, Orish blood. That was until her eyes landed on the hands of this demonic version of herself; and in her blooden laced grip, was Demeter's severed head.

"This is your potential," Raven's voice echoed in her mind, cold and unyielding. "The power within you can bring nations to their knees."

Onyx's heart pounded as she watched the vision unfold. Terrified of the person she saw wearing her face.

"Embrace the darkness," Raven's voice commanded. "Let it consume you. Let it become you."

The vision shifted, showing Onyx turning against those she loved, driven by an unfillable hunger for power and vengeance. She saw herself destroying everything in her path, leaving a ruby river that flowed in her wake, carrying along with it countless victims of her destruction.

"No," Onyx whimpered, trying to pull away, but Raven's grip was unrelenting.

"You cannot fight it," Raven hissed. "This is who you are meant to be."

Onyx felt the darkness wrapping around her, suffocating and consuming her. Her willpower crumbled beneath its weight, until she found herself slipping into a state of blindness, her mind overtaken by a malevolent force. Her inner wolf.