Eternal Huntress

Chapter 34

The growl echoed through the cold, abandoned church, reverberating off the ancient stone walls and sending a shiver down my spine. I instinctively reached for Alex, feeling the tension in his body tighten as he stood beside me, eyes fixed on the shadows shifting in the far corners of the room.

We weren't alone.

"I thought this place was supposed to be abandoned," Alex muttered under his breath, his voice low but edged with alarm.

"Clearly, something's been waiting," I whispered, trying to steady my pulse. My eyes darted to the pulsing symbol carved into the floor—the one we both knew held the key to everything. But we couldn't claim it, not yet. Not with something lurking in the dark.

The shadows moved again, this time closer. A faint rustling, like something scraping against the stone floor. And then, from the far end of the church, two glowing, crimson eyes appeared, cutting through the gloom.

"Helena," Alex said, his voice strained, "get behind me."

I didn't argue. As much as I hated feeling vulnerable, Alex was still the stronger of us when it came to physical confrontations. I slipped behind him, my back against one of the crumbling pews, eyes locked on the creature emerging from the darkness.

It stepped into the faint light cast by the pale moon streaming through the broken windows—a tall, twisted figure draped in ragged black robes, its skeletal face half-hidden beneath a hood. Its body was humanoid but elongated, grotesque. The skin on its hands was pulled tight over bone, and its fingers ended in razor-sharp claws.

"What the hell is that?" I whispered, my breath fogging in the icy air.

"I don't know," Alex replied, his voice tight, "but I don't think it's friendly."

The creature let out another low growl, its glowing eyes fixed on us. For a moment, it simply stood there, watching, as if assessing whether we were a threat. Then, in a flash of movement, it lunged forward, faster than either of us expected.

Alex reacted immediately, pushing me further behind him and reaching for the blade he always kept hidden under his jacket. With a swift motion, he drew it, swinging the silver-edged weapon toward the creature just as it reached him. The blade connected with a sickening thud, cutting deep into the creature's arm.

The thing screeched in fury, its glowing eyes narrowing as it staggered back. Black blood oozed from the wound, dripping onto the cold stone floor.

"Silver works," Alex grunted, positioning himself between me and the creature.

But the victory was short-lived. The creature straightened, the gash in its arm already beginning to knit itself back together. Its crimson eyes locked onto Alex with renewed fury.

"We can't take it head-on," I said, panic creeping into my voice. "Not like this. It's too strong."

Alex's jaw clenched. "Then we distract it and grab what we came for."

My eyes flicked back to the glowing symbol on the floor beneath the altar—the Heart of the Covenant. That had to be our way out. Whatever this creature was, it had likely been guarding the Heart for centuries, keeping anyone from taking it. But now that we were here, we had to find a way to get past it.

"Go," Alex said, his voice tense. "I'll hold it off. You get to the altar."

"No!" I protested. "I'm not leaving you alone with that thing!"

"You're not leaving," Alex snapped, eyes still trained on the creature. "You're getting what we came for. I'll be right behind you."

I hesitated for a moment, torn between wanting to stay by his side and knowing he was right. If we didn't act fast, we were both dead. I nodded, steeling myself before darting toward the altar.

The creature hissed as it saw me move, but Alex was already in motion, swinging his blade in a wide arc, forcing the creature to focus on him. It shrieked in frustration, lashing out with its claws, but Alex dodged the attack, narrowly avoiding the creature's swipe.

I reached the altar, the ancient stone cold beneath my hands as I knelt in front of the glowing symbol. Up close, the light pulsing from the symbol was almost hypnotic, a rhythmic thrum that seemed to resonate deep within my bones.

The Heart of the Covenant.

But how was I supposed to take it? There was no physical object here, just the carved symbol glowing with otherworldly power. I pressed my hands against the stone, feeling the strange energy radiating from it.

"Helena, hurry!" Alex shouted, his voice strained. I glanced back to see him engaged in a desperate struggle with the creature. It was faster than him, stronger. He wouldn't last long.

I focused on the symbol, trying to feel my way through the strange magic surrounding it. There had to be a way to unlock it, to take the Heart's power for ourselves. As I pressed harder against the stone, a sudden warmth spread through my fingers, a rush of energy that sent a jolt of electricity up my arm.

My vision blurred, and for a brief moment, the world around me seemed to shift. I saw flashes—images of ancient rituals, blood sacrifices, a coven of witches gathered around the very altar where I now knelt. They had sealed the Heart away centuries ago, using their blood to bind its power.

I gasped, pulling my hands back. Blood. That was the key.

I bit my lip, glancing down at my wrist. This wasn't the first time my blood had been used to unlock something, and I had a feeling it wouldn't be the last. Without hesitation, I bit into my wrist, letting the blood flow freely.

As the first drops hit the glowing symbol, the stone beneath me trembled. The light from the carving intensified, pulsing faster now, the rhythm matching the beat of my heart. I pressed my bleeding wrist against the symbol, gritting my teeth against the pain as the energy surged through me.

The creature let out a furious screech, sensing what was happening. It shoved Alex aside, its glowing eyes fixed on me as it lunged toward the altar.

"Helena, move!" Alex shouted, but I couldn't. The power of the Heart had already latched onto me, binding me to the ancient magic flowing through the altar. I couldn't stop now.

The creature was almost on me when Alex threw himself in its path, tackling it to the ground. They tumbled across the cold stone floor in a blur of motion, claws and blades clashing in a deadly dance.

Finally, with one last pulse of energy, the glowing symbol beneath my hands exploded in a blinding flash of light. The force of it knocked me backward, sending me sprawling across the floor. I lay there, dazed, as the light slowly faded, revealing a small, glowing object hovering above the altar.

The Heart of the Covenant. A shimmering, crystalline orb, no larger than my palm, but radiating more power than I had ever felt.

The creature screeched in agony, its body disintegrating in the wake of the Heart's release. It let out one final, furious howl before it crumbled to dust, its form collapsing into nothingness.

I staggered to my feet, my gaze fixed on the Heart hovering in the air. Alex limped toward me, bloodied and bruised but alive.

"We did it," he panted, his eyes wide as he stared at the Heart. "You actually did it."

I reached out, my fingers brushing against the glowing surface of the orb. The moment I touched it, a surge of power coursed through me, filling me with a strength I had never known.

But with that power came a realization—a terrifying weight.

The Heart wasn't just a weapon.

It was a curse.

And now, it was mine.