Always And Forever | ENG ✓

Chapter Fifty-Six: The Search for Answers

The healing process was far from complete, but the pack was stronger than we had been in weeks. The land was recovering, showing signs of life where darkness once reigned, but the shadow of what we had faced—the lingering force—still loomed over us. Despite our victory, despite the destruction of the altar, we had not fully understood what we had been up against.

Ace had become the pack's anchor in this new phase of our journey. He had never stopped searching for answers, driven by a need to uncover the truth behind the ancient force that had been unleashed. We had severed the immediate connection, but the energy we had faced wasn't fully gone. It was still out there, a quiet presence, waiting.

"There's more to this than we realized," Ace said one evening, his voice low as we gathered around the campfire. "The power we destroyed—it was only a piece. The land's healing, but I can still feel it, this undercurrent of energy. The force that we severed was tied to something deeper, something we haven't fully uncovered yet."

I watched as Ace flipped through the ancient texts, his eyes scanning the symbols that had become both a puzzle and a key. He had spent countless hours deciphering them, trying to understand the connection between the land and the force we had fought. But the answers had always been just out of reach.

"I think we need to go deeper," Ace continued, looking up from his papers. "The land has been marked by something older. This force didn't just come from nowhere—it was part of the earth itself. There are clues in these texts, in the land, that we haven't explored yet."

"We've already destroyed the altar," Dean said, his tone firm but edged with exhaustion. "What more can we do? We've broken the connection. We've done what we set out to do."

Ace shook his head. "It's not enough. We've been treating the symptoms, not the cause. If we don't understand what this force really is—how it's tied to the land—we might not have fully dealt with the threat. We need to find the source of the power, the heart of it, before it grows again."

The pack had become divided in their response to Ace's words. Some were ready to move forward, to rebuild and leave the past behind. Others, like Ace, understood that the lingering force was still a threat—a shadow that might rise again if we didn't confront it head-on.

"We need to investigate further," Ace said one day, as he shared a new map he had uncovered. "I believe there's an ancient place—something hidden deep in the forest. Something that has been untouched for centuries. If we can find it, we might uncover the truth behind the force that's been feeding on the land."

I looked around at the pack, feeling the weight of their gazes on me. The uncertainty was still there, but there was a quiet resolve too. We had fought for our survival before, and we would do it again. This time, though, it wasn't just about survival. It was about understanding the threat, breaking the cycle, and making sure that the land—and the pack—could heal.

"I'm with you," I said finally, my voice steady. "We'll go. Together. We'll find the heart of this force and make sure it never comes back."

Dean stepped forward, his expression hardening with resolve. "Let's finish what we started."

The next few days were filled with preparation. The pack knew that this journey would take us deeper into the heart of the forest than we had ever gone before. There was no map, no clear path to follow, only Ace's research and his gut feeling that the answers we sought were out there, hidden beneath the trees.

"We need to stay alert," Dean warned as we prepared for the journey. "This force isn't done with us. Whatever's out there, we need to be ready for anything."

The pack was silent as we packed supplies and made our way to the edge of our territory. We had crossed into unknown ground before, but this was different. The land felt heavier now, the air thick with the presence of something old. And I could feel it—the pull of the earth, the echo of the force we had confronted, still lingering in the ground beneath us.

We moved in small, disciplined groups, each wolf staying close to the others as we ventured deeper into the forest. The trees seemed to grow denser as we traveled, their roots rising from the earth like twisted fingers, reaching out to ensnare us. The air was cooler now, filled with the scent of earth and decay.

"This is it," Ace said suddenly, halting at the edge of a small clearing. "We're close."

The clearing was different from the others we had passed through. It felt... ancient. The trees around us were unnaturally still, their branches low and thick with moss. In the center of the clearing stood a stone structure, partially covered by vines and roots, but unmistakable in its shape. It was an altar, much like the one we had destroyed—but different. Older. More ancient.

"We found it," I said, my voice filled with awe and unease. "This is what we were looking for."

Ace stepped forward, his eyes scanning the markings on the stone. "This altar is older than anything we've seen before. The symbols... they're connected to the force that we severed. But they're different. There's something deeper here."

I stepped closer to the altar, my heart pounding in my chest. The markings were faded, but they still pulsed with an energy I could feel deep within my bones. The power that had once controlled the land—once controlled us—was still here, hidden beneath the surface.

"What do we do?" Dean asked, his voice low, filled with tension.

"We uncover the truth," I said, my voice steady. "We need to understand what this force truly is before we can destroy it. Once and for all."

The journey had only just begun. We had uncovered another piece of the puzzle, but we were far from finished. The pack had come this far, and now, together, we would face the heart of the power. We would uncover the secrets of the ancient force, and we would make sure that it never again threatened the land, the pack, or our future.