Always And Forever | ENG ✓

Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Heart of the Force

The ancient altar stood before us, a silent sentinel to a past we had yet to fully comprehend. The air around us seemed to pulse, thick with the energy that still emanated from the stone. Despite its age and the overgrowth that obscured much of its surface, there was no mistaking the significance of what we had found. This place—this altar—was the key to understanding the lingering force, and we had come here to uncover its secrets.

Ace stepped forward, his eyes focused on the markings carved into the stone. "These symbols," he muttered, running his fingers along the ancient grooves, "they're not just random. They're connected to the force we faced. But it's different here—darker."

I stood behind him, watching as the pack gathered around, each wolf remaining alert but quiet, as though we were waiting for something to happen. The tension was palpable, but so was the resolve. We had come this far, and there was no turning back.

"We need to be cautious," Dean said, his voice low but firm. "We don't know what kind of power this place holds."

I nodded, keeping my eyes on the altar. "We need answers. And we're not leaving until we have them."

Ace continued to study the altar, his brow furrowed in concentration. "This structure—it's not just a symbol of power. It's a conduit. A link between the earth and the dark energy we faced. I think this is where it all began."

"What do you mean?" I asked, stepping closer to him.

"The power," Ace explained, his voice steady but filled with awe. "It was tied to the land. This altar was the source—where it all started. It wasn't just about the creatures or the force we fought. This altar is part of something much older, something deeper than we ever realized. The land itself is connected to this power."

"Is it safe to be here?" Keira asked, her voice filled with concern. "What if we're releasing something by disturbing it?"

Ace turned to her, his expression resolute. "It's not about disturbing it. It's about understanding it. If we don't uncover what this is—if we don't learn how it connects to the land—we'll never be able to stop it for good."

Dean exchanged a glance with me, his expression thoughtful but wary. "We've faced so much already. But if this altar holds the answers we need, then we have no choice."

I stepped forward, joining Ace at the altar. The markings on the stone seemed to hum under my touch, an odd resonance that sent a shiver down my spine. The power here wasn't dormant—it was alive, waiting for something. But what?

"We need to break the connection," I said, my voice low. "Whatever ties the power to this place, we have to sever it completely."

Ace nodded, but his eyes lingered on the symbols. "It's not just about destroying the altar. There's more here. A deeper truth. These markings—they're calling to something. Something we don't fully understand yet."

The pack stood in a tense silence as Ace continued his investigation. The energy around us grew stronger, and I could feel the air itself vibrating with the power that emanated from the altar. But the more I focused on it, the more I realized—it wasn't just the altar that was alive. The land itself seemed to be pulsing, as if it were breathing.

"We need to activate the altar," Ace said suddenly, his voice urgent. "It's the only way we'll understand what it's trying to tell us."

"Activate it?" I asked, my voice rising with uncertainty. "What do you mean?"

Ace stepped back from the altar, his hands hovering over the ancient symbols. "The altar isn't just a structure. It's a conduit, a bridge between the earth and the force we've been fighting. To truly understand it, to sever the power, we need to release what's been trapped here."

Dean's eyes narrowed. "And you think that's a good idea?"

"I don't think we have a choice," Ace said. "If we don't understand how the power is connected to the land, we can't fully stop it. But activating the altar—it could reveal the truth behind everything. It might give us the answers we need to destroy it once and for all."

I felt the weight of Ace's words. The force had been tied to the land for centuries, feeding off it, twisting it to its will. If we didn't sever that connection, it could return, stronger than ever. But what if activating the altar opened something we couldn't control?

"We'll do it," I said, my voice steady despite the doubts that gnawed at me. "Together."

Ace raised his hands to the altar, his fingers just brushing the surface of the stone. A low hum filled the air, the markings on the altar glowing faintly as he traced the symbols. The energy around us seemed to swell, filling the clearing with a palpable weight. The pack stayed back, their eyes fixed on the altar, but we all felt it—the power, ancient and raw, flowing through the very earth beneath our paws.

The ground trembled, and the sky above seemed to darken. A voice—low, ancient, and haunting—whispered through the air, echoing in the very bones of the pack.

"The land... the force... I am the root."

The words came not from the altar, but from the earth itself, as though the very land was speaking.

The pack stood frozen, the air thick with an unsettling energy. I could feel the land shifting beneath us, as though it were awakening to a power that had long been dormant.

Ace's voice cut through the tension. "The force we fought—the force that controlled the creatures, that twisted the land—it's not just one entity. It's tied to the earth itself, to the roots of life. We've only begun to uncover the truth."

I looked around at the pack, seeing the same unease in their eyes that I felt in my chest. The truth was out there—deep in the heart of the earth, buried beneath centuries of silence. But now we had no choice but to uncover it.

"We've opened the door," Ace said, his voice steady but filled with awe. "And now we have to step through it."

The journey was far from over. The altar had revealed the first pieces of the puzzle, but there was more to discover. The land, the force, the connection between them—it was all part of something much larger than we could have imagined. And the pack would have to face it, together, if we were to have any hope of truly healing the land and breaking the chains that had bound it for centuries