Arcane Dominion: The Rise of Shadows

"The Beast Moves"

The air in the room was tense, the weight of the magical creatures' attacks still pressing down on everyone in the Obsidian Tower. Lyriana stood at the grand table, her fingers lightly tracing the intricate designs of ancient runes carved into the wood, deep in thought. The news from Solaria had shaken her, but the quiet hum of the ley lines was constant, grounding her.

She barely had a moment to process everything when the door swung open with a sudden force, slamming against the wall. Kaelis entered, her armor battered and scorched, the sharp tang of smoke and blood hanging in the air around her. Her normally composed demeanor was replaced by a hard edge, her golden eyes wild with the remnants of battle.

“Lyriana!” Kaelis called, her voice hoarse but urgent. “We’ve got a problem.”

Lyriana snapped to attention, her hand instinctively going to the hilt of Blight. “Kaelis, what happened? You look—”

Kaelis cut her off, her voice steady despite the obvious exhaustion. “It’s the Wraith Beast. It’s moving. This... this is worse than I thought.”

Lyriana felt her breath catch in her throat. “The Wraith Beast? You’re saying it’s leaving its territory?” She glanced at Solaria, who was already looking over at her with narrowed eyes. “That can’t be right. The Wraith Beast is not like other creatures—it stays hidden, never strays from its domain. It’s been a legend for centuries, a creature bound to the void, untouched by time.”

Kaelis shook her head, her expression grim. “It’s not a legend anymore. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. The Wraith Beast, the one that’s supposed to remain in its territory, is moving towards the central cities. We were able to track it as it tore through the landscape. It’s—”

“Impossible,” Solaria murmured, her voice laced with disbelief. “The Wraith Beast doesn’t leave its area unless—”

“Unless something forced it out,” Lyriana finished for her, a chill creeping down her spine. She stared at Kaelis, trying to process the information. “Why? What triggered its movement?”

Kaelis looked pained, her face bruised from the recent battle, but her voice was filled with conviction. “It’s been manipulated. Something—someone—has taken control of it. It’s moving with purpose, not just destruction. We don’t know why, but it’s heading straight for the heart of the continent.”

Lyriana stepped forward, her mind already racing. The Wraith Beast’s appearance was a sign of something much worse. It was an ancient creature, not of this world, bound by forces beyond even her comprehension. The last thing they needed was for it to be controlled.

“How much time do we have?” Lyriana asked, her voice tight.

Kaelis’s golden eyes met Lyriana’s with a hard resolve. “Not much. We’ve already seen its devastation in the villages along its path. The closer it gets to the cities, the more destruction it’ll leave behind. We need to act, now.”

A heavy silence settled in the room as the weight of Kaelis’s words sank in. Nerina, who had been silent at the edge of the room, stepped forward, her brow furrowed in thought. “So, what do we do? How do we stop it?”

Lyriana turned to her apprentice, her expression steely. “We find out who or what has taken control of the Wraith Beast, and we stop them. If the Wraith Beast is moving, then it’s no longer just an attack. It’s a full-scale war.”

Nerina hesitated, a shadow of doubt passing through her eyes, but she nodded resolutely. “But the Wraith Beast... it’s not like anything we’ve faced before. How can we fight something that powerful?”

Kaelis gave a mirthless chuckle, her eyes flicking to Lyriana. “I’m not exactly thrilled at the idea of facing it head-on either. But we have no choice. This... whatever is controlling it, it’s not just a magical beast. There’s something more at play here. And if we don’t stop it, this continent will burn.”

Lyriana’s gaze sharpened, her mind flicking back to the nightmare she’d had—the shadowy figure, Varek’s cruel words. Was he behind this? Was this his plan all along?

“We need to prepare,” Lyriana said firmly, turning to Solaria. “Send a letter to all the academy Masters. We’ll need every able mage we have to stop the Wraith Beast and the force controlling it.”

“And Nerina?” Solaria asked, her eyes flicking to the young mage.

Lyriana looked at Nerina, who was standing resolutely beside her. “Nerina will help. We’ll need every hand for this.”

Nerina looked up at her, and for the first time, there was a weight of responsibility in her eyes. She was no longer just an apprentice—she was part of this fight, part of the plan.

“I’m ready,” Nerina said, her voice steady.

Lyriana gave a small nod, her gaze flicking once again to Kaelis. “Then we prepare to face the Wraith Beast, before it reaches the cities. I won’t let it destroy everything we’ve fought for.”

Kaelis gave a tired, but determined nod. “Then let’s move quickly. Time isn’t on our side.”

As the group made their preparations, Lyriana couldn’t shake the nagging feeling in her chest—the shadow of Varek’s presence seemed to loom over everything. Whatever forces were at play, she knew they were only the beginning. And as they raced against time to stop the Wraith Beast, the true nature of the threat would soon be revealed.