The Awakening

🌙 Episode 3

The next morning, the rain had stopped, but the streets were still wet and gleaming. Thalric walked slowly to school, his backpack feeling heavier than usual. Every shadow seemed to twitch, every sound sharper. He couldn’t tell if it was the world that had changed, or him.

At breakfast, his mother chatted about the weather and her plans for the week, but Thalric only nodded, spooning cereal into his mouth mechanically. His mind kept drifting back to last night—the growls, the glowing mark, Veluna’s warning.

He glanced at his wrist. Nothing. Just skin. But the memory of the burning pulse lingered, and he rubbed it subconsciously, feeling a tingle under his fingertips.

By the time he arrived at school, the hallways were already buzzing with students. He kept his hood up, hoping to stay unnoticed. But that was impossible.

As he rounded the corner, he collided—literally—with Kai.

“Whoa! Careful, ghost boy,” Kai said, steadying him. “You’ve been acting weirder than usual. Something happen last night?”

Thalric opened his mouth, then closed it. “Just didn’t sleep well.”

Kai raised an eyebrow but said nothing more, letting it drop.

He slid into his seat at the back of the classroom, pulling out his notebook. He tried to focus on the teacher’s voice, but every word seemed muffled, distant. His eyes kept drifting toward the door, half-expecting Veluna to appear.

And, as if on cue, she did.

Veluna walked in silently, her coat pulled tight against the wind, her eyes scanning the classroom until they found him. They met. Gold met silver—both glowing faintly. Thalric felt a jolt that made his chest tighten.

She gave a subtle nod before turning her gaze to the window. For a long minute, he sat frozen, unable to breathe normally.

The bell rang, snapping him back to reality. The classroom emptied faster than usual, leaving him standing in the hall. He knew he couldn’t wait any longer. He had to talk to her.

“Veluna!” he called.

She stopped mid-step and turned slightly, her silver eyes piercing him.

“You should be careful,” she said softly. “Not just with them—” she gestured to the hall, crowded with students —“but with yourself.”

“Your warning isn’t enough,” he said. “I need to know what’s happening to me. I can’t pretend this is normal.”

She studied him for a moment, then finally sighed. “I said it once. You’re connected to the Night Fall. But it’s more than that now. You’re waking… faster than expected.”

“Waking?”

She didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she motioned for him to follow. They slipped through the back door, past the courtyard where students milled about. Nobody noticed them—if they did, they didn’t care.

Once outside the school gates, the city felt different. The sunlight was pale, almost dim. The air smelled faintly of wet stone and moss. Veluna led him down narrow streets, away from the main roads, toward the outskirts where buildings thinned and the shadows grew longer.

“Where are we going?” Thalric asked.

“To see what’s inside you,” she said simply. “Before it sees us.”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You don’t know yet,” she said, stopping at a small, abandoned warehouse. Rusted doors hung open on broken hinges. “But you will. Come in.”

Thalric hesitated. Everything in him screamed to run, to stay safe. But something stronger—a deep, unfamiliar pull—made his feet move forward.

Inside, the air was cool, tinged with metal and dust. Shafts of sunlight pierced cracks in the roof, illuminating floating motes of dust. Veluna walked to the center of the room and turned to face him.

“Stand here,” she instructed.

He did, unsure why.

Veluna closed her eyes, and the air seemed to shift. The sunlight dimmed. Shadows pooled in the corners, creeping closer like silent, waiting predators.

“Now,” she whispered.

Thalric felt it immediately—a pulse in his veins, a rhythm unlike his own heartbeat. His body trembled, a low growl echoing in his chest. He staggered, clutching his head.

“Relax,” Veluna said urgently. “Fight it, and it will control you. Let it flow—just let it show you who you are.”

A golden light burst from his chest, spreading to his arms, hands, and finally his face. His eyes flashed gold again, brighter, sharper. Every sound around him sharpened—the creak of the old warehouse floor, the faint drip of water, the distant cry of birds outside.

And then he heard it—a voice.

Not in words. Not in sound. It was inside his head, low and deep, whispering, “Thalric… awaken…”

He fell to his knees, gripping the floor as images flashed in his mind: forests under moonlight, glowing wolves, shadows that moved like liquid. He saw Veluna—but not as the girl he knew. She was luminous, almost ethereal, her eyes like silver moons.

“You see it now,” Veluna said. Her voice shook slightly. “Your blood remembers. The Night Fall calls you… but it doesn’t hate you. It’s part of you.”

A sudden roar outside shattered the warehouse. Thalric jumped to his feet, the golden glow pulsating faster.

“What was that?” he shouted.

“Shadow wolf,” Veluna said sharply. “They sense your awakening. They will come for you—and they won’t stop.”

The walls of the warehouse seemed to shrink. Shadows moved closer, stretching long claws across the floor, whispering threats that only Thalric could hear.

Veluna grabbed his shoulders. “Focus! Listen to the rhythm! The Night Fall isn’t just power—it’s protection. Let it guide you, not frighten you!”

He nodded, closing his eyes. He breathed slowly, letting the golden light fill him, stretching to every nerve. His hearing sharpened further, his smell of wet stone and moss intensified, and every shadow in the room became a living shape.

The door burst open with a slam. Two dark, hulking forms slipped inside. Their eyes glowed red. Their claws scraped the concrete, and a low, rumbling growl vibrated through the floor.

Thalric felt a surge of something wild inside him. He instinctively stepped forward, hands glowing with golden light.

Veluna leapt to his side. “Don’t hold back!”

The first shadow lunged. Thalric’s golden aura flared. A wave of energy knocked it back, scraping the wall. He gasped—he had done that. With just a thought, with just his awakening, he had defended himself.

The second shadow hesitated, then charged. Thalric met it head-on. His body moved on instinct, faster than thought. He ducked, kicked, and thrust forward, a golden strike hitting the creature. It yelped and vanished in a puff of dark smoke.

Veluna landed beside him, breathing hard. “That… was amazing.”

Thalric sank to his knees, exhausted, hands trembling. “I… I didn’t even know I could do that.”

“You will,” Veluna said softly. “And you’ll need to. This is only the beginning. Once the Night Fall fully awakens in you, the Shadow Wolves won’t stop. They will hunt you relentlessly.”

Thalric swallowed hard, trying to steady his racing heart. “Why me? Why now?”

Veluna’s silver eyes softened. “Because you’re meant to be more than human. And because if you don’t awaken, the balance will break. The Night Fall chooses those it needs to survive… and you are one of them.”

The warehouse fell silent. Only the faint drip of water echoed. Outside, the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows across the city.

Thalric looked down at his wrist. The mark glowed faintly, almost like a heartbeat under his skin. He clenched his fists.

“I… I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” he admitted.

“You don’t have a choice,” Veluna said gently. “But you do have a choice in how you fight it.”

A distant howl carried over the city. A low, sinister sound that made his stomach twist.

Thalric rose, looking at Veluna. “Then… I’ll try. I’ll fight it.”

She nodded, a faint smile on her lips. “Good. Because tonight… it comes again.”

The moon peeked from behind the clouds, pale and glowing. Thalric felt it tug at his very bones. The Night Fall inside him stirred, alive and impatient.

And deep inside, he knew one thing for certain: his life, his city, and everyone he loved would never be safe again.

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