Liora’s POV

We were but a few miles away from reaching our destination; the journey to the Temple of the Moon, when suddenly, a familiar figure appeared on our path. The figure was cloaked in secrecy, yet unmistakably wise, and lo and behold, the old man who revealed the prophecy, and all the details involved stepped out to greet us. His eyes gleaming as usual, an assurance of victory for the journey ahead. Jaxon and I were amazed, we never thought he would show up to us again. Even our team who had no idea of who he was were terrified. Maybe they thought he was one of those trying to abort our mission, as they all launched to attack him but we stopped them. Calder was too dedicated for a rogue, perhaps his drive for revenge against Morgath had kept him going. He volunteered to go with us, not minding what would become the outcome if anything goes wrong. 'Be strong, and be of good courage," the old man started, his voice calm but collected, giving out nothing but authority. His wisdom was second to none, his words sorting, always knowing the right things to say. 'You've survived till this moment, the next task is nothing to you, I want you to know that you are but a step away from the temple. It may be close, but don't forget that it won't be easy. There were times you felt like giving up, but you kept pushing on. Keep striving to make it to the end." Jaxon moved to his side, his ears alert to receive from his well of wisdom. 'We're more than prepared to face whatever it takes." The old man's gon Jaxon was tender, full of admiration, then it landed on me. Aze softened as he looked at Jaxon, then shifted to me. 'You've both proven to be the chosen ones, time and time have you done that, and I'm more than happy to witness this move of power. But you shouldn't forget that this journey will test both your strength and resolve. But I have no doubt that you would pull through. Remember, perseverance, unity and teamwork are the keys to conquering." He paused, and for a moment, he scanned us, his eyes landing on our new company. He said nothing to him, but after a moment, he nodded at him in approval. 'You also have a vital role to play here too. Your guidance is needed, you have been on this journey for as long as I can remember, do your best to offer your very best of service to them. The dangers are looming, but if you do your part well, that would be nothing." The rogue was shocked, he thought he wouldn't know him, or his story, but that was new to him. He could not fathom how he trusted him so easily, perhaps, he was unaccustomed to praises or kind words. His rough outward features softened, he bowed in reverence, marveling at the old man's wisdom. Calder wasn't known to be proud, but the old man's words humbled him even more. 'I pledge my loyalty to them. I'll diligently guide them through the paths, making sure we accomplish our aim. But truthfully, I haven't gone as far as journeying to the path of the temple. I have always been closer to the valley of shadow." The old wise man smiled at him, he reached out and patted him on the shoulder. lacing a hand on his shoulder. 'You would discover something new about yourself soon, how strong and resilient you can be in front of trouble. Never neglect the place of your instincts, above all, you made the decision to join their side, never again would you turn and betray them." For the first time, I saw him in a new light. I had always doubted his intentions, and I wasn't wrong. It would have been foolish of me to trust him totally without keeping a close eye on him. He might have come with good intentions, but being a rogue automatically labels him as a rival to the pack. I decided to free myself and work freely with him, but not losing all the guides, no one was to be trusted, not even friends. "We are more than happy to have you in our team. Morgath might have his plan, using the likes of Seraphina to carry out his evil plans, but that would be destroyed in no time. We have risked a lot and won't be going back until actualization." He nodded, glad to be in our team. 'I am committed to the welfare of the Silver Moon Pack henceforth, he has his plans, but I would uncover all, and together we would outsmart and destroy all." The old man looked back at us, his gaze calm but serious. 'Ahead then, time wastes for no one. Ensure to stay focused, seek help from the goddess when you are confused, and she will guide you. The temple may be filled with stories connecting hearts, but the most important is being united, connected and remaining trustworthy to each other." Jaxon nodded, quietly sinking in the details of his wise sayings. His expression showed how pleased he was with him. and the old man's gaze shifted to him, as though reading a strength in Jaxon he had sensed all along. 'You have been able to shoulder the duty of an Alpha perfectly without breaking down. Your resilience is making a way for you, and would give you the recognition you deserve." Then, within a blink, the old man moved backward, and we saw him no more. He disappeared as he had come, his shadow vanishing like a vapor. We realized how much of his presence we needed to continue the rest of the journey by the time he was gone. It was the right words, the right energy we needed to complete what we had started. Jaxon gripped my hands very tightly, never willing to let go. 'This is exactly what we have been waiting for, and I assure you that this journey will be successful. We haven't come this far to back off." I nodded, grateful that I made the decision to not only walk the path of leadership with him, but also mate as one. It was a moment of reassurance, a moment of reflecting back on how the journey started. With the new discovery, new assurance that we would do anything and everything we set our hearts to do, provided we follow the rules guiding the path of success; unity, teamwork, resilience and wisdom. The temple was already ours to claim, awaiting our arrival to unleash its goodies on us. The challenges would come but we would overcome them as a team. Rhys' POV The room was eerily quiet, smoke emitting from a dimly lit corner. A smoky hut with a heavily scented smell of burning herbs. I watched as the sorcerer did his thing, forming shadows of scary looking ghosts that passed at intervals as he did his incantations. I wasn't a fan of places like this, but the matter at hand requires hard measures. I had come to the dark world to have my issues settled. It had deprived me many nights of sleep, but would be handled tonight. The sorcerer sat behind the entrance of his hut, his dark cloak barely visible in the murky light, I had no idea what he looked like. His face was properly masked, hidden beneath a hood, but even at that, I was amazed to see his eyes glowing strangely, an unnatural type of green color. He was popularly known as the Seer, and from the reports that guided me to his hut, he wasn't just others. Consulting him could bring a curse or a gift, depending on the aspect you sought. 'Sit, on the floor Rhys," the Seer's voice came like thunder, jotting me out of my thoughts. I was busy taking mental notes of everything around, trying to adapt to the new environment filled with smoke. I did as he instructed, lowering down on the floor, not minding my position as the Alpha, though he made no effort to acknowledge me as one. He continued staring, saying no word, but observing me keenly as I sat on the floor. He read through me, keenly watching and observing my movements. As he held a gaze with me, I refused to break eye contact with him. I was ready to stay that way till he got tired himself. 'You sought my wise counsel, you want to know more about the artifacts," he murmured, he wasn't actually asking me the question, he was letting me know that he knew of my coming to his hut and what brought me.his words a statement rather than a question. 'You wish to disrupt the smooth journey to get the artifact, to make sure the Alpha and his mate don't get there at the stipulated time." I nodded, I was already angry at the thought of them. How can everything be going smoothly, falling into places for them without any interruption? 'They're very close, way too close to getting what they're aiming for. If I do no nothing and they secure the last artifact, they can't be harmed again. They would be the ones in charge, giving orders in place of me. I vow not to let that happen. My chance of reclaiming everything is now, I need all my possessions." He just kept mute while I talked, listening and carefully picking the right words he would be working with. The Seer as he was popularly called, let out a chuckle. It was a mirthless sound. 'You seem not to misunderstand the power that the artifacts have. The artifacts when combined together have many functions which includes granting security, unity and most importantly, securing an unbreakable bond between them. But the enchantment is time-bound, they have a stipulated time to get the last one, if not, all their efforts would be useless, rendering them useless." The last statement caught me attention, to tell you that I was intrigued was understatement. 'An enchantment that has a time frame? So… there's actually a deadline?" The Seer's eyes gleamed as he nodded slowly. 'Yes, that's what I said. To complete and make their journey successful, also to bind their fates as one, they have no choice but to retrieve the final artifact from the Temple of the Moon, at a timed frame. They would have to complete the task before the rising of the next full moon, which is just days away." 'That's Interesting," I muttered to myself, the new revelation was all I needed to stage my next attack. Without even leaving the hut, ideas of how to ruin things for them had started tripping in. 'This means that once they were unable to meet the deadline… they won't stand a chance at getting the benefits coming from it again?" The Seer smirked while watching the excitement on my face. 'Exactly. Their union would be nullified, and the pack would be susceptible to any harm, even those passing around. But if you must take up this task, you have to be extremely careful. A distraction alone won't be enough to stop them, be creative to take them off their path. Do your best to keep them miles away from the temple until it's too late. If you would manipulate them into spending more time at a spot, ensuring to pull off a drama, they would totally forget their journey and face you." Hearing the seer speak alone was enough for me already. This was a great opportunity and I mustn't mess it up for myself. It was time for me to pull my games together, time for goal getting. 'Do you have any suggestions on how to go about them?" The Seer leaned back, his gaze never leaving mine. 'All you need to do is lure them into a safe and comfortable trap, it should be strong enough to keep them glued at a point, forgetting their mission. Even in its safety, it should be dangerous, but don't forget, your task is to delay them, not kill to touch their lives." I grinned not even listening to his warning . The beautiful plans were already in my head, awaiting execution. 'Then, I won't be going alright be, the presence of my finest warriors would add flavor to the game. I would go with a good number of them that have the details of the land on their fingers. It would be a form of ambush, a situation where they would be too relaxed to suspend a thing." 'That's a clever idea," the Seer mused, he seemed to be pleased with my plan. With a warning tone, he started, 'But there's something. Beware, Rhys, you aren't going to meet a foolish leader, Jaxon is wise. If you make yourself too obvious, he would definitely sense danger by the corner." I frowned, this was becoming complicated, how do I cover the uncovered? nodding as I let the Seer's words sink in. 'Then what would you have me do, something subtle enough, that would keep him in the dark until he's completely engulfed in danger?"