Chapter 137: Legacy of Wolves and Witches

The sun rose and the evening sky turned into striped colors of orange and pink . Reika and Elira walked deep inside the forest where towering trees made a carpet of shadow whispering among the leaves with every breeze. They climbed up to an old, hidden temple right in the middle of covens. Reika could feel that from deep inside the very earth beneath her feet was magic. Elira stood in front of her and finally said, "This is a place of secrets long buried, of secrets of the world of the werewolves and of the witches. The history that will be made to you so that you could understand, Reika, is not so simple." She nodded. His chest was filled with something inside it. These last weeks among these witches had pulled out her strengths and initiated her into aspects of herself which were not only unknown but unreal. Elira would now take her deeper to her heritage, her past life with Alpha Lleus, and the centuries-past war between witches and werewolves. Elira's voice had begun ringing low, clear, as she spoke, "The story between the werewolves and the witches began way back, long before either of our times. The wolves were a peaceable and noble race then, connected to the earth and its cycles. But with growth came the increase in passion to control within them, wanting dominance over the world, claiming terrains that didn't rightly belong to them. She listened, of course, as stirrings of recognition rose high in her chest. "At the time," Elira went on to say, "the witches represented a balance of power that had for its purpose to keep the order of nature within magic. We were guardians of the elements: life and death. We could not and would not let the wolves have the balance for their own sake. It is said that the great conflict between our peoples began first with a werewolf king in search of moonstones and sacred relics connecting the world of the wolves to the power of the moon itself." Reika's heart quickened. "Moonstones. that is how the wolves get their strength, right? The relation to the moon? " Elira nodded. "Yes, it is within the moonstones that they hold their powers yet carry also their curses, for while it enables them to make use of strength in fold yet even more destructive. The greedy wolves decided they needed the use of the moonstones through which to augment their strengths with a view to enslave the land together with every other creature upon it, before the witches intervened and the war came." Elira's words simply hung in the air. Centuries of bitter anger between their peoples. There was more to it. "But-" Reika began, her voice low. "What of the witches that aided Alpha Lleus? And what of me? Why did the moon goddess let me reincarnate? Why am I so special?" The expression on Elira smoothed, "It is there that things start to get a bit confusing, Reika. The coven which helped Lleus-our coven-was different. With time, wars and the world darkening, some of us grew to realize the futility of such endless war. We found the only way to restore the balance with coexistence, not war. That is why we broke away from the traditional ways of our race and paved our path. And we knew that peace could exist if only both were willing to change." By now, Reika's head was reeling. "So, your coven is different? You don't believe in the old ways?" "No," Elira said finally. "We do believe in old magic, just not the ruin that follows it. For which we choose to help Alpha Lleus when he came to seek our help. He was different from those other werewolves.he had a vision of joining the two nations and one who understood the meaning of balance. And when you, Reika, were reborn, then the coven saw within you just that potential, the same hunger for peace." Reika blinked, trying to process the words Elira had just thrown at her. "That doesn't make any sense, because the moon goddess allowed me to reincarnate, meaning I would have been the White Witch of the Fourth Realm, but I was never actually supposed to be- am I? At this point , Elira stepped toward one of the wooden shelves and pulled from it an ornamented, small box bearing signs of the moon and the stars. She opened it, showing to Reika the interior, with a small glowing shard there, shimmering like a chip off the night sky. "It was the Moon Goddess who has seen something within you that not even I, nor anyone, could," she explained. "Your soul was tied with the destiny of both werewolves and witches. You are the bridge between our people, Reika. Because of that, she allowed you to be reborn. To the moon goddess, in you was an opening to heal the crack in the two races. Yours is to conquer; you have to learn how to use your powers both as a werewolf and as a witch.". Reika's chest was tightening. "But how? How do I balance them? The power of the wolf, the power of the witch-it's too much." She smiled, "That is the test, Reika, learning to balance both sides of your nature. It has been said that one able to combine the powers of both wolf and witch can bring about a new era of peace; difficult to do indeed is the mastery of magic, and in turn being strong inside yours-the wolf spirit within." Reika nodded slowly, and for the first time, some resolve began to grow in her mind. It would be a difficult road ahead, but at last she understood where she fit into this world. She wasn't only a werewolf, neither was she just a witch; she was both, and there lay the meaning of the moon goddess-learning how to balance powers. "Thanks, Elira," she whispered. "Whatever it shall take, I will do; for the sake of peace."   Elira smiled, pride in her eyes. "I know you will, Reika. I know you will.