Album: Shadows Under the Moon
Chapter.4 First Meeting with Fenrir
Song: Shadows and Destinies
With the silver object purified and the first steps of the ritual ready, Clara and Marco go into the heart of the forest under a starry sky. Each step they take plunges them deeper into a territory where nature seems to breathe with a life of its own. The branches twine as if they were trying to catch them, the wind whispers words they cannot understand, and the distant howl of a wolf shakes the stillness. Fenrir knows they are there.
They have no intention of fighting him yet. Clara holds the silver medal in her hands, feeling its weight and the energy it emanates. Marco, with a tense countenance, carries the journal they found in the abandoned village. “If there’s any humanity left in him, this might remind him of it,” he says in a whisper, more to convince himself than Clara.
The wait doesn’t last long. Out of the darkness emerges Fenrir, an imposing creature, half wolf and half nightmare. His night-black fur seems to absorb the moonlight, and his eyes glow like two burning embers. His every movement is fluid and precise, a predator at its best.
The confrontation is immediate. Fenrir roars, a sound that seems to come from the very heart of the earth, and rushes towards them with terrifying speed. Marco barely manages to dodge the first attack, rolling on the leaf-covered ground, while Clara backs away, clutching the medal to her chest. The forest becomes their battlefield, every tree and shadow a possible advantage or trap.
Fenrir is not just brute force. His movements have a cunning that surpasses the animal. He attacks and retreats, measuring his strength, testing his weaknesses. But Clara and Marco are also prepared. Marco manages to distract it by throwing a piece of burning wood at it, creating a moment of confusion. It is then that Clara, for a brief moment, dares to look him straight in the eye.
And she sees it. A flash of sadness. It is fleeting, almost imperceptible, but it is there. More than a beast, Fenrir looks like a creature trapped in its own torment. Clara feels a knot in her chest. “There’s something else about him,” she thinks. Those burning embers in his eyes reflect not only fury, but deep pain, as if he is struggling to maintain control.
But Fenrir doesn’t give them time to process what they’ve seen. His rage intensifies, and his next attack is even more ferocious. Marco barely manages to get in the way, yelling at Clara to back off. It is at that moment that they both understand what this means: they face not only a curse, but a desperate will to resist the inevitable.
They manage to escape, but not without paying a price. Marco has a deep cut on his arm, and Clara, though unharmed, feels that her mind is filled with questions and fears. “Is it possible to save him?” she murmurs as they walk away from the forest. Marco, with bated breath, replies, “I don’t know. But if we can, it will be the only way to end this.”
They both look back into the forest one last time. Fenrir’s howl echoes in the distance, a reminder that the fight is just beginning.
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