Chapter 114 - The Truth

She could not help but smile as she saw the shock on his face. 

"Because I was there when it happened."

The look of horror on his face. Priceless. But that was not enough to bring the Werewolf King crumbling down. Though everyone else was equally in shock, no one dared to make a move. 

King Kragen knew that no matter what happened, the fact that it had happened in Kinshearth was to his advantage. Back in Wolfenheim, he was still the King. No one could simply take that from him. 

"Kol, bring Victoria here," Laina instructed. 

After some time, Kol returned with the Order of Knights and Victoria herself. Unlike the last time Kragen had seen her, Victoria looked completely different. She was no longer the scared young woman he had caged in the dungeon. 

To ensure that Victoria's contact with Kragen was kept to a minimum, she was allowed to enter from the side entrance of the Throne Room. Now, she stood next to Laina, facing the crowd. 

Laina introduced Victoria to everyone, "This is Victoria. The mate of Alpha Werewolf King Kragen, who was chosen by Moon Goddess Selene. But due to the King's greed and lust for power, he forced her to reject him; so that he could attempt to win my hand in marriage."

The ministers and nobles who had gathered began to whisper and chatter amongst themselves. Some of them began to see the Werewolf King differently. They even called him a coward as they whispered to one another. 

This further fueled Kragen's rage as he clenched his fists in anger. Victoria could see it from where she stood. Fear ran through her veins, causing her heart to beat erratically. 

Sensing the fear she had, Laina reached out to hold her hand. With a reassuring gaze, she whispered to Victoria, "Don't worry, I am here."

With Laina's assurance, Victoria felt a little braver. She remembered the cruel things Kragen had done to her. She remembered the pain she had felt when she discovered her entire family was gone. 

She was not about to let the murderer go so easily. 

"How can we trust the words of a wench so easily? This woman could be some girl you got off the streets to defame me," King Kragen rebuked. 

Indeed, there was no physical proof that could link Victoria to King Kragen. Everything Victoria said could be labeled as lies. Laina knew such a situation might occur. 

She came prepared. 

"That's simple enough. We'll just subject Victoria to a spell of truth." Laina suggested. 

Everyone was agreeable to this suggestion, but King Kragen did not trust them. For it to be fair, the spell of truth should be administered by a neutral party. That way, neither party would have the opportunity to ruin things for the other. 

Immediately, Laina knew this was simply Kragen's plan to prolong the process. More time meant more opportunities for him to prepare. He might even choose to escape. Just then, Laina remembered the item she had received from her time at the Temple of the Moon. 

Without a second thought, Laina materialized it in her hands. The handcrafted crystal whistle in the shape of a wolf was in her palm. Upon seeing it, all the werewolves gasped in shock. 

Even Kragen was in shock. He had never seen it in person himself, but all werewolves have heard of this mystical artifact. They knew what it was, and so did Victoria. 

"Your Highness, how… how did you get this?" Victoria asked. 

"When I met Moon Goddess Selene, she gave it to me," she quickly explained. 

Seeing the whistle in Laina's hand, the werewolves who came with King Kragen began to waver. Their loyalty was tested. Having heard Laina's accusations, they had their suspicions. But Laina had the Whistle of the Moonlight Wolf in her possession. 

This was a sacred artifact that the Moon Goddess only bestowed on those whom she trusted the most. In fact, there had never been another non-werewolf who had received it ever recorded in their history. 

But there was something the Moon Goddess had failed to inform Laina. Only a citizen of Wolfenheim could blow the whistle and only the chosen ruler of Wolfenheim can summon the Moonlight Wolf with it. 

Seeing the whistle in Laina's hand, Kragen was blinded by greed. He knew if he could get his hands on it, his position, his power, his word would be law. No one would ever question his position ever again. 

It was his one chance to turn the situation around. Victoria could already see the greed in Kragen's eyes. She knew he was going to go for it, even if it meant Laina would get hurt. 

She simply could not let any of that happen. Laina saved her life. True enough, Kragen made a dash for it. Kol and Margaret saw him coming towards them. They attempted to stop him, but Kragen was on a warpath. 

He easily pushed both of them to the sides, sending them crashing into pillars. Dante witnessed everything, he was ready to pounce. Everyone else watched on in horror. Laina did not move, but when she looked down, she realized someone else had already taken the whistle out of her hands. 

It was Victoria. 

The expression on Kragen's face soon turned to one of horror and anger. He changed direction towards Victoria. Everything seemed to be moving so slowly. Victoria could see Kragen lunging towards her. 

Normally, she would be cowering in fear. Much to her surprise, she was calm and collected. She looked down at the whistle in her hands. Maybe it was just her imagination, but for a split second Victoria noticed the eyes of the wolf shone red. 

She felt compelled to use it. It was as if there was a voice in her head, telling her to blow the whistle. Overwhelmed with emotion, Victoria decided to bite the bullet. After all, what was the worst that could happen? 

Victoria brought the whistle to her mouth and blew into it. The howl of a wolf rang throughout the throne room. From where Victoria stood, an incredible aura and power surrounded her. 

Her body began to glow brightly as ancient runes appeared on her skin. But after the glowing light subsided, those runes disappeared. Something was changing within Victoria. 

She could feel a surge of energy and power flowing through her body.

Most importantly, it felt familiar to her. 

<Writing Prompt #15 - A war which everyone came back to life (Part 1)>

"I'm sorry," Yvette said with tears flowing down her eyes. 

In war, there are no winners. Even if victory was yours, at what cost? Lives would have been lost, lands obliterated, families separated. 

Yvette had plunged the sword into her friend's heart. The last of whom remained. She did not have any other choice. Her golden blonde hair flew in the wind as her hand fell to the side. 

"If you wish to save them, you have to kill them all." 

That was what the ethereal voice said to her and she listened. 

Yvette sacrificed everything. 

As she clutched the cold body of her dear friend in her arms, her tears blurred her vision. The battle raged on all around her. She could hear the cries of those being slain, the battle cries filled with murderous intent. She looked down at her hands that had been stained with blood. 

"If you want the power to save them, you must kill the ones you hold closest to you."

That was what the ethereal voice said to her as she placed her hand on Yvette's heart. 

The war spiraled out of control. Even with all the powers she had, it was not enough. So she did what she had to do. She looked all around her with tears in her eyes. The blood from her comrades, her friends, her enemies, painted the battlefield in a sea of red. 

She had nothing more to hold on to. 

"Burn it all," she muttered to herself. 

She remembered all that she had lost, excruciating pain filled her heart. She remembered each and every face of those whom she had once held dear. Their final words, their look of betrayal. All of which were etched in her mind. 

"BURN IT ALL!" She yelled to the sky. 

A bright red flame sparked from her heart. Within a matter of minutes, flames spread all across the battlefield. Friend or foe, everyone was engulfed in the flames. It did not stop there. 

The flames could not be extinguished by any water. It continued to spread until there was no more ground left to cover. The entire realm was bathed in fire. There were no more screams, no more cries. Silence hung in the air as the earth was covered in black ash. 

The air was filled with black smoke. Heavy overcast clouds covered the entire sky. Rain followed soon after. From the ash-covered soil, plant life sprouted forth. At a rapid rate, the Earth was rejuvenated. 

The battlefield that dyed red with blood was now covered in blackened ash. Something erupted from beneath the soil. A gasp of air was heard. A pair of eyes opened. A hand shot up from beneath the soil. 

<To be continued>