His Cursed Luna

11. Dark Era

Princess Penelope proceeded at a measured pace through the extensive corridor, eventually arriving at a substantial door. After taking a deep breath, she gently knocked on the door. In a prompt manner, a guard opened the door and gestured for her to come inside.

The room was ominously quiet, and everyone's gaze fell on her. As she approached the table, she greeted everyone courteously.

“Good evening, your Supremes,” the young princess greeted the Ancient Assembly with respect, then she turned to William, “uncle.”

“Evening, Princess,” Ancient Gerald spoke softly.

Lycan King William nodded in acknowledgement, a glimmer of distaste still present in his eyes. "My lords," she said, tilting her head respectfully. "May I ask why we have been summoned here today?"

Lycan King William glared at her, his eyes cold and calculating. "We have gathered here today to discuss a matter of great importance," he said, his voice dripping with contempt. "I am not sure that you are qualified to be a part of this discussion since you are just a child, Penelope, but the Ancients suggested I ask you to join as well. After all, you would be ruling over the Goldenrealm sometime soon. Take a seat, Princess."

“Thank you all for believing in me,” Penelope smiled innocently.

The room was dimly lit, and the air was heavy with tension. Princess Penelope tried to mask her nervousness as she approached her uncle, the Lycan King William. However, she couldn't ignore the palpable hostility emanating from him. Penelope took a seat and turned her attention to the Ancient Assembly, who had been silent until now.

Ancient Gerald spoke first, "We have called this meeting to address a matter of grave importance. The signs of a dark era are upon us; a dark power is rising in the shadows, and its effect is already visible. They have striken Inarica, the weakest kingdom of our realm. Soon they will target us as well.”

Penelope's mind was fraught with confusion and disbelief. She could hardly fathom the reality of the situation before her. Once again, she found herself amidst a chaotic and destructive scene, one that had already played out before. A group of Dark Witches had descended upon their peaceful realm, causing widespread devastation and loss of life. As Penelope surveyed the c*****e, memories flooded back to her last life, when a similar event had occurred. In that instance, she had discovered that her husband, Elijah, had been involved in the attack. But this time, it seemed to be unfolding even quicker than before, leaving Penelope to grapple with the possibility that Elijah's hand was once again at play.

Despite her inner turmoil, Penelope maintained a resolute and assertive demeanour. She knew that in order to survive this ordeal, she needed to remain focused and level-headed. Her mind raced as she surveyed the damage, searching for any clues or hints that might lead her to the truth. The Dark Witches had left a trail of destruction in their wake, but there were also signs of something more sinister at play. Penelope's analytical mind kicked into overdrive as she pieced together the clues before her.

In her mind's eye, Penelope could imagine the events that had transpired. She envisioned Elijah, cold and calculating, as he plotted the destruction of their realm. She could see the Dark Witches, their dark magic surging through them as they carried out their deadly mission. But Penelope refused to let these images overwhelm her. She couldn’t save her followers last time. Elijah killed them all in a vicious manner and then blamed her for everything. A shiver ran down her spine. Would she face the same fate if they found out she was wolfless? She knew that in order to survive, she needed to keep her wits about her and remain focused on the task at hand. She couldn’t let her past repeat itself.

Penelope's current predicament left her feeling overwhelmed and bewildered. However, her assertive and formal demeanour remained unwavering as she assessed the situation and pieced together the clues before her. Her vivid imagination allowed her to envision both the horrors of the past and the hope for a better future. Despite the turmoil and uncertainty, Penelope refused to be defeated, drawing upon her inner strength and determination to see her through the ordeal.

William's face twisted with concern as he listened to the grim news from Inarica, “what happened up there?”

“Fifty commoners died, along with five ranked warriors,” William's question hung in the air as Ancient Azagon began to speak. His words were heavy with sorrow and concern as he revealed the death toll from the latest attack on Inarica. The loss of life was staggering, and the news sent a chill through the room. Princess Penelope listened with a heavy heart, her mind racing with memories of the past. She knew all too well the devastation that could be wrought by those who sought to manipulate the powerful life source of the werewolves.

“Werewolf life source was a valuable commodity, with their long lives and healing abilities stemming from their pure life force. In the wrong hands, it could become a weapon of mass destruction,” Ancient Sorceress Maya added to the concern.

The atmosphere in the grand hall was tense, as the ancient dragons and powerful leaders discussed the recent m******e in Inarica. The weight of the tragedy was palpable, and Princess Penelope could sense the gravity of the situation from the furrowed brows and grave expressions of those gathered around her. As she listened to the words of the ancient Azagon and Sorceress Maya, she couldn't help but feel a sense of unease creeping up on her. The werewolves were a proud and noble race, and the loss of so many lives was a terrible blow to their community.

Princess Penelope knew all too well the pain of losing loved ones to senseless violence. In her past life, she had witnessed the same tragedy unfold before her eyes. The dark witches had been a thorn in the side of the Inaricans for as long as she could remember, and their attacks had only grown more frequent and devastating with time. Penelope had watched helplessly as her world was torn apart, her people slaughtered, and the werewolf king met a pitiful end. The memory still haunted her to this day, and she shuddered at the thought of history repeating itself.

Despite her inner turmoil, Penelope remained stoic, her posture upright and her expression neutral. It was a mask she had worn many times before, one she had learned to master through her past life.

William broke the silence with a grim question. "Have you found out anything about who is behind all these massacres?" His voice was heavy with concern, and Penelope could see the worry etched on his face.

"We suspect Azacunta is involved in this," Azagon spoke, his words sending shockwaves through the room. Azacunta, the sacred realm of the Lycans, was no stranger to conflict, but this was a new level of brutality.

Ancient Azagon's suggestion that Azacunta might be involved in the massacres was shocking, to say the least. Azacunta had always been a sacred realm to the Lycans, and the idea that they might be involved in such an atrocity was almost too much to bear.

Princess Penelope, too, struggled with the implications of Azagon's suggestion. She knew little of Azacunta, but the name alone sent shivers down her spine. The idea that one of the most revered realms in Lycan lore could be involved in such a heinous act was unfathomable.

"We still don't have any proof, Azagon. You cannot Slander Lucian as you please," Ancient Gerald defended Azacunta.

The tension in the room was palpable as Ancient Gerald spoke up, challenging Azagon's suspicions. The conversation had taken a dark turn, and the implications of what was being discussed were weighing heavily on everyone present.

“Anything is possible if Lucian is involved,” Azagon spoke in the end shutting up Gerald.

Lucian, the name of the Ancient Lycan King of Azacunta silenced the room once again.

As the conversation turned to possible suspect, the mention of Azacunta sent a shiver down Penelope's spine. The sacred realm of the Lycans had always been a place of reverence and respect, but now it seemed that it could be involved in the current crisis. The thought was almost too much to bear.

But then, the mention of Lucian's name brought a new wave of fear and dread. Known as the notorious Lycan king, Lucian was whispered to be a demon in his own right. If he truly was behind the massacres, then the situation was even graver than they had previously thought.

Penelope's thoughts raced as she considered the possibilities. Could Lucian truly be capable of such heinous acts? And if so, how could they possibly stop him? The stakes were higher than ever, and it was clear that they needed to act quickly if they hoped to prevent further bloodshed.

She knew that action needed to be taken, and quickly. The loss of life in Inarica was unacceptable, and the threat of further attacks loomed large and in the end, this same cause had consumed her in her past life. She looked around the grand hall, taking in the faces of those gathered. The ancient dragon, Lycan, Sorceress, and her uncle were all deep in thought, no doubt considering their next move. Princess Penelope knew that they needed a plan, a way to stop the violence and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Her chain of thought broke as she heard a clear and assertive voice, "we cannot afford to wait and watch as our lands are destroyed and our people are killed. We must take action, and we must take it now."

Ancient Azagon's words echoed through the hall, and she saw heads nodding in agreement. "I suggest we form a task force, comprised of our best warriors and magic-users. They will be tasked with investigating the massacres and tracking down those responsible. And we must do it quickly, before any more lives are lost."

The room fell silent as her words hung in the air. Princess Penelope could feel the weight of responsibility on her shoulders, but she refused to back down. She knew that the stakes were high, but she was determined to see this through. The ancient dragons and other leaders exchanged glances, considering her proposal. Finally, Ancient Gerald spoke up. "I agree with Azagon. We must act quickly and decisively. I will offer my best warriors to the task force, and I'm sure the other leaders will do the same."

“First and foremost, we need to keep aside our differences and act together. If Lycan King Lucian is really involved in this situation, we will never be able to win against him by ourselves. We need help even from the Northmoon and Silverknight,” Penelope spoke in the end, calculating every single possible scenarios.

She didn’t had a chance to encounter Lucian in her previous life but she was aware of the rumours. The Ancient Lycan King could take down thousands of warriors in a blink. Her vivid imagination conjured up images of battles and confrontations, but she knew that such scenarios were dangerous and unlikely to succeed. Instead, she focused on gathering allies and resources. If they were to have any chance of defeating Lucian, they needed to work together and use their collective strengths.

“I concur with you, princess,” Azagon nodded, “we have to unite all four kingdoms of this realm if we want to go against Lucian. Also we are forgetting about Silverknight. Richard is another ancient born.”

Lycan King Richard from Silverknight. She wanted his help last time as Silverknight shared borders with Goldenrealm. And she had little faith in Lycan King Diatoran, and the Ancient King Lucian was untouchable.

“I heard he was close with Inarica and Azacunta. What if they were in it together?” William addressed. Penelope startled. On her past life, he was never dragged in any of these. The story was changing.

“If you find him guilty, you will have my support as well,” Ancient sorceress Maya added. Penelope smiled, hiding her uneasiness. The facts were changing. None of these had happened in her previous life. Would these events change her fate?