Lord Of The Lost

In the chaos of the battle, even the moon's glow was swallowed by darkness.

The cries of anguish went unheard. The grief remained unseen.

She crumbled under the weight of her sorrow, tears streaming uncontrollably. Her chest felt tight, her breath shallow, and her strength drained, as though her very soul had abandoned her.

She collapsed, fragile as seedlings flattened by a storm, or young buds buried beneath the merciless sands of a desert wind.

Her eyes fluttered shut, and she fell back, fading into unconsciousness.

---

"Sofia... Sofia..."

A voice called her name.

Slowly, she opened her eyes to an entirely different world.

An endless prairie stretched before her, lush with soft, green grass dotted by tiny wildflowers. Yellow blooms radiated warmth, purple petals exuded a quiet elegance, and white blossoms shone with an almost regal grace. The breeze danced gently through the meadow, carrying a faint, sweet fragrance that rolled over the landscape like waves.

Above her, the sky was an endless expanse of blue, broken only by drifting clouds. The air was cool and soft against her face, soothing her heartache like a tender touch.

She turned, and there she saw her grandmother, her kind face filled with love and warmth.

With a cry, Sofia flung herself into her grandmother's arms. "Grandma!" she said, her voice stretching out like a child's playful song.

Her grandmother smiled and stroked her hair. "Sofia, have you ever thought about your future?"

"My future?" Sofia tilted her head, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Iris smiled gently. "Sofia's future. Who you'll become one day."

Sofia scrunched her nose and pouted. "I haven't grown up yet, Grandma! It'll be a long, long, 'long' time before I do. But when I do, I'll be amazing! I'll dazzle the entire world!"

Her grandmother chuckled softly. "I know you will. You'll be brilliant, Sofia, like the brightest star in the sky."

Sofia's heart swelled with pride, and her face lit up with a wide grin. "Grandma, you 'have' to be there to see it!"

Iris sat down on the grassy slope, pulling Sofia close. Together, they looked out over the vast, quiet plains.

"Sofia," Iris said softly, her voice carrying a trace of melancholy, "you won't grow up here, in this small town."

Sofia tilted her head, studying her grandmother's face, the distant look in her eyes, the way her gaze lingered on the horizon, and the sadness etched into her expression.

"One day," Iris continued, "you'll have to leave this place. You'll venture out into the great, wide world. You'll meet new people, make new friends, and face challenges you can't even imagine."

Sofia frowned, crossing her arms. "I don't want friends. They're all weak. I could knock them over with one finger! Even the adults are no match for me! But Little Bob… he always gets in my way. He's so annoying! Grandma, can you teach him a lesson for me?"

Iris laughed lightly. "Oh, Sofia…"

"I'm serious!" Sofia huffed. "I hate him! Grandma, you have to show him how strong I am!"

Iris smiled and shook her head. "My sweet Sofia, that's not for me to do. You'll have to handle that yourself and in doing so, you'll grow."

Sofia blinked, confused. "But, Grandma, witches live such long lives…"

Iris's voice turned wistful. "Some witches take centuries to grow, Sofia. Others grow in the blink of an eye. But your future… it's too far for me to see. Even as powerful as I am, I can't glimpse the life ahead of you."

She paused, then gently cupped Sofia's face. "But I don't want your future to be gray and lifeless. Your journey is only just beginning. The ship that sets sail today must leave the harbor and brave the vast ocean ahead. You'll face storms, sorrow, pain, and hardship, but you'll also find joy, strength, and resilience.

"When the time comes, you'll stand tall, no matter how fierce the storm. And when that moment arrives, Sofia, it will be you who decides where your ship will go next."

Sofia's eyes widened, and for a moment, she was silent. Then she nodded, a flicker of determination crossing her face.

"I'll be ready, Grandma," she whispered. "One day, I'll make you proud."

Sophia stared at Iris, her expression blank, her mind spinning in disbelief.

Iris's gaze was soft, her voice steady yet filled with an unshakable determination. "Sophia, promise me something, will you?"

Sophia's throat tightened. Her lip trembled, and tears threatened to spill.

"I know," Iris continued, "you're not ready. Not ready to face what lies ahead. But, Sophia, you are destined for so much more. You will be the ancestor of werewolves and witches, the one to weather the storms of the future. You cannot let the past, or those you've lost, bind you in chains. We cannot be your shackles. We cannot become your weakness."

Iris straightened, standing tall against the expanse of green grass, the blue sky framing her like a portrait of timeless strength.

Sophia's wide eyes locked onto her grandmother as the earth beneath her suddenly cracked open. The once peaceful meadow split apart, and she plunged into a bottomless abyss. Her hands clawed at the air, desperate to hold onto something; anything but there was nothing to grasp.

From above, the Wolf Lord watched silently as Sophia fell deeper and deeper into the void.

"Sophia," Iris's voice echoed faintly, distant yet resolute. "Don't let yourself be held back. Don't look back. Walk the path you are meant to take... and be wary of the moon."

---

"Sophia! Sophia!"

A frantic voice dragged her back from the depths.

Her eyes snapped open to see a bloodied face hovering over her, its expression filled with concern.

"You're awake," William sighed, collapsing onto the ground with relief.

Sophia blinked, her tears dried but her heart still heavy. For a moment, she couldn't speak.

"Are you hurt?" William asked, scanning her for injuries.

Sophia shook her head, her thoughts lingering on the surreal dream or was it a memory? The endless prairie, Iris's words, the abyss. She felt a profound emptiness, a loss that cut deeper than anything she could understand.

"There's no one…" she murmured, her voice trembling.

"What?" William leaned closer, confused.

"There's no one left who cares about me," she whispered, her gaze distant, hollow.

William sighed, leaning back against the debris-strewn ground. "The dead are gone, Sophia. The living have to keep moving forward, thinking about what comes next. Like what we're going to eat and drink tomorrow." He glanced at her. "Do you have any plans?"

Sophia's head turned sharply, her eyes narrowing. She said nothing, but her expression spoke volumes. Everything she'd known, everything she'd built her world around, was gone. She had no home. No family. No sense of where to go or what to do. The entire world felt like an unfamiliar, hostile place.

She shook her head slowly. "I don't know."

Her grandmother's words echoed faintly in her mind: 'You will become the ancestor of werewolves and witches.'

She didn't doubt Iris, not for a second. But how? Where was she supposed to begin? What was she supposed to do? The weight of it was suffocating, and her thoughts were a tangled mess.

William studied her, his lips curling into a faint, almost resigned smile. "If you don't know, then follow me for now."

Sophia tilted her head, glaring at him through red, tear-rimmed eyes. "Why should I follow you?"

William chuckled lightly. "Because Little Bob asked me to look after you. He said that if things ever went beyond saving, I should help you escape from Border Town. So, unless you've got someone else to follow, I'm your best option."

Sophia crossed her arms, her expression turning defiant. "Who said I was escaping?"

William laughed again, but this time there was a touch of weariness to it. "I'm not here for me, Sophia. I'm here because of Little Bob and Elise. Both of them wanted me to keep you safe. And honestly, after all that's happened, I can't just leave you to fend for yourself."

He leaned forward, meeting her eyes. "You may not like it, but you're stuck with me for now."

Sophia wanted to argue, but something in his words struck her silent. The truth was, she didn't know where else to turn, and despite her stubborn pride, a small part of her felt relieved that someone was still willing to stand by her side.

Around them, the battlefield lay quiet, the echoes of the shocking war fading into the distance. Survivors moved through the wreckage, clearing debris and tending to the wounded.

The Black Forest loomed in the distance, a silent reminder of the chaos that had unfolded and of the even greater challenges yet to come.

Sophia glanced at William, her resolve softening just slightly. "Fine," she muttered, her voice low. "But don't get used to it."

William smiled, standing up and extending a hand to her. "Let's see where this path takes us, shall we?"