Niva had taken Sac to the campfire with the others, and I felt the need to step away to process everything. Sac wasn’t himself anymore. I shivered at the thought of how the darkness had gripped him, as if he was slipping away from us. I had to talk to Will.

  When I got to him, he was lying still, asleep, his face calm, almost peaceful. I sat down beside him and gently touched his shoulder. “Will,” I whispered. He startled awake, his eyes focused on me, then let out a deep sigh and stretched.

  “Tracy... Has something happened?” His voice was groggy but filled with concern.

  I sat close to him, trying to gather my thoughts. “It’s Sac. He… he’s not himself anymore. Something has changed. His eyes are empty, and when I look at him, it feels like the darkness has taken him.” I swallowed, unsure if I should say more, but the words slipped out anyway. “And I can’t stop thinking that it’s my fault. I was part of what almost got him killed.”

  Will sat up, his gaze serious, but there was a warmth in it that calmed me. His hand found mine, and he gave it a gentle squeeze. “Tracy, we’re not giving up on him. We’ve been through too much together, and Sac means something to both of us. We’ll do everything we can to bring him back, no matter what’s happened.”

  I looked at him, feeling my heart beat faster. His words filled me with comfort, but also a strange kind of fear I couldn’t quite name. I knew Will had changed, and I wasn’t sure if any of us truly understood what we were up against. But there, in his presence, was something stronger than fear – a warmth, a feeling that we could face this together.

  I lay close to him, felt his warmth against mine, and let out a steadying breath. “I don’t want to lose him, Will. He’s my friend, and I haven’t given up on him yet. I feel like we have to do this – we have to bring him back.”

  Will leaned his head closer to mine, his breath brushing my ear. I felt his heartbeat, and we were so close I could almost feel every thought he had. He replied softly, his voice a whisper only I could hear. “We will bring him back, Tracy. Together. And I’ll always be here for you. No matter what.”

  I felt his hand stroke my cheek, his fingers brushing my skin gently. It was a soft touch, but one that burned with closeness and emotion. And I knew then that we were more than just two people fighting for a friend. We had found something stronger in each other than we ever thought possible.

  “We’ll fix this, Will,” I said quietly, meeting his eyes. “I believe in us.”

  He smiled faintly, and in that moment, the heavy, gnawing worry about Sac faded – just for a second. In its place was only Will, his closeness, his warmth… and something more. Something we shared, something we couldn’t lose – not without a fight.

  And with his hand still in mine, I leaned into him, our shared fight for Sac now part of something greater, something we were both ready to face together.

  We went together to find Sac. He was still by the campfire, unmoving, his gaze fixed on the flames – just like Amelia had been only hours earlier.

  “Sac,” Will said, stepping up beside him. His body was tense, like he was expecting an attack at any moment.

  Sac slowly looked up and smiled – a crooked, cold smile that sent a chill down my spine.

  “Will. Looks like you’ve recovered.” His voice was void of warmth, like the words were just a formality.

  Will stepped closer. “What’s going on? What’s gotten hold of you?”

  A flicker of irritation passed across Sac’s face but vanished just as quickly. He leaned back slightly, as if he enjoyed being questioned.

  “Clarity, Will. I realized something when I was lying there, bleeding. That I almost died – for someone who maybe never should’ve been here.” His eyes turned to me. “Tracy. Ever since you came, everything’s fallen apart. The village that was once peaceful is now in ruins. Children have lost their parents. Wics might be dead. But we should be grateful you’re here, right?”

  My heart pounded hard. Every word he spoke felt like poison.

  “And Will,” Sac continued with a mocking glance, “Are we just supposed to ignore the fact that he’s become a monster?”

  “He has Vaelmark within him,” I interrupted.

  His eyes pierced into mine. “And what makes you think he is Vaelmark – and not something born of the shadows? What makes him different from the darkness we fear?”

  Silence fell over us. Then another voice spoke, from behind us.

  “I wonder the same thing. How do we know Will isn’t part of the Dark Side?” Amelia stood a few meters away, her gaze cold and scrutinizing. More villagers began to gather, their eyes now on us.

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  Sac smiled. A discreet, ominous smile only those close could see. I knew it now – the darkness had him. It wasn’t just fear anymore. It was certainty.

  “Don’t listen to him,” I said loudly, trying to reach the others. “There’s something inside him. I can see it. He’s not himself anymore.”

  Amelia frowned. “But you said Vaelmark spoke through him. Why would the darkness take him now, if he was a channel for the light?”

  I looked around. Every gaze was fixed on me – but there was no trust. Only doubt.

  “It... it’s different now,” I said quietly. My voice cracked. “Something has changed in him…”

  Will stepped forward, placing himself between me and Sac. His voice was sharp but controlled. “If I were with the Dark Side – why did I fight them? Why did I come back to Tracy instead of tearing her apart when I had the chance?”

  A murmur spread through the group. Whispers.

  Will turned back to Sac, whose smile had now faded. “She’s the one keeping you alive. She saved you, Sac. But it came at a cost. Sacra put a part of herself in you – and that’s why you feel the darkness. But it isn’t hers anymore. It’s yours.”

  Sac’s eyes flared. His face twisted with anger. I thought for a moment he would lunge at Will – but instead, he sprang toward me – a dagger flashing in his hand.

  “NO!” Will roared.

  Pain stabbed through my side. I felt something cold and wet spreading across my skin – and darkness erupted from Sac like a black cloud.

  A collective, shocked gasp came from the villagers. Then – a new roar, deeper and more primal, tearing through the night.

  The roar made the ground tremble beneath us. It didn’t come from Sac – it came from Will.

  His body trembled as he stood over me, his eyes transforming, glowing gold that seared into memory. His voice no longer sounded human. It was something else, something ancient, awakening inside him.

  “Don’t ever touch her again,” he hissed – but it was as if a thousand voices spoke through him at once.

  Sac stepped back, confused, as though he sensed something greater had awakened. The darkness around him recoiled, fluttering like shadows in the wind. Even the villagers stepped back, silence falling over them like a blanket.

  I tried to rise, but the pain in my side was too much. The blood was warm against my fingers. Will turned, and when he saw me lying on the ground, something broke inside him.

  “Tracy,” he whispered. His whole being tensed, as if what he had fought to contain could no longer be held in.

  His body began to change. His clothes tore apart, muscles tensed, and black, glimmering fur emerged from his skin. A powerful howl filled the air – a wolf’s howl – but it was more than that. It was ancient. Mighty.

  “Vaelmark…” someone whispered in the crowd.

  Will – or what had once been Will – now stood before us, fully risen, a being of man and wolf, eyes glowing with both light and shadow. But I knew it was still him. He was protecting me.

  Sac stared, frozen. The darkness around him pulsed, twitching as if it was no longer fully under his control.

  “You should never have awakened him,” Will – Vaelmark – growled, his voice shaking the trees surrounding the camp.

  Sac staggered backward, uncertain for the first time. He glanced toward the villagers, but no one moved. They all stood spellbound by the sight before them.

  “She… she deserved it,” he gasped. “She’s the root of all this.”

  “No,” Will growled. “It’s you who let the darkness take hold of you. But you’re not beyond saving. Not yet.”

  He took a step forward, the ground thundering beneath him. Sac raised the dagger again—shaking—but he never got the chance to use it.

  With a leap, Will knocked him to the ground but held back. His claw pinned Sac to the earth, but he didn’t kill him.

  “Fight it!” he roared. “Come back to us!”

  Sac writhed under the pressure, screaming—but it was as if two voices fought within him. His eyes flickered between black and clear brown.

  I was still on the ground, but I reached out my hand, weakly. “Sac… you’re our friend. We never gave up on you. I know you’re still in there…”

  Tears mixed with the pain in my voice.

  Will looked down at him, hesitating—his claw trembling against Sac’s chest.

  And then… something happened.

  Sac stopped struggling. The darkness began to melt away from his body, not completely, but enough for his face to suddenly look like it once had—softer, human.

  “Tracy…?” he whispered, his voice weak. “What have I done…?”

  Will stepped back and let him rise—still on shaky legs, but something inside him had shifted. The battle wasn’t over, but we had caught a glimpse of the Sac we once knew.

  Will stood for a moment, staring at him—then closed his eyes and let a breath shudder through his body. His form began to shrink, fur retreating into skin, claws and jaws pulling back. When he opened his eyes again, he was Will—just Will—sweaty, breathless, and with bloodstains across his chest.

  Then everything went black for me. I barely saw Will throw himself down at my side, his voice filled with panic:

  “Tracy! Stay with me!” he cried, the panic clear in every syllable. His hands searched me quickly until they found the wound. His eyes filled with horror.

  “No, no… you’re not leaving me now. Not you.”

  I wanted to say something, but the words stuck. Everything felt warm, then cold. The sounds faded. I only felt his hands against my skin and heard his voice like a distant echo.

  “Tracy… I can’t do this without you…”

  Everything was blurry. I heard voices like through water, shadows moving across a flickering light. Sometimes Will. Sometimes… something else.

  I floated in something soft, almost like mist, and in front of me stood someone. A figure of light, with eyes that carried the weight of time itself. Vaelmark.

  “There is a choice, Tracy,” he said. The voice was both my own thought and something greater. “Your strength brought him here, but it’s your heart that keeps him.”

  “Will?” I asked, though my lips didn’t move.

  “Yes. And you. You are bound. Through darkness. Through light. Through love. It is your love that will determine what he becomes.”

  “But I’m bleeding… I’m dying…”

  “Not yet.”

  And then—pain. A strike to my chest, as if my heart was being torn out to be forced back to life.

  “Tracy!” Will’s voice broke through everything. It was shaky, angry, and afraid. “Please come back. I know you can hear me.”

  I opened my eyes. Light. Darkness. Stars. Will was holding my hand. His face was streaked with blood and tears.

  “I’m here,” I whispered, barely audible.

  He burst into a smile so fragile it looked like it could break if I blinked.

  “You almost left me,” he said hoarsely. “I thought I lost you.”

  “I was never far,” I whispered. “You… pulled me back.”

  He leaned forward, let his forehead rest against mine. Breathed with me.

  “I love you, Tracy.”

  I smiled faintly despite the pain spreading through my body. “I know. And I love you.”

  Silence settled like a blanket around us. Around our hearts, our words, our love—amid the darkness, a light.