Chapter 44 – Akira's Dangerous Quest

Lyra

I stared defiantly at the gathered elders, willing my expression to remain steely despite the tendril of trepidation coiling in my gut.

"Tell me where and when to begin my quest for this Lost Archive," I demanded, forcing confidence into my tone. "Once I return victorious, all of you had better be prepared to start groveling for my respect as your rightful Luna."

Akira's weathered features twisted into a contemptuous smirk that made my hackles rise. The old crone clearly didn't expect some "lesser-stock omega of the enemy pack" like me to survive, let alone conquer, the mystical gauntlet they were setting before my path.

"Very well, young Lyra," she rasped in a tone dripping with patronizing skepticism. "Since you are so eager to prove your worth through fire..."

The old historian then began outlining the basics of the realm I'd be questing into - the Veiled Valley. With each ominous detail, I felt the knot of apprehension in my belly drawing tighter.

Twisted landscapes that def