Offered to the Triplet Alphas

[Asher]

Crepuscular rays of the sun split through the sky like blades of light as dawn bled across the horizon.

A pillar of light, streaked with golden scintillation, crashed down from the heavens near the mouse prince - bridging the Celestial realm to the Earthly realm. And one by one, higher celestials emerged from the pillar.

Each of the seven Celestial packs worshipped a ruling God who was the divine source of their powers. The celestial alphas governed the physical domain, while the ruling gods reigned over the spiritual domain of the pack and its members.

The Sun god was the ruling God of the Solvaris pack. In his presence, the power of all Solvaris celestials increased considerably. And that was why the higher celestials waited until the sunrise to make their move.

'Their intentions don't seem as holy as their presence,' Icifer said, our shadows analyzing their eight stars on the constellation insignia of their military attire.

I smiled faintly as Icifer's danger sense spiked to a high alert the moment the violent surge of energy zapped through my shadow barriers.

'Can't expect any less from Yandorvan Xanthos Starsoul - Beta of the Solvaris pack, the Shield of Paradise, the legendary demon slayer, and most importantly... Xanthea's grandfather.' I replied, an inexplicable thrill burning beneath my skin.

The ground pulsed with tremors of quivering gravity as a silhouette emerged from the light pillar beside the mouse prince.

The legendary white-gold lion armor barely contained his aura, with golden chains coiled around his arms like gauntlets, and his ankles like greaves.

A flowing mantle of star silk draped over his shoulders. His grip tightened around his battle axe, its haft ending in a spear that struck the ground with every step he took.

His cold, emerald eyes bore into my barrier with an intensity that had the power to scorch my shadows into oblivion. Silver-blonde hair and overgrown beards framed his face, etched with a deadly scowl, the fury enough to annihilate me.

With a shaky gasp, Xanthea's head snapped in the direction where her grandfather stood. Her wide eyes stared at the barrier as though she could finally feel the danger that loomed beyond.

All werewolves - immortal or mortals, wolf-spirited or wolfless - could feel the blood connection. No wonder she could sense her family now that they were in the same realm as her.

Her body was still shielding me from the holy rain, each droplet charged with a divine heat that fell like molten silver on my body.

Her breaths escaped in cautious shudders, each sharper than the last as anxiety coiled within her. With a nervous gulp, she hugged me tighter.

Her heart, which had been racing since the holy rain began, slowly eased into a relaxed rhythm. But this peace seemed to have terrified her more than it soothed her.

Her reaction did not surprise me.

If I had to define the Starsouls in one word, it would be - formidable.

Greatness ran deep in the royal Starsoul bloodline. Some looked at them as heroes and some as villains, but never as nothing. Right or wrong didn't matter - they always created history.

Yandorvan was centuries old and one of the strongest warriors of paradise, earning himself several titles of honor. Yet, Yandor, the Sentinel Warlord, was the title that had immortalized him in both celestial and infernal war history.

In his prime, he had fought and won countless celestial-infernal wars, but his victories came at a brutal cost of his family members, especially his brothers and sons.

Vengeance fueled the hatred in his heart, making his loathing for demons as timeless as the wars themselves. And his pain bled as brutal violence against the demons on the battlefields. Each scar carved on his face and body was a proof of it.

His victories had turned into legends, his warfare recorded and deciphered in the Art of Alpha Wars, one of the first books both celestial and infernal Alphas studied during their Alpha training.

It was because of his and his team's past invasions of the Infernal realm that forced us to perfect our security system because he knew how to find out even the smallest of cracks and exploit it.

The recent celestial invasion attempts began probably the moment he learned he had a granddaughter from Cadence, his most beloved and tragic child.

It wasn't a coincidence that the invasion patterns mirrored the very tactics he used in the past. Though Draknor and Kyrell had neutralized them, I knew they were mediated by Yandor.

The relentless frequency of those attempts reflected his desperation. And the fact that he was here today himself could only mean one thing - he was here to rescue his granddaughter from demon lords, by any means necessary.

I had a feeling he'd risk war for it if necessary, but no one understood the value of peace better than a warlord. So, I was hoping he'd be mindful, not blinded by rage and bloodlust.

'First, the holy rain, and now the legendary demon slayer.' Icifer chuckled. 'What's next?

A death duel with the great Yandor? If not for the risk of losing my mate, I would have savored this to the fullest.'

His amusement faded into a low growl.

'But I have a horrible feeling about all this.'

'It's only going to get worse from here. You still don't want to recede?' I asked.

'The hell I would! If the celestials think they can take my Xanthea away from me by force, they don't know me,' Icifer snarled. His voice dropped, turning more calculative beneath the fury. 'But... it would only be practical to have a backup... just in case...'noveldrama

'I told you; I want to keep this meeting as private as I can. I'm sure Yandor wants the same. That's why he didn't come here with an army - just a handful of his most trusted warriors,' I said.

'He doesn't need an army to start a war,' Icifer muttered. 'He himself is equal to an entire army.'

'I'm aware,' I thought back to him.

Every child has a hero they obsess over growing up. He was mine.

I grew up reading about him, learning from him, studying his defeats, memorizing his victories, listing his losses - fascinated by how he always stayed ten steps ahead of his enemy, yet made them believe he was only two... until it was too late.

Of course, I knew exactly who I was dealing with.

***

"Just starting the holy rain within the barrier has drained the CSS members. They are taking turns just to maintain the rain; despite that, the barrier has weakened," a guard reported to Yandor. "The holy rain seemed to have repressed Alpha Asher's demonic powers for the time being."

"What do you think, Crown Prince?" Yandor glanced at the mouse prince before turning his attention back to the barrier.

He stepped forward, pondering in silence. Knowing the enemy was the key to winning

a war - and no one knew me well enough.

"Is the holy rain enough to pacify Alpha Asher?" Yandor asked.

The mouse prince stood beside him, raising his gaze towards the higher ends of the barrier that merged with the clouds.

"I'm sure the holy rain is enough to pacify Alpha Ezra and Alpha Raven. As for Alpha Asher... I can't say..."

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"Very well." Yandor gave a curt nod before stepping towards the barrier.

"Lord Yandor, it's dangerous to enter-"

"Create a divine dome over this shadow barrier!" Yandor's command cut through the mouse prince's warning as he strutted right into my shadows without a moment of hesitation.

The pressure of his aura sliced through my shadows with his every step.

The holy rain just suppressed the demonic powers for around thirty-three minutes, but the divine dome was something no demon could survive easily, no matter how strong they were.

Right now... he wanted to destroy the demon lords who, according to him, had tainted his blood, and he wasn't even trying to be subtle about it. He wouldn't waste a second on trivial things like a conversation. The only time he might use to talk would be until the creation of the divine dome was complete.

The celestials had already begun creating the foundation mana circles for the dome.

I also knew Yandor wouldn't have a conversation until he had a sense of security and that could only happen when he was assured that he had suppressed the threat - me. For that, I'll have to put up a logical amount of fight, inflict practical damage on celestials, endure sufficient suppression and feign loss while making sure everything remains under my control.

In short, I'll have to lose a fake battle to win the real war.

'Celestial warriors are trying to enter the barrier,' Icifer said, groaning under the pressure of the holy rain. 'Orders?'

'Allow entry to the celestial prince, and attack all others,' I commanded.

'Damage level?' Icifer asked.

'Low,' I said.

Icifer allowed the mouse prince to pass through, who was shortly followed by Nikolai, who tried to sneak behind him, thinking it would be safe to get near my shadows now that two high rank celestials had entered.

But only the two made it through.

The mortal soldiers didn't even have time to scream before my shadow blades sliced through their necks, sending their heads flying farther from their bodies. They dropped with dull thuds, blood spurting like fountains from their severed throats, pooling around them in crimson rivers.

"Wh-what just happened?" Panic coursed through the soldiers as they fretted with their weapons.

"Did you see what happened?"

"Who did it?"

"What did it?"

"What is going on-"

"Stay behind! All forces stay behind! All celestials concentrate on the divine dome!"

Yandor's second-in-command yelled.

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A chaotic uproar rippled through the crowd, shaking the ground with its intensity as Yandor's warriors clashed their swords against my blades, deftly parrying and dodging the strikes while leaping out of my barrier's attack range. Meanwhile, the celestial guards who were caught in the attack struggled against my shadow serpents that coiled around their throats, wings, and bodies. Their flesh rotting from my hex dissolved to cinder as my shadows devoured their souls and their harrowing screeches.

The warning had been delivered. The survivors withdrew, none daring to come even an

inch close to the barrier again. Instead, the celestials shifted their full focus to forging the divine dome.

Yandor stopped in the middle of crossing the barrier. His frown darkened into a vicious glare as he took in the chaos that unfolded among his men.

Mouse prince and Nikolai who had caught up to him were confused at the sudden surge in Yandor's bloodlust.

It took a few seconds for the mouse prince to realize his men were attacked, but Nikolai remained clueless, his wary eyes following the smokey shadows that swept past the three of them.

"Let's go. We don't have time to waste!" Yandor's voice trembled with suppressed rage

as he forced his way through my barrier with even greater strength.

***

"Xanthea..." I called.

My voice was hoarse from the burnt throat. The holy rain had turned the air thick with

the misted holy water. It felt as if I was inhaling fire that scorched my lungs from within.

And the way she winced at my voice; I could only wonder if she felt the pain of my breaths.

"Don't speak. I know what you want me to do. I'll take care of it, so don't speak-"

"Listen carefully," my voice broke. "No matter how bad this gets, don't worry about

me."

Her breath hitched, her fingers digging into my back as her body pressed closer, as if

she wanted to shield me from the inevitable.

"I know," she muttered.

Parting from her, I looked into her eyes, cupping her face that creased with anxiety as

soon as she saw my burnt face again, which only became worse because of my words.

"Xanthea... your priority is to just get them to talk. I can..." I bit back a groan. "I will get the information out of them."

She clenched her jaws, rainwater streaming down her as she took a deep breath.

"What if I don't get a chance? They aren't here to talk. If they were... they wouldn't have hurt you so badly. Honestly, after what they have done to you, I don't want to talk

to them at all..." she gritted out bitterly.

"Wife, I need you to trust me. Please?"

She placed her hand on mine and gave a reluctant nod.

"No matter what they do to me... no matter how badly I seem to be hurt. No matter

what happens, don't forget what I told you-"

She placed a gentle hand on my face, her cool fingers soothing the burn with their whispery touch.

"Don't worry. I won't let all the pain you've suffered be in vain. I've got this. I've got you, Asher," she whispered with a weak smile before pulling me into her embrace, shielding me from the rain once more.