Chapter 5, Phase 5 - Storybook
Response To: 'Hel’s Last Light'

You watched fury take over Hel. Her expression sagged with sorrow as she locked eyes with you. Her facial features melted into something heartbreakingly melancholic, hollowing beneath the strain of a magic never meant to be touched. Later you would understand, or rather you would remember Fenrir having explained what Esoteric Energy was. But in this moment, all you could do was feel the weight of it. The magic itself. Heavy, fueled by sorrow and hunger alike. Hel’s own heartbreak and shame only made her more powerful when wielding this very volatile magic, only making it even more dangerous for her to use it. Fenrir’s words surfaced in your mind in a way you could remember them clearly.

‘Casters have tried to decipher it before.

Every one of them abandoned their studies afterward.

It is prohibited for a reason.’

Now you understood why more than ever.

When you reached for Hel, there was no hesitation left in you. Your paws met her blazing figure, and the world tore apart right before your very eyes. Blue flooded your vision, followed by a wave of consuming black. The last thing you remembered was chaos in its truest form — Ylva’s voice breaking as she screamed Hel’s name, Freyja fighting the storm itself as it battered her, clawing forward against the wind as thunder fought to split Haldor’s Pass in two. Then? Nothing at all. When the ringing in your ears subsided and sensation returned, there was no sky, no screams, and no storm.

A familiar itch tugged at your coat, even in the dark you could feel its familiar pulse. The inbetween… Whether you had followed Hel here or had been dragged in her wake, you could not tell. A soft pulse of light stirred ahead, smoke trailing faintly in the distance. You moved toward it, almost as if it were a magnet pulling you in. Each step you took was heavy, until a voice cut so cleanly in the dark it was as if it belonged there.

“Always following the light, child,” it murmured. “When will you learn that it fails you time and time again?” You knew that voice anywhere. Nightfall.

The blue glow flared, and in the blink of an eye the void reshaped itself around you, whirling to life effortlessly. You stood within a vast study warmed by a roaring hearth. Shelves crowded every inch of every wall, stacked with various tomes, relics, charms, and vessels filled with nearly lifeless souls. The air smelled of burning flesh and smoke, both laced delicately with bitter herbs. Nightfall tended to a boiling brew with a practiced paw that made it clear this wasn’t her first time.

“When will you learn?” she asked again, turning to face you. Fury flickered behind her gaze and you could see one side of her muzzle twitch in agitation. “Time and time again they lead you to ruin, and still you reach for them foolishly.” Nightfall’s voice was even sharper as she continued, “Do you not long for change?”

You watched Nightfall in silence, neither word nor action surfacing in response to her many questions. This only caused her to boil over and lash out, the liquid in her cauldron reacting to her outburst. “DO YOU NOT LONG FOR SOMETHING MORE?”

Nightfall surged forward, her titan jaws snapping inches from your muzzle. You stumbled back, breath ripped from your chest as your vision blurred and the world around you split once more. When you steadied yourself on all fours, the study and Nightfall were gone. You stood in the void again, swallowed by an even deeper darkness. It was as if the dark understood your greatest fears, clawing from the outside in, eager to swallow you whole.

When you finally grounded yourself you noticed that before you hovered before nine portals, arranged in a wide arc, each alive with its own pulse of power. One specifically caught your eye, winter swirled within it. Another burned a crimson shade of fire. Others glowed with light, shadow, storm, earth, dusk, dawn, and something you couldn’t quite place. Nine forces, just as there were nine tomes. It was then that everything came full circle. 

Behind you something moved. The sound came first, echoing through the void, heavy and rhythmic. Metal grinding against metal as thunder rolled closer to you, closing the gap between it and the nothingness surrounding you. You turned as blue light tore open the dark. At first it appeared to flicker peacefully, and very quickly that changed. A massive shape charged towards you, plated in steel and venting steam from its horned face. Lightning crawled across its armored hide as it closed the distance with a terrifying speed. Very clearly a beast forged, not born.

You turned and realized the space between you and the portals had begun to stretch, the distance widening unnaturally. Without hesitation, you bolted toward them, Nightfall’s laughter roaring through the dark in every direction. Each glance back showed the beast closer, its advance relentless. The portals drifted farther away as the void warped into sponge beneath your paws. You could only feel your legs trembling, your lungs burning. 

At the last possible moment, with the creature nearly upon you, you hurled yourself forward and leapt into the blue portal. It wasted no time swallowing you whole as you were immediately met with the chill of ice.

Meanwhile back in Haldor’s Pass, Hel lay nearly lifeless upon stone. Ylva hovered over her, sobbing openly now, wrapped around Hel’s broken form as though refusing to let go might keep her alive. She would remember this moment for the rest of her life. Your choice. Your sacrifice. Fenrir lived. The corruption had been torn from him, his breath shallow but steady. Aurora lay draped over his massive form, grounding him as the storm finally began to break.

The Alphas rallied quickly. Fenrir. Hel. The trinity. All of them were returned to the safety of The Great Maw, where Uhma and Ursa waited to tend to their wounds both seen and unseen.

Haldor’s Pass however, did not recover. A dark shroud lingered over the mountain, webbed with blue and black lightning that cracked silently across the sky. Felvargs could see it from hundreds of miles away. Yet nofel spoke of it aloud, but all knew something had changed. Hel did not wake, while alive she rested near lifeless still. 

Ylva walked the passages of Skalaness and The Great Maw daily, gathering fresh herbs, and sitting at Hel’s side for hours at a time. Felvargs spoke of her as though she were already mourning Hel’s death, but in truth there was more to why Ylva felt the way she did. The warmth she once carried had all but deflated. She did not smile when eyes met her own. She spoke only when necessary. A sorrow plagued her like nofel had ever seen, as she withdrew into an isolation that she wore as plainly as the grief on her coat. And while nofel truly understood the dark voices Ylva had been battling, none could understand how truly untethered Ylva felt from those she once held dear, as if she existed beside them now, rather than among them.

Stay tuned for the next Storybook prompt!

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Quest is Live!
As a new dawn breaks over Ulfrheim, something ancient stirs beneath the mist. A sliver of a thread glimmers in the distance, intriguing and impossible for you to ignore it. Follow its path to discover what fate has brought you.

Head on over to the front page to give the new quest a read!

🦭Seal Hunt Has Concluded!🦭
Congratulations to Jake 7759, owned by Lyutsirov for returning the most seals in a single season earning them the unique title The Frozen Prowler!

🔔  Remember, The Glacial Ridgeway will close its doors on February 14th, after which all Seals will be purged from your account in preparation for next season!

🏁Marathon: Ghostbloom Run is Live!🏁
After saying goodbye to the Seal Hunting season, we welcome Marathon with open paws! Welcome to Ghostbloom Run, a thrilling race that begins in the uncharted, winding paths of the Pass of Heidrun, skirting the perilous waters of Lake Skaro before bursting into the blooming meadows of the Vale of Whispers. Keep your wits about you as a wild often roams these parts!

Please note that our Marathon Guide has moved from the Activity Guide, to its own page! You may find it linked on the Front Page at any time. This year, we have stocked the Marathon shop with a plethora of delicious goodies, and you may find the shop at the bottom of the Marathon page! While we have provided all 3 races up front, submissions for each race will only be open during the month in which it is active. Be sure to have your entry for the active race submitted by midnight at the end of the month. 

May your paws fly and your courage hold true as you navigate Ghostbloom Run!

Springtide is upon us, and the Bloomwake Festival has arrived a few days early (praise be, Aurora!)

This year brings an array of delicious rewards, plenty of opportunities to push your soulmate pairs, benefit from your pack, wilds to be discovered, achievements to earn, and above all else—Bloomwake Sigils to hunt.