Book 1 – The Lycan’s Curse Destiny or a curse?

Alastair returned to Meteora City, navigating effortlessly to where Rio was.

“Things are happening so quickly,” he thought to himself. As they sat on a bench in the vibrant people’s park, munching on juicy burgers, Aliyah suddenly had another vision.

“That man,” Aliyah pointed, her eyes wide with realization. They spotted a man lurking beneath the club, a place notorious for underground betting among battling beings. When Alastair clearly saw the man, an inexplicable sensation washed over him, causing his heart to race.

Fear flickered in Aliyah’s eyes as she locked gazes with Alastair. Rio was equally startled, rendered speechless. Aliyah cast an invisible shield around herself, blocking Alastair’s telepathy. She stood up and stepped away without looking back, with Rio swiftly following her. Alastair pursued them with the swiftness of lightning.

“You need to explain something to me! Tell me what’s going on?!” Alastair’s voice deepened, his eyes shifting in color, escalating Aliyah’s terror.

“Alastair, step back!” Rio growled, issuing a warning. This snapped Alastair back to his senses, and he immediately returned to his normal demeanor.

“I can’t explain this right now. Trust me, you won’t like what you hear,” Aliyah finally spoke, her voice steady yet filled with urgency. Alastair took a deep breath, steeling himself.

“Aliyah, I’m sorry,” Alastair apologized sincerely.

“I should be the one asking for forgiveness, but you need to prepare for whatever truths may come. This will bring you pain and disappointment, and I can only tell you when you’re ready.” Aliyah’s words lingered in the air, causing Alastair to reflect deeply. He smiled and nodded, trying to lighten the mood. A playful smile crept onto Aliyah’s face as she looked away, and even Rio struggled to suppress a laugh.

“You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?” Alastair teased, raising an eyebrow. “Whatever it is, I don’t want to know right now.” He continued, “We still have time for fun.” Alastair’s enthusiasm drew shared glances from Rio and Aliyah.

“How about we hit the arcade? Go on rides? Or grab a drink?” Alastair suggested, trying to ease the tension.

“Let’s play tag!” Kai suddenly exclaimed, catching everyone’s attention. His brows knitted in confusion at their silence.

“I can’t join you, I don’t have super speed,” Aliyah replied, shrugging.

Alastair raised his eyebrows and grinned. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” he asked Aliyah, whose eyes widened with excitement.

“Let’s do it!” Aliyah exclaimed eagerly. They made their way into an abandoned building, the air thick with anticipation. Alastair drew a pentagram on the dusty floor.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Aliyah asked, her gaze filled with concern.

“I’m ready,” Alastair asserted with determination. Aliyah and Rio stepped into the pentagram, halting in the center.

“Can I join?” Anthony asked curiously, glancing at Alastair. Alastair exchanged a look with Aliyah, who nodded with a reassuring smile.

Alastair absorbed the surrounding energy, channeling it into the pentagram. The entire parking lot lit up, vibrating with power. He directed the energy to each vacant side of the pentagram and toward his companions. He began to chant the incantation.

Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of energy he had absorbed, Alastair felt as if he might be obliterated. His body ignited in a brilliant blaze of light, causing alarm among his friends. The ritual finally done, yet Alastair did not fall to the ground; he remained suspended in the air. With a swift motion, he returned to his normal state, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.

Aliyah felt an unusual strength surge from within her, and Rio, Kai, and Anthony experienced the same sensation. They felt as if they had reached the pinnacle of their potential. As Alastair descended, he learned an invaluable lesson about energy, learning its proper use became essential for him.

Like a children—Alastair, Aliyah, Anthony, and Kai—played tag in the forest, their laughter echoing among the trees. They leaped from branch to branch, filled with energy, and later splashed around in the clear lake, the moonlight sparkling on the water’s surface. Suddenly, Aliyah had another vision. This time, she could see clearly and in great detail, extending the duration of her foresight. Secretly thrilled, she realized that her ability had reached its peak.

Aliyah grinned as she focused and successfully cut off the unnecessary parts of her vision. I can fully control it now, she thought, beaming with satisfaction.

“What do you see, Aliyah?” Alastair asked, his tone a mix of curiosity and mischief.

“Blaze and Renesme are making love,” she replied with a cheeky smile. Their eyes widened in disbelief, and Alastair and Anthony both reacted with disgust.

“Not my grandma!” Anthony whined, and they all burst into laughter.

When they returned to the manor, the playful teasing of Anthony continued. They joked about how Blaze would soon become a grandfather. Just then, Blaze and Esme appeared at the top of the staircase, and Alastair exchanged glances with his friends, struggling to contain their laughter. Blaze and Esme looked perplexed, wondering what the commotion was about.

They headed up to the third floor, where they took another bath and changed into fresh clothes. Although there were many empty rooms on that floor, they all gathered on a single sofa in the living room, browsing through options for what to watch. At that moment, Aliyah felt a profound sense of joy, one she hadn’t experienced since childhood. It was as if something had always been missing from her younger years, and now she wanted to cherish every moment they spent together. Anthony, Rio, and Kai felt the same way, relishing the warmth of their new-found friendships.

The next day, Anthony woke up before everyone else. He forgot to wear his hooded jacket when he went out to the veranda. A few minutes later, he realized that the sun’s rays were no longer scorching him; he could tolerate it now. He saw his grandmother Esme stepping out of the house with Blaze and Marco, wrapped up tightly to avoid getting burned by the sun. It seemed they were heading somewhere.

Soon after, Aliyah got up. She drank some water and then went to the veranda to sit next to Anthony.

“Have you noticed any changes in yourself? I used to burn easily in the sun, but now I can tolerate it, and not only that, I can control my speed,” Anthony muttered, and Aliyah hummed in response.

“I can control my vision now. I can use it whenever I want,” Aliyah said. “But I still don’t know what else I can do. I haven’t tested everything yet.” Aliyah picked up a glass and placed it in front of her. She focused intently on it, and it shattered into tiny pieces, surprising Anthony. Aliyah’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Now I’m scared of you,” Anthony muttered.

“This, I couldn’t do before, but now I can,” Aliyah said with a smile.

“You don’t realize the gravity of the situation? Even I could be shattered by your mind,” Anthony muttered, and Aliyah laughed.

“Crazy, why would I do that? It only works with things not on people,” Aliyah retorted. She mentally cast a spell and restored the glass to its original form. Aliyah was even more surprised by what she saw, which delighted her. “I can do proper magic now!” she exclaimed, waking Alastair.

“What is all that noise?” Alastair said irritably as he got out of bed.

“Let’s keep all of this a secret for now, okay?” Aliyah said to Anthony, who nodded nonchalantly, and they both chuckled.

“What secret is this?” Alastair suddenly appeared in front of them without them noticing, startling both of them. They laughed together.

“Did you notice anything different about me? I don’t have to wear a jacket anymore to keep from getting burned by the sun!” Anthony exclaimed.

“That’s good news, I might need to do that for your grandmother,” Alastair said, and they all laughed again when he mentioned Anthony’s grandmother.

“Well, if we’re talking about age, Blaze is much older than your grandmother,” Anthony insisted.

” I guess, you were right,” Aliyah agreed.

“So, Aliyah, what can you do now?” Alastair asked, and Aliyah grinned. She shattered the glass again and restored it.

“That’s eerie,” Alastair murmured.

“Exactly!” Anthony agreed. Aliyah looked at the plants and burned one.

“I think I can do that too,” Alastair said, focusing his right hand on another plant.

“𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒏—” Alastair almost cast a spell, but Aliyah stopped him.

“You want to burn the whole house down?” Aliyah said. “You need to control the flow of energy coming from you first.” She directed her right hand toward the plant. “𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒐!” Aliyah cast the spell, and the plant burned right in front of their eyes. Anthony mimicked her.

“𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒐!” Anthony also cast a spell, and another plant slowly burned before the fire quickly disappeared. Aliyah restored all the plants to their original form.

“This means we can all learn magic!” Alastair exclaimed, waking Kai and Rio so they could start practicing that day. It was a Saturday, and they had no classes, so it was perfect.