Chapter 275: Chapter 275

"I can’t feel anything again," I said weakly, staring down at my trembling hands. "It’s like... something inside me just went silent."

Lira looked at me for a while, her face calm, her smile gentle but mysterious. "That’s possible," she said softly. "You’re still learning to understand yourself, child. Power like yours doesn’t always stay quiet. It only hides when you’re not ready."

I frowned a little, confused. "Not ready? But I’ve been through enough already, Lira. I’ve lost people, fought for my life, and run from everything that hurt. If that doesn’t make me ready, then what will?"

Lira chuckled softly, her voice sounding like a song carried by the wind. "Pain doesn’t make you ready, my dear. It only makes you aware. But readiness... readiness is when you accept what that pain made you become."

I stared at her. "Then maybe I’ll never be ready," I whispered.

She shook her head, still smiling. "Oh, you will. You are your parents’ child. I see it in your eyes." Then she stepped back and stretched her hands toward me. "Now, I want you to shift."

"Yes," she said, her tone playful but firm. "I want to see the beautiful creation your parents made together. A wolf and a witch in one. A wonder the world feared yet never understood."

I hesitated, staring down at the ground. "I... I don’t think I can."

"Why?" she asked, tilting her head.

"I only shift when I’m angry," I confessed, ashamed. "It’s like something burns inside me before it happens. When I’m calm, it’s just... nothing."

Lira’s smile widened slightly. "Then we shall make it happen."

My eyes widened. "How?"

"Leave that to me," she said, stepping closer. "Stand still, and don’t move, no matter what you feel."

I took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright."

Lira closed her eyes and began to chant softly in a strange language. Her voice was low at first, almost like a hum, but it grew louder, fuller, echoing through the forest. The air around us started to shift; it became thicker, charged with something powerful. My heart began to race.

Then suddenly, whoosh! A cold wind swept past me, and every part of my body began to tingle. My bones felt like they were stretching, twisting, breaking, and healing all at once. I gasped and fell to my knees, clutching my chest.

"Lira!" I cried out. "It hurts!"

"Endure it!" she shouted, still chanting. "Let it come out, Lisa! Don’t fight it...let it happen!"

The pain grew stronger. My vision blurred. My skin burned. I wanted to scream, but no sound came out. Then, in a flash, my body snapped, my heartbeat thundered, and everything went dark for a second.

When I opened my eyes again, everything looked... different. Clearer. Sharper. I could hear the faintest rustle of leaves, smell the damp earth, feel the air moving against my fur, fur.

I looked down, and my hands were gone. My arms, my legs, everything had changed. I was standing on four feet.

"By the Moon..." Lira whispered, her eyes wide. She took a step closer, staring at me in awe. "You’re... perfect."

I tilted my head, unsure how to respond.

"You’re both wolf and witch," she said, smiling warmly. "A creature of the moon and the stars. A living bond of two powers that should never have met, yet they did, in you."

Her words made something ache in my chest.

Lira slowly reached out her hand. "May I?"

I nodded. Her hand brushed my fur gently, and she closed her eyes. "So much power," she murmured. "Your mother’s grace, your father’s strength. They truly made a masterpiece."

I made a soft sound, half growl, half whine, and stepped closer to her.

She smiled again, then started chanting once more. The warmth in my body began to fade, and the pain returned briefly, not sharp this time, just heavy. My bones shifted back, my fur disappeared, and before I knew it, I was kneeling naked on the ground again, gasping for breath.

Lira quickly came forward and wrapped a cloak around me before I fell completely.

I leaned into her arms, exhausted. "Why... why do I feel so hurt when shifting? Why do I feel so tired?" I asked weakly.

She smiled, her eyes kind. "Because I used a chant to help you shift. Your body is still learning to do it on its own. The magic drains you until you master it."

I nodded slowly, closing my eyes.

I leaned into her arms, exhausted. "Why... why do I feel so hurt when shifting? Why do I feel so tired?" I asked weakly.

She smiled, her eyes kind. "Because I used a chant to help you shift. Your body is still learning to do it on its own. The magic drains you until you master it."

I nodded slowly, closing my eyes for a moment, feeling the faint throb in my bones. Then I looked up at her again. "Can you teach me the chant?" I asked quietly. "I want to learn it. Maybe... maybe that way, I won’t be so helpless."

Lira smiled softly, her gaze warm but knowing. "You can’t learn it yet, Lisa," she said gently. "That chant isn’t something you memorize, it’s something your soul awakens to."

I frowned a little. "What do you mean?"

"When you attain your full power," she explained, touching my forehead lightly with her fingertip, "the chant will come to you on its own. It will rise from within you like breath. You won’t need me to teach you. You will know it, magically, as all true witches do."

I stared at her, confused and fascinated at the same time. "So... it’s already inside me?"

She nodded, smiling. "Yes, child. Everything you need is already within you. My work is only to guide you until you see it yourself." ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by novęlfire.net

I sighed tiredly, leaning back into her arm. "That sounds like forever."

Lira laughed softly. "Maybe not forever. But power like yours takes time. You can’t rush what was meant to bloom slowly."

"Your parents would be proud of you, Lisa. You carry both of them inside you, even if you never met them."

My throat tightened. "I wish I did. Maybe then I wouldn’t feel so lost."

Lira’s hand brushed my hair gently. "You’re not lost, child. You’re finding your path, one step at a time."

"I’m just tired," I murmured.

"I know," she said softly. "That will be all for today. We’ve done enough. You need rest. Tomorrow, we’ll start again."

I nodded weakly. "Can you help me up? I don’t think I can walk."

She chuckled. "Of course."

She slipped one arm under my shoulder and lifted me gently, helping me stand. My legs shook with every step, and I leaned heavily on her as we walked back through the forest toward her hut.

The air was cool, and the sound of birds heading home filled the silence between us.

When we reached her hut, she helped me lie down on the small mat and covered me with a soft cloth. I sighed deeply, feeling my body finally relax.

"Rest now," she said, covering me with a blanket. "You’ve done well."

I caught her hand before she could leave. "Lira?"

"Thank you," I said, my voice almost a whisper. "For believing in me."

She smiled again, that gentle, knowing smile of hers. "Always, Lisa. Always."