《God of Flames》


 Ember

    Mark woke up to the sound of crackling and popping noise.


    "Can you keep it down Marcus. I am trying to get some fucking sleep," said Mark. But he didn''t receive a reply and the sound kept going with the same intensity. Finally, not being able to bear it Mark woke up grumbling and rubbing his eyes.


    He tried to get up from the bed, but he couldn''t feel the bed, he couldn''t feel anything, he opened his eyes confused but all he could see was the darkness that confined him like a cradle and sound of popping and crackling. He could not smell nor see anything except the sound that persisted.


    "Marcus if this is your idea I swear I will make you regret every being born," he yelled But still there was no reply to his question.


    "OK, this is not funny anymore Marcus. Everyone you had your fun now remove whatever it is you are using to blindfold and block my senses with."


    There was no answer this time as well, but Mark did not stop. He continued to yell and call out all of his friend''s name for hours but there was still no answer. He started to think maybe he was kidnapped by a rival company but then his identity was still unknown to the world. That is when Mark started to realize then that he hasn''t heard his voice, and all the yelling was in his mind.


    He tried to make a sound, but the only sound was the crackling and popping. He tried to rise his hand but to his shock he had none. He couldn''t even fell his body. All he felt was hot like he was standing on a flame.


    He started to panicking and yelling trying to move anywhere or move even an inch. His mind was in disarray and chaotic trying to piece all the little information he had of his current situation. And all he could come up with was that this was a dream.


    After trying different methods for hours to calm himself but not succeeding he found himself listening to the crackling sound. The rhythm of the sound was like a soft melody, a comforting lullaby in the darkness. He slowly drifted to sleep thinking he would wake up from his nightmare.


    When Mark woke up again, he found himself in the same darkness with no body but with only the sound of crackling. He felt suffocated and breathless. He started yelling and cursing for hours on end. After exhausting his mental energy Mark begun to try to at least feel his surroundings.


    As his concentration increase so did the sound of the crackling around him. He focused for hours without paying any attention to the increasing sound. But the result was disappointing. Mark felt exhausted after that and went to sleep.


    After waking up Mark did same thing he did previously and ending with the same result as before. So, Mark repeated the cycle of sleeping and concentrating to see his surrounding again and again with no end.


    After several repetition when Mark was starting to lose hope, he saw small lights of some green, some red, and some a mixture of red and green forming a long thin threads that wove themselves to form a picture or maybe an unfinished painting on a lighter blue canvas fabric but immediately it started to unweave itself as Mark lost concentration because of his surprise.


    Mark couldn''t calm himself for a long time because of what he felt when he saw it. He experienced something ethereal, elusive and heavy. It was a contradictory to his mind because it felt so close yet far away, light yet heavy, real yet imaginary. And he perceived something in him change, evolve and the sound of crackling increase.


    Mark tried to feel it and bring back the painting, but it was getting harder since he was losing his concentration quicker and quicker because of his impatience. He tried to forget the feeling and calm himself first, but he was more exhausted than he thought so he fell asleep in the middle of his meditation.


    After Mark woke up, he tried again, and it was easier than the previous times he tried. The picture that was woven this time looked more complete and more real. So, Mark continued to complete the picture by doing it again and again. He also felt that ethereal something more and more until he realized that was what was helping him weave the picture he was seeing. So, he focused on it drawing more of it and trying to complete the picture.


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    Mark continued his routine of sleeping and trying to complete the painting and different colors of light appeared on the painting. As the lighter blue canvas fabric gained white lights that formed into different shapes of clouds but their detail still blurry. The green light form into the shape of leaves on a brown branches and stems form into a colossal trees that almost seemed to reach the blue sky. Theirs roots covered by mud and grass. The red light formed into an ember that was burning the grasses, turning the ground black and filled with ashes of grasses and spreading to the tress all around it as if seeking to burn all of things that it sees like it had a burning desire to burn all things in existence.


    The painting was becoming more complete with details and Mark was drawing more of the unknown energy. More light flooded into the darkness Mark had found himself in, banishing it. The painting grew, drawing more detail and light until it filled all of the darkness. And mark for the first time saw his surroundings. He was in a dense forest with colossal trees that reach the blue sky that had a dense cloud of different shape.


    Mark was filled with joy of seeing the sky that he didn''t look at himself. And because of Mark losing concentration again the darkness returned with fervor and rage. And he didn''t have time to see himself or look for the source of the sound that was unceasing persisted. So, Mark tried again but this time it formed quicker. He looked around him and saw an ember spreading to the trees and burning anything that stood on its way with him as a center. Mark yelled and tried to jump out of the fire but the fire jump with him. This continued for a few seconds spreading more of the fire to the trees.


    Just as Mark was about to try something different, he heard a voice that was cold and distant in his head.


    [You have gained ENERGY EYE].


    That sound froze him on the spot. He panicked and started to look around him to see if he can find someone but to his dismay he found none. And there was no other sound after it, making him mistake it for an illusion because of his panic due to being in a center of a fire. That reminded him of his current condition. His panic had spread the fire more and there was a sudden flare of flame now and then whenever his emotions spiked. It would increase the spread of the fire catch on more of the trees and increase its temperature.


    After several minutes of panic and despair Mark realized he was not burned in fact he did not feel any discomfort at all from the fire instead he felt comfortable and safe. He calmed down a bit after that and started to look at himself and that was when he found out he could not see himself, and there was nothing but fire and forest around him.


    He moved all over the forest, walking through the forest trying to find anything but he neither couldn''t feel his see his body nor anything else. He thought perhaps he was dead, and he was only a consciousness that was drifting around Earth because he had some unfinished business. But Earth never had this kind of tall trees, so this place must be in a different place and that further solidified his previous guess that he was dead. And if he was dead then where was he now. What was this place, this forest because it didn''t feel like hell or heaven or any of the afterlife he heard and read back on earth. And also, there was that mysterious energy he felt and used and the mysterious voice he heard. He shouldn''t be able to use that, and he must be able to see his soul if he was dead. So, he concluded he wasn''t dead but if he wasn''t dead then where was he and where was his body.


    "Fuck!" cursed Mark out loud or at least he tried to but there was still no sound coming out of him.


    "This was a very confusing even for me", thought Mark. "I had invented new technology and would have won a noble prize had I stayed on Earth. And yet I can''t find the answer for this?"


    It frustrated Mark to no end not knowing the answer. That was when he heard the voice from before again in his mind.


    [Conditions for evolution are met].


    [Enough SOURCE ENERGY detected for evolution].


    [Congratulation you have evolved from an EMBER to WILDFIRE].

 Im Sorry

    [You have gained FLAME OF DESIRE].


    Mark was suddenly pulled into the darkness he first woke up from. But he was not paying any attention to his surrounding because the voice he thought was an illusion was real. He had no idea what it was or what it wanted but he understood one thing it said, he had evolved from an EMBER to a WILDFIRE. Now he thought about it he was in the center of the flame, and he didn''t burn despite standing in it, after all what kind of fire burns itself. And the flame had followed him wherever he went around the forest and spread. The sound of crackling he had heard from the beginning, that intensified over time while he was busy trying to see his surroundings, the colossal trees that dwarfed him as though he was an ant looking at a titan. He was the flame, the fire that was burning the forest.


    It took Mark some time to notice that there was a source of light in this darkness now. That thought distracted him for a bit, and he welcomed it. There he saw a small glowing reddish-orange EMBER burning at what it looked like a center to him. Mark looked at it from a distance and wanted to get a closer look. He was immediately pulled towards the EMBER. The EMBER intensified by the second, growing bigger and hotter. Mark remembered the last thing the voice had said, he had gained the FLAME OF DESIRE.


    ''This must be it,'' he thought.


    There he noticed a mark on the EMBER that was shaped like an "H" that was encircled in a smaller circle that was again encircled in a bigger circle and between the two circle there were three threads that interwove between each other forming a circle and forming a symbol that looked like the HAGALAZ RUNE. Upon closer look it''s exactly the HAGALAZ RUNE.


    His attention was again brought to the EMBER that was growing by the second, becoming more visible. He focused all of his attention on it forgetting all else. Then, thin threads sprang from the EMBER and interwove themselves into a red flaming screen.


    [Name: Mark Pascall]


    [Evolution stage: WILDFIRE]


    [Maximum temperature: 970 ¡ãC ]


    [Energy point: 27]


    [Energy gained: 2/second]


    [Energy consumed: 1/second]


    [types of flames: none]


    [Skills: ENERGY EYE]


    ''This is my information, or at least for the current me?'' Mark tried to frown, ''how did it even know my name? What is this thing?''


    Since he couldn''t figure out what it was Mark looked at all the information that was displayed on it before him and tried to understand what they meant one by one.


    ''Evolution stage must mean my current state since the voice said I have evolved to it, maybe the voice also came from this thing. Then there is the energy point and it keep increasing by 1 every second so it must be connected with the other two. Energy gained must be the energy I gained by burning the grass and now the trees and energy consumed must be the energy I spend when the fire burns. And since the gain is greater, I have a net gain of 1 energy per second. But how did this thing quantified energy? Is that even possible? Then again I am currently a fucking fire. The maximum temperature must be the highest I can achieve, that is hot, really hot. I can literally melt a silver,'' his emotions were all over the place as he didn''t know what to think of this, whether to be happy he was alive or despair at the fact that he is a fire, never to be human again.


    [You have gained Spontaneous Combustion.]


    The voice came again and immediately the screen changed


    [Skills: ENERGY EYE, Spontaneous Combustion]


    ''The voice did real come from this. Where did it come from? Is it a compensation for the wrong reincarnation or is there something else behind it?'' Mark didn''t fully trust this thing that knew everything about him, something about it felt wrong. Mark focused on the weaving for Spontaneous Combustion and a new screen interwove itself in-front of him


    [Spontaneous Combustion: Increase your range and temperature depending on the energy spent.]


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    It was a simple explanation of what the skill could do. The second screen unweave itself and Mark was back to staring at the first screen. He then focused on the weave of ENERGY EYE.


    [ENERGY EYE: The most basic usage of SOURCE ENERGY and a 3rd DIMENSIONAL EYE. It''s the 1st stage of the EYE OF OMNIPRESENT. It will help you see your surroundings in all direction and with far more detail in both the physical and spiritual. Helps you see far into the distance with clear and great detail depending on your own power.]


    That surprised Mark, he saw words he didn''t understand or couldn''t grasp like source energy or 3rd dimensional eye and words he knew but not expect to be real like eye of omnipresent. The source energy must what he felt when he concentrated to his surrounding. Yet he couldn''t feel it now, he felt some in the ember, he felt could use some part of it but he couldn''t use it all, it''s like something was blocking it. Mark felt he could use the source energy to manipulate and create fire. Maybe it''s because he is a fire or maybe there was something else to it. And 3rd dimensional eye must mean he could only see 3rd dimensional space.


    ''Does that mean there are more dimensions?''


    His heart started to beat faster or it would have if he had any. The revelation that there might be more dimension was shocking to say the least but the most important question was how many there were and what they represent for Mark''s future. Maybe he could find way back to earth or way to becoming human again in those higher dimensions. At the thought of earth Mark wanted to cry, remembering his family. Threads that formed the screen unweave themselves and interwove into forming a picture of a happy family of four. A woman who appeared to be in her mid-40 with a golden-blond hair, with the left half resting on her chest and the right half at her back and at the tip of her hair was a curl. Her eyes were blue but had a warmth to them with her red lips smiling faintly. Her left hand resting on a shoulder of a 10 year old girl that was smiling brightly with her teeth shown, her blond hair was in a piggy-tail, and her brown eyes had the innocence of a child. And her right hand was on the shoulder of a 20 year old boy with his black hair cut in a Pompadour style, his eyes blue like the woman with a faint smile. There was a man in his late-40 standing on the right side of her and above the boy. The man had a black hair, brown eyes like the little girl, his left hand was wrapped around the woman''s shoulder and his left hand was on the boy''s shoulder which reached his chest.


    Mark wanted to cry even more seeing his family portrait but no tear could come out of him.


    ''I wish I could say goodbye properly. I''m sorry, Dad, for not being there for your birthday next week. I know how much it meant to you, and I hate that I won''t be there to celebrate it with you. I''m sorry, Mom, for all the trouble I caused, all the pain and heartache. I was a handful, and I regret all the mischief that led to so much stress for you. Sis, I''m sorry I won''t be around to see you grow up. I won''t be there to protect you from the boys who might come around, or to tease your first crush. I won''t be there for your first boyfriend or your wedding, or to hold your baby in my arms one day. It hurts knowing I won''t be part of those moments. I''m so deeply sorry. I wish things could be different. I wish I could be there with you, sharing in your joys and supporting you through everything. I hope you can forgive me, and know that my love for you hasn''t changed, no matter where I am. You''ll always be in my heart.''


    He continued to stare at the portrait for a very long time. He then dispersed the portrait and brought back the 1st screen. And there were some changes.


    [Maximum temperature: 1000 ¡ãC ]


    [Energy point: 1043]


    After he reviewed the content over and over again he closed the screen. And the darkness was filled with light again until it was banished.


    Mark looked around at his surrounding, the trees were in blazing with fire, some were already burnt and turned to ash, some had turned black, the ground was gray and black with the ashes and burnt woods. The forest was bigger than he first thought, and he only burned a very small part of it. It stretched very far in all direction and there were some kind of mist the deeper you went into the forest. Mark was on the outer region of the forest. His fire spread more by the second and more energy was being consumed but the more he burned the more he felt something in the environments SOURCE ENERGY stir. Sooner or later his energy consumption would be the same or more than the energy gained if he continued like this. So, he had to learn to control his fire.


    Mark spent a few minutes to learn to control his fire because he had experience with learning the energy eye. He turned himself into a small ember and moved out of the black grounds and went into the most outer part of the outer region of the forest by jumping from one tree to another and extinguishing the fire on the previous tree. It took him a couple of hours before he found a spot with a bunch of branches and leaves scattered on the ground with the sunlight and wind being blocked by the tall trees. He then settled down there.


    As Mark was getting comfortable, he saw a wolf with a slick black fur and yellow eyes staring at him intensely.

 Nightshroud

    Mark stood paralyzed as he locked eyes with the black wolf, its golden-yellow gaze piercing through the darkness. He had been scanning the area but hadn''t noticed the wolf until now. It seemed to blend seamlessly with the shadows cast by the dense trees surrounding them. For a moment, they simply stared at each other, the wolf''s confusion palpable as it tried to comprehend the sudden intrusion of light.


    The wind stirred gently, pushing towards the heart of the forest. The leaves fluttered and rustled, their soft sounds breaking the silence and jolting Mark from his stunned state. As he regained his composure, he noticed a peculiar phenomenon. A white mist was gathering around the wolf, swirling in an ethereal dance. But as the mist drew nearer to the wolf, it darkened, transforming into a deeper, more ominous shade.


    In this darkening mist, shadows began to form. The images within were blurred and indistinct, but some shapes were discernible. Mark saw the twisted outlines of trees and grotesque figures¡ªsome were small animals, others humanoid but distorted with animalistic features. Their forms were dismembered, limbs scattered across a field of spectral grass, and what he could only assume was blood seemed to flow freely, staining the grass a spectral red. Yet everything remained shrouded in shadow, rendering the scene a grim tableau of darkness.


    ''What the hell is that?'' Mark asked himself.


    He couldn''t comprehend what it that he saw, he knew the white was the SOURCE ENERGY, but he didn''t understand how it was gathering, transforming into a darker shade or how the images were produced. And he needed to understand it if he wants to protect himself and grow powerful enough to go home. He knew that was how he could get stronger, by using the SOURCE ENERGY.


    The wolf stepped closer, its eyes never leaving Mark''s. The flames around him flickered as if telling the wolf to stay away. The closer the wolf got the more detailed the image become, the more the flames flickered.


    ''Please don''t come closer, please don''t come closer,'' Mark repeated it like a broken music record, praying to whatever god he can think of. Mark had no idea what is being was or if his flames were an effective against it. The wolf came closer still and Mark begun to panic again which stirred his flames more. That grabbed more of the attention of the wolf, it stopped for a second and stared at the flames. That give Mark a time to cool a little bit down. But the wolf started to move closer. The more the wolf got closer the more something in Mark tried to get out, but he didn''t know out it was, and he didn''t have time to worry about it now. The wolf was now standing in front of Mark with his neck cast down and his golden-yellow eyes staring at him. It sniffed at Mark to see if whatever Mark was something different than anything it had seen. But all it could get was the smell of burning grass. So, with the fire being nothing different the wolf turned and lifted his hind leg to pee on the flame was bring light and disturbing his place and end its life.


    Mark was stupefied by what''s happened. At first when the wolf sniffed him, he thought it would discover it specialness and devour him and then it turned, and mark thought it was leaving and he was relieved, but the damned thing just wanted to pee on him.


    ''What have I done to you, you bastard,'' mark was anger more than he was terrified of the beast and with that anger the control he had on the flame loosened and the instinct that was trying to get out was let loose and his flame got bigger.


    At first the wolf was startled by the sudden surge of the flame but the bigger the flame got the more scared it was. It didn''t know why he was scared; it just was that its instinct was telling him to run but before it could the flame surged and covered its entire body and started to burn it. The wolf howled in pain and anguish as-though a baby calling its parents, disturbing the quietness of the place.


    As mark lost control and was driven by his instinct, more of the white mist which was the SOURCE ENERGY was drawn to him and covering his body like it did the wolf. And the closer the white mist got to Mark, the more it changed to a fiery red that inside of it was formed the image of a blazing forest.


    Mark''s and the wolf''s mist clashed when he was burning the wolf. Mark''s mist invaded the wolf''s mist and started to burn the shadowy trees, the scattered bodies and the dismembered part.


    The wolf driven by the instinct to extinguishing the flame and pain that clouded his intelligence. So, it started to run to the center of the forest leaving behind pieces of its body that fall out and which spread the flames further in the outer region.


    The wolf run almost as fast as a 275 kph at first, but its body parts were melting and his speed decreased over time and by the time it reached the heart of the forest, its mist was almost gone, devoured.


    By the time the wolf died two and a half hours had passed and all that was left of the wolf was small pieces of burned meat but all the rest of its body had turned to ash and was scattered by the wind all over the forest.


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    Mark still hadn''t calmed down and he started to burn the closest tree in this misty place that was the heart of the forest. And he continued to spread in all direction carried by the wind. And the heart of the forest and the outer region were set ablaze, burning the small and big creatures and trees, turning the serene night into a symphony of screams and a music of pain that made the ground shook to its core.


    ***


    The male fox raced through the dense forest, his lithe form weaving between trees with the grace of a seasoned hunter. His fur, a rich auburn, glistened with sweat, and his breath came in sharp, controlled bursts. In his right hand, he clutched a well-worn axe, its blade dulled from cutting too many trees to build their settlement. The handle was smooth from use, the once sharp edge now chipped and nicked, a testament to the recent hardships his tribe had endured since their banishment from their original clan.


    As he approached the outskirts of the forest, the foliage began to thin, revealing a sprawling settlement nestled in a valley. This was his home, a village of over 200 foxlike creatures who lived in harmony with the land. The settlement was a bustling hub of activity, with thatched-roof huts and communal fire pits scattered throughout. The air was filled with the sounds of daily life ¨C the chatter of children playing, the rhythmic pounding of tools on wood, and the soothing hum of elders chanting ancient songs.


    The fox''s heart pounded with urgency, knowing he bore critical news for the tribe''s chief. His paws barely touched the ground as he sprinted through the village gates, the familiar scents of home filling his nostrils. Villagers paused in their tasks to watch him pass, their eyes widening in concern at the sight of the Axe in his hand and the determined look on his face.


    He made his way swiftly to the center of the settlement, where the chief''s hall stood ¨C a grand structure made of timber and stone, adorned with carvings that depicted the tribe''s storied history. Two imposing guards stood at the entrance; their spears crossed in front of the doorway. They stopped him and stared at his hand that was gripping the Axe and they tightened their own grip on their spears.


    "You can''t enter, Rurik. The council is in discussion," said the one on the right.


    "I need to deliver this message immediately to the chief, or else the council will not have much to discuss in the near future," answered Rurik.


    An older but deeper voice sounded from the inside, "let him in," hearing the permission from their chief they stepped aside, allowing him to pass. But not before asking him for his Axe.


    Giving them his Axe Rurik went in. Inside, the hall was dimly lit by torches mounted on the walls, casting flickering shadows that danced across the floor. The air was thick with the scent of burning sage and the faint, smoky aroma of the hearth fire. At the far end of the hall sat the chief, a venerable fox with fur that had turned silver with age. His eyes, sharp and wise, locked onto the runner as he approached, his expression a mix of curiosity and concern.


    "Chief Talon," Rutik panted, bowing deeply before the elder. "I bring grave news from the forest."


    Chief Talon nodded, his gaze unwavering. "Speak, Rurik. What has happened?"


    Rurik straightened, his grip tightening on the Axe. "The fire that started in the east of the Misty Forest a few days ago and then vanished has reappeared. It''s spreading near our settlement and is pushing towards the heart of the forest, moving towards the Misty Mountains that separate us from the humans."


    A murmur of alarm rippled through the hall as the gathered council members exchanged worried glances. Chief Talon raised a hand, silencing them. "This fire... do we know its source?"


    Rurik shook his head, his eyes darkening with the memory. "No, Chief. The source is unknown. All I heard was the cry of pain from a wolf cub that stirred the shadows nearby. It couldn''t have been that far from me."


    "That is one of the abilities of the Nightshroud pack," said the one of the council men.


    "Nightshroud pack?" asked Rurik. The name "Nightshroud Pack" evoked a collective shiver among the council members.


    Chief Talon''s face grew grave. "The Nightshroud Pack is feared for their power and their vengefulness. A pack we could not afford to antagonize in our current state, and if the cub is dead then the mother will most likely attack our tribe."


    Chief Talon''s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Aileen!" he called, his voice echoing through the hall.


    From a side chamber, a young female fox emerged. Her fur was a striking shade of silver, and her eyes, the same sharp gold as her father''s, shone with a mix of intelligence and strength. She was a member of the Luminaries, the only group among their kind who could harness the power of the Astral Essence.


    "Yes, Father?" Aileen responded, bowing respectfully.


    Chief Talon looked at her with a mixture of pride and concern. "Aileen, gather a few warriors. You must investigate this fire and the disturbance in the forest. We need to know if the cub is dead and if it is how many will come with the mother. Only you can wield the Astral Essence in our people. So, you have a higher chance of success."


    Aileen nodded, her expression resolute. "I will leave at once."


    Chief Talon turned back to Rurik. "You have done well to bring this news swiftly. Rest now and prepare. We may need every able body in the coming days."


    Rurik bowed once more, relief and determination mingling in his chest. As he turned to leave, he heard the voice of the chief that felt heavy and was filled with concern, drowning the whispers of the council.


    "Niallghas, Cathal get in here."


    Both the guard that were outside came in. As Rurik and Aileen left the hall.


    "Yes, Chief," said both at the same time.


    "Gather every able body and all the available weapons and prepare the defenses."


    "Yes, chief," and they left in hurry to execute their tasks.

 A Past to forget

    As Aileen left the hall, she made her way swiftly through the village. The familiar sights and sounds of her home did little to ease her concern. She headed straight for the east barricade, where the tribe¡¯s scouts kept vigilant watch over other tribes. Her mind focused on the message brought by Rurik about the fire, but she was more worried about the Nightshrouds.


    She had only seen one when she was a child and even then, it was from afar, shielded and protected by the Starfang. She was with her friend from the Moonclaw tribe. She wanted to do something mischievous, so she took her friend to one of the forests near their previous settlement, the Shadowveil Woods, while the adults¡ªthe leaders of both tribes¡ªwere discussing matters. In hindsight, it was the most unforgivable thing.


    They went into the forest to play, thinking they wouldn¡¯t be found. She thought it would be fun. They played in the Shadowveil Woods until it was dark and the stars in the night sky above the forest twinkled like a thousand scattered diamonds, casting a serene and mystical glow. Through the canopy of towering trees, the celestial display peeked through, creating a delicate lacework of light and shadow on the forest floor. The constellations shimmered with a clarity that seemed almost otherworldly, each star pulsing gently as if whispering secrets of the universe. Its brilliance undimmed by the surrounding darkness. The occasional shooting star streaked across the heavens, leaving a brief but breathtaking trail of light. In this quiet, nocturnal realm, the stars provided a silent, awe-inspiring spectacle that felt both timeless and eternal.


    ¡°We should make a wish to the gods in the stars,¡± her friend said.


    ¡°Why? It¡¯s not like they will listen. And even if the gods did listen, why would they grant a wish for us, who, by the way, are not even Luminaries? Just accept it, Atrabus, we will never catch the eyes of the gods,¡± said Aileen.


    ¡°Maybe you could wish to become one.¡±


    ¡°No one from our tribe has become one except my mother. I don¡¯t think the gods like us very much. Maybe it¡¯s because we are weak.¡±


    ¡°There is no one from us either. I wonder how you can become a Luminary. Has your mother ever told you?¡±


    ¡°No, every time I ask, she just says I¡¯m not ready. I mean, I don¡¯t see her do much either. She just sits by the river and stares at it or when it rains and even when it snows.¡±


    ¡°Have you tried doing the same?¡±


    ¡°Of course I have, I¡¯m not an idiot.¡±


    ¡°How long did you stay by the river?¡±


    Aileen silently stared at her friend like she had just discovered her deepest secret.


    ¡°As I thought, didn¡¯t even stay for an hour?¡±


    ¡°No, I left after ten minutes. It was so boring, and my friends were playing a new game they invented, at least that¡¯s what they said.¡±


    ¡°Then your mother is right.¡±


    ¡°You traitor.¡±


    Then a sound of a dry branch breaking snapped them out of their conversation and their eyes from the stars. They turned to look at what caused the sound and saw a ten-foot bear with dark brown fur standing on its hind legs. It let out a growl and lowered itself on four legs, starting to walk closer and closer to them.


    Aileen made a blood-curdling scream and her friend, a small catlike girl with black-gray fur, hissed and meowed in a different tone. The bear paused for a second and made a deafening bark with its saliva spitting out and covering them both.


    With her leg shaking, Aileen gripped Atrabus and shouted, ¡°RUN!¡±


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    With every ounce of strength and energy she could muster, she pushed ahead, dragging Atrabus by her hands, who still wasn¡¯t out of her fear and was following behind her sluggishly.


    The bear was catching up with them as it ran on its four legs. They had to find a place to hide or get out of the forest, but that was impossible as they were deeper than they thought.


    Aileen looked around for a place to hide as they ran. The bear raised one of its paws and swung it across Atrabus, ripping flesh from the thigh of her left leg. Atrabus released a blood-chilling scream.


    Aileen looked back to see her friend¡¯s tears flowing down her face like a river that had just broken out of its blockade, her left leg covered in blood, the metallic smell assaulting her nose. She hated the smell of blood and the sight of it, but they needed to run faster.


    ¡®What do I do, what do I do?¡¯ Aileen thought. ¡®Should I leave her here or carry her? But if I carry her, it will slow me down and we both will die. I don¡¯t want to die. I don¡¯t want to die,¡¯ she repeated.


    Just as her grip on Atrabus¡¯s hand was loosening, they heard the sound of a horn being blown. It was the signal for when the chieftain¡¯s daughter or son was missing. That distracted both them and the bear.


    Aileen then saw the moonlight shining like a guiding light to what looked like the entrance to a cave. Without thinking much, she dragged her friend and herself into the cave.


    The inside of the cave was dark with no light getting in, but it smelled like a rotting corpse. When they sat down, there was some kind of liquid on the ground, and their hands and legs were now touching it. She brought her hand forward and smelled it; it had a metallic scent almost like blood. She brought it in front of her eyes to make sure.


    ¡®It is a dark red-brown. So, it¡¯s not blood; then what is it?¡¯ Aileen thought. She heard a growl from outside the cave.


    The bear was not coming inside and was just pacing around the entrance, waiting for them to come out.


    ¡®Why isn¡¯t it coming in?¡¯ she asked herself.


    She then noticed Atrabus hadn¡¯t moved since they entered the cave. Aileen looked at Atrabus; the tears on her face had dried, leaving her fur stuck together. The blood on her leg hadn¡¯t stopped bleeding. She shook her friend to wake her up, but Atrabus didn¡¯t open her eyes. She needed to dress the wound first. Aileen tore a piece of her cloth and wrapped it around Atrabus¡¯s left thigh, saying, ¡°You are going to be fine; we will get out of here.¡±


    ¡°You are a terrible liar, Aileen,¡± said Atrabus, her voice shaking and breaking apart.


    ¡°Shush, you need to rest, so don¡¯t talk,¡± said Aileen while she continued to dress her friend¡¯s wound.


    ¡°How about now? Do you want to pray to the gods?¡± asked Atrabus with slight amusement and let out a chuckle. ¡°Maybe they will hear us now, if nothing else for their amusement.¡±


    ¡°Now is not the time to joke, Atrabus.¡±


    Atrabus was stunned for a minute. ¡°The abyss must be on fire if you are saying that.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°I mean seriously, pray for me,¡± the last word almost a whisper. If Aileen had not been close, she would have missed it.


    When she looked up, Atrabus had already closed her eyes again, but she was still breathing. Aileen did nothing but stare.


    ¡®I was going to leave her to save myself. How am I going to face her after this? I really am a bad fox. How could I even think of abandoning her? I must have lost my mind.¡¯ She wiped the tears that hadn¡¯t dried yet. ¡®I am a terrible friend, person, and daughter. But what could I have done? Nothing would have changed except for the both of us dying. If only I had a little bit of power, maybe then no one would get hurt because of me.¡¯


    Aileen stood and went a little deeper into the cave. She got on her knees with her hands and head on the ground, the unknown liquid touching her nose and mouth. She almost swallowed some of it, but she steadied herself and started to pray.


    ¡°O Goddess of the Night, ruler of Dreams and Nightmares, harbinger of peace and terror, embodiment of contradictions, Nyxara, please help us. Help us both escape, help my friend Atrabus heal and give her sweet dreams. Help me become a Luminary, and I will give you anything you desire; even my soul shall be yours.¡±


    But no reply came from her prayers, and Aileen stayed in that position for an hour. Then came a shout from outside.


    ¡°AILEEN!¡±


    ¡°That is my mother¡¯s voice,¡± Aileen couldn¡¯t believe her ears.


    ¡°AILEEN,¡± came the second shout from the same voice.


    This time, Aileen was smiling from ear to ear and let out a sigh of relief. She raised her voice, ¡°IN HERE. WE ARE INSIDE THE CAVE.¡±


    She ran towards her friend, who was now awake from all the shouting.


    ¡°I AM COMING, MY DEAR. DON¡¯T BE AFRAID; MOMMY IS HERE.¡±


    ¡°OK.¡±


    ¡°See? I told you we would be fine.¡±


    Atrabus answered with a shaky whisper, ¡°Yeah, that is because I prayed to the gods. They must have heard my prayer.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s because I prayed.¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t even let me have this, could you?¡± said Atrabus, curving her lips a little.


    The sound of the bear growling and the footsteps of multiple people echoed outside the forest.


    Aileen, hearing the many footsteps, lost the strength in her legs and fell down, but her smile never left her. Then she whispered, ¡°We¡¯re safe.¡±

 A past to forget 2

    A fox-like woman stood in the moonlit clearing, her silver fur shimmering as if she herself were a creature of the moon. She stood gracefully on her hind legs, reaching a height of a meter and a half. She wore a flowing silver robe that cinched just below her waist, the fabric cascading down to her knees, catching the light with every movement. Beneath the robe, she donned fitted black pants and sandal shoes crafted from supple leather, giving her an air of both elegance and practicality.


    In front of her loomed a massive bear, its eyes filled with both caution and rage. The beast growled menacingly, its muscular form tensed and ready to attack. Positioned behind the woman were seven fox-like men, their auburn fur contrasting sharply with the white fur that ran from the bottom of their snouts down to their abdomens, though much of it was concealed beneath their sturdy leather armor.


    The four fox-men on the left held spears, the wooden handles worn smooth from use and the tips fashioned from sharpened obsidian, glinting dangerously in the moonlight. The remaining three fox-men on the right were armed with swords, their blades rough and jagged, showing signs of wear and tear. The edges were chipped, and the handles, wrapped in worn leather, looked as if they might snap under pressure.


    Despite their mismatched and somewhat worn gear, the fox-like warriors exuded a sense of readiness and determination, their eyes fixed on the bear, their bodies poised for the imminent clash. The tension in the air was palpable as they awaited the first move, the moonlight casting long, eerie shadows that danced around them in the stillness of the night.


    ¡°We need to kill it quickly before the owner of the den comes back,¡± said the woman as she took a single step back while looking the bear straight in the eyes to so that it will lower its guard a bit.


    ¡°The owner of the den? Luminary Fionnuala,¡± asked one of the guards that was holding a spear, Maon.


    ¡°Yes, owner. Can¡¯t you smell that stench of a rotting corpse?¡±


    ¡°I do smell something foul, but I just thought it was the bear,¡± answered another one of the guards that was holding a sword, Aodh with the others nodding to what he said.


    ¡°But why should we finish it soon? Wouldn¡¯t it be better if both the bear and the owner tried to kill each other, then we can kill whoever is left,¡± Asked Maon.


    ¡°Yes, it will be wounded so I will make an easier kill than a healthy bear,¡± continued another one that was holding a sword, Finni.


    ¡°Because the bear is not entering the den, which means the beast that lives in there is much stronger than it and the bear is afraid to fight. If the owner came the bear will most likely run and we have to deal with a stronger enemy,¡± answered Fionnuala.


    ¡°Seriously, you are the elites of our tribe?¡± asked Fionnuala sarcastically.


    All of the guards shifted their face to side in embarrassment, their leg, toes dug into the ground, a few scratching their heads. But Fionnuala continued without looking at and not caring what they were feeling.


    ¡°Do I have to teach all about hunting from the beginning like children?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± all of them said in unison but with less sound and even lesser confident.


    ¡°Where is your voice? Did you burn it with your knowledge too?¡± her voice a little bit higher than before, ¡°we are about to get into a fight, and you lose your confidences now? When we get back, I will teach each of personally in the forest every single day until you cry me blood, but now you have to trust your experience of the hunt. You have done these many times. So, just your experience,¡± she turned to look at them and smiled with the moonlight shining at her it made her stand out in the surrounding where shadow and darkness dance and light retreat. But here she was the light her silver fur reflected the moonlight and made the face of all the guard visible then she said, ¡°most of all trust in me.¡±


    With that all of the guards gained some of their confidences back and returned her smile with their own.


    ¡°Stop that you all look like you are about to trick an unsuspecting, innocent victim and you all look hideous. Don¡¯t ever smile at someone, you will definitely scare to the abyss.¡±


    That drowsed the little confidence they had gained.


    ¡°Oh! Cheer up, I am sure there is someone out there with a worst smile than you.¡±


    That also didn¡¯t help them.


    As they were talking the bear was slowly approaching them trying to get on their back. Fionnuala turned her attention to the bear. They slowly moved to the side in a curve with the bear going in the opposite curve. They stopped midway before they could reach the cave entrance and the bear before it got away from it.


    The guard spread out, splitting to encircle the bear. The beast watched them warily, its eyes never leaving Fionnuala, who stood at the front, calm and poised. Maon and Aodh stood to her left and right, their weapons at the ready. Finni and Brianan positioned themselves on the bear''s left side, while Conn and Onchu took their places on the right. Brian moved stealthily to the back; his spear poised for a deadly strike.


    Without warning, Brian lunged from behind, thrusting his spear towards the bear¡¯s back. The bear reared up on its hind legs and let out a deafening roar, its maw wide open, eyes blazing with fury. It swung its massive right paw towards Brian, but Brianan seized the opportunity, darting in from the left and stabbing at the bear with his spear. The bear¡¯s reflexes were swift; it blocked Brianan¡¯s attack and continued its assault on Brian. Brian raised his spear defensively, the force of the bear¡¯s blow sending vibrations through his arms.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Seizing the moment, Finni attacked from the left, his sword slicing into the bear¡¯s side. The bear roared in pain as Conn jabbed his spear into its right arm, pinning it momentarily. Onchu followed with a swift slash to the bear¡¯s arm, drawing more blood. Maon and Aodh took their chance, driving their weapons into the bear¡¯s back, causing it to bellow in rage.


    The bear¡¯s fury reached a crescendo, and it let out an ear-splitting roar that rippled the ground. The shockwave knocked the guards off their feet, sending them sprawling. The bear, wild with pain and anger, fell onto its back in an attempt to dislodge the spears embedded in its flesh and crush Maon and Aodh. Just as it seemed they would be squashed; a coil of water snaked around their waists and yanked them to safety.


    They stumbled to their feet, breathing heavily. ¡°Thank you, Fionnuala,¡± they gasped, looking at her with gratitude.


    ¡°Be careful,¡± she warned, her eyes narrowing. ¡°The bear can use a little Astral Essence.¡± Their faces grew grim at the revelation.


    The bear, back on its feet, charged at Conn and Onchu. But before it could strike, a tendril of water wrapped around one of its legs and yanked it off balance, sending it crashing to the ground. Fionnuala''s water turned to ice, freezing the bear¡¯s leg. Finni darted forward, his sword slashing down and shattering the frozen limb into pieces.


    The bear roared, and small rocks levitated from the ground, pelting Finni and knocking him to the ground. It stood on its three remaining legs, eyes scanning the battlefield. Spotting Finni prone on the ground, it lunged to bite his head off. A whip of water lashed out, striking the bear¡¯s eye and sending a spray of blood. The bear howled in pain, the ground trembling in response.


    Fionnuala stood firm, her body surrounded by a shimmering water shield that absorbed and deflected the bear¡¯s attacks. The bear, maddened by its injuries, charged at her with murderous intent. She pushed Maon and Aodh aside, and the guards hurled their spears at the charging beast, each one finding its mark. The bear slowed, its body pierced and bleeding, but it still pressed on.


    In a final desperate move, the bear summoned small spikes from the earth, launching them in all directions. The water shield around the guards absorbed the spikes, turning them into harmless mud that splattered to the ground. As the bear closed in, Fionnuala rolled to her left, narrowly avoiding its massive jaws.


    Using her water manipulation, she coiled the liquid around the bear¡¯s neck, tightening it like a noose. The bear thrashed, trying to dislodge her, but she held firm. Slowly, the water began to freeze, encasing the bear¡¯s neck in a solid block of ice. It took longer than expected, but Fionnuala was determined. As the ice spread, she pulled herself closer to the bear, creating a blade of water with a razor-sharp edge.


    With a final surge of power, she froze the blade and swung it with all her might. The ice blade sliced through the bear¡¯s neck cleanly, severing its head with a satisfying crack. The bear''s headless body thudded to the ground, the battle finally over. The guards stood in silence, catching their breath, as Fionnuala lowered her weapon, the ice around her melting away.


    She turned to look at the guards, some on the ground and some kneeling. ¡°Is anyone hurt?¡± she asked, her voice tinged with worry.


    They all shook their heads, too spent to speak.


    She walked to each of them, checking if they were truly alright, then gathered them at the entrance to the den. ¡°Maon and Aodh, come with me. The rest of you, stay on lookout in case the owner comes back,¡± she said, heading inside the den with Maon and Aodh following behind.


    The inside of the den was darker than she imagined, so dark that she couldn¡¯t even see the tip of her paws. The stench of a rotting corpse was almost nauseating. She worried her daughter might find this scary and vomit everything she had eaten. ¡°Aileen, sweetie, are you here?¡± she called out, her voice full of concern, as she wove a small flame using astral essence.


    ¡°Yes,¡± came a voice from just ahead. As the small fire formed, she saw her daughter, her snout, hands, and legs covered in dark red-brown blood, kneeling with her shoulder resting against the den¡¯s wall. Beside her lay her friend, her left leg covered in blood that had yet to dry.


    The moment Aileen saw her mother and felt safe, she cried out and vomited because of the den¡¯s overwhelming smell.


    Fionnuala rushed to them, asking if they were alright and what had happened. As she listened to her daughter give a brief account of their ordeal, she tended to Atrabus¡¯s wound, using fire to cauterize it. Atrabus screamed, muffling herself with her hand, while Aileen covered her eyes and ears.


    Fionnuala then took out a white cloth and wiped her daughter''s snout, hands, and legs, though Aileen continued to vomit intermittently. Once finished, she instructed the guards to carry the girls out. ¡°We¡¯ll talk in more detail when we get home,¡± she said sternly.


    Aileen flinched at her mother¡¯s tone, wishing she never had to go back home.


    As they exited the den, Fionnuala told Maon and Aodh to take both Aileen and Atrabus to the herbalist for treatment. Just as they turned to leave, they saw yellow eyes watching them from the shadows of the trees. They immediately alerted Fionnuala, and everyone turned to face the yellow-golden eyes.


    They froze, fear gripping them. ¡°Nightshroud wolf,¡± whispered one of them, instinctively stepping back.


    Fionnuala, assessing the situation, gave a desperate order to save her daughter. ¡°Maon, Aodh, and Finni, take both Aileen and Atrabus and run. Regroup with the chief and send back help quickly.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time. Now run, run like death is behind you. The rest of us will hold it off as long as we can, but you need to hurry.¡±


    Aileen, who had been silent until now, protested, ¡°I am not leaving without you, Mom. I will stay with you.¡±


    Fionnuala smiled softly, caressing her daughter¡¯s face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to die before I scold you. Now run.¡±


    With that, the three guards ran, Aileen screaming her mother''s name. Fionnuala turned to face the beast, which was watching the fleeing guards. She formed a sharp ice dagger and threw it at the beast. The beast turned its face, and a shadow emerged, catching the ice before throwing it back.


    Brian deflected the ice dagger with his spear.


    The beast then stepped out of the shadows, standing twice as tall as them. Its fur was darker than the night, seeming to absorb what little light remained. The sight was terrifying, and the tension in the air was palpable. The wolf¡¯s eyes glowed with a menacing intensity, and its presence exuded an aura of imminent danger. The ground seemed to tremble under its weight as it prepared to attack, and the fox-like warriors steeled themselves for the fight of their lives.

 A past to forget 3

    The wolf looked at all of them with its golden-yellow eyes as the guards and Fionnuala spread out, creating distance between them so they won¡¯t be attacked together.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let it close to you¡ª¡± before she could finish that sentence the wolf¡¯s body started to disappear in front of their eyes, the golden- yellow eyes lasting a second more than the body.


    All of their bodies tensed up, their weapons raised, they looked around their back turned to each other, but the wolf materialized from their shadow in the middle of them and before any of they could it bit off half of Brianan, leaving only a pair of leg that fall to the ground.


    Fionnuala''s water whip lashed out, a second too late, hitting only one of the wolf''s eyes, blinding one of its eyes permanently. The wolf howled a cry of pain. She stared to weave a fireball.


    Brian filled with anger threw his spear yelling, ¡°die, you monster.¡±


    The spear went right through the abdomen of the wolf pass it as thought it was a mist, forming some sort of vortex of shadow, the wolf had already gone it to the shadow of the night and what was left was a merely shadow substitute which dissolved as soon as the spear went through. The spear lodged itself to a tree on the side.


    Conn threw him his spear and went to dislodge the spear from the tree. A sharp looking spear made of a shadow flew from his left side towards him, but he was pushed forward by a high-pressured water jet from Fionnuala making his back hurt, his leather armor showing signs of tears all over it. He smashed his head against the same tree the spear was lodged in, felling disoriented, his vision blurry. He supported himself with his one hand leaning to the tree, slowly picking himself up until he reached the spear and removed it from the tree.


    Meanwhile Fionnuala weaved the fireball to something small than a pea, which was so condensed it had the weight an adult man, she threw it at the right after the water jet on Conn. The wolf didn¡¯t have time to react before the fireball¡ª firepea, hit him on its chest creating an explosion, the fire raising up high like a tower build out of flames. The explosion from it was so powerful the ground shock violently, covering all of them, shaking of their feet, lava spreading over the surface, steam rising from the molten earth. The wolf was flung deep into the forest, breaking trees with its body.


    Conn was also thrown by and hitting another tree with his back, losing his grip on his spear, the spear fell to the ground at the time his body did. He cried out in pain. All of this happened in seconds so the others didn¡¯t have time to react but now with the wolf gone, at least for a minute they can catch their breath.


    They all went to Conn and helped him stand, he was still disoriented but now because of the explosion his ear was buzzing and muffling the sound of the others speaking. He looked around as the other helped him up, everything looked weird, the land was tilted, the sky blurry, he was losing his balance but most of all he felt suffocated being surrounded by all of the other, his breath became hard, he pushed those who were holding him, he stepped forward, walking, stumbling sideways like a drunk person and fell down to the ground before even walking five meters.


    Fionnuala rushed to him, flipped him over, blood was leaking from his snout and ears, white of his eyes were reddened, his brown iris was almost red, blood tears falling down his cheeks.


    ¡°Stay with me, Conn. You are going to be fine. We¡¯ll get you back home.¡±


    He opened this mouth to speak but all that came out was blood, he coughed so much blood his mouth was covered by it, some covered her cloth, most so flowing on the ground.


    ¡°Please,¡± he coughed another blood, ¡°make sure my family gets¡ª¡± before he could finish his sentence his head dropped, the light of his eyes dimmed, his body went limp.


    ¡°No, no, no, no, no, no, wake up, Conn, wake up,¡± her voice was filled with disbelieve and a bit of guilt.


    The other rushed over when they heard her voice clustered around Conn, kneeling and touching his body for signs of life.


    All of them had tears on their eyes clouding their vision, their body trembling slightly but Fionnuala was the most affected by this as she retreated back by her ass using her hand, shaking her heads left and right, repeating, whispering to herself, ¡°NO.¡±


    *****


    Maon was running in the forest like a bird in a sky, carrying Aileen, though she wasn¡¯t heavy, his spear on his back. Aodh carried Atrabus beside him and Finni was following behind them, making sure nothing ambushes them.


    The forest was dark, darker than any night, the moonlight obscured by the leaves, the silence was only disturbed by the occasional sounds of cricket and their footstep.


    ¡°How long before we reach the village?¡± asked Maon.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.¡°20 minutes, more or less,¡± answer Finni from the back.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they can hold that long. We need to find one of the people that came to the forest, like the chief,¡± said Maon.


    ¡°You go find them Finni. We will take them to the herbalist. Find the chief possible,¡± said Aodh.


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Go, if we wait until we get there by the time reinforcement came, they might be dead.¡±


    They heard movement ahead and stopped, placing both the girls on a tree and readied their weapons.


    ¡°Who is there? Come out with your hands up,¡± yelled Aodh.


    A fox-like man as tall as them if not a little taller walked out followed by ten others like him, his fur was auburn, his sliver robe tightly wrapped around his body, his sliver pants dirtied with the mud.


    ¡°Chief Talon,¡± yelled all of them at once.


    ¡°We heard a bear roar and was going that way, was that you?¡±


    ¡°Yes chief, but Luminary Fionnuala dispatched its head, but¡ª¡± before he could finish a sound of rustling came as the girls woke up.


    ¡°DAD,¡± yelled Aileen as she got up and run to her dad as fast as she can.


    ¡°Are you hurt anywhere?¡± asked Talon as he lifted her up her cloth stilled cover in a dark red-brown blood, but he didn¡¯t mind that, all he cared was if she was safe.


    ¡°No, but mommy is in trouble.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean mommy is in trouble?¡±


    Aodh stepped closer and started to explain the situation and how she needed help immediately.


    ¡°Alright take the girls home and me and the other will go there, Finni will be coming with me.¡±


    Aileen hugged her dad tighter and leaned to his ears and whispered, ¡°please bring mommy home.¡±


    He hugged her even tighter, ¡°don¡¯t worry. Tomorrow all of us together will have your favorite.¡±


    He handed her to Maon. Just as they were about to leave, a powerful howl shook them. Talon and the ten guards ran towards the sound, his thoughts filled with worry for Fionnuala¡¯s safety, ¡®please be safe, Fionna.¡¯


    *****


    The howl of the wolf was filled with anger and pain.


    Fionnuala and the others lifted their heads, hearing the heavy footsteps approaching. They stood, waiting in trepidation as the ground shook with each step.


    All of them got on their feet, waiting in trepidation until the wolf comes out, their bodies were shacking uncontrollable, they tried to calm down but the deaths of two of their friends kept playing in their mind.


    Fionnuala was already weaving something she hoped to never use, something she can¡¯t control.


    ¡°When I hit it with this, run in the other direction and don¡¯t look back.¡±


    ¡°NO¡± answered all of them but Brian continued, ¡°we won¡¯t leave you; you won¡¯t survive long enough for reinforcement to come. We¡¯ll stay,¡± that little conversation calmed their nerve a little.


    Fionnuala was relived they didn¡¯t leave her, even if she didn¡¯t show it, she was scared, afraid to face it alone.


    ¡°Then buy me some time until I finish this spell.¡±


    The three guards only waited a second before the wolf emerged from the shadows of the trees, its burned side glowing with red veins like molten lava.


    As soon as it stepped outside the wolf threw small balls made of shadows at them, she used water tentacles with both her hand and pushed them to side while she herself pulled to the back by attaching a water rope to a tree that was on her back and the shadow ball missed her as she pushed it with ice shield, but the other shadow balls fell on the shadows of both guards.


    The wolf roared and charged towards Fionnuala who was stilling forming the weaver the spell.


    Brian throws his spear from the left side but was blocked by a wall of shadows, while Onchu slashed his sword on the right side leaving a mark, the wolf turned towards him.


    Brian quickly picked his spear, and jabbed his spear into the injured side of the wolf and blood mixed with a liquid meat flew out of the wound, covering his face, its smell was nauseating.


    The wolf angered by this stopped and jumped on Brian, pinning him to the ground, but Onchu slashed his sword from the back, hitting its tail and his sword shattered upon contact, and he was swapped by the tail and was sent flying.


    This give Brian small opening, he stabbed and slashed its legs that were on his chest with the digger he had on his back, making the wolf let him go as it growled in annoyance, he rolled to side and dislodged hi spear fast and retreated back and put the dagger in the back.


    Onchu also stood up, took his dagger and charged towards the wolf as he saw Fionnuala was almost finished and she just need a little time, Brian also watched from afar and charger himself towards.


    Onchu was closer to the wolf and reached him first and as he was about to stab the wolf something went through his back, heart then went out in the front, blood staining his leather.


    Brian shocked stopped and heard a rustling sound from behind without thinking he turned raised his spear in defense, he hit a dark spear that was coming for his heart and pushed it upward slashing his left eye in the process the staggered back.


    The wolf saw this as if expecting it and charged towards Fionnuala.

 A past to forget 4

    Onchu gasped and staggered forward, the dagger slipping from his grip. Blood trickled from his mouth, and he muttered to himself, "What shit luck." Turning his head, he saw a shadow retracting a dagger made of darkness, the very essence of night itself.


    ¡°What kind of abomination are you?¡± he asked, pressing a hand to his chest in a futile attempt to staunch the bleeding. His shadow, which should have been cast behind him by the moonlight, was gone. Instead, it stood before him, a perfect replica made entirely of shadow-mist, formless and fluid, tendrils of darkness drifting with the wind.


    Onchu took a hesitant step forward, and the shadow mirrored him exactly. When he stopped, so did the shadow. ''Is it mimicking me?'' he wondered, tilting his head slightly to the left. The shadow did the same, confirming his suspicion. His eyes widened in horror, his heart pounding faster. Blood loss from the earlier wound sapped his strength, and he felt the fatigue from the battles with the bear and the wolf creeping up on him.


    ''Just a little bit more time,'' he thought, gritting his teeth as he launched himself at the shadow. Their daggers clashed silently, the shadow''s weapon feeling both solid and ethereal, as if it could dissipate into mist at any moment. Each strike he made was parried by the shadow, its movements a perfect mirror of his own, sometimes even better. As the fight dragged on, Onchu''s wounds accumulated, slowing him down bit by bit. Each second felt like an eternity, and desperation clawed at him.


    His vision blurred from fatigue and blood loss, but he fought on, knowing he needed to buy Fionnuala as much time as possible. If she failed, their village, his family, and his friends would be next. As he fought, he noticed the shadow growing thinner, its form returning to his shadow on the ground. This gave him a spark of hope and a burst of strength to continue.


    He continued battling the shadow, noticing that the more he damaged it, the more pain he felt. The wounds on the shadow transferred to him, manifesting as phantom pain. Despite this, he pushed on, the shadow growing weaker and slower with each passing moment.


    As he was about to deliver a decisive blow, he saw the wolf nearing Fionnuala from the corner of his eye. Without hesitation, he turned his back on the shadow and sprinted towards the wolf. The shadow¡¯s dagger sliced through the air, grazing him, but he didn''t stop. He threw his dagger at the wolf, bending forward just in time to avoid a dark dagger thrown by the shadow.


    Onchu''s thoughts raced. ''I need to protect her. She needs more time.'' He sprinted towards the wolf, the shadow following close behind. His breath came in ragged gasps, the weight of his injuries dragging him down, but he forced himself to keep going. Each step was a struggle, his muscles screaming in protest, but he couldn''t afford to slow down.


    Fionnuala''s spell was almost ready, her hands weaving intricate patterns in the air, drawing power from the very essence of the forest around them. Onchu could see the concentration etched on her face, the determination in her eyes. ''Hold on, Fionnuala. Just a little longer,'' he urged silently.


    The wolf turned its malevolent gaze towards Onchu, sensing his approach. It bared its teeth, a low growl rumbling from its chest. Onchu''s heart pounded in his ears, but he didn''t falter. He picked up speed, closing the distance between them. The shadow was right behind him.


    Brian stabilized himself, staring at his shadow. Blood dripped from his wounds to the ground. He pressed a hand to his injured eye. ''Is it mocking me?'' he wondered, noticing the shadow mimicking his movements exactly.


    Wiping the blood from his face, Brian readied himself for a fight. Anger surged within him, fueling his determination. ''I am going to destroy you, abysmal spawn,'' he thought, gripping his spear tighter and charging toward the shadow. He thrust his spear, and the shadow did the same. Their spears met tip to tip, the shadow''s weapon hissing as if it were burning. Brian''s spear was still hot from the fire inside the wolf.


    Brian pulled back and made a diagonal slash downward, which the shadow blocked with an upward diagonal slash. The shadow pushed his spear aside and thrust its own at him. Exhausted, Brian couldn''t defend in time and moved to dodge, but the spear pierced his right side, breaking a few ribs. The shadow pulled its spear, now laced with Brian''s blood. The spear absorbed the blood in seconds, as if feeding on a delicacy. Brian''s wound darkened, black veins stretching outward from it.


    ''Fuck,'' cursed Brian as he saw his wound. It was unimaginably painful and weakened him further. The more the fight went on, the more the shadowy infection spread over his body, little by little, as if enclosing him in a blanket of darkness. For now, the spread was minimal, manageable. Brian attacked the shadow with his spear, and the shadow mimicked his moves perfectly, both in defense and counterattack.


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    As the fight dragged on, Brian noticed the shadow thinning, as if its source was weakening. This made the fight easier, but each time he damaged the shadow, a phantom pain assaulted him in the same spot. Despite the pain, he saw the shadow growing thinner. ''Just a little longer,'' he thought. ''I can kill this monster.''


    He only just have to endure it a little longer and he could kill this monster, still now he doesn¡¯t know what it was until he saw his shadow on the ground, it was broken, incomplete, like it had missing parts. Finally, Brian realized he was fighting his own shadow, explaining why it knew his every move, form, attack, and defense. It wasn''t mocking him; it was mimicking him.


    Just as he was about to attack again, Brian saw from the corner of his eye that the wolf was closing in on Fionnuala. He kicked his shadow in the abdomen and ran toward the wolf without hesitation. He saw Onchu throw his dagger, the shadow behind Onchu following his action. This gave Brian an idea. He threw his spear and bent forward like Onchu. A shadow spear flew above him, aimed at the wolf behind his own spear.


    The air was thick with tension and the scent of blood. ''I can''t let it get to her,'' Brian thought, his breath ragged. Every step was a struggle, his body screaming in pain. The wolf turned its malevolent gaze toward him, its golden-yellow eyes filled with fury.


    Fionnuala saw the wolf sprinting towards her, its fur rippling in the wind. Onchu was stabbed in the back, and Brian defended himself against his shadow. ''What are those?'' she wondered, but her attention snapped back to the wolf. The beast''s right side glowed with red veins like molten lava, the smell of burning flesh assaulting her nose. She twitched in revulsion. She needed more time to complete her spell, but both of the guards were occupied, fighting their own battles.


    Desperation fueling her, Fionnuala conjured chains of ice and fire, binding the wolf to the ground. The ice chains clamped onto its left legs, freezing the fire within the wolf¡¯s flesh, while the fire chains scorched its right legs, turning its veins into red, lava-like trails. The wolf stumbled and growled in frustration and pain. It summoned shadows from the surroundings to break the chains¡ªhands, axes, and sharp objects formed from the darkness, all hammering at the bindings.


    As the chains began to give way, Fionnuala cast another chain across the wolf''s stomach, flames on the right and ice on the left, meeting in the middle. Instead of the flames melting the ice, they fused together seamlessly. The wolf howled and thrashed, desperate to break free. In a final effort, it swapped places with its shadow, leaving the shadow in chains while it stood free, glaring at Fionnuala with fury.


    Fionnuala was taken aback by the unexpected move. The wolf looked more exhausted than before, suggesting the trick had drained it significantly. The beast''s humiliation and rage intensified. It charged at her with a burst of energy.


    A gust of wind from the right side caught the wolf''s attention. It turned to see Onchu¡¯s thrown dagger, followed by a shadow dagger. It tried to defend, but another gust from the left side made it turn its head. Brian¡¯s spear and its shadow spear were flying towards it. The wolf swatted the dagger away.


    Onchu reached the wolf first, and it lunged at him. He dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding its snapping jaws. His shadow struck at him, its dagger slicing through the air. He twisted, using the wolf as a shield, and the shadow¡¯s dagger embedded itself in the wolf¡¯s side. Brian¡¯s spear struck, embedding itself in the wolf¡¯s burnt side. His shadow spear followed, piercing the same spot. The wolf howled in pain, thrashing violently.


    Onchu rolled to his dagger, picked it up, and turned to face his shadow, his breathing ragged. The shadow hesitated, flickering weakly. Onchu took advantage of its vulnerability, launching himself at it with all the strength he had left. Their daggers clashed again, but this time Onchu had the upper hand. The shadow weakened, its form unstable. With a final, desperate strike, Onchu drove his dagger into the shadow¡¯s chest. The shadow shuddered, dissolving into wisps of darkness that faded into the night. Onchu screamed as phantom pain assaulted his chest. He stumbled back, gasping for breath, his body trembling from exhaustion.


    He turned to see Fionnuala standing, her spell almost complete. He jumped on the wolf, trying to strangle its neck. His left hand burned from contact with the wolf''s scorched flesh. Brian faced his own shadow, which was dissolving as it lost its source. Seeing Onchu''s desperate attempt to hold the wolf, Brian leaped onto the beast as well.


    Fionnuala, witnessing their determination, hastened her spell. The wind''s strength increased, white mist gathered around her palm, turning red with a darker green hue as it coalesced into a long katana. The wolf, sensing the threat, thrashed violently, throwing Brian to the edge of the den. Onchu lost his grip and fell.


    Onchu saw the spell complete and smiled weakly as he hit the ground. ''We won,'' he thought. ''They will be safe.'' As Darkness claimed him, and he felt a sense of peace. He had done his duty, protected Fionnuala, and given his family, village, and friends a chance to live.


    Brian, thrown through the air, saw the spell complete and knocked hid back against the entrance of the den. Brian lay on the ground, he collapsed face-first, gasping for breath, his body convulsing with pain as the shadow infection spread. ''I did it, we did it,'' he thought. ''We bought her enough time.'' The infection continued to spread, the pain unbearable. He forced himself to focus on the spell, its beauty a final solace.


    Fionnuala rushed towards the wolf, determined to end it. She heard a voice call out to her from the side. "FIONNA," the only person who called her that was her husband. She turned, dread filling her heart hoping she was hallucinating. She saw her husband with ten more guards and Finni by his side.


    "My fire," she whispered, using her pet name for her husband. She looked at the scene with horror, fearing what was to come.

 A Past to forget (final)

    As Fionnuala looked at her husband, time seemed to slow down. The wolf lunged at her, its jaws wide open as if to swallow her whole, its paws stretched out to cleave her into pieces. Onchu''s body lay lifeless on the ground, his eyes closed, his face relaxed as if he was finally at peace. At the edge of the entrance, Brian lay face down, his back rising and falling with faint, labored breaths that would soon be snuffed out. Conn''s lifeless body was by the trees laying on this back on the ground his eyes wide open was bloodshot with dried blood on this eyes, ears and mouth.


    Her husband stood a distance away, his face a portrait of fear, worry, anxiety, and desperation. His eyes reflected the pain of what was happening, the thought of losing her tearing at his heart. The spell she had weaved, the long red katana with a darker green hue, flickered in her hand, becoming unstable, threatening to spiral out of control.


    The stars in the sky shone brighter than ever, a river of shimmering lights across the darkness. The full moon reflected in her husband''s eyes, replacing his iris and pupil with its mesmerizing glow. It was a moment of ethereal beauty, a stark contrast to the chaos around them.


    As the wolf closed in, Fionnuala felt a surge of determination. Her heart pounded in her chest, her mind racing with the gravity of the situation. She had to protect them, had to see this through. The spell wavered in her hand, and she tightened her grip, channeling every ounce of her will into stabilizing it. The wolf''s foul breath washed over her as it snapped its jaws, but she was ready.


    With a fierce cry, Fionnuala thrust the katana forward, the blade piercing the wolf''s chest. The beast howled in agony, its eyes burning with hatred and pain. It swung its massive paw at her in a final, desperate attempt to cleave her apart. But as its claws passed through her, they met no resistance. Instead, they cut through her shadow, slicing it into four pieces.


    For a moment, everything was still. The wolf staggered back, its body starting to disintegrate into ashes. The immediate surroundings began to turn to ashes as well, the trees, the ground, everything touched by the wolf''s presence. Fionnuala looked down at her hand, seeing it too begin to turn to ash, the transformation slowly spreading up her arm.


    Her husband, seeing her condition, ran towards her, his face a mask of horror and grief. "Fionna!" he cried, his voice breaking with emotion. He reached her just as the ash spread to her shoulder, pulling her into his arms. Tears streamed down his face, falling onto her ash-covered body.


    She looked up at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of love and sorrow. "My fire," she whispered, using her pet name for him. "Never let your fire burn out. Let it shine, and let the world see you as I did."


    He held her tightly, his tears falling onto her ashen form, mingling with the dust. "I can''t do this without you," he choked out, his voice raw with pain.


    "You can," she said softly, her voice growing weaker. "You must. For our tribe, for our daughter. Promise me."


    "I promise," he whispered, his voice trembling. "I promise, Fionna."


    She smiled, a look of peace settling over her face. "I love you," she said, her voice barely audible.


    "I love you too," he replied, his voice breaking. "Always."


    With a final, soft breath, Fionnuala closed her eyes. Her body continued to turn to ash, crumbling away in his arms. He held her until there was nothing left but a pile of ashes, his tears falling onto the ground where she had been, leaving only the four small shadows of hers.


    The camp was silent, the stars above twinkling in the night sky. The smoke from the burning forest had cleared, leaving a clear, star-filled sky. The moon shone down, casting a gentle light on the scene below.


    Finni run toward Onchu with all the guard, he started to check for signs, but he found none, Onchu was dead. Tears started to fall on the body of Onchu, Finni was trembling as he cried, many thoughts coming to his mind to say to his friend but the only thing he said was, "you have done well, my friend. May the gods light shine on you."


    He looked up to see the bodies of Brian by the entrance of the den, Conn''s by the trees and a pair of legs a short distance away from Brian.


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    "Three of you carry his body back to the village," the then pointed to the others, "Three of check on Conn," he pointed to another three guards and said, "you check on Brian," he then pointed to the remaining one guard and told him, "take the legs with Onchu''s body," the guard went, picked up the legs and started to follow the first three guards back to the village.


    "He''s dead," one of the guard''s that went to Conn.


    "Take him back to the village," his tears increasing in volume.


    "He''s alive," he heard one of the guard''s say that went to Brian. He looked up towards them with his tears still falling, but with a faint smile on this face.


    He rushed to Brian and saw the wound on the edge of his chest that had black veins spreading but now that has stopped but the black veins were not gone.


    "Quickly take him to the herbalist. Give him priority. I''ll return with the chief," then he went to where the chief was kneeling.


    Talon''s heart ached with the weight of his loss, but he felt a flicker of warmth in his chest. It was her fire, the one she had told him to keep burning. He would honor her memory, he would let his light shine. He would lead their tribe with the strength and determination she had shown in her final moments.


    As he stood up, the ashes at his feet swirled in the breeze, a reminder of the sacrifice she had made. He looked up at the sky, the stars shining brightly above, and took a deep breath. He would carry on, for her, for their tribe, for their future. He would make sure her sacrifice was not in vain, that her light would continue to guide them all.


    Finni knelt beside him and started to gather the ashes of Fionnuala. Chief Talon saw what he was doing, knelt and started to gather with him and put it into a jug made of an animal skin.


    The four pieces of shadows she left behind scattered to the four direction a swift motion when they finished gathering her ashes and stood up. Chief Talon and Finni saw the shadow''s move but they was preoccupied to notice or take any action.


    *****


    Aileen reached the scout''s camp just as the sun was setting, its red blaze casting long shadows across the land. The sky was a deep crimson, tinted further by the thick smoke rising from the forest. Ashes floated gently down, covering the ground in a thin, grey blanket. Some of the ashes settled on her silver fur and her blue silk robe, which fell gracefully to her knees. The robe had a high collar that protected her neck, and the tight black cuffs around her arms added an air of elegance and restraint to her appearance.


    In front of her loomed a wooden wall, its sharp-tipped stakes and protruding spikes a testament to the camp''s defensive measures. Aileen paused, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, a mixture of anxiety and determination. With a firm resolve, she pushed open the heavy wooden door and stepped inside.


    The camp was bustling with activity, scouts moving swiftly and purposefully, their faces grim and focused. The air was thick with tension, the atmosphere charged with an unspoken urgency. Aileen''s keen eyes scanned the area, taking in the details. Tents were pitched in neat rows, their flaps fluttering in the breeze. Campfires crackled here and there, their orange flames a stark contrast to the red sky above. The scent of burning wood and cooked meat mingled with the acrid smell of smoke, creating a heady mixture that filled her nostrils.


    As she walked deeper into the camp, Aileen noticed the scouts were armed and alert, their hands never straying far from their weapons. The gravity of the situation was evident in their expressions; the recent attacks had put everyone on edge. Her own heart ached for the fallen and the injured, for the uncertainty that loomed over them all. She quickened her pace, her mind racing with thoughts of how she could help, what she could do to make a difference.


    Aileen''s arrival did not go unnoticed. Several scouts glanced her way, their eyes widening slightly in recognition and respect. Whispers followed in her wake, the Luminary of the Tribe had come. Despite her youth, Aileen''s prowess with the Astral Essence was well-known, and her presence alone was a beacon of hope for many of the younger generation. She met their gazes with a calm, reassuring smile, nodding slightly to acknowledge their unspoken support.


    However, she could also feel the weight of the older generation''s uncertain eyes on her. Their gazes were heavier, laden with unresolved emotions. They didn''t know how to treat her, still grappling with their feelings about the death of the chief''s wife, her mother. Some saw her as a reminder of their loss, and their expressions were a mix of respect and blame. The whispers among them were different, tinged with hesitation and ambiguity.


    As she walked through the camp, she could hear snippets of conversations. "Should we trust her?" one elder muttered. "It''s hard to forget what happened," another whispered. Aileen''s ears twitched at these comments, but she kept her head held high, her resolve unwavering. She had a duty to fulfill, and she would not let their doubts deter her.


    She made her way to the central tent, where the camp''s leaders were likely gathered. The tent was larger and more elaborately decorated than the others, its entrance flanked by two guards who straightened at her approach. They nodded respectfully, allowing her to pass without question. Inside, the air was filled with the low murmur of voices, a mix of worry and strategy.


    Aileen stepped into the tent, the conversations halting momentarily as all eyes turned to her. She felt the weight of their scrutiny, but she stood tall, her expression composed and resolute. The scouts inside were gathered around a large table, maps and plans spread out before them. The tension in the room was palpable.

 Guilt

    Inside the tent, the air was thick with the smell of sweat, earth, and burning wood from the torches set in the corners. The scent of old parchment and ink from the maps spread out on a large table in the center mingled with the other odors, creating an oppressive atmosphere. Seven fox-like men stood around the table, their fur varying in different shades of auburn, their faces etched with concern and concentration as they examined the maps. The flickering torchlight cast dancing shadows on the walls, creating an eerie, wavering light that made the room feel even more cramped.


    The sound of her entrance drew their attention, and the room fell silent. The only noise was the crackling of the torches and the distant, muffled sounds of the camp outside. Aileen''s heart pounded in her chest, a mixture of nerves and determination surging through her. She scanned the room, and her eyes fell on Brian, standing at the far side of the table. The scar running down his left eye was a harsh reminder, a permanent mark of the battles he had survived but at great cost.


    Brian''s eyes widened slightly when he saw her, a flicker of surprise crossing his face before he composed himself. He stood taller, his expression hardening. "Aileen," he said, his voice steady but with an undercurrent of tension. "What brings you here?"


    Aileen straightened her shoulders, meeting his gaze with a mix of respect, guilt, and resolve. "The chief sent me," she replied, her voice clear but edged with the weight of her guilt.


    A murmur rippled through the room, the other men exchanging uneasy glances. The tension was palpable, hanging heavy in the air like a storm cloud about to break. Brian''s eyes narrowed slightly, his jaw tightening as he processed her words.


    "The chief sent you?" he repeated, his tone questioning and slightly incredulous. "Why?"


    Aileen took a deep breath, feeling the weight of their scrutiny. "He believes I can help. We are facing serious threats, and we need every resource available."


    Brian''s expression hardened further, a mix of skepticism and frustration evident in his eyes. "This isn''t a place for you," he said, his voice low but firm. "It''s not a playground. Lives depend on this."


    Aileen bristled at his words, a spark of defiance igniting within her. "I know the risks," she replied, her voice steady. "But I also know that I can make a difference. The chief wouldn''t have sent me if he didn''t believe in my abilities."


    The room fell silent again, the tension thickening. The other men watched the exchange, their faces a mixture of concern and curiosity. Brian studied her for a long moment, his eyes searching hers for any sign of doubt or weakness. Finally, he nodded, a reluctant acceptance in his gaze.


    "Very well," he said, his voice grudging. "But know this: I¡¯ll keep an eye on you every step of the way. If you make any mistakes, even a tiny one, there will be consequences."


    Aileen nodded, a steely determination in her eyes. "I understand," she replied. "And I won¡¯t," she whispered the last words almost to herself, a promise only she could hear.


    Brian held her gaze for a moment longer before turning back to the maps. The other men resumed their discussions, though the tension in the room remained. Aileen stepped closer to the table, her mind already racing with the challenges ahead. She knew she had to earn their trust, to show them that she was not just the chief''s daughter, but a capable and determined warrior. She was resolute in proving that she could handle the responsibility now. She would not be seen as a liability.


    As she approached the table, memories of the past came rushing back. She remembered Brian from her childhood, the elite guard who had been the only survivor of the attack that took her mother''s life. The screams, the chaos, and the sight of Brian being carried, battered and scarred, almost on the verge of death, with the news of her mother''s demise had been etched into her memory forever.


    Brian''s scar was more than just a physical mark; it was a symbol of his failure and his survival. It was a reminder of the day he couldn''t save the chief''s wife, Aileen''s mother, Fionnuala. Seeing him now, standing strong despite his past, filled her with a mixture of respect and sorrow but mostly guilt. She could see the pain in his eyes, the burden he carried, and it mirrored her own sense of loss and responsibility.


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    Brian, too, was grappling with his emotions. Seeing Aileen, now grown and standing before him, was a jolt to his system. She was a reminder of the past he could never escape, a past that haunted him every day. He had sworn to protect her, to make up for his failure to save her mother. But seeing her here, in the midst of their most critical planning, filled him with dread. He couldn''t bear the thought of losing her too, betraying the only thing he could do for his savior.


    "Why did the chief send you?" Brian asked again, his voice softer but still edged with tension.


    "He believes my knowledge of the Astral Essence can aid us," Aileen replied, her voice unwavering. "I am not here to be a burden. I am here to fight."


    Brian sighed, rubbing his temples. "Aileen, this is not a game. The threats we face are real, and they are deadly."


    "I am aware," she said firmly. "And I am ready."


    The men around the table shifted uncomfortably, the weight of the conversation pressing down on them. They respected Brian, but Aileen was the chief''s daughter. Her presence added a layer of complexity to their already dire situation.


    "We need to stay focused," Brian finally said, addressing the room. "Aileen will stay. But she will follow orders to the letter," he emphasized, looking directly at her.


    Aileen nodded, feeling a mix of relief and resolve. She would show them her strength, her determination. She would honor her mother''s memory and prove that she was worthy of the trust her father had placed in her again after all those years. ¡°I will not fail,¡± she thought to herself.


    As the discussion resumed, Aileen''s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. She glanced at Brian, seeing the turmoil in his eyes. He had been a guardian throughout her life, a constant presence to make her feel safe. She knew he carried the weight of her mother''s death, a burden he had never truly let go. And now, they stood on the brink of another battle, one that might end with more death than the previous battles.


    The smell of burning wood and ink filled her nostrils, grounding her in the present. The flickering torches cast long shadows on the walls, a reminder of the darkness they were about to face. Aileen took a deep breath, steeling herself for the challenges ahead. She would not falter. She would not fail.


    Brian watched her, a fear warring within him. She had grown into a strong, young vulpine, but the memory of her mother''s death was ever-present. He had sworn to protect Aileen on her mother¡¯s grave, to keep her safe, and now, that promise felt more daunting than ever. But he could see the fire in her eyes, the same fire that had burned in her mother''s eyes. It gave him hope, even as it filled him with dread.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know why the fire started or why it acts unnaturally. So, we need to find out the reason fast, before the Nightshroud attack,¡± Brian said, looking over the map of the misty forest.


    ¡°How do you know about the Nightshroud?¡± asked Aileen, her voice laced with confusion.


    ¡°How do you know about it?¡± another one of the vulpine on the right asked.


    ¡°Rurik told the chief.¡±


    ¡°And we have our scouts,¡± another on the left answered.


    Aileen felt ashamed for even asking such a basic question. ¡°Of course they would know first, they are the scouts,¡± she thought, feeling a flush of embarrassment.


    Brian continued speaking as if the brief interruption never happened. ¡°We don¡¯t know from where the Nightshroud will attack or when,¡± he frowned, pulling out the map of the village and its surroundings. ¡°So, we will put some vulpine in the east gate, north, and south walls to keep watch,¡± he said, looking at the vulpine on his left. ¡°Touko, you will take four vulpine and scout for the Nightshroud in the north. Anssi, you will scout the south and take four vulpine with you. The rest of you take the east, but be careful not to step into other tribes'' territories. If you do, make sure you¡¯re not caught, and if you are¡ª¡± he didn¡¯t need to finish the sentence; they all knew and understood.


    Aileen looked around, confused at their understanding and silent agreement. Before she could delve deeper into her thoughts, Brian¡¯s voice interrupted her again.


    ¡°Aileen, you will come with me and three others to find the source of the fire and why it is acting unnaturally.¡±


    They continued to discuss strategies and plans until the moon rose high in the sky, casting a river of shimmering light across the forest.


    ¡°We will move out at dawn. So, get some rest and gather the things you need,¡± Brian concluded.


    The group dispersed, heading to their respective homes. Brian, however, went to the chief¡¯s residence, his mind heavy with questions. ¡°Why did he send her to me?¡± That question in particular bothered him the most. With so many thoughts swirling in his mind, he made his way to the chief.


    As Brian approached the chief¡¯s tent, the weight of his questions pressed down on him. The flickering light from within cast long shadows, mirroring the turmoil inside his heart. He entered, finding Talon seated, his expression weary yet resolute.

 Into the Mist

    Brian entered the dimly lit room, the flickering torch in his hand casting long shadows on the walls. The only other light came from a torch beside the throne where Chief Talon sat, his expression distant as he searched his own body, patting his fur and clothing with frantic hands.


    "Chief Talon," Brian began, his voice low.


    Talon looked up without stopping his hands.


    ¡°Sorry I came this late.¡±


    Talon stood up, searching the side of the throne.


    "I need to speak with you about Aileen."


    His back turned against Brian, the chief started to search frantically. Talon''s attention focused on the surroundings, hands still searching with increasing desperation. Brian hesitated, then tried again. "Talon, I don''t understand why you sent Aileen with the scouts. It''s dangerous, and¡ª"


    Talon stopped abruptly, his body trembling slightly. "Help me find it, Brian," searching around the room, lifting papers and cushions with hurried movements. "It''s a necklace. I must have dropped it somewhere."


    Brian''s eyes widened in slight surprise. He rushed over to the chief¡¯s side and joined the search, their silent cooperation punctuated only by the rustling of parchment and the soft clinks of metal and stone as they moved objects aside.


    "Chief," Brian said, his voice softer now as he picked up a stack of old scrolls, "I need to know why she''s out there. The threats we''re facing are deadly. They are not for the inexperienced."


    "How are you holding up, Brian?" Talon asked abruptly, his tone sharp. He moved to another corner, his eyes scanning the ground. "Is your chest still bothering you? Is it acting up again?"


    Brian sighed inwardly. "No, the herbalist was good," he said, lifting another cushion and peering underneath. "But Talon, Aileen¡ª"


    "You''ve always been the best guard," Talon cut in again, shifting a pile of furs. "Are you finding the Nightshroud¡¯s movements as challenging to track as everyone says? Perhaps you should return?"


    "Talon," Brian said softly, pausing in his search to look at the chief but was met with his back. "I understand that this is important to you. But Aileen is important too, sending her with us... it''s a risk. She''s strong, but she''s also young, inexperienced. We can''t afford to lose her, not now."


    Talon''s hands stilled for a moment, his back to Brian. The silence in the room deepened, and Brian could almost hear the chief''s inner turmoil. Finally, Talon turned around, his expression a mixture of pain, anger, and a very little hidden emotion Brian knew very well, guilt.


    "Brian," he began, his voice low and strained, "sometimes we have to make difficult decisions. Aileen needs to be there. She needs experience and she has to prove herself. To the tribe, to herself... and to her."


    Talon continued, his voice wavering slightly. "I can''t... I can''t do what needs to be done with her. The tribe needs her, and she is... she is all that is left of her."


    They continued their search in silence. Brian knew nothing was going to change Talon¡¯s mind. As Brian lifted a pile of old scrolls, he finally spotted a glint of metal beneath them. He reached down and pulled out the delicate necklace, its simple charm catching the torchlight. He held it up, showing it to Talon.


    The chief¡¯s eyes softened as he reached out to take the necklace, his fingers trembling slightly. "Thank you, Brian," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He wore the necklace around his wrist, cradling it like it was delicate, fragile glass, kissing it every few seconds.


    Brian nodded, watching as Talon kissed the necklace on his wrist. The room fell into a heavy silence once more. With the necklace found and Brian not getting any answer, he left the tent.


    As Brian left the tent, the night air was cool against his fur, but still warmer than other nights. He looked up to the sky; it was filled with stars, but the misty forest was covered in thick fog with the fire raging, illuminating the night. He clenched his fists, the memories of Fionnuala''s death surfacing. "I promised to protect her, to keep her safe. I will not betray that promise."


    He walked slowly to his home, trying to calm his mind, enjoying the dead silence of the night. The streets were dark, with no light or lamps found, only illuminated by the torch in his hand. By now, every vulpine was asleep, dreaming of a better tomorrow, dreaming of a god that would protect them.


    ¡®How easy it would have been if we had a god to protect us.¡¯


    He reached his home, put out the torch, and walked in, immediately lighting the oil lamps by his bedside. His hands were trembling, breathing heavily, then his whole body shuddering slightly, and he dropped on the bed. Throughout the night, Brian tossed around the bed, sweat trickling down his body, drenching the sheets of his bed, his face changing every second from fear to anger to determination to sorrow to guilt and other myriad emotions flashing.


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    Brian abruptly woke up, sitting on the bed, slight warm air and light coming from the oil lamp casting half of his face with one eye in light and the other, scarred eye in shadow. A screeching noise came from his window. There was a big frown on his face. The moonlight almost disappeared to the horizon to be replaced by the light of the sun. Dawn was coming. But Brian didn¡¯t stir even a little from his bed, staring at the wall of his house, the cracks that were spreading, like a statue, only the rising and falling of his chest suggesting he was not. His one brown eye was wide open without blinking even when the dust blew over his eye.


    After staying like that for a long time, Brian got up, his clothes from yesterday still on. He poured some water on his face from the wooden bucket in another room, looked at the silver mirror on the wall, and tried to calm his heavy breath and body.


    He started to walk leisurely to the west gate, the one that led to the misty forest, the meeting point of Aileen and the other scouts who needed to investigate the fire. The sun was starting to rise, its red edges peeking and casting his long shadow in front of him.


    He saw Aileen and three other scouts waiting for him at the gate.


    ¡°You look like shit, captain,¡± said one of the scouts, a young Vulpine with auburn fur and white fur from the lower mandible to his stomach, black fur coming out of his brown leather gloves.


    Brian¡¯s long ears erected as soon as they heard the comment. He turned to Aileen, ¡°You don¡¯t look like you had much sleep.¡±


    ¡°Yes, most nights are harder to sleep, especially last night.¡±


    Brian nodded. ¡°Have you started to get to know each other?¡±


    ¡°No, we just got here a few minutes ago,¡± answered Aileen.


    ¡°Well,¡± he pointed to the one who commented before, ¡°he is Alan. But you can just call him Sparker.¡±


    Aileen turned to look at him, and he blinked his slit, amber eyes like an innocent child.


    ¡°This is Garret. You can call him Flick,¡± he had a slightly darker shade of red on his fur than Alan, didn¡¯t have black fur on his wrists, and his eyes were slit, with a yellowish-brown hue.


    ¡°This one is called Raheem. You can call him Sable,¡± he was similar to Garret except he had a longer tail with a black tip and black fur circling his eyes.


    ¡°Everyone knows her, but she is Luminary Aileen.¡±


    They all turned to look at her. She felt uncomfortable with their eyes focused on her. Her blue eyes seemed calm, but they shifted from left to right, looking like they were trying to capture everything at once.


    The sun climbed higher, casting long shadows that stretched ahead of the small group as they approached the edge of the misty forest.


    They reached the edge of the forest and paused. Brian turned to face the group, his expression grim. ¡°Gear up,¡± he said, his voice steady but low. ¡°We go in prepared for anything.¡±


    The group moved to a small clearing where their weapons were stored. Brian picked up his long spear, feeling the familiar weight in his hands. He checked the blade, ensuring it was sharp and ready. Aileen strapped on her short sword. Alan slung his bow over his shoulder, checking his arrows one last time. Garret and Raheem both took up their swords, the blades gleaming in the morning light.


    Each of them donned their gas masks, the ancient designs fitting snugly over their faces. The masks were made of bronze and leather, with intricate filigree work around the eye slits, giving them a hauntingly beautiful yet eerie appearance. The eye slits narrowed their vision but offered protection, and the faint scent of metal filled their noses.


    The morning fog still lingered, curling around the trees like ghostly tendrils, giving the air a dense, suffocating feel. Brian walked at the front, his steps deliberate and steady. Behind him, Aileen, Alan, Garret, and Raheem followed, each lost in their own thoughts.


    Brian¡¯s mind was a tumult of worries and memories. The weight of his promise to Fionnuala pressed heavily on his chest. His eyes flicked to Aileen occasionally, seeing not just a young Vulpine but the daughter of the woman he had vowed to protect. He clenched his jaw, pushing down the guilt and fear that threatened to overwhelm him. Every step closer to the forest was a reminder of the danger she faced and the risk he had to manage.


    Aileen walked just behind Brian, her blue eyes scanning the trees ahead, trying to pierce the veil of mist. She could feel the tension in Brian¡¯s movements, the way his shoulders were set, and it made her uneasy. Her thoughts drifted to her father, Chief Talon, and then to the weight of her mother''s legacy bore down on her, mingling with her own determination and fear.


    Alan, with his mischievous amber eyes, flicked a glance at Aileen now and then, trying to gauge her mood. He adjusted the strap of his quiver, his fingers brushing over the fletching of his arrows. Despite the gravity of their mission, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a thrill of excitement. The forest was full of dangers, and he thrived on the adrenaline of it all.


    Garret was more reserved, his thoughts methodical and precise. He adjusted his gas mask, the leather straps creaking slightly. The mask was made of bronze with intricate filigree work around the eye slits, giving it a hauntingly beautiful yet eerie appearance. His mind was already strategizing, thinking about the best paths to take and how to navigate the treacherous terrain.


    Raheem brought up the rear, his long tail flicking nervously. He fiddled with his own gas mask, similar in design to Garret''s, with a metal nose piece that gave it a slightly sinister look. The forest held too many memories for him¡ªtoo many times he had seen friends enter and not return. His eyes, circled in black fur, darted from tree to tree, his ears twitching at every sound. He trusted Brian, but he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of dread that settled in his gut.


    Brian looked over his team, each masked and armed. He took a deep breath, the air filtered through the mask and turned towards the forest. The mist hung heavy, obscuring the path ahead.


    ¡°Stay close,¡± he said, his voice muffled but firm. ¡°We move together.¡±


    They stepped forward, the edge of the forest looming like a dark, foreboding wall. The silence of the group was palpable, each member wrapped in their own thoughts, fears, and hopes. The mist seemed to breathe around them, a living entity waiting to engulf them.


    Brian took the first step into the fog, the others following close behind. The forest seemed to swallow them whole, the mist closing in around their forms.

 Misty Forest

    As Brian, Aileen, Alan, Garret and Raheem ventured deeper into the misty forest, the white mist was thick, reducing their sight to a few feet, surrounding them like a blanket, like it was breathing around them. The atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive.


    Brian took the lead, his spear probing the ground ahead. Suddenly Alan stumbled as the ground beneath him crumbled like he was standing on a sheet of paper, forming a pit. Raheem and Garret quickly pulled him up.


    ¡°Be careful. It would seem the ground is not stable,¡± said Brian looking at them with a frown, ¡°form a group of two to walk side by side, one group leads and the other follows behind.¡±


    Aileen and Raheem formed the group in the lead but behind Brian, with Garret and Alan following behind Aileen and Raheem.


    As they went deeper, Brian sometimes finds the weak grounds and they avoid them, but other times, one of them steps on the weak grounds and their partner catches them before they fall. All of them had come closer to death more times than they were comfortable with.


    This was a very humbling experience for Aileen. She had thought that with Astral Essence, it was going to be easier than sneaking out of the village when she was child. She thought they find the source of the fire, find out if it was done by another tribe or clan, if yes, find the proof and present it to Black Vulpine, ask for help to deal with the Nightshroud and maybe ask the perpetrator for compensation, the gods know they need it. But now being here she questioned if either the responsible one is crazy or the fire was just a coincidence, most likely the fire was just that¡­ a coincidence.


    Alan was smiling the whole time they were here, especially when they came closer to death. ¡®This is it,¡¯ he thought the deeper they went. He never had this much adrenaline pumping through his veins. Lately the village was in worse situation, so, there wasn¡¯t much to do except to petrol the village and its surroundings for spies, but with the current power of their tribe, no one would want them, maybe except as a slave. So, this was a welcome danger for him.


    ¡°Have you noticed? The ground¡ª¡± said Garret.


    Brian interrupted him before he could finish the sentence, ¡°the ground hasn¡¯t given way in some time now. Perhaps there won¡¯t be as much as before.¡±


    ¡°Is It just me or has anybody else noticed. It almost feels like a welcome present,¡± said Alan.


    They all stopped and turned to look at him. He looked at each one as if asking what. They turned from him and started to walk again, shaking their head in disbelief.


    ¡°What did I do wrong?¡± he shouted from the back, grinning a little behind the mask.


    As they continued cautiously but more relaxed, Aileen screamed but it was stifled by the mask. She swayed, fall on Raheem¡¯s shoulder and he caught her. Her upper sleeve was torn, there was a small cut on the middle of her upper arm, small blood dripping down her wrist. Her breath became ragged and heavy.


    Brian turned and rushed towards her while Raheem was holding her by the side, supporting her.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Brian


    Garret came from behind looking at the place where Aileen screamed, there he saw a thorn laced with her blood. There was a vine, twining, creeping along a thick stem, the vines had green flower''s petals bloom that seemed to breathe the white mist in.


    ¡°I think she is poisoned,¡± he said pointing at the thorn and green petals.


    As Brian rampaged through their medical supply, Aileen strokes her wound, as her hand passed the wound a thin ice formed above it, freezing the spread of the poison for the moment.


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    After a while Brian took out a bottle filled with a dark-greenish viscous liquid and large syringe with its shape tip made of silver, the container made of a bronze metal, with the injector made of wood.


    After taking some of the viscous liquid from the bottle with the syringe, he immediately tried to inject it to the wound but was blocked by the ice. Aileen sensing this melted the ice giving way for the syringe, after injecting her with the liquid, her blood that was tinged with a bit of black reverted to its natural color, red. Her breath started to stabilize, and she regained some of her strength, enough for them to continue their journey. She then laced the wound with a layer of thin ice.


    ¡°Let¡¯s be careful. And try to stay clear of the trees. We don¡¯t know which ones are poisonous and which aren¡¯t.¡± Instructed Brian.


    Aileen leaned in Raheem¡¯s shoulder as they walked, he would sometimes check on her by talking to her about random things, Brian also checks on her conditions from time to time. After some time, she had enough strength to walk on her own.


    The deeper they went the more poisonous vines and flowers they came across. Some looked like normal plants but when they got close to them, the plants lounged themselves to bite their legs, sometimes they could go for the neck. At first, they had trouble defending themselves but the more they were attacked the more they understood which plants to avoid and which ones to cut before reaching them. Their medical supply was running thin but by now they were able to defend against them.


    ¡°The fog¡­it¡¯s getting thinner,¡± said Raheem.


    They didn¡¯t pay enough attention to the mist as the danger hidden in it were greater than it. But now that Raheem has said it, it was indeed getting thinner, increasing their visibility.


    By now there was no weak ground, so they only had to worry about the poisonous plants. After a while they were out of the white mist, but they didn¡¯t take their masks off because there were still poison in the air, it was just not visible, they had to learn that a hard way. They lost a team of seven scouts to it.


    By the time they could see the night the sun was already setting, its red blaze cast a long shadow.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find a place to make camp,¡± said Brian, ¡°spread but don¡¯t go too far, lets rendezvous here as soon as the moon is up.¡±


    They spread out looking for a place to camp, but as they were doing that, small insects that looked like an assassin bug, but still smaller than an assassin bug, started to attach themselves to the back of their clot or leather armors, hidden in the shadows of their clothes.


    They met at the rendezvous place as the moonlight went up. But most of its past were covered by smokes that looked like clouds.


    ¡°I¡¯ve found a cave. It¡¯s empty,¡± said Alan.


    They went to the cave; on their way they picked up dry branches to use for fire. They went into the cave, Raheem started building the campfire while Brian took out utensils for cooking. Garret took out some foods for them to cook.


    None of them were good at cooking, but Brian was still better than all of them so, he took the cooking part while the others set up the beds and a net.


    As they were doing this the insects left their clothes and settled down at the corner of the cave without making a sound.


    After they finished setting everything up, the food was ready, it was a soup made of different vegetables. The taste wasn¡¯t good, but it wasn¡¯t bad either. They continued to eat as they chatted blissfully ignorant of the insects, they brought with them, that surrounded them in the cave.


    ¡°I heard you survived a Nightshroud wolf, captain,¡± asked Alan with a smile on his face.


    Aileen shivered slightly when she heard the name, NIghtshorud. That golden-yellow eyes still haunts her dreams.


    Brian looked at Alan with a frown seeing his smile.


    ¡°Listen to me very carefully Alan. Never and I mean never try to fight a Nightshroud wolf, even if it''s a pup. In fact, if you see a two Golden-yellow light in a night or coming out of a shadowy place, run¡­run like a demon is chasing you because it might be better if you are caught by a demon. Even if you survive an attack¡ª¡±


    He paused as he took off his leather armor showing them his wound on his right chest. The black veins that extended from the wound still visible to his day.


    They grimaced when they saw the wound on his chest.


    ¡°This¡­ this is what happens if you survive them.¡±


    There was a particular thing that has happened to his shadow that none noticed, there was a hole in the same exact place as the wound, and instead of the black veins on his chest there were replaced by light on his shadow, like the real wound was on his shadow instead of his body.


    ¡°And this is if you are lucky.¡±


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t it healing?¡± asked Garret.


    ¡°No one knows.¡±


    ¡°Is there any side-effect?¡± asked Raheem.


    ¡°Every night, I find myself in a world of shadows, chased by creatures I have never seen in my life until they catch me and rip me to shreds, over and over again. And sometimes I can¡¯t handle the mental stress so, I attack anything in my way, even my friends. So, it doesn¡¯t matter if the lights are from the eyes of a Nightshround or some other source, run for your life because death has come.¡±

 Vision in the fire

    As the group settled in for the night, the cool dampness of the misty forest clung to their fur. The firelight flickered weakly, casting shadows that seemed to move of their own accord. The crackling flames were a poor substitute for warmth, and the air was dense with the stifling scent of wet earth and decaying leaves. Each member of the team was shaken, though none spoke of it aloud. Instead, they wrapped themselves in silence.


    Brian lay on his side, his back to the fire. His body was tense, every muscle coiled as if ready to spring at the slightest sound. He tried to push the memories of Fionnuala out of his mind, but they kept resurfacing like a persistent itch in the back of his mind he couldn¡¯t scratch. He squeezed his eyes shut; his jaw clenched so tightly that the tendons in his neck stood out like cords. His breathing was shallow, and every now and then, his hand would twitch involuntarily, as if trying to reach for a weapon that wasn¡¯t there.


    Aileen lay a short distance away, her body curled into a tight ball. She had her arms wrapped around herself, as though trying to hold in the turmoil roiling within her. Her fur was damp with sweat despite the cool night air, and every now and then, she would let out a small, almost imperceptible whimper. Her eyes fluttered beneath closed lids, and her brow furrowed deeply as she fought against the images that her mind was conjuring.


    Alan lay on his back, staring up at the dark canopy above. His chest rose and fell rapidly, and his hands clenched the fabric of his cloak so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His ears were pinned back against his skull. The memories of his father were playing out in vivid detail behind his eyes, and his body trembled with the effort of trying to suppress the cries that threatened to escape his throat.


    Garret lay rigid, his body as still as stone, but his eyes were wide open, staring blankly at the darkness. His usually composed features were marred by a deep frown, and a muscle in his jaw twitched sporadically. His mind was a battlefield, the echoes of his father¡¯s harsh words ringing in his ears, driving him to the brink of despair.


    Raheem was the last to fall asleep, but even he could not fight the exhaustion that claimed him. His tail flicked restlessly, and his limbs twitched as if trying to ward off an invisible threat. His face was a mask of anguish, his eyes squeezed shut as if trying to block out the images of horror. His breathing came in short, ragged gasps, and his hands curled into tight fists, the claws digging into his palms.


    As the group slipped into uneasy slumber, the forest around them seemed to come alive. The darkness in the cave thickened, swirling around them like a living entity, and the once distant sounds of the night grew louder, more menacing. Unseen, the tiny assassin bugs crept out of the undergrowth and the walls, drawn by the warmth of the sleeping bodies. They moved with unnerving precision, finding their way to their targets and sinking their needle-like proboscises into the soft flesh at the base of each Vulpine¡¯s skull. The bites were painless, but the venom worked quickly, paralyzing the prey and keeping them in a state of deep sleep.


    The bugs began their gruesome task, siphoning small amounts of brain matter while simultaneously feeding the Vulpines¡¯ minds with visions weaved from their own memories.


    Brian stood in the center of the village, the sun shining brightly overhead. But something was wrong. The colors were too bright, the shadows too sharp. He turned, and there she was¡ªFionnuala, standing before him, her eyes filled with a cold, accusing glare. Her fur was matted with blood, and a deep four gash ran across her chest. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, she pointed at him, her expression twisting into one of anger and pain. Brian''s heart pounded in his chest, his breath coming in short, panicked bursts. He tried to speak, to explain, but his mouth was dry, and no sound escaped his lips. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his hands trembled as he took a step back, away from the ghost of the woman he failed, away from the promises.


    Aileen found herself in her father¡¯s tent, the familiar scent of leather and herbs filling her nostrils. Chief Talon stood before her; his back turned as he rummaged through a pile of furs. When he turned to face her, his eyes were filled with an emotion she had never seen before¡ªrage. He moved toward her with a speed that made her flinch, and before she could react, he grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her violently. His voice was a harsh, guttural growl, and though the words were unintelligible, but the meaning was clear. Aileen¡¯s knees buckled, and she sank to the ground, her body wracked with silent sobs. Her chest tightened, and her breath came in ragged gasps. She tried to speak, to defend herself, but the weight of her guilt was too heavy, pinning her to the ground like chains.


    Alan was back in his childhood home, the familiar sight of the small, cramped dwelling filling him with dread. The walls seemed to close in on him, the air thick with the scent of sweat and fear. He could hear the sounds of his father¡¯s heavy footsteps, the unmistakable creak of the floorboards as he approached. Alan¡¯s heart raced, and he felt a cold sweat break out across his skin. His father appeared in the doorway, a towering figure of rage and malice. Without warning, he lashed out, his hand connecting with Alan¡¯s cheek with a sickening thud. The pain was real, and Alan¡¯s vision blurred with tears. He looked up, his eyes pleading for mercy, but there was none to be found. His father turned to his mother, who cowered in the corner, and the scene played out again and again, the horror and helplessness intensifying with each cycle.


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    Garret stood in a barren field, the sky above him a roiling mass of dark clouds. His father¡¯s voice echoed around him, though the man himself was nowhere to be seen. The words were sharp, cutting into Garret like a thousand tiny blades. ¡°You should have been better. Stronger. But you are weak. Worthless. And not even smart enough to survive by yourself alone.¡± Garret¡¯s hands clenched into fists, his nails digging into his palms until they bled. His breath came in shallow gasps, and his body trembled with the effort of trying to hold back the anger. The clouds above swirled faster, forming a vortex that seemed to pull at him, dragging him down into a pit of despair. He wanted to scream, to shout back, but his throat was dry, and his voice was lost in the howling wind.


    Raheem was in a dark alley, the walls closing in on him from all sides. His sister¡¯s voice called out to him, weak and desperate. He turned, and there she was, huddled in a corner, her eyes wide with fear and hunger. She looked up at him, her lips trembling as she begged him for food. Raheem¡¯s stomach twisted with guilt, his hands shaking as he reached out to her. But before he could move, another figure appeared¡ªhis younger self, gaunt and hollow-eyed. The boy held a bloodstained stone, with splinters of blood across his face and body, his eyes devoid of emotion as he stared at the lifeless body of a Vulpine lying at his feet. The scene shifted, and Raheem found himself standing over the body, the stone in his hand, dripping with blood. The dead Vulpine¡¯s eyes snapped open, staring up at him with a calm, knowing gaze. Raheem¡¯s breath hitched in his throat, and he stumbled back, dropping the stone. The corpse sat up, its mouth twisting into a cruel smile. ¡°You did what you had to,¡± it whispered, the voice soft and cold. Raheem¡¯s hands trembled uncontrollably, and his legs gave way beneath him. He fell to his knees, the weight of his guilt pressing down on him like a physical force.


    The nightmares continued, each one more vivid and terrifying than the last. The assassin bugs fed hungrily, their venom keeping the Vulpines in a state of tortured slumber. But as the night wore on, a different presence began to stir within the cave. The darkness thickened, becoming almost suffocating, and the sounds of the night grew quieter, as if the forest, the cave was afraid, and the torment of the Vulpines continued.


    The darkness formed into a monstrous creature, its hulking form moving silently from the depth of the cave. Its eyes glowed with an auburn light, its breath a low, rumbling growl that reverberated through the cave. As it approached the camp, the flames of the campfire flickered wildly, casting long, distorted shadows across the sleeping forms of the Vulpines. The beast paused at the edge of the clearing, its nostrils flaring as it scented the air. The heat from the fire seemed to agitate it, and it let out a low, menacing snarl, its muscles tensing as it prepared to strike.


    Raheem¡¯s nightmare took a sudden, terrifying turn. The corpse of the Vulpine he had slain began to rise, its flesh peeling away to reveal a grotesque, skeletal form beneath. The creature¡¯s eyes glowed with a malevolent light, and it reached out with long, clawed hands, its voice a rasping whisper that sent chills down Raheem¡¯s spine. ¡°You can never escape what you are,¡± it hissed. ¡°You are a killer, a murder and you will do kill again.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will.¡±


    The answer surprised the figure causing it to pause using this opportunity Raheem picked the stone up and smashed the corpse, the corpse started to smile until it turned into a mad laughter, and Raheem smashed the head again and again until there was no head, but the brain scattered around, with some of the brain on his hand, but throughout this


    Raheem¡¯s body convulsed, his breath coming in short, frantic gasps. His eyes snapped open, and he bolted upright, his heart pounding in his chest. For a moment, he couldn¡¯t remember where he was, the nightmare still clinging to his consciousness like a dark fog. He looked around wildly, his fur damp with sweat, his limbs trembling uncontrollably. The firelight danced around him, and the darkness seemed to close in from all sides, but the terrible visions were gone. He was awake, but the fear and guilt lingered, a heavy chain on his heart.


    He forced himself to take a deep breath, trying to steady his racing heart. The others were still asleep, their bodies twitching and shuddering as they endured their own private hells. Raheem¡¯s eyes flicked to the edge of the clearing, where the monstrous creature stood, watching him with those glowing, menacing eyes. The beast seemed to sense that Raheem was no longer helpless prey, and it hesitated, its snarl turning into a low, rumbling growl.


    For a long, tense moment, Raheem and the creature stared at each other, the air between them thick with tension. Then, with a sudden, violent movement, the beast turned and melted back into the shadows, disappearing into the night. Raheem let out a shaky breath, his body still trembling. He felt a sensation at the back of his skull, he reached out and caught the bug that has been digging into him and he crushed it, blood with other matter mixed in it flew out of his hand.


    He turned to look at everyone, the same bugs leaching on their mind as well. So, he prepared to kill the bugs and wake everyone up.

 Army of the dead

    Raheem¡¯s heart was still pounding in his chest as he sat up and looked around the clearing. The darkness that surrounded them seemed to have a mind of its own, curling and twisting in the firelight like a tendril. He could feel the sweat dripping down his fur, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps. His mind was a maelstrom of emotions¡ªfear, guilt, and a lingering sense of unease that he couldn¡¯t shake off. The nightmares had been more than just dreams; it had been a brutal confrontation with his darkest past.


    He forced himself to take a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He knew he had to wake the others, to bring them back from that nightmarish visions that they all were having. Raheem moved quietly from one Vulpine to the next, gently shaking them awake. Brian was the first to stir, his eyes snapping open with a jolt. His fur was damp with sweat, and his hands trembled as he sat up, a haunted look in his eyes. Aileen was next, her body still curled into a tight ball as she woke, her eyes red and puffy from unshed tears. Alan and Garret woke with a start, their faces pale and drawn, their eyes wide with a lingering fear.


    As each of them shook off the remnants of their nightmares, they exchanged glances, the silence between them heavy like the vacuum in space. They had all faced their demons, and the experience had left them shaken, terrified to their core.


    ¡°We need to get rid of these bugs,¡± Raheem said, his voice hoarse and shaky. ¡°They¡¯re the ones causing the nightmares.¡±


    The others nodded in agreement, their expressions grim. They moved quickly, searching the area for the tiny assassin bugs that had invaded their minds. The insects were black so they were hard to see in the dark cave, but the Vulpines had eyes that allowed them to see in the dark. One by one, they hunted down the bugs, crushing them underfoot or sweeping them into the fire. It was a small victory, but it brought a sense of relief, a feeling of vengence.


    Once the bugs were gone, the group sat down around the fire, their bodies weary from the emotional and physical toll of the night. The flames flickered and danced, casting eerie shadows on their faces. No one spoke for a long time, each of them lost in their thoughts, their minds still reeling from the nightmares they saw.


    Brian stared into the fire, his hands clasped tightly in his lap. His jaw was set in a hard line, his eyes focused on the flames as if trying to burn away the memory of Fionnuala¡¯s accusing gaze. Aileen sat with her arms wrapped around her knees, her eyes distant and unfocused. She chewed on her bottom lip, a nervous habit that she had developed over the years. Alan leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, his fingers laced together. His body was tense, his muscles coiled like a spring, ready to snap at any moment. Garret sat apart from the group, his back against the wall of the cave. His eyes were closed, but his brow was furrowed, his face a mask of concentration as he tried to push his father¡¯s words out of his mind.


    Raheem watched them all, his heart heavy with empathy. He knew their nightmares, the scars they left behind. He took a deep breath, the cool night air filling his lungs, and then he spoke, his voice soft but steady.


    ¡°We¡¯ve all been through hell tonight,¡± he said, his eyes meeting each of theirs in turn. ¡°But we¡¯re still here. We¡¯re still¡­ alive. And we¡¯re going to get through this, we will get through this.¡±


    The others nodded; their expressions hardened. Now, they had to focus on the mission at hand.


    As the first light of dawn broke through the smoke of the fire, they rose from their places around the fire, their bodies stiff and sore from the night¡¯s ordeal. They gathered their gear and set off into the forest, the shadows of their nightmares still lingering in their heart.


    The forest was eerily quiet as they walked, the only sounds the crunch of leaves underfoot and the occasional rustle of branches. The fog had returned slightly, it clung to the trees like a shroud, obscuring their vision and making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead.


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    The path ahead was dangerous, the ground uneven and littered with fallen branches. Poisonous vines hung from the trees, their tendrils reaching out like fingers. The air was thick with the scent of flowers, their petals vibrant and inviting, but the Vulpines knew better than to be deceived by their beauty. The flowers were deadly, their pollen laced with toxins that could kill.


    As they made their way through the forest, they encountered numerous dangers. Snakes slithered across the path, their scales glistening in the dappled sunlight. Raheem caught sight of one such serpent, its eyes fixed on him as it coiled and prepared to strike. He reacted quickly. With a swift, downward swing, he brought his sword down on the snake¡¯s head, killing it instantly.


    The group continued on, their senses on high alert, their movements cautious and deliberate. The forest seemed to come alive around them, the trees whispering secrets in a language only they could understand. The Vulpines moved in silence, their eyes darting from side to side, their ears pricked up for any signs of danger.


    Despite the dangers they faced, they pressed on. They had come too far to turn back now, and the fire they sought was close. They could feel its heat on the air, a subtle warmth that contrasted sharply with the cool dampness of the forest.


    As they neared the source of the fire, the forest began to change. The trees grew thicker, their branches intertwining overhead to form a dense canopy that blocked out the sun. The ground was soft and spongy, the moss underfoot thick and lush. The air was heavy with the scent of decay, a sickly-sweet aroma that clung to their nostrils.


    It was then that they noticed the mushrooms. They were everywhere, sprouting from the ground and the trees, their caps a brilliant array of colors¡ªred, blue, yellow, and green. The sight was mesmerizing, but there was something off about them. They seemed to pulse with an unnatural energy, their gills glowing faintly in the dim light.


    Brian reached out to touch one of the mushrooms, but Raheem grabbed his arm, pulling him back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch them,¡± Raheem warned, his voice low and urgent. ¡°I feel they are dangerous.¡±


    Brian nodded, his hand dropping to his side. The group moved on, giving the mushrooms a wide berth, but the feeling of unease lingered.


    As they rounded a bend in the path, they came upon a clearing. Dozens of animals lay sprawled on the ground, their bodies limp and lifeless. Birds, squirrels, rabbits, and even a deer, and there were even a few of vulpines¡ªall were strewn across the grass, their eyes staring sightlessly at the sky.


    The Vulpines approached cautiously, their hearts heavy with sorrow at the sight of the vulpines. But as they drew nearer, the animals began to stir. Slowly, they rose to their feet, their movements jerky and unnatural. Their eyes, once dull and lifeless, now glowed with a malevolent light.


    Aileen gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as she took a step back. Her eyes were wide with horror, her body trembling with fear. Alan clenched his fists, his jaw set in a hard line as he took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. Garret¡¯s eyes darted around the clearing, his muscles tense and coiled, ready to spring into action at a moment¡¯s notice.


    Raheem felt a knot of dread tighten in his stomach as he watched the animals, their eyes glowing with a maniacal light. He could feel the fear creeping up his spine, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He glanced at the others, their faces pale and drawn, their eyes wide with fear.


    ¡°Is those¡ª¡± Alan said.


    ¡°The missing scouts. Now we know what happened to them,¡± said Brian


    ¡°We need to be careful,¡± Raheem said, his voice barely above a whisper. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but we can¡¯t let our guard down.¡±


    The others nodded, their eyes never leaving the animals as they moved slowly around the clearing. The tension in the air was a heavy, oppressive force that pressed down on them, making it difficult to breathe.


    As they stood there, their bodies tense and alert, the animals began to move toward them, their movements slow and deliberate. The Vulpines could see the mad intent in their eyes, the hunger that drove them forward.


    Brian took a deep breath, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps. Aileen¡¯s eyes darted around the clearing, her body poised and ready, small astral essence gathering around her. Alan and Garret exchanged a glance, their expressions grim as they prepared to face whatever that was.


    Raheem stood at the front of the group; his eyes fixed on the approaching animals. He could feel the weight of the situation pressing down on him, the thought that they were in grave danger.


    The animals drew closer, their eyes glowing with a malevolent light, their bodies tense and ready to pounce. The Vulpines could feel the fear building within them.


    As the first rays of sunlight broke through the dense canopy, casting a golden glow over the clearing, the Vulpines steeled themselves for the battle ahead. The animals moved closer, their eyes locked on their prey, and the Vulpines prepared to fight for their lives.

 Army of the Dead 2

    Alan and Aileen stood at the back of the group. The others stood before them, spreading out to the side.


    Brian clenched his spear so much that you could hear the sound of the shaft trying to snap. Raheem and Garret took out their sword.


    Before any of the animals or the dead scouts came closer, an arrow made of flame passed through Brian and the other, piercing the head of one animal, stopping the advancement of the others.


    The Animal twitched a bit and froze on the spot, unmoving, then it dropped to the ground with the flame arrow still stuck on its head, burning its fur and brain, and then slowly spread all over its face. The smell strangely had an ammonia odor. They could smell it from where they stood, though the intensity was less.


    The animals stared at the dead but soon turned their attention to them and they started to gallop towards them in a weird, almost comical way. They would have laughed if it wasn¡¯t a deadly situation.


    Aileen¡¯s fur burned slowly as flame covered her paws. She would grimace slightly from time to time from the pain. Alan looked at her in surprise. It was the first time he had seen a luminary use Astral Essence.


    Brian dashed towards the animals, he thrust his spear towards one animal, a bear standing on its two feet. The spear was so fast that before the bear could even react; it went through his heart. He pulled the spear out and turned his attention toward another one of these creatures.


    He swung his spear, cutting some of them. He would thrust his spear, piercing their heads and hearts. To his side, Raheem and Garret were hacking and slashing their way into the horde of animals. Arrows were flying and hitting some of the animals, while some missed.


    As Brian thrust his spear into the stomach of another animal, one of the dead vulpine slashed its claws from his side, but an arrow went right through its head before its arm could reach Brian.


    The other dead vulpines were running towards Raheem and Garret. One of them reach Raheem, who was deep in the hoard. It started to slash its claws at him, blocking with his sword and dodging. The dead vulpine was surprisingly faster and stronger.


    Garret kicked the one he was fighting and dashed towards Raheem, giving him some breathing space to gather his thoughts. However, before Raheem could relax, a deer ran towards him, faster than he could react, as he was occupied with the dead vulpine.


    As the deer was only a few meters away, a spear went right through its stomach, making it lose balance. It swayed and missed Raheem. At least that was what it looked like from where Brian was standing on.


    Raheem¡¯s body turned as he fell to the ground. Brian noticed the side of Raheem¡¯s body, around his stomach, had been gouged out, leading to profuse bleeding. His blood already making a small pool on the ground.


    ¡°Aileen,¡± yelled Brian.


    Aileen was throwing arrows and spears made of flames, but most would miss their intended targets landing on the ground instead, when she heard Brian yell.


    She turned to look at him, but his attention was elsewhere. Seeing that she followed his gaze, and it landed on Raheem, who was on his knees by the time she saw him, holding his wound, trying to stop the bleeding, though it was doing no good, the blood flowed out as if his paws didn¡¯t exist. Garret was busy fighting the vulpine when another one joined it.


    Brian ran towards him. He dodged and rolled to the side when another dead vulpine jumped at him from the side.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Aileen ran towards Raheem, but Alan grabbed her by her shoulder, forcing her to stop. She turned to look at him with a frown on her face, but Alan couldn¡¯t see it as the mask had covered it.


    ¡°Why did you stop me?¡± she asked with a shaken voice.


    ¡°He¡¯s a lost cause. You can¡¯t save him.¡±


    ¡°So you want me to just stand still and let him die?¡±


    ¡°Even if you went there and stopped the bleeding, it won¡¯t help much. He has lost a lot of blood.¡±


    Aileen pulled her shoulder from his grip, her head facing the ground and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know whether he will live or not, I just¡­I only know that I have to try, even if the chances are close to zero,¡± she looked up at his eyes, ¡°cause I don¡¯t ever want to have any regrets, ever.¡±


    Without waiting for him to answer or stop her again, she dashed towards Raheem. She ran as fast as she could with her eyes fixated on Raheem, drowning out the sound of the surrounding chaos.


    She didn¡¯t notice another dead vulpine coming towards her with its shape claws extended longer than any other vulpine. It tried to mutilate her with its claws; it swung its paws, aiming for her neck. She heard Alan yell from the back and tried to turn to look, but was met with the dead vulpine. She poured astral essence into the flame in her hand, which caused it to surge. A stream of flames gushed out from her hand¡¯s continuously. The flame cover the vulpine¡¯s face, burning it and causing it to stop for a moment, and that was all Alan need to put an arrow through its head.


    She continued to run and reach Raheem shortly. He was grunting and vomiting blood inside his mask, some leaking out of it. She didn¡¯t talk or made any sound. She silently put her hand that was covered with flame on the wound, but there was no burn. His skin surrounding his wounds instead turned pale blue like it had a frostbite. Aileen had sucked the heat out of his body, freezing his wound and stopping the bleeding. She then immediately started to increase the temperature of her flame, burning the wound so that it will close. The skin blacked making a crackling sound and smelled like charcoal but with a mix of sulfurous odor.


    Garret was defending them, but he was losing ground. Two dead vulpine were too much for him to defend and with the mix of the dead animals, it was getting dangerous. While he blocked the paws of one of the dead vulpine, the other one torn his leather armor, leaving a claw mark.


    Rushing towards them, Alan shot his arrows. The last arrow founding its mark in the vulpine¡¯s stomach, giving Brian the opportunity to sever its head with his blade.


    Alan took out his daggers and joined Garret in the fight, lessening the burden on Garret. By that time, Garret had accumulated scars all over his body, with cuts present everywhere. Even though the wounds weren¡¯t deep, they were siphoning his strength bit by bit.


    Brian joined them right after killing the vulpine. The three of them surrounded Aileen and Raheem and continued to fight, but the hoard seemed endless. Whenever they cut down one, another two seemed to replace its place.


    *********


    The fire that was at the center of the misty forest was spreading rapidly in all directions. It was getting closer to where the others were fighting, but it still had some distance to cover.


    The wildfire was flickering, acting like it was having an internal struggle with itself. It burned anything that was in its way. It consumed everything in its path - trees, animals, anything - reducing them to ashes and leaving behind only charred and ash-filled ground. All the animals that saw the wildfire run in any direction. Their hooves and feet shaking the ground like an earthquake. The sound of roar or bellows resounding across the forest.


    *************


    Raheem¡¯s wound was patched up, the skin around the wound was darkened, his furs burned off. He had fainted a while back because of the pain of being burned and Aileen was resting beside him, panting through her mask. Both her hands were black because of her flames.


    Brian and the others were fighting with everything they had. A black liquid from the hoard soaked their torn armor and weapons.


    Shallow wounds covered their bodies, but there were some deep wounds in the mix. The hoard was decreasing, giving them hope, when some of the previously killed stood up except whose that were burned. Some of those that stood up had arrows on their heads or chest or anywhere of their body, some didn¡¯t have heads at all, some had a missing arm or leg, some have lost have of their body, dragging their upper bodies on the ground by their hands but all of them were moving towards them.


    Their eyes widened when they saw how almost all of them got up, regardless of their injuries or missing parts. It looked like a place straight out of HEL.


    Aileen, seeing this, understood that those things, whatever they are, need to be burned for them to stay dead. But she was getting tired and her hand were hurting more and if she used her astral essence more, then she might burn her hands to ashes. But she had no choice. Either she had to burn those things to ensure they stayed dead or risk being torn apart by them or, worse, turning into one of them.

 A World on Fire

    Aileen covered her hands in flame, her face contorted, her breath heavy. After covering her hands, she unleashed flames from her hands continuously, scorching the surrounding grass. It gave them a minute to catch their breath.


    A tremor started in her legs, slowly creeping up to her spine until her entire body convulsed in a violent shiver. Her teeth clattered like a rogue typewriter, each chatter a Morse code of distress. Her breath ghosted out in front of her, a fleeting wisp of warmth swallowed instantly by the coldness that was spreading around her as she draw more fire from the surrounding.


    She added a red, thin barrier around everyone. It seemed to help fight against the coldness that suddenly descended upon them. But Aileen felt weak. She felt as though ice had enveloped her body. At first it was only her feet that felt numb, but with every passing second her hands, face¡­ eventually her whole body started to feel numb. Her body moved rigidly, resembling a machine with poorly oiled parts. She couldn¡¯t move around much.


    ¡®I need to be careful, slow down for a bit,¡¯ she thought, ¡®if this continued, I might freeze to death¡­ maybe even freezing everyone with me.¡¯


    Some animals would occasionally would pass the fire circle but they wouldn¡¯t make it far, as Brian and Garret would take care of them quickly. They would cut their body and hold them on the ground with their weapon until their bodies went still, and they were black like an overcooked meat.


    ¡®They have it under control now. I can take a rest and recover.¡¯


    She sat down with her legs crossed and her hands drilled into the ground until she felt the warmth from it. She drew the warmth into herself. The warmth returned to her body, making her feel at ease. Her body sensation returned to her one by one. First it was her hand, then her feet, her face until she could feel her entire body again.


    ¡®When will I become an acolyte? What am I missing to master fire? I already know how to make things freeze, taking all of its heat or making it melt by increasing its heat. So what is it I¡¯m missing?¡¯


    She thought more and more, but no matter hard she thought, she couldn¡¯t find out what she was missing to master the fire element.


    Two dead vulpines unexpectedly entered the circle and pounced on Brian and Garret while she was lost in her thoughts. They tried to defend, but the vulpines were faster. Both of them were hit but the red, thin shield blocked the claws, making a screeching sound as the claws tried to rip it apart.


    The shield held on long enough for Brian and Garret to kick both of the dead vulpines and create some distance between them.


    The dead vulpines were burning, but not fast enough. With Aileen recovering and Raheem wounded, not even knowing whether he will make it or not. So, that left Alan to defend them from the dead animals but he was not good at close courter combats¡­ especially when they came to fighting against multiple enemies and to top it all off they were dead animals who refused to remain dead.


    Alan looked at his dagger, which was stained with the black blood that was coming out of these creatures.


    The forest air thickened, a sharp humidity clinging to their exposed skin as the distant rumbling of thunder roiled overhead, echoing through the dense forest. The sky, once blue with the brightest sunlight, began to darken, heavy clouds swelled.


    Between gasps of breath and the clash of steel against the hardened skin and bone of the dead, the wind shifted, carrying the scent of wet earth and ozone. The first drops fell, fat and cold, splattering against the leaves and soaking through their clothes and armor.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time,¡± she muttered under her breath, raising her trembling hand, willing a small flame to life. It flickered weakly, barely holding against the dampening air as the rain picked up in a sudden, violent downpour. Sheets of water cascaded from the treetops, dousing everything in its path.


    Nearby, Raheem groaned, twisting in feverish agony, as though battling unseen horrors in his sleep. His breath was shallow, erratic.


    The flames that had been protecting them around their body started to flicker, and slowly the rain doused it. As the rain fell, it gradually put out the flame circle, causing the animals and vulpine to stop burning and screaming, and the fire on their body to vanish.


    ¡°Hold the line!¡± Brian shouted, his voice straining against the roar of the storm and the relentless assault of the creatures. The dead lurched forward as soon as the fire was out.


    The fire sputtered, dimming with each gust of wind and each burst of rain. Her hands shook, barely containing the blaze.


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ the rain¡ª¡± she faltered, her eyed widened with desperation.


    ¡°You have to!¡± yelled Garret, fending off the vulpine with a blooded arm. ¡°It¡¯s our only chance.¡±


    But the storm had no mercy, drowning out her small flickers of hope. As more of the dead creature passed in, they started to retreat to the center of the forest. Alan carried Raheem while Brian and Garret covered their retreat. Sometimes, Aileen used her fire to push back some of them, but the rain extinguished it almost immediately. So, she ran beside Alan and helped him carry Raheem.


    ******


    Mark¡¯s mind was a mess. All he could think about was to burn everything to ashes. Images of a world on fire filled his mind - the streets, the people, the animals, the forests. Anything in that world was burning. The people burned as they watched their loved one¡¯s burn with them, filling the world with screams and cries of agony and despair.


    At the heart of the world, where the fire was the hottest, stood a figure that was taller than a mountain. A fire seemed to have formed itself into the shape of a man. His entire eye was blue and staring at Mark, who was looking up at him with astonishment and fear.


    The figure was emitting an aura that was affecting Mark, making him think only about burning everything. The figure¡¯s mouth moved, its sound shaking the world like a violent earthquake. Despite the flames around the world rising up and burning more intensely, Mark couldn¡¯t comprehend a single word it uttered. But it brought him images of earth, his life there, and his family, but in the next second, all of it went up in flames.


    Two worlds were now burning in front of him. Another figure rose from earth and it looked exactly like the other figure. Both figures were now staring at Mark and saying something. But Mark still couldn¡¯t understand what they were saying, but he felt immense fear and sadness when he saw Earth bathed in flames and the figure rose.


    He turned and run as fast as he could while the worlds shook violently. But no matter how fast or how far he run the distance between them never decreased, it always stayed the same.


    Both figures came to a sudden silence, their hands rising simultaneously. With a gripping motion, the space between Mark and the figures vanished, leaving him suspended between them. As they locked eyes, it seemed they were engaged in a silent conversation.


    Attempting to pull Mark towards themselves, both figures struggled for dominance. The sensation of being pulled in opposite directions was excruciating, causing Mark to fear he might lose consciousness or even his life. Yet, neither outcome befell him.


    After a brief moment of locking gazes with Mark, the figures turned to face each other, keeping him suspended in mid-air as they clashed.


    Their battle caused the very fabric of space to contort, and the two worlds began to unravel slowly. Each movement sent tremors through the air, accompanied by a deafening roar. What was truly astonishing, however, was their incredible speed. They traversed through space in mere nanoseconds, leaving behind afterimages that created the illusion of multiple versions of themselves fighting simultaneously.


    Eventually, the first figure emerged victorious, forcing the second one to retreat amidst a torrent of fiery blood. Similar to its defeated opponent, the first figure bore numerous wounds, its body emanating flames that flickered between shades of orange, red, blue, and various other colors. At times, the flames overlapped, creating a mesmerizing display of hues.


    The figure then turned to Mark and stretched his hands and grabbed Mark. He put him in its mouth and swallowed him. But a white flame covered Mark¡¯s body and burned everything else and brought him back to the darkness he was familiar with. He saw the white ember burning in a distance. Slowly, he gained control of his emotions and calmed down.


    He used energy eye. He saw two creatures that looked like fox carrying another one of their kind and two more behind them, fighting numerous enemies.

 Destined to Meet

    Unaware that they ran towards the fire. Feeling the heat in the air increase exponentially, Aileen looked up to see the fire in front of them and find themselves trapped between the wildfire and the hoards of the dead. She stopped with hundred of meters between her and the wildfire, which was fast approaching.


    Alan bumped into her and dropped Raheem, who made a grunted sound when he hit the ground.


    ¡°Why did you¡ª¡± Alan didn¡¯t finish his sentence, when he saw the fire.


    Behind them, Brian and Garret were running fast, but stopped when they saw what Aileen was staring at in the distance. Dropping their weapons, they fell to the ground on their knees, feeling exhausted from running and fighting non-stop. And now it looks like it was all for naught.


    Water was dripping from their furs, eventually mixing with the blood from their wounds, fell down to the ground. The water that was cascading down their faces blurred their visions. Their ears losing strength went down like a sad dog.


    The screeching sound of the hoard mixed with the roar of the fleeing animals and the rumbling of thunder in a distance made them feel hopeless. The lighting light up their wide eyes and mouth each time it strikes.


    ¡°At least he will go out in his sleep,¡± said Alan, looking at Raheem.


    None of them speared him a glance. They were all taken by the raging flame ahead and the hoard behind.


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re shit out of luck,¡± said Brian, ¡°I really wish a god, any god, takes pity on us and saves us.¡±


    ¡°How is it still burning this fiercely when it raining this much? The rain should have extinguished the wildfire by now, or at least reduce its spread,¡± said Garret.


    ¡°It¡¯s like the rain has no effect.¡±


    ¡°Aileen, could you control that fire to make a way in the middle?¡±


    ¡°No, it too much for me, but I can try.¡±


    Aileen extended her hands forwards and tried to split the fire. But the fire ignored her attempt and marched towards them, reaching them in seconds, but it halted meters away from Aileen.


    In seconds, the heat caused the water on their body to vaporize, but sweat quickly replaced it.


    ¡°Good job, Aileen,¡± Alan laughed in the loudest voice he could muster and said, ¡°Now you just have to send that fire towards the hoard and save us.¡±


    The others also felt surprised. They were happy that she had done it. But their smile disappeared when they saw her scratch her head.


    ¡°Aileen, what¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Garret, his voice strained. His question stopped Alan¡¯s laugh and looked at Aileen with a hopeful eye.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me.¡±


    Their face fell. They stared blankly at the fire. Few things are as disheartening as having hope only for it to be snatched away instantly.


    Aileen stared at the fire with wide eyes in surprise at its unusual behavior. First, the rain couldn¡¯t extinguish it and now it stopped on its own.


    The entire forest fell into a deadly silence. The animals, the hoard, all of them stopped. Their ragged breath and Raheem¡¯s constant groaning became the only sounds that filled the air, making it seem to be louder than natural.


    She felt a fiery touch on her face as her mask started to melt slowly.


    ¡°Take off your masks now!¡±


    Initially, they looked confused, but their confusion dissipated when they observed Aileen¡¯s mask melting and sliding into the ground. They immediately took off their mask, and a pungent smell assaulted them.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the poison, it the masks,¡± said Aileen.


    ¡°The fire must have burned the poison,¡± said Garret as he observed the surrounding. The hoard has stopped moving and were staring at the fire with their blank expressions.


    *******


    These creatures¡¯ action surprised Mark when he looked at them. It was almost like they were sentient beings. He looked at the two at the back kneel on the soft grass and the one at the front with her raised hand, with some fascination. He looked at the one laying on the floor wounded. All of this create a picture of civilized beings but he had never seen or heard of such creatures. He didn¡¯t think it was possible.


    The hoard at the back looked like they were about to attack them, so Mark moved without thinking much about it. Whatever these creatures were, they might help him understand where he was.


    <i>¡®This is definitely not Earth. Where the fuck am I?¡¯</i>


    The fox people raised their hands in defense even though there was nothing they could do, it will at least give them a tiny sense of safety.


    For over two hours, they saw as the fire burn the hoards to ashes. When he finished, all that remained was a blackened ground. The fire burned all the grass, animals, hoard, and trees to ash.


    They watched in amazement as the fire avoided them as if it was alive.


    ¡°Do you think there is a Luminary controlling it?¡± asked Alan.


    None answered him as they watch the fire circle them and trap them with no way to retreat.


    After encircling them, the temperature rapidly decreased, and they rejoiced, believing the rain had caused it. But the rain never extinguished the fire; it kept burning, emitting less heat, which they could withstand.


    The fire then suddenly began to twisted and turn, eventually forming a face made of fire that had the shape of Mark¡¯s previous face, but it wasn¡¯t complete. It was like it was learning how to do it now.


    ¡°Hello, my name is Mark and what are you? Where are we? And what were those things?¡± asked Mark without stopping, fearing they might interrupt him.


    The sound emitted by the thing shocked Aileen and the others, but they couldn¡¯t comprehend its words. All they heard was loud noises that didn¡¯t have any pattern to it, but that alone proved that it was not an elemental or a fire conjured up by a Luminary. It was something else entirely.


    ¡°Is it a miracle from a god?¡± asked Alan.


    His question brought all of them out of their shock. All of them got on their knees with their head on the ground. It didn¡¯t matter what it was. All that mattered was it was powerful, and it saved their lives and didn¡¯t kill them¡­yet.


    Their actions greatly surprised Mark. The heat was no more, and their body was getting drenched by the heavy rain.


    Aileen and the others tried to thank it or the god behind it, but they couldn¡¯t understand what it was saying. Mark also couldn¡¯t understand them. For a while, both sides made some noises either side couldn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Is there a god with fire in its authority?¡± asked Alan.


    Garret answered, ¡°no, it¡¯s the only element that has no god associated with it.¡±


    ¡°So, who could have sent this?¡±


    ¡°Your guess is as good as mine. But whoever they are, this might be our only chance to be noticed by a god.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Whatever this thing is, it must be from a god. Whoever this god is, their attention is here now, either on us or something in this forest,¡± answered Brian.


    ¡°And if it¡¯s on us good, but if it¡¯s the forest¡ª¡± continued Aileen.


    ¡°If it¡¯s the forest, then we only need to persuade them to use us to search or whatever else they might need; they¡¯ll protect us until we succeed.¡±


    ¡°And the Nightshroud wolves won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    All of them thought to pray to whoever sent this, but the problem was they didn¡¯t know who send it so, they don¡¯t know what name and title to use.


    While they were thinking that, Mark was thinking, <i>¡®GOD, what do I do? They can¡¯t understand me, I can¡¯t understand them. Nothing seems to be going my way ever since I came to this fucking planet.</i>¡¯


    He fell silent for a couple of seconds.


    He said in almost a pleading tone, ¡°God, if you can hear me, please take me home and I promise I¡¯ll be a good man. I¡¯ll go to church, I¡¯ll be nice to everyone, hell¡­no, heck, sorry, I¡¯ll even donate all of my money to charities and churches, you name it. So, please do just me this one favor, please.¡±


    He stopped using energy eye and shut off all of his senses and waited a few second and opened his senses, only to find himself in the same dark place he woke up before. When he used his energy eye, he saw the same creature on their knees.


    ¡°Fuck¡­ God. No, I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t be using that word when asking you a favor. Please send me home.¡±


    But no matter how much he prayed, there was no reply.


    He looked at them, ¡°at least let me understand them. Please, I need to understand them if I¡¯m going to survive. You could at least do this much for me, right?¡±


    It surprised Brian and the others when it started talking. Somehow, they knew it wasn¡¯t talking to them. So, they stole a glance and saw it looking up at the sky. They guessed that it was talking to its divine self.


    They didn¡¯t know what it might do after finishing its conversation.


    Aileen started to pray first. ¡°God of flame, savior of the lost, thank you for the miracle. I vow to warship and obey your commands now and forevermore.¡±


    The others went followed and prayed exactly like her.


    [Prayer detected.]


    [initiating Divine Faith system.]

 God of Flames

    As they were saying their prayers, the rain mixed with their sweat run down their body, from their back to the ground. They didn¡¯t seem to care about the mud that was dirtying their faces or even notice.


    Mark was looking at this when he heard the voice, but something was different this time. ¡®It almost sounds its excited.¡¯


    He saw a very thin, golden thread rise from Aileen. It stretched toward him and sunk inside of him. It went straight for the flame of desire and attach itself. And slowly other threads rose and came from the others and attach themselves to the same place.


    He looked at the flame of desire, especially at the HAGALAZ rune, which seemed brighter than usual. It felt almost alive. When he focused on it, a red, blazing screen wove itself in front of him.


    [DIVINE NAME: GOD OF FLAMES]


    [TITLE: SAVIOR OF THE LOST]


    [Churches/Temples: 0]


    [SOURCE ENERGY: 54]


    [MIRACLE: Blessing, Curses, Emberstep]


    Before he could comprehend the meaning of each of them, he got pulled into an illusion of Aileen¡¯s entire life until now. He also experienced the entire life of the others.


    He now understood what they were saying at the end. ¡®Me? A god? I¡¯m just an unlucky soul. Give me a break.¡¯ Thought Mark, shocked. But as he thought about it more, he realized this might be an opportunity for him. ¡¯This might be for the best. I just have to pretend long enough to get all the information I need. This, what were they called again, the auburn Vulpine tribe, might help me, but they are exiled from their clan. This might be tricky.¡¯


    He looked at them in silence. Neither side spoke. Bathing the moment in silence. The only sound they could only hear was Raheem¡¯s groaning and crackling of the fire.


    ¡®And there are gods in this world. I need to be care not to get caught or maybe I could ask them for help. If only they would hear or listen to my prayer.¡¯ He thought. ¡®That wolf I killed was a pup.¡¯ The guilt of unknowingly causing them harm lingered within him, particularly as he anticipated the arrival of the wolf''s pack in the village.


    ¡®Maybe I can help them.¡¯


    When he turned his attention towards them, the foxes appeared rigid, as if their spirits had departed their bodies.


    ¡®Why aren¡¯t they moving? Do I have to say something? What would a god say in this situation?¡¯


    The silence stretched, oppressive, and the longer it went, the more unnatural it seemed. He had to act, to say something, anything.


    ¡°Rise,¡± he commanded, hoping it was enough. ¡°I have heard your prayers,¡± he announced.


    The words hung in the air, echoing. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. He felt the tension gnawing at him, and he was sure they saw through his deception. But then, slowly, their bodies relaxed. The rigid tension in their limbs softened, and the blank stares faded. One by one, they raised their heads, their bodies trembling uncontrollably, with a strange emotion mixed in their eyes, but mostly it was fear.


    He felt the tension leave him.


    ¡°Please, help us get home,¡± Said Brian, his voice shaking.


    Mark was confused. He didn¡¯t know why they feared him. He just saved their lives. They should have been happy. And thankful.


    But he did say anything. After looking at them, he caused the fire to divide into two firewalls that spread towards their village, engulfing the trees and animals in the way.


    Aileen and Alan picked Raheem and started to walk nervously. Their legs were shaking, their hands trembling. Raheem¡¯s body felt as heavy as a mountain. Brian and Garret led the way, thinking they would have to defend them, but no creature came at them. All the animals were running away from the fire that had suddenly spurted.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    The sun was a setting and night was descending bring a river of stars with it. But the dark cloud that refused to go away covered it and kept pouring a torrent of rain. But none of the rain seemed to reach the group, the fire burning anything that was coming into its vicinity.


    They walked for a night and a day without rest. They would switch places carrying Raheem¡¯s body after sometime, who still hasn¡¯t woken up, but his fever was high and increasing by the hour.


    ¡°We need to get to the herbalist¡­fast,¡± said Brian, looking at him with a worried expression.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he could save him. His has lost a lot of blood,¡± said Garret.


    They said nothing as they walked the rest of the way. They felt an intense gaze on their back. Their glances around the fire were mostly to see if the god was there, but they saw nothing. No matter where they looked, they couldn¡¯t find where the gaze was coming from.


    When they reached the edge, they saw a group of ten guards and the Chief standing at the gate in a distance. They couldn¡¯t make out who anyone was. They only notice the chief because of his dress.


    It was raining here too, but with less intensity than it was in the forest. The fire burned a road of some sort that was wide enough for twenty people to fit in at the same time. Then it slowly receded to the center, extinguishing itself.


    Aileen and the others looked back when the heat was gone to see the fire retreat and released a sigh of relief. They felt grateful that he had saved them, but after what they saw when they prayed to him; they were terrified.


    The heavy rain had turned the earth to a thick, clinging mud. Chief Talon stood on the battlement, hands gripping his soaked cloak, his eyes sharp but weary as they pierced through the downpour. When the figures emerged from the forest, his heart clenched. Brian leading them. They carried a body. For a moment, hope flicked in his eyes, then drained like water through his fingers as he saw the body wasn¡¯t her.


    ¡°Open the gates,¡± he yelled.


    He stepped forward, but his movements were halting, like a man walking on unsteady ground. Disappointment twisted his features, bitter and brief. He stopped, biting his lips, a guilty weight settling in his chest. His eyes flicked to his daughter in the distance¡ªalive, too alive.


    Another step, and now he was closer. The relief in his expression was almost imperceptible, a fleeting sigh. But with that relief came the hollow throb of regret, self-reproach gnawing at him. He didn¡¯t want her to die, not really, ¡®what right does she have to stand there, breathing, when¡ª¡¯


    His jaws tightened, hands trembling as he lead his way to them. He reached them shortly after and saw the body was Raheem.


    The eyes of the others were bloodshot from sleeplessness. They were dragging their bodies and were relieved, their faces brightening up a bit when they saw the chief. Except Aileen, who had lowered her head when she saw him.


    ¡°How is his conditions?¡± asked Talon.


    ¡°Not good, chief,¡± answered Brian.


    The others kept quiet.


    ¡°A guard will take him to the herbalist.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°You have a report to make.¡±


    They walked to the gate without talking.


    Aileen would steal glances at her father from time to time, but he showed no concern for her and never asked if she was hurt. He didn¡¯t even look at her throughout their walk to the gate. She bit her lip until it bled, but the rain washed the blood away.


    When they reached the gate, Talon ordered one guard to take Raheem to the herbalist. He then took the group to the chief¡¯s hall.


    The council was already waiting for them, sitting in a semi-circle. The chief took his sit. Three to his left and three to his right.


    All looked at the group with their wet furs, bloodshot eyes, and torn armors with wound all over their bodies. But it seems like they took care of most of those wounds. When they saw that, all the council members turned to Aileen, who still had her head low.


    ¡°So, did you find any trace of the Nightshrouds?¡± asked one of the council member without letting them catch a breath.


    ¡°No.¡± Answered Brian with a strained voice.


    ¡°What happened?¡± asked Talon.


    Brain stepped forward, ¡°something attacked us. They wouldn¡¯t die no matter how many times or which part we cut off. They always stood up like nothing happened. Some scouts that went missing were¡­among them.¡± He took a deep breath to calm his nerve. ¡°Only Aileen¡¯s flame could kill them.¡±


    The information seemed to stir the council more than the anticipated attack of the Nightshroud. They looked at Aileen, who was now looking at Brian in disbelief. Their eyes that were filled with concealed despise were now softened.


    ¡°Did she kill them all?¡±


    ¡°No, they were too many, and she was tired from healing Raheem.¡±


    ¡°Then how did you escape?¡±


    ¡°A help from god.¡±


    When Brian uttered those words, the council fell silent. Then they immediately stood up and started to yelling for more information or asking which god it was or some other things, but through it all Talon was silent. He watched Brian and the others. He tapped his chair once and the council member fell silence.


    ¡°Which god was it?¡± asked the Chief Talon.


    After a brief moment of silence, Brian answered, ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡±


    That send the council into panic mode and they started to accuse Brian of blasphemy.

 Where is Home?

    The noise from the council members seems to drown the sound of the heavy rain and thunder.


    Unable to hold it any longer, Talon yelled, ¡°silence.¡± Followed by a loud thunder.


    He had a frown when he looked at Brian without blinking for a minute.


    ¡°Did you pray to this supposed ¡®god¡¯?¡±


    Brian noticed when Talon said god there was something in his voice, almost like daring the god to punish him. He darted his eyes around the room; he released a sigh of relief when he found nothing.


    ¡°No, he saved us without us asking for anything. But I did pray for LUGUS.¡±


    ¡°Instead, this ¡®god¡¯ answered your prayers.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Did you do anything after he saved you?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­we prayed to thank him for saving us.¡±


    ¡°But you said you didn¡¯t know which ¡®god¡¯ it was.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t. Aileen started first, and she called him¡­¡®GOD OF FLAMES¡¯ and nothing happened to her, so we assumed that was his title and joined her.¡±


    Every council member and Talon turned to look at her. Aileen lowered her heads when she saw the look on the council members. Second ago they saw her with a bit of respect. Now it was gone and replaced with disgust and despise. But what hurt her the most was the expressionless face of her father.


    ¡®You¡¯re not even going to show me your anger.¡¯


    She had tears running down her face, but her wet furs and bloodshot eyes masked them, so nobody noticed. At least that was what she thought until she felt a hand on her hand. She turned to look. It was Alan who had a puzzled look. He looked at her and then at her father and back at her. His expression was now replaced by a frown.


    ¡°You prayed to this god without even knowing his name, let alone if he is a god. What if it was an Archon?¡± said one of the council member.


    Before Aileen could speak Brian answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know his name, Elder Isona, but I know with certainty that was not an Archon or an Ascendant. Whatever he is, he is beyond that.¡± He shivered when he said the last part. All the groups did.


    Aileen lowered her heads again, listening to the water drops as it fell from her body to the ground and the rain outside as it patters on to the ground from the roof. The sound together created a perfect, beautiful rhythm that helped distract her from the conversation.


    Seeing their reaction, Isona asked, ¡°what did you see?¡±


    Brian shook his head, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. ¡°Pray and you will find out.¡±


    Without saying anything he left the room, the others followed close behind him. Aileen remained so engrossed in the rhythm that Alan had to pull her away by the hand. The council members stared at them as they left. None of them did or said anything to stop them, seeing that the chief was silent.


    The rain seemed not to bother the group as they walked the dark streets. It was silent except for the rain and the sound as the wind made the signboards and windows of the homes squeak.


    ¡°What was that?¡± asked Alan, still holding her hand.


    She jerked her hand from him but stayed silent.


    ¡°You must be exhausted. Go and rest we will meet tomorrow,¡± said Brian.


    ¡°What about you guys? Your wounds¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us. You¡¯ve already done what you could for us. We¡¯ll go and see Amador. And when the rain stops, we¡¯ll meet with Rurik. Something about that wolf pup doesn¡¯t seem right.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Like, how did it end up in the forest?¡± said Garret.


    ¡°We will get to it later when we ask Rurik. For now, we should all get some rest, especially you Ali.¡± Said Brian, resting his paws on her shoulder.


    ¡°Who¡¯s going to tell Helena about Raheem?¡± asked Alan.


    They looked at each other in silence, waiting for one of them to speak up, but none of them did.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°Maybe we should wait until he wakes up.¡±


    ¡°Good idea.¡± They all nodded their heads.


    ¡°What if she heard we¡¯re back and asks about him?¡±


    ¡°Thank Drofiri for the rain. Now let¡¯s hope it rains until he wakes up.¡±


    Aileen split up from the group when they reached a crossroads. She was walking alone with the rain for a company she could share her deepest secrets. The rain had been falling steadily for hours, a dull, rhythmic patter that mirrored the weight pressing down on her chest. Each step was slow, her boots sinking into the mud as she walked down the familiar path. When someone suddenly grabbed her from behind, she immediately conjured fire in her hand, but the heavy rain extinguished it.


    She, for once, was glad it was raining, otherwise she might have hurt the one person she didn¡¯t want to.


    ¡°Sorry, Cinta. I didn¡¯t know it was you.¡±


    An older vulpine was behind her, a few meters between, scared by the fire that was formed at Aileen¡¯s hand. She had a few gray furs in the mix with the auburn. Her face softened as she waved at her not to worry, her warm smile contrasting against the bleak, gray world around them.


    ¡°I should be the one saying sorry, dear. It¡¯s bad luck to sneak on someone.¡± Her words came soft and warm, like honeyed tea on a cold evening, each word wrapping around her in a comforting embrace.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be out in the rain. You¡¯ll catch your death out here,¡± the woman said softly, stepping out to meet her. ¡°And I told you to call aunt. You¡¯re breaking my old, weak heart.¡±


    Aileen hesitated, her gaze still fixed on the path to the graveyard. But the woman¡¯s hand, gentle and firm on her shoulder, was a comfort she hadn¡¯t realized she needed and gave a small smile.


    ¡°There, my dear, you should smile more. It is a shame the world is robbed of it.¡±


    Cinta grabbed her hand again.


    ¡°Come to the house. The kids missed you terribly. And you look like you haven¡¯t eaten in days.¡±


    "Your mother wouldn¡¯t want you out here like this." The words cut through the haze of guilt, making her blink away the tears gathering in her eyes. Without a word, she followed Cinta to her house.


    As Aileen steps inside the house, the warmth immediately contrasts with the chilly rain that still clings to her. The familiar scent of simmering stew fills the air, rich with herbs, onions, and slow-cooked meat, comforting and homey. The sound of children''s laughter echoes from a nearby room, muffled but lively, a reminder of a life that feels distant and unreal.


    She entered a modest but warm room, lit by a low fire¡¯s crackle in the hearth. Soft, well-worn furniture surrounds a wooden table, the surface scratched and marked with years of use. The floor creaks slightly underfoot; she had missed that sound. The faint, sweet scent of freshly baked bread lingers, mixing with the earthy smell of wet wood from the porch outside, making her stomach growled loudly.


    Cintra looked at her with a grin, which embarrassed Aileen. ¡®Thank the gods, the kids didn¡¯t hear it.¡¯


    For a few seconds, the noise in the next room was silenced, and then it erupted into the loudest laughter. Aileen covered her eyes with her paws. Cintra let out a small laugh when she heard the children.


    She tried to distract herself with insignificant details¡ªthe firelight reflecting off the polished copper pots hanging on the wall, the woolen blanket folded over a chair by the hearth, always ready for someone to use. There¡¯s the faint rustle of curtains as a cool draft slips through a cracked window, and the flickering shadows play across the walls, making the space feel alive.


    Cintra gave her a knowing smile, the kind that says everything with no need for words. The air is thick with warmth and care, even in its simplicity, offering her a sanctuary from the coldness she felt.


    She heard a creaking sound when she sat down on one of the chair. Her limbs were heavy with exhaustion. From the next room, the sound of children laughing continued to fill the air, their giggles so carefree, so full of life. It made her smile faintly, though the smile never reached her eyes. She hadn¡¯t laughed like that in years.


    Cintra returned, wiping her hands on her apron. "It¡¯s good to see you safe. I heard you were on a mission... how was it?"


    ¡°Raheem was hurt.¡±


    ¡°And you, my dear, are you alright?¡±


    For a moment, she didn¡¯t answer, her hands resting limply in her lap. The words were stuck in her throat, choking her. "I¡¯m fine," she said eventually, but it sounded hollow even to her. Cintra didn¡¯t push, but her knowing gaze lingered.


    "You know," Cintra began, her tone casual but with a hint of concern, "my husband¡¯s caught up at the shop because of this rain. It¡¯s been pouring for days. He wanted to come home, but it¡¯s too dangerous."


    She nodded vaguely, her thoughts drifting back to her father¡¯s indifference. She wondered if it was ever possible for him to care, or if he was as caught up in his own grief as she was. He never talked to her about it.


    The children burst into the room, running circles around the table, laughing and chasing one another. They tried to grab her hands, to pull her into their games, but she just smiled faintly again, her gaze distant.


    Cintra watched her, her expression soft. "You don¡¯t have to talk about it if you¡¯re not ready," she said after a moment. "But if you do, I¡¯m here."


    She looked down at her paws, fingers tightening around the fabric of her clothes. The words slipped out before she could stop them. "It was my fault. My mother... she died because of me."


    The silence that followed was heavy. Cintra¡¯s eyes softened, and she took a seat across from her. "Your mother died protecting you," she said gently. "That wasn¡¯t your fault. She loved you more than anything, and she made her choice. A mother¡¯s love... it¡¯s stronger than any fear, any danger. I¡¯ll even say it is greater than the gods¡¯ love."


    She closed her eyes, feeling the tears she had held back for so long finally break free. The woman didn¡¯t say anything else, just let her cry, her presence a quiet comfort.


    When the tears finally stopped, she felt lighter somehow, though the grief was still there, still heavy. The scent of food wafted through the room again, and her stomach growled once more, louder this time. The woman smiled softly, getting up to prepare the meal.


    "Come, eat something. You need your strength."


    She didn¡¯t argue, and when Cintra placed a bowl of warm stew in front of her, she took the first bite slowly, savoring the warmth that spread through her body. The children¡¯s laughter still filled the house. And for the first time in a long time, she allowed herself to feel a bit of hope.

 Savior of the Lost

    Aileen woke up to the sound of a thunder. She got up and went to the window. She could hear as the rain fell on the window and the howl of the wind.


    ¡®It¡¯s still raining. Something is very wrong with the weather,¡¯ she thought.


    She put on clothes she found besides the bed. She went to see Cintra, who was making breakfast.


    ¡°Your awake, good. Wash up and come eat with us.¡±


    Aileen washed her hands and sat down. One by one, the children joined her, rubbing their eyes. Her lips curled up a bit looking at them.


    ¡°The dress still fits you well.¡±


    Aileen looked at herself and said, ¡°yes, thank you.¡±


    Cintra waved her paws in dismissal. ¡°Your clothes won¡¯t dry in this weather, so you can wear that until then.¡±


    She thanked Cintra and ate the warm food. After she finished eating, she asked Cintra for a cloak. She went home, changed to her cloak, then went to visit Raheem.


    As she steps into the herbalist¡¯s home, the thick, earthly smell of mixed dried herbs hits her first, a pungent mix of bitter roots and medicinal flowers. It¡¯s not unpleasant, but it fells heavy, like the air is too thick to breathe freely. Her eyes immediately drawn to Raheem, lying on the tow wooden cot, stabilized but pale. A faint sheen of sweat glistens on his brow, the faint rise and fall of his chest barely visible beneath the rough, bloodstained blanket. Her heart clenches with the sight, but she steels herself.


    The dim light in the room comes from a single candle perched on a cluttered shelf, its weak light glow casting long shadows. Dried bundles of herbs hang from the ceiling, their once vibrant colors now faded to brown and yellow swaying slightly in the draft from the door. Cloaks were hanged by the door, confusing her. She then saw Brian and the others sleeping on a chair and on the floor. They were not wearing their armor, but a casual cloth. The herbalist, an old fox with fur streaked with white, muttered to himself as he mixed something in a stone mortar. His hands, though gnarled with age, move with practiced precision. The soft grinding sound had a rhythm to it.


    She can smell the bitter tang of whatever he¡¯s preparing, sharp enough to make her nose twitch, and it mixes with the faint coppery scent of blood still lingering in the air. Her boots creak on the wooden floor as she steps closer, her gaze shifting between Raheem¡¯s face and the herbalist, who was now looking at her with a frown.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡­I¡¯ll take my cloak off.¡±


    She took off her cloak and put with where the others were.


    Brian woke up first to her sound, then Garret, followed by Alan.


    ¡°Ail, when did you get here?¡± asked Brian.


    ¡°Just now. How is he?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s stable. Amador says he might wake up today. So here¡¯s hoping.¡± Said Alan, rubbing his eyes.


    She nodded and sat on the empty chair on the other side of the bed. The rain continued relentlessly, the sound of loud thunder echoed occasionally, the wind howled, making the windows creak, making hard for her to hear the sound of the other¡¯s breathing, even her own breathing was hard to hear.


    ¡°Hey, Aileen, about what the chief¡ª¡± begun Alan, but he felt a nudge, turned to look Brian looking at him with a raised eyebrow. He give him an expression that said ¡®what¡¯ but Brian simply turned his gaze towards Aileen. She was stiff from the moment Alan begun speaking.


    ¡°Never mention her father in front of her again,¡± whispered Brian, his voice stern.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    She got up, grabbed her cloak and left the den in hurried steps. She heard Brian say, ¡°Now, look what you¡¯ve done, idiot¡­¡± but she couldn¡¯t hear what was said after because of the rain. By now, the water level on the street had risen to reach her knee¡¯s. But she didn¡¯t seem to care for it and simply marched forward. She passed by Cintra¡¯s home and reached the cemetery of the tribe.


    On the top of a hill in the middle of all was a single grave, the tombstone carved from a white stone. Mud had covered most of of the writhing on it, turning the tombstone to something ancient looking. So, she bend on her knee and started to clean it with her cloth. She didn¡¯t care for the mud that was dirtying her cloth and knee. It had her mother¡¯s name written on it in a big font, ¡®FIONNUALA.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I haven¡¯t visited much lately¡­¡± she knelt there for hours without moving with the rain pouring down at her. She talked about her problems. About Raheem, about the ¡®FIRE GOD¡¯ she encountered and the vision she saw, about her father. She cried through most of the conversation. Her shoulder kept moving up and down continuously as she sobbed hard, tears flowing down her cheeks, washed away by the rain.


    She got up, mud flowing down from her knees. She walked back home; the rain washing off the mud. Upon arriving home, she quickly changed her clothes, then made her way back to CIntra to return her cloak and cloth. Afterward, she collected her own clothes and headed back home again.


    She prepared a bath for herself. The water was icy, so she had to use her pyromancy to heat up the water to her liking. She closed her eyes, relaxed her body and mind while taking a bath. She tried to forget everything that has happened in this couple of days. Though the event kept flashing in her mind, the harder she tried to forget, especially the things she saw when she thanked ¡®that god¡¯.


    ******


    Mark was burning all the forest as the rain poured down on him. <i>¡®What is wrong with this rain? It¡¯s been raining nonstop for days. I need to find shelter or I might lose energy if this continued.¡¯</i>


    Looking for a place to hide until the rain passed, he started searching. He found a cave after searching for a day. He shrank himself to an ember and went into the cave.


    Due to his boredom and lack of activities, he opened the new system to ¡®investigate¡¯. Since he became whatever he was, sleep has eluded him. He could sleep if he tried really hard, but that was unnecessary additional work.


    [DIVINE NAME: GOD OF FLAME]


    [TITLE: SAVIOR OF THE LOST]


    [Churches/Temples: 0]


    [SOURCE ENERGY: 54/54]


    [MIRACLE: Blessing, Curses, Emberstep]


    He focused on each of them one by one.


    [GOD OF FLAME: The name given to you by your believers. Gives the abilities Divine Presence, Divine strengthening, Flame Amplification, Fire Nexus, Presence Summoning, Language of flames.]


    [Divine Presence: you can use Source Energy to increase your presence to appear Divine in the eyes of others]


    [Divine Strengthening: Each time your Divine Name is called by your believer, you will absorb source energy, increasing your power.]


    [Flame Amplification: It will amplify any fire near you and can increase the intensity using Source Energy.]


    [Fire Nexus: Help you sense any flame lit by a believer and helps you extend your awareness across the surrounding.]


    [Presence Summoning: your believers can summon you by invoking your Divine Name in a ritual. The stronger the faith, the more solid and powerful the manifestation.]


    [Language of flames: understand the language of any creature born of fire.]


    <i>¡®I gained all this from just a name, granted a divine one, but still¡­ wait, so, does that mean I could gain more ability if I could gain more Divine names?¡¯</i>


    [SAVIOR OF THE LOST: The title given to you by those that knows you. Gives you the abilities Pathfinder¡¯s Instinct, Beacon of Light, Empathy for the Lost, Homeward Bound.]


    [Pathfinder¡¯s Instinct: You have a supernatural sense of direction, always able to find the safest and quickest route to safety. Helps you avoid traps when guiding others.]


    [Beacon of Light: Appear as soft, guiding light that only the lost can see to help them find their way.]


    [Empathy for the Lost: You can sense when there are others that are lost around you.]


    [Homeward Bound: When you encounter someone lost, you gain a brief, heightened state of awareness and physical prowess.]


    <i>¡®Titles haves the same function as Divine name so, why are they in different category? Even the way to gain them is the same. I need to find their differences.¡¯</i>


    [Source Energy: It is the energy of the gods. You can increase your Source Energy by increasing your Believers. The more powerful the believer, the more Energy you gain from them. It is used to perform MIRACLES.


    <i>¡®Isn¡¯t this the one the voice said I used to evolve¡­ so, if I hadn¡¯t found believers, I wouldn¡¯t be able to evolved any further. I need to increase my followers. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll need more in the future.¡¯</i>


    [Blessing: Grant anyone your blessing by using Source Energy to the limit of your imagination and Source Energy. Blessing must be related to fire.]


    [Curses: Curse your Enemies by using Source Energy to the limit of your imagination and Source Energy. Curse must be related to fire.]


    [Emberstep: Teleport into a nearby fire through prayers of your believer. You need to be within a certain range of your believer.]

 The Terror of the Golden Eyes

    Mark stared at the explanation for everything. He read it again. And again. ¡®I need to gather more believers to evolve and the stronger they are, the better. I also need to figure out a way to attain more TITLES and DIVINE Names. Fro now I need to increase my skills. I also have to find out what would happen if I use Source Energy instead of Astral Essence for my skill. I¡¯ll do it when the rain stops.¡¯


    ¡®What is wrong with his rain? It¡¯s not normal. From the memories I got, there was never a rain like this. Maybe it might rain lightly for days but not this heavily and this one seems like it could go on for days.¡¯


    Mark pondered on the cause for such rain, but he couldn¡¯t come up with any feasible explanation. To the time he tried the things he saw in Aileen¡¯s memory. How she shaped fire to create many things and the one where she froze things with heat manipulation. He moved around the cave, freezing different rocks or melting some of them, creating a molten lava. When he increased the heat using Source Energy, the maximum temperature increased exponentially.


    He tried different skills like fireball, flamethrower, fire spear, flame arrow and other until the voice told him he had learned them.


    [Skills: ENERGY EYE, Spontaneous Combustion, Fireball, Flamethrower, Fire Spear, Flame Arrow, Flame Shield, Heat Manipulation]


    A day has passed since he started to experiment with magic and the sun was shining through the thick green forest leaves. Delighted by the sun after so many days of rain, Mark went out of the cave, going around the forest until he reached a colossal mountain with its top piercing through the clouds. The mountain stretched longer than he could see.


    ¡®These must be the Misty mountains. They are big. They might be bigger than Everest. And they stretch out to the ocean.¡¯ He thought. ¡®There is a human settlement beyond these mountains. I could go there unlike the other, the poison in the forest did nothing to me. I¡¯m sure the poison in the mountain and beyond won¡¯t do me any damage either. But what human can accept me like this¡­whatever this is?¡¯


    That thought made him depressed. He might not be able to talk to others like normal beings. He got away with pretending with the foxes, but the humans might not be easily fouled. ¡®They might see me as a demon or something. I need to find a way to turn into a human. Even if it¡¯s only temporary.¡¯


    So he started to explore the mountains.


    *****


    Aileen was taking a stroll in the morning light. After days of continuous rain, it was finally sunny. Wearing a comfortable red robe and a black leather gloves, she enjoyed the peace the morning breeze brought her. The wind was chilly so, she sometimes shivered slightly but mostly the sun was comforting, especially after their disaster mission.


    She saw as Cintra¡¯s husband ran towards his home. ¡®Glad he is alright,¡¯ she thought. He was carrying something she couldn¡¯t identify from the distance. She thought of giving him help to carry, but he was already out of sight by the time she had made her decision.


    She passed by the stable, heard the horses neighing. So, she went in, started to pet each one. When she reached the last stall, it was empty. She looked around and counted them again and again. There was one horse missing. She thought someone must have taken it to ride it in the sun. She didn¡¯t think much of it and went on with her stroll.


    She reached one of the gates of the village. There she saw Rurik sharpening his ax, getting ready to go out to the woods again. He was so focused he didn¡¯t notice anyone that approached him.


    She stood behind him, staring as he sharpened his ax. The sound of the ax as he grinds it against the whetstone was rhythmic. ¡®He should have been a blacksmith.¡¯


    ¡°Hello, Rurik.¡±


    She saw as he dived forward and roll. He raised his ax to his face level, with one knee on the ground. The shock in his eye as he stared at her with a wide eye in realization of who she was it amused her. She almost laughed as he scrambled and clumsily stood up.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°Luminary, what bring you here?¡± he give a slight bow as he said that.


    ¡°I was taking a stroll and ended up here. And I¡¯m glad that I did. I have something to ask you?¡±


    He gave her a nod.


    ¡°I wanted to ask you if you are sure it was a Nightshroud pup and not some other animal.¡±


    ¡°I might have forgotten many things, but the Nightshrouds wolf pack is not one of them, especially their howls. You may not remember it since you were a kid, and you were grieving, but I remember it vividly when they attacked our previous town.¡± His claws dug into his knees as if to anchor himself to the present. ¡°I still have nightmares about it. I remember their howl. I remember seeing one of them ripped my parents apart slowly while I hid like a coward, shaking, and shitting and pissing myself. I remember the scream of my parents as the beasts enjoyed their flesh and their agony like it was some kind of delicacy for them.¡± He was trembling violently when he recall that memory. ¡°I was lucky that a Luminary came and burned that DAMNED beast; otherwise, I would have died.¡± He clenched his hand so much blood was dripping down to the ground. He looked up and stared straight at her eyes with a barely contained rage, not at her, but at himself.


    ¡°So, yeah princess, I am certain it was a Nightshroud pup.¡±


    Aileen shifted beside him, her gaze softening. ¡°You were just a boy¡­¡±


    He shook his head sharply, not letting her finish whatever excuse she was coming up to comfort him. He had heard it many times, but it still doesn¡¯t change what happened. ¡°I should have done something.¡± The words came out as a hoarse rasp, filled with a mixture of shame and rage. ¡°I stayed there, hidden like a coward, while they¡­¡± his breath hitched, and he pressed the heel of his paw into his eye, as if that would stop the flood of memories. A tense silence hung between them, the only sound the howl of the wild wind.


    Then she leaned forward, resting a hand gently on his arm. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± Her eyes flickered with guilt when she said that.


    He yanked his arm back as if burned. ¡°You don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like!¡± he snapped, his voice rough with barely suppressed emotions. His heart hammered painfully in his chest. The air felt too thick. And her eyes¡ªthose eyes.


    He shot to his feet, his hand trembling as if he was still that boy beneath the floorboards. ¡°How could you understand?¡± his voice wavered between anger and fear.


    Her expression flickered¡ªsurprise, maybe even guilt¡ªbut she remained standing, her hands folded in her laps. ¡°You think I don¡¯t?¡± she asked, and in her mind she thought, ¡®I understand more than anyone.¡¯


    He pressed a hand against his chest, feeling the sharp edge of panic rising. ¡°You¡ª¡± his voice broke. He clenched his fists, claws biting into his palms until the pain grounded him. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± he looked at her eyes but immediately diverted his eyes elsewhere.


    He stepped back, as if needing distance from her, too closed and she might transform, become one of them, jaws snapping and fangs bared.


    ¡°You¡¯re not that helpless boy anymore,¡± Aileen whispered, her voice quiet but shaky.


    He closed his eyes, breath shuddering, trying to hold himself together. But the past never left. It gnawed at his insides like those beasts that had torn through his family¡ªmerciless and endless.


    Finally, he let out a low, broken sigh. ¡°Maybe not. And I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll ever stop feeling like I am. But this time when they come, I¡¯ll be ready. This time it¡¯ll be different. Because this time they will be the ones to scream.¡±


    *****


    While he was looking around the mountains, the sunlight started to dim slowly. He looked up and saw dark clouds gathering overhead. ¡®What the fuck is wrong with this weather?¡¯


    It hadn¡¯t been that long since it had stopped raining¡­ maybe a few hours. And now it seems it was going to rain again. It looks like it was going to be a heavy rain. More than the previous one.


    ¡®It almost feels like it is targeting me, but why? It doesn¡¯t matter for now¡­I need to find another cave. I can¡¯t afford to lose more energy points because of the rain.¡¯


    Luckily, he found a cave amidst the mountains a little after it started to rain. So, he didn¡¯t lose too much energy points.


    After a day of staying inside the cave, the rain stopped. He went out to explore more, but after a few hours, it rained again. The pattern repeated itself again. And again. It rained when he was out and stopped when he hid. So he chose one of the caves around the mountains. And stayed there.


    To pass the time, he started to practice magic. To learn new skills or to be proficient in those he already knew. During one of those practices, the wall of the cave crumbled because of an explosion from his magic. It opened up a passageway down. The way down was dark, with him being the only source of light. But he went down that path and after sometime he saw a light ahead.


    When he emerged, he saw a group of five short people with wide shoulders and thick arms talking among themselves in a language he didn¡¯t understand. ¡®Are they Dwarfs? They seemed to be arguing about something.¡¯ After some heated argument, the leader of the group, or who seemed to be the leader, took the lead to go near the lava that was flowing like a river.


    He spoke some words he didn¡¯t understand and threw something into the lava. Nothing happened for about a minute. When Mark was confused as to why they would do such things, the lava parted ways as a figure rose from underneath. The figure, at least ten feet tall, was made of lava. Its skin is made of blackened rock, with lava flowing through its hot, orange-red veins, and had wings of smoke and flame, with a whip made of pure fire extended from its hand into the lava beneath.

 Hope for the Future

    ¡°What do you want in exchange, Dvarga?¡± asked the lava creature. Mark understood every word the creature said, like it was his first language. He remembered then that he had gained an ability related to his Divine Name.


    [Language of flames: understand the language of any creature related to fire.]


    This ability was what helping him understand the lava creature. And he didn¡¯t know how, but he somehow knew what the creature was and its abilities, ¡®a balrog.¡¯


    From what he knew of them, they were wrathful beings that only seek to destroy any living or non-living things in their ways. Whatever the dwarfs did before seemed to have pacified the creature. And for it to have a conversation with them, whatever they give it, it must be something it very much wanted¡­or needed.


    The Dwarf, or Dvarga, as he was called or was it the name of their race, was sweating profusely from the fire aura the Balrog was emitting around him. As soon as the sweat left his body, they would evaporate in the air. Mark was sure the Dvagra was wearing something that decrease the heat coming from the Balrog.


    He answered the Balrog in the same language he had spoken before and the Balrog seemed to understand what he was saying.


    ¡°You want me to kill a Seargrim? That will cost you more than you promised.¡±


    ¡®What is a Seargrim?¡¯ Mark asked himself. ¡®the dwarfs want to kill it. Why?¡¯ he had questions but he didn¡¯t know how to approach them. And most of all, he was afraid of the Balrog. He only knew their ability, not how powerful they can be. So, he watched silently as the Dvagra fidgeted for a few seconds. He would turn to look at his companion, but they would avoid direct eye contact, as if afraid or ashamed to look him in the eyes. At last he turned to the Balrog and gave him his answer.


    ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll see it done.¡± Then the creature submerged into the lava and disappeared.


    The group of dvagras released their breath they had been holding since the start of the ritual. Summoning a Balrog was a tremendous gamble, even if it was for something as grandiose as taking the throne. They fell on their hips and wiped their sweats; the leader had sweat more than the rest as he was closer than it and had to face its overwhelming, almost suffocating pressure that was coming out of the Balrog. When Mark looked closed, he saw the leader had a wet pants, which almost made him laugh, but considering he would have fared much worse than him, he stopped.


    He saw them collect themselves and head deeper into the cave, following the lava upstream.


    He followed them until they went into a narrow, dark underground tunnel. The leader took out a white orb that had some kind of runes drawn all over it. Immediately after they went inside, he saw the leader channel something into the orb. The orb emitted a bright white light immediately. So, not to be caught, he stayed behind.


    After waiting for a while, Mark went after them. The tunnel was dark, the only light coming from him. After walking for a few minutes, he came out of the tunnel and was met with a bustling underground city. There were loud noise, from a blacksmith workshop to a stonemason hammering down on a stone to build walls, homes or other crafts.


    It surprise Mark to find such rich and developed city with lofty towers that could be seen from afar and transport that seemed to move faster than an eye could follow. Some if had a levitating transport, but the speed of such vehicle looked slow compared to the other, but still as fast as a modern car.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    There were other crafts and technologies that Mark had never seen but were magnificent. He was so absorbed by them that he didn¡¯t notice the passage of time. Only when the lights around the city dimmed and the noise died down that he noticed there were giant white orbs like the one he had seen the leader use but much, much bigger. It was as big as a football stadium and there were three more like it spread throughout the entire city.


    ¡®They must have used those as a substitute for the sun.¡¯ Upon a closer look, he noticed that the runes on these white orbs were slightly different. ¡®It must be for the intensity and color of the light.¡¯


    Their technologies and advancement were high. Mark doubted that any other city in the world could match theirs. He followed the lava river from before to find it was coming from another lava river that had split, but it looked like it was not because of natural cause. After some investigation he found that the Dvagra had used some techniques to divide to lava river and use it for their own purpose¡­mostly to craft something.


    The main lava river came from something that looked like a waterfall, but instead of water, it was lava. He wanted to follow the lava, but something pulled him back, like his strings were being pulled by something invisible. He turned and looked around to find nothing¡­no one. Despite searching his surroundings, he still found nothing. When he thought it was nothing more than his imagination, the feeling came again, but this time was more powerful.


    He followed the pull for it to disappear again, so he waited and the feeling came again. He continued to follow the pull until it vanished and wait for it to come back. After a while, he reached the source of this pull.


    It was a two story home made of stones and rocks. It had a beautiful design and some decorations on the wall, but when he got closer, the decorations brightened up a bit. That was when he realized they were runes carved into the walls. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t enter the house.


    He heard hurried and heavy footsteps getting closer by the second. So, he immediately bolted out of there. He didn¡¯t what to meet whoever that could set up a complicated rune like that¡­runes he didn¡¯t understand for most parts. But he did understand some that were related to fire. If an intruder was detected and if they were closer enough to the door, they would have been incinerated.


    He tried to find a way out of this underground city, or maybe he should call it a country or an empire. It was so complex. There were many other cities like it. Some were small, and some were bigger¡­much bigger.


    It was crazy to think that there was this whole new world underground, and it was dominated by Dwarfs or Dvagra as they were called in this world.


    During his search, he met beasts he never had seen before and some he did, like the ten feet giant tarantula, luckily it was weak since he burned it to ashes. Or the giant mole. He didn¡¯t have much problem moving around, but he avoided going deeper into the earth.


    After searching for what felt like days, Mark finally found an exit to the world above. It evening as the sun was setting, bathing the sky red and orange.


    He found himself on the other side of the misty mountain range. This side was also filled with trees as big as the ones on the previous side. It was almost like the mountain range appear in the middle of the misty forest.


    When he used more energy for his Energy Eye, the world became brighter, like it was filled with colors and every detail in the surrounding became clearer for him. He saw an army of ants carry their food back to the colony, or other insects prey on another. Or as a tiger stalk his unsuspecting prey, everything on its body becoming detailed for him to study. Slowly, he floated toward the forest¡¯s end, enjoying every moment and appreciating the sights. He wouldn¡¯t have seen such things back on earth, but here¡­things were different. There were many such scenes, or maybe even more magnificent, for him to see, enjoy, and explore, and he couldn¡¯t wait for it. It differed from the misty forest as it wasn¡¯t covered in that much of mist that could be difficult for the human eyes to see within a two meter radius. But here the mist was thin and others could see for about twenty meters ahead of them, maybe much larger than that if they were well versed in Astral Essence. When he was about to reach the end of the forest, two individuals intrude on the range of his Energy Eye. The two intruders were running. One chasing the other.

 Robert

    Robert ran through the dense forest, shooting fireballs rapidly and it would always miss its target, hitting the trees nearby, burning them slowly.


    It was hard to see through the thick canopy of leaves that were so close to each other, like they were embracing each other. But he used his fire as a shield around him with a few meters radius to burn any branch and leaf that got in his way. Still, his target had remained distant from him. He could barely make out the dark silhouette of the person through the gap between the leaves.


    His breath came in heavy pants, throwing off his aim, but he managed to hit his target on his shoulder when he fired the last small fire spear. It didn¡¯t have much power packed behind it. He only fired it to stall his target, and it worked wonderfully. The impact knocked his target off balance, causing him to trip over a root and fall.


    His target groaned as he fell down, the ground removing the hood of his dark cloak. The impact of his fall against the ground intensified the pain of the burning fire spear in his shoulder. Robert used an explosion beneath his feet to propel himself so that he could close the distance rapidly. Fire gushed out of his hand continuously as he flew through the trees. He burned the branches and sometimes made a hole through the trunk of the trees, not to slow down his speed.


    ¡°You are not escaping me again! Coward! Not again! You will pay for everything!¡± Robert roared, as he went through another tree truck by melting a hole in it.


    Robert, then, quickly caught up to him when he was trying to stand up. He kneed him on his jaw, breaking a few teeth that his opponent spit out as his neck twisted, blood and saliva mix with them fell and splattered on the ground.


    Just as his opponent was about to fall again, a pristine white arm bone reached out and grabbed his upper arm, preventing him from falling.


    Robert had flown ahead a bit, unable to control his speed. When he turned, he saw as the white bone arm stabilized his opponent. The hand had no origin, it just materialized out of thin air, but he saw a small black portal from where the arm had reached out from. After his opponent stabilized, the white bone arm started to retreat back to the very small black portal. The portal gave Robert the feeling of coldness like winter snow, but he felt it deep inside his soul. He shivered as the portal closed, distracting him from the fight, enough for his opponent to make his move.


    The same kind of arms stretched out of the ground beneath Robert, grasping his calves, rooting him to the ground. He felt the same coldness he felt from that small black portal, chilling his soul instead of his body. There was no visible ice on his calves or anywhere on his body, but he was shivering, feeling cold, his every breath releasing a white mist.


    The arms started sinking slowly into the ground, dragging him with them. Fortunately, the progress was slow, in fact, too slow, that it gave him time to think of a way out. He just have to free his mind from the pain of his soul or maybe it was his spirit freezing, turning into an ice sculpture.


    He raised his head to his opponent, who was wearing a black cloak, his brown hair fluttering with the chilly breeze of the morning wind. His black eyes fixated on his eyes, unnerving him. Those were not the eyes he remembered. They weren¡¯t even the same color as they were kids.


    The man approached at a slow, leisurely pace, like he was strolling through a park, and he saw as the ground split and a short sword made of bone rose from the cracks. He grasped it with his right hand as he continued to walk toward him. Although he struggled and used brute force, he could not break free; the bones were as hard and strong as a giant¡¯s arm. He tried to use his flames, but his mind processing capability was diminishing, making it so that his astral essence move along his body at a turtle¡¯s pace, making small sparks here and there.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    His mouth started to move as he approached him close enough for Robert to hear him say, ¡°it¡¯s been a long time, brother?¡±


    The word ¡®brother¡¯ made his blood boil, his face contorted, the veins in his temple throbbed and bulged.


    His voice quivered as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t call me that. You were never my brother, bastard.¡± His voice raising with each word. ¡°You are nothing but a parasite, an imposter using his face, his body, for your own twisted game.¡± His spat, as his spit punctuated his every word, glistening in the morning sunlight that had pierced through the leaves of the forest. His lips curled back, baring his teeth like a cornered animal, saliva glistening in the corner of his mouth.


    His opponent¡¯s burn-wound on his shoulder started to heal as the surrounding plants, trees, undergrowth, everything around him withered and turned to ash slowly. His broken teeth grow back one by one. When he took his seventh step, he was fully healed and his stamina was fully restored.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too, brother? How are Ignasi and Lucia?¡± he said with a slight smile. Robert didn¡¯t know if he genuinely cared or if he was mocking him. That smile was the same smile he had when they were kids. But now he couldn¡¯t be absolutely sure that it had the same meaning as before. It must have changed, otherwise it would mean that the person¡­the thing in front of him was truly his brother. That means everything he did was because he wanted to. That would mean his brother truly did betray them. And this was a fact he couldn¡¯t¡­he wouldn¡¯t accept.


    Robert lost his focus because of his anger and the confusion he had with the recent behavior he saw. If he wasn¡¯t, he would have noticed that the skeleton arms that were wrapped around his calves have stopped to sink to the ground.


    ¡°Are you really there, Darius? Are you still alive?¡± asked Robert, unsure whether he wanted it to be true or not. He wanted his brother back, but if his action were his own, then¡­ the betrayal would hurt that much more. It was easier to believe the one in front of him was not his brother¡­it was not Darius.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I heard that name.¡± Said Darius, as he continued to walk toward him.


    ¡°Why, Darius? Why did you betray us? Betray him? Why¡­why did you kill him? Why?¡± Robert¡¯s voice cracked with emotion.


    Darius paused a few feet away. ¡°I never wanted to hurt you, Robert, nor did I want him to die. But the choices I made¡­they were necessary.¡±


    ¡°Necessary? Necessary? you destroyed everything!¡± Robert¡¯s voice rose, fury rekindling. ¡°Your necessity destroyed more lives and families than the fucking war.¡± His voice echoed through the forest. ¡°We were family! You were our brother! He raised you like his own son and you killed him in cold blood because of what¡­ a fucking necessity? Tell me then what was so fucking important than family? What was so important, so necessary, you had to betray everyone and everything?¡±


    Darius looked down, guilt flickering in his eyes, but Robert was too furies to notice. ¡°I did what I had to, for reasons you may never understand.¡±


    Robert struggled harder. Fire flaring weakly around him. ¡°I can¡¯t FORGIVE YOU.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to,¡± Darius said softly, stepping closer. In one swift motion, he plunged the bone sword into Robert¡¯s chest, just below his shoulder. Robert gasped, expecting a killing blow, but the pain, though sharp, wasn¡¯t fatal. The rot spread slowly, darkening his skin, but Darius¡¯s eyes betrayed no intention of ending his life. As Robert¡¯s vision blurred, Darius gently laid him down. ¡°I never wanted to kill you, or him,¡± he murmured. ¡°I still care for all of you, even if you can¡¯t see it.¡±


    Darius leaned in, his voice a whisper. ¡°I do love you all, Robert. But love isn¡¯t always enough.¡±


    As Robert¡¯s consciousness faded. He heard whispers in a language he couldn¡¯t understand. Yet, he felt its intent¡ªa fervent call to worship a god of flames. Confusion twisted in his mind; in this world, there was no god of flames. The entity¡¯s words seemed deceptive, but some part of him knew he needed the help of whoever or whatever this entity was, if he was to come out of his alive, and maybe just maybe, he might complete his vengeance against his so-called brother. The last thing he saw was Darius¡¯s sorrowful gaze, and the surrounding forest lighting up in flames. Everything was red and orange before everything went black.