Chapter – The Warning of Night
The moonlight filtered through the ancient canopy like silver threads, painting the forest floor in broken patches of light. The air here was thicker, charged with an otherworldly stillness, as though even the wind held its breath.
Kael, Liora, and Anand sat near the center of a wide glade, surrounded on all sides by Shadow Wolves. Dozens of crimson eyes blinked from the darkness, steady, unblinking, and watchful. But none moved—not when the colossal figure loomed above them.
The wolf called Night.
He was unlike the others, his body cloaked in shadows so dense they bled into the ground beneath him. His presence alone made the clearing feel smaller, heavier, as if the forest itself bent around him. When he spoke, his voice wasn't sound but weight—like thunder pressing into the bones.
"You tremble not," Night rumbled, his glowing eyes sweeping over the three humans. "Most would fall to their knees before my kin. Yet you sit. Boldness, or ignorance?"
Kael shifted, arms folded as casually as he could manage. "Call it what you like. We didn't come here to fight you."
Beside him, Liora kept one hand on Peru—Garix, she reminded herself now—her fingers buried in his shadowy fur as if to anchor him. Her voice was softer but firm. "We came because he chose us. That has to count for something."
Night's eyes narrowed, glowing like molten coals. His massive head tilted toward Garix. "Chose…? A wolf of shadows chooses humans?" A deep rumble vibrated in his chest, equal parts wonder and disapproval. "Our kind has known nothing of choice. Only chains."
Anand, quiet until now, finally spoke. His voice was sharp, clipped. "You think you're the only ones betrayed? Humans bind shadows because they fear them. You should know—it isn't just wolves who are chained."
Night's gaze lingered on him. The weight of it made even Anand's calm waver, though he hid it well.
For a long moment, silence held the clearing. Then Night's growl softened, a low resonance that seemed to ripple through the pack.
"Perhaps… that is why Garix walks with you. But know this—our attack earlier was no mistake. It was a trial." His eyes swept across Kael and Liora. "We had to see if your bond was pretense. If you sought to leash him as others have. Many times have humans spoken of friendship, only to wield us as blades."
Kael frowned, his grip tightening on his sword. "So you attacked us just to see if we'd kill him? That's—"
Liora touched his arm, shaking her head gently. She met Night's burning eyes, her own steady and unflinching. "You had to be sure. I understand."
Night studied her for a long while before lowering his head slightly. "You are not without sense, child."
The pack stirred, low growls rippling through the shadows, but none dared move while their leader stood.
Then, Night's tone shifted—deeper, more dangerous.
"But now, choice or no, we must hide." His gaze sharpened. "The monsters know. They felt the rift the moment Garix stood with you. Already whispers spread—that the Shadow Wolves have betrayed them."
Kael sat up straighter, eyes narrowing. "Let them whisper. If they want to come, I'll cut them down."
A ripple of amusement crossed Night's growl. "Brave words… for a child who has yet to see true darkness."
"Running won't stop them either," Kael pressed. "If we hide, they'll hunt us anyway."
Liora's voice broke through, conflicted. "But Kael… if Garix is their target, isn't it safer to move? If they bring more than goblins next time—"
"Then we fight," Kael snapped, though his voice carried more desperation than defiance.
Anand finally rose, stepping into the silver glow of the clearing. His shadows curled faintly at his feet, restless, alive. "Night isn't wrong. Strategy matters more than pride. If we stay exposed, they won't send goblins again. They'll send something stronger. Maybe something none of us can handle."
Kael scowled, ready to argue, but the weight in Anand's tone silenced him. For once, it wasn't coldness—it was clarity.
Night's massive head lowered, his eyes gleaming like twin stars. "One of you understands."
A long pause followed, filled only by the restless shifting of the wolves around them. Then, slowly, Night raised his gaze toward the sky.
Above the canopy, the moon was pale and thin, its light struggling through the clouds.
"The ones who come will not be goblins," Night intoned. "Nor ogres. Nor even the lesser beasts who roam the fringes." His voice grew colder, darker. "A storm brews in the depths. Should one of the Nine Hells rise from slumber… even I may not shield you."
The name struck like ice through the clearing.
Liora's breath caught. She had heard the whispers in her studies—nine demons so powerful they stood apart from all others, each a calamity given flesh. If even one appeared…
Kael swallowed hard but forced a smirk anyway. "Great. As if finals weren't enough, now we get apocalyptic demons too?"
Liora elbowed him lightly, though her own face was pale.
Anand said nothing. He only stood there, eyes fixed on the shadows shifting at the edge of the clearing, as though he could already feel the pull of something far darker stirring in the night.
Garix pressed against Liora's side, his crimson eyes glowing faintly—not in fear, but in a quiet promise. No matter what came, he would not leave them.
The bond was real.
But so was the danger.
And as Night's warning lingered in the air, the forest felt heavier still, like the whole world held its breath before the storm.