The forest was dense, dampness clung to the leaves, and strange sounds drifted among the high branches, while shadows moved slowly with each gust of wind.
Eren walked cautiously behind Leylin, his eyes scanning the muddy paths beneath his feet. Whenever he felt afraid, he touched the palm where the fiery wings had once appeared, remembering the warm flame that had saved her.
"Leylin... Do you feel this?" he asked in a low voice as the wind crept through the trees, carrying a strange scent like cold ash.
Leylin paused, her golden eyes peering through the trees, where a light mist concealed a large, slowly creeping object.
"Get ready... Something is watching us."
At that moment, they heard the cracking of branches, and a massive figure covered in deep black fur, its long limbs, and its eyes glowing a faint red amidst the shadows, emerged from the mist.
The Shadow Beast silently watched them before opening its mouth, a faint whisper escaping:
"Fire Spirits... Winds... hand me... your powers..."
Eren felt a shiver run down his spine as Leylin's hand unconsciously caught a small flame.
"Eren... this is a Shadow Beast, feeding on fire and spirit energy. If we allow it to get close, it will absorb all of our power."
There was no time to think, as the beast suddenly lunged at him with a speed unbecoming of its massive size, its black claws extended towards Eren.
Eren leaped aside, raising his hand to light a small fire, but it quickly died down as the beast approached, as if the shadows were smothering the spark.
"It's no use... fire doesn't work against it!"
Eren cried out as the beast slowly turned toward him, creeping slowly, its heavy footsteps piercing the silence of the forest.
Leylin quickly advanced, raising her hand to ignite a powerful red fireball and throwing it at the monster. But when the fire touched its body, it went out and disappeared into the shadow, as if it had never existed.
Leylin's eyes widened in shock:
"It's absorbing flames...!"
The monster grabbed Eren's shoulder and forcefully slammed him to the ground, bringing its mouth to his chest as the shadow enveloped his hand, attempting to draw out the red energy within.
Eren felt a chill suffocate his chest, as if his heart were extinguishing. His eyes slowly closed as he heard a warm whisper:
"The wind... isn't just a breeze..."
Suddenly opening his eyes, he felt the wind pass through his body, moving within his chest, then rushing toward his palm.
He raised his trembling hand toward the monster. Instead of lighting the fire, he focused on the wind, feeling it swirling, twisting, and turning into a small whirlpool.
"Lylin! Fire... Use it now!"
Lylin understood what he meant. She lit a small flame and threw it toward the wind Eren was guiding. The flame merged with the wind, transforming into a whirl of dancing fire, resembling a small dragon swirling swiftly around Eren's hand.
Eren screamed as he pushed the whirl toward the beast's chest. The instant it touched him, he couldn't absorb the fire this time, as the wind was forcing the flames deeper inside.
The beast let out a loud scream, its body disintegrating into shadows flying through the air before exploding in a red flash, leaving a heavy, smoky scent in its wake.
Eren sat on the ground, catching his breath, as Lilin ran over to him, kneeling beside him, and placing her hand on his shoulder, her eyes shining with tears of relief.
"I... I did it, Eren... I merged the wind with the fire!"
He smiled despite his exhaustion:
"I think... the wind really is a friend of fire."
They both stood up slowly, watching the ash fly through the air and the fog clear to reveal a long forest path, not knowing where it would lead them.
But Eren knew one thing...
That this forest wouldn't stop them anymore.
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