The pine-scented air burned cold in Jade's lungs as he crouched low, Lio's small frame huddled against his back. Behind them, the smear of half-crushed underbrush told the story — wolves had been circling for some time, and now the pack was moving in.
The boy's heartbeat rattled against Jade's spine like a frantic drum.
"Stay close," Jade whispered, his voice razor-steady despite the thunder in the forest. "Don't let go."
A snap of twigs to the left. A low growl to the right. The circle was tightening.
He let his fingers brush against the frozen air, pulling on that endless reservoir of mana. Frost feathered across his skin, his breath steaming as the world around him slowed to a killing calm.
The first wolf lunged from the shadows, a blur of mottled grey. Its fangs gleamed like iron under the fractured moonlight.
Jade pivoted on his heel, arm flashing out —
CRACK.
A blade of ice erupted from the ground, skewering the beast mid-leap. It let out a choked snarl before collapsing, body stiffening into a crystalline sculpture before shattering into fragments.
Lio gasped, his grip tightening on Jade's tunic.
But the forest didn't pause. More shadows leapt, four, six, eight — eyes burning red, pelts bristling with fury. The pack had tasted death and wanted blood for it.
Jade exhaled slowly, irises gleaming with twin lights — silvery-grey and golden-purple, overlapping like twin stars burning in the night.
"Then come," he murmured.
The wolves came.
The first slammed toward him from the front. Jade spun low, sweeping his arm in an arc — a crescent of frost exploded outward, carving through fur and flesh. The beast crumpled, howling.
Another leapt for Lio. Jade teleported.
The world bent around him in an instant, the cold rippling as he reappeared between boy and monster. His hand shot forward, seizing the wolf's muzzle with terrifying precision. Ice bloomed across its face, freezing it solid before Jade slammed it into the ground, shattering bone and frost alike.
Lio ducked behind the rocks again, hands over his ears, but his wide eyes never left Jade. He'd thought his friend strong, yes — but this was different. This was something out of the legends whispered by men too drunk to believe themselves.
Three wolves tried to flank him. Jade didn't move — not until the exact second they pounced.
Then he whispered, "Frozen Grave."
The earth itself answered. Spikes of jagged ice erupted in a circle around him, skewering the charging beasts mid-stride. Their bodies twisted grotesquely, pinned like broken marionettes against the ground. Blood steamed as it hit the frost.
The air grew colder still. His aura expanded, an invisible frost seeping into the trees. Branches sagged under sudden rime, and the ground beneath their feet cracked as water froze in veins.
But more wolves poured from the darkness, the rest of the pack unwilling to flee. Their howls echoed through the pines — and somewhere deeper in the forest, another howl answered.
Low. Deep. Ancient.
Lio stiffened. "J-Jade… that one… it doesn't sound like the others."
Jade's eyes narrowed. His senses sharpened, the darkness unfurling around him like a second set of instincts. The air shifted.
And then he saw it.
A massive shape slinking between the trees, larger than the rest, its fur streaked with scars that glowed faintly under the moonlight. Its eyes weren't red like the others — they gleamed a venomous, unnatural yellow.
The Alpha.
It emerged with terrible grace, every step radiating dominance. The smaller wolves melted aside as it padded forward, lips curling into a growl that made the earth seem to tremble.
Jade straightened, drawing Lio behind him with one hand. "Stay back."
The Alpha's gaze fixed on him, unblinking. It was intelligent. Too intelligent.
The circle re-formed. More wolves closed in, their bodies taut, waiting for their leader's command. The air pressed down heavy, charged with killing intent.
Jade flexed his fingers, summoning another spear of ice. The dual irises in his eyes pulsed faintly, golden and silver overlapping, blazing brighter with the thrill of danger.
This wasn't just another fight. This was the test his system had whispered of, though no message had appeared. Instinct told him: defeat the Alpha, or none of them leave this forest.
The beast snarled — and the entire pack surged forward as one.
---
Steel-slick reflexes carried him through the first wave. He moved like a phantom, teleporting from one side of the circle to the other, cutting down wolves with every reappearance. His frozen aura lashed out, slowing limbs, chilling bones, snapping jaws shut with ice that spread faster than they could resist.
But for every wolf he felled, two more lunged. Their bodies piled in frost-shattered heaps, yet the pack did not falter.
Then the Alpha struck.
It moved like lightning, far faster than its size promised, claws raking across the ground as it barreled into him. Jade raised an arm, ice condensing into a shield just in time —
BOOM.
The impact sent him sliding back, boots carving trenches in the frozen earth. His shield cracked, fragments scattering like glass.
Lio screamed from behind the rocks. "Jade!"
The Alpha didn't wait. It lunged again, jaws snapping for his throat.
Jade dropped low, teleporting behind it — but the beast twisted, impossibly fast, tail lashing like a whip. It caught him across the chest, hurling him into a tree. Bark splintered, his lungs heaved, but he was already rolling to his feet, frost sealing across his bruised ribs in a cold armor.
The Alpha growled, lips curling back to reveal gleaming fangs.
Jade's irises burned brighter, mana surging.
"You'll regret that."
Then.
He unleashed it.
Ice storms erupted around him, jagged shards spiraling through the air like blades. Wolves shrieked as they were torn apart mid-leap, bodies shredded and frozen in an instant. The forest floor became a graveyard of glassy corpses.
The Alpha plowed straight through it, ignoring the storm, blood matting its fur. It wanted him. Only him.
It leapt again — but this time Jade didn't dodge.
He raised both hands, palms outstretched.
"Frozen Dominion!"
The world answered.
For an instant, silence. Then the ground beneath the Alpha exploded with towering spires of ice, engulfing the beast in a prison of jagged crystal. It roared, thrashing, claws carving trenches in the walls, but the ice reformed faster than it could break free.
Jade stepped forward, breath ragged but controlled. He lifted his hand, frost collecting into a single, spear-like point.
"For Lio."
He hurled it.
The spear pierced straight through the Alpha's skull.
The beast shuddered, let out a final, broken howl — then collapsed, its massive body encased in glimmering frost.
---
Silence.
The forest, moments ago alive with death and violence, now stood still. The corpses of wolves steamed in the cold air, their red staining the snow-bright frost.
Jade exhaled, lowering his arm.
Lio scrambled from the rocks, tripping over his own feet in his rush. He threw himself at Jade, clinging to his sleeves in sheer excitement
"That was awesome, Jade!". He voices boomed across the now empty space.
"Teach me !", he cried, his eyes sparkling in excitement.
Jade let out a faint chuckle, ruffling his hair. "Idiot."
Lio's small fists tightened against him. "I'm serious Jade, when will I be asleep strong as you ?!, I wanna fight monsters too and go
. Pew pew"... He rambled on while demonstrating with his entire body.
For the first time that night, Jade let himself smile. He wrapped one arm around the boy, steady, warm despite the ice.
The moment lingered, soft amid the carnage.
But then—
A new sound.
Not the crack of ice. Not the whimper of dying wolves.
A low rumble. Deeper. Heavier.
The trees themselves shuddered as something far larger moved in the darkness beyond. A stench rolled through the forest, acrid and thick with decay.
Lio froze, eyes wide. "Jade… what is that?"
Jade's dual irises gleamed sharper, narrowing into slits.
"…Not a wolf."
From the shadows, glowing red eyes opened. Dozens of them. A towering silhouette shifted, blotting out the moonlight.
A real threat had arrived.
----------------------------------------------------
Sorry for the short chapter guys
Wrote it in a hurry.
Been extremely busy today
I'm sorry please bear with me
I'll make it up to y'all by uploading an extra chapter tomorrow ☺️
Have a nice day ☺️