The forest was quiet that night—too quiet.
Julian crouched behind a thick bush, trying to steady his breathing as his heart pounded in his chest. Ahead in the clearing, four massive shapes moved under the pale moonlight.
Howlers.
They were wolves as big as giant bears, covered in black fur with long horns and four glowing red eyes each. Every step they took made the ground shake beneath them.
Julian swallowed. His hand trembled slightly as he whispered, "This is a bad idea."
Erevos' calm voice echoed inside his head. "Then do not act. You can always remain as you are… weak."
Julian frowned at the empty air. "You make it sound like I chose to be."
He let out a sigh and looked at the glowing words floating in front of his eyes.
[Target: HOWLER – Rank D]
Strength: 20
Speed: 18
Endurance: 16
He swallowed hard again. They were stronger than him in every single way.
But he couldn't back out now.
He drew in a slow, deep breath then flexed his fingers, feeling weak sparks flicker around his hand.
"Alright," he muttered quietly, "let's see how long I last."
Julian stood up and stepped out from behind the bush.
The nearest Howler turned immediately. All four of its eyes locked onto him. The creature let out a deep, low growl.
Julian took a fighting stance, preparing to defend himself or attack—whichever seemed like the better choice.
The beast charged straight at him.
Julian rolled to the side as dirt flew up where the Howler rushed past him. He hit the ground hard, turned quickly, and thrust his hand forward. Sparks crackled at his fingertips before bursting into flames. The fire struck the Howler in its side, burning through its thick fur.
The creature roared loudly and spun toward him. Julian didn't wait around. Lightning flickered over his other hand, jumping from finger to finger. He dashed forward and swung a broken branch wrapped in the weak electrical current. The hit connected hard with the Howler's chest, and the mix of flame and lightning sent it crashing heavily to the ground.
It twitched once before going completely still as the fire spread across its body.
Julian stepped back with his chest rising and falling fast. "One dow..."
He didn't get to finish his sentence. The other three Howlers howled at once, all locking their glowing eyes on him.
The second Howler came at him fast. It slammed into him hard, knocking him down to the ground. Sharp claws tore at his arm. He rolled away and pushed back, making fire burst from his hand. The heat hit the creature right in its face and it jumped away, growling angrily.
Julian got back up, gasping for air. His ribs hurt badly. His hands wouldn't stop shaking.
The remaining two Howlers moved closer. They didn't wait or hesitate. They attacked together—one came from the front while the other two came from the sides.
He dodged the first one, but the second one caught his shoulder. Sharp pain shot through his body. The third hit him from behind, throwing him back down to the ground. He coughed with dirt filling his mouth.
Erevos' voice slid through the noise around him, sounding steady and cold. "Do you see now, Julian? Strength is not given. It is taken."
Julian pushed himself off the ground with his whole body shaking. Fire burned faintly in one palm while lightning crackled weakly in the other—both powers looking unstable. "Now's not a good time for a lecture."
He swung his arm out, sending a burst of fire across the first Howler's face. It howled in pain and stumbled backward. The second one leapt into the air with its claws stretched forward. Julian met it in mid-air, lightning cracking down his arm into its chest. The smell of burnt fur filled the air as the creature dropped dead.
The last two came at him again. He tried to summon more power, but nothing happened. His mana was completely empty.
The first Howler charged forward.
[Warning: Incoming Threat Detected]
[Automatic Defense Engaged]
Then—light exploded all around him. The shield appeared.
[Integrity: 100%]
[Defense Active: All Directions]
The beasts slammed into. The impact threw them backward into the trees. Julian was thrown too. He landed hard with his back slamming against a rock.
[Integrity: 99%]
[Energy Redistribution Complete]
He stayed there, breathing slowly and painfully.
One Howler limped toward him and growled low. The other stood beside it. They looked at him for a long moment—then turned around and ran into the darkness.
The display showed up in the corner of his vision.
[Task Update: 2 Targets Eliminated]
[Remaining: 1]
[Time Remaining: 00:23:12]
Julian stared at the glowing message. His arm ached terribly. His entire body felt like it was burning.
He leaned back against the rock, staring up at the dark sky. The forest had gone still again.
Erevos said nothing as Julian closed his eyes and let the quiet take over.
---
The inn in Acadia was busy that night. People laughed, talked loudly, and ate their meals. The smell of hot stew and fresh bread filled the warm air.
Seven men walked through the front door. Six of them were soldiers while one was a civilian. Each one had the Black Sigil mark on their chest. The room went quiet for just a second—long enough for a few people to notice them.
In a corner table, three men went stiff. Their hands paused on their mugs. Their eyes flicked quickly toward the newcomers. They tried to turn their faces away and act like they hadn't seen anything.
The civilian in the group pointed directly at them. "It's them. They're with the Scryer."
The three men in the corner tensed up immediately. One of them raised his hand fast. Lightning jumped between his fingers and shot toward the nearest soldier.
The soldier held his hand in front of himself calmly. Sparks ran across his palm and split the lightning apart, stopping it in midair. It sizzled loudly and scattered harmlessly.
People screamed and ran toward the door in panic. Chairs toppled over loudly. Mugs crashed to the floor and shattered.
The first man in the corner acted quickly. Ice spread from his feet across the wooden floor. It shot upward, freezing all six soldiers in place. The ice crackled loudly, already showing thin cracks, ready to break apart at any moment.
He turned to face the two men with him. "Go."
One of them hesitated. "What about you?"
"There's no time. Go now!"
They ran out through the back door as the cracks in the ice grew louder, splitting under the strain.
The ice held for just a moment longer… then shattered in a sudden violent burst, sending sharp shards flying everywhere.
The soldiers who had been frozen struggled against the broken pieces of ice. One of them spat out blood. "You can't win this. You know that, right?"
The man in front smirked at him. "Well… I'll die trying."
The soldier's eyes narrowed. "Too bad the captain wants you alive."
The man didn't wait for more words. He raised both hands and ice spread fast around him. The six Pyro soldiers moved at the exact same time with fire crackling from their palms.
The man struck first. Sharp spikes of ice shot forward toward the soldiers. One soldier got pinned to the wall by a large shard that went straight through his armor. He didn't move at all. Dead.
The man moved fast, swinging ice from one of his hands like a sharp blade. One soldier tried to hit him with a fireball, but he ducked under it and jabbed an ice shard into the man's side. The soldier went down, hitting the ground with a loud grunt. Not dead, but completely out of the fight.
The next two soldiers closed in on him. Close combat now—just fists and raw strength. One caught him with a heavy punch to his chest. The force shoved him backward several steps. He tried to recover his balance, but the other soldier grabbed him roughly and slammed him hard against the stone wall. His back and head hit the wall with a loud, painful sound.
He fell to the ground, knocked out completely.
The two soldiers stood over his unconscious body, breathing hard and watching him carefully.
One of the soldiers turned toward their leader. "What about the other two who ran?"
The leader looked around calmly at the destroyed inn. "Leave them. It's this one we want."
The soldiers still on the floor were weak and badly hurt. The leader and his group picked up the unconscious man carefully and left the inn, moving quietly through the chaos they had left behind.
Outside, the streets of Acadia were dark but safe for now. Inside the inn, broken chairs and spilled drinks marked exactly where the fight had taken place.
The Black Sigil had come, and they had taken their target with them.