— WHEN FATE HOWLS
The ground trembled.
The Nightbane Dread Wolf stepped fully into the torchlight—black fur flowing like smoke, obsidian horn glowing faintly with deathly qi. Its presence alone bent the air, like gravity tightening on Lei Wei's lungs.
Every villager screamed.
Every beast fled.
Only two beings stood their ground:
Lei Wei.
And the Silverflame Dire Wolf.
The silver wolf's molten-blue eyes locked onto the Nightbane. Flames flickered along its mane—weak, unstable.
It was still suppressed.
The Nightbane's growl rolled across the village like thunder, shaking wooden houses to splinters. Its aura slammed outward—
BOOM!
Lei Wei staggered back. His ribs screamed from the earlier boar strike. His vision blurred.
The Nightbane took a step forward.
The Silverflame Dire Wolf answered with a low, ancient rumble—one that vibrated straight into Lei Wei's bones.
Then—
The silver wolf's body surged.
Color bled from silver to brilliant white.
Flames roared upward.
A faint mark—something old, something sacred—flashed above its eyes.
Bloodline Ignition.
Elder Yun gasped. "That's… a Primordial Beast's technique…!"
The Silverflame's suppressed power cracked open, leaking raw force like pressure from a broken dam.
Its aura smashed into the Nightbane's—
Two storms colliding.
The wolves moved at the same time.
---
A Battle to Tear Heaven
The Silverflame leaped, leaving a trail of burning-white flame in its wake.
The Nightbane lunged upward, jaws open, horn slicing through the air.
BOOOOOM!
When they collided, the entire ground beneath them cratered.
Shockwaves blasted outward. Lei Wei threw up his arms as dirt and splinters flew. Houses collapsed. A tree uprooted itself and tumbled into a burning heap.
The Silverflame was faster—its claws dragging streaks of light as they slashed across the Nightbane's flank.
The Nightbane barely reacted. Its horn gleamed, gathering dark qi.
Then—
SWOOSH—!!
A beam of black energy fired into the wolf's chest.
The Silverflame flew backward like a meteor, smashing through an entire house.
Lei Wei felt the impact in his own bones.
"No…!"
The Silverflame crawled out, flames still burning—but weaker now.
Its bloodline ignition was already fading.
The Nightbane stepped forward, unhurried. Dominant. Its shadow swallowed the village.
Elder Yun lifted his staff, trembling. "Lei Wei… run. You can't fight this."
But Lei Wei couldn't move.
Not because of fear.
Because something inside him was calling.
A heartbeat that wasn't his own—
THUM… THUM… THUM…
The fragment in his chest pulsed like a sleeping dragon stirring.
The Nightbane's aura thickened—like a mountain falling.
The Silverflame tried standing again, legs shaking violently.
The Nightbane descended upon it.
Lei Wei's body moved on its own.
"No!"
He sprinted—heart pounding, world blurring. He wasn't fast enough. Not strong enough.
But the fragment…
The fragment was waking up.
---
The Moment the World Changed
Lei Wei's vision whitened.
He felt something open—like a gate inside his soul breaking apart.
A voice echoed in the depths of his mind.
Ancient. Calm. Powerful.
"Child, lend me your body."
Lei Wei's breath froze.
"R… Riyam?"
"Not for long. Your life depends on it. Let go."
The Nightbane lunged.
Lei Wei closed his eyes.
And—
He let go.
---
Riyam Descends
When his eyes opened again…
They weren't Lei Wei's eyes.
They glowed with cold, divine white.
His aura—once small and flickering—exploded outward like the wrath of a slumbering god.
Every beast in the forest dropped to its knees.
Even the mighty Nightbane staggered back, fur bristling in primal fear.
Riyam—inside Lei Wei—exhaled once.
Wind bent around him.
Space trembled faintly.
The Silverflame Dire Wolf, nearly unconscious, stared in shock.
Elder Yun could only whisper, "Heavens… who… what is this…?"
Riyam raised Lei Wei's hand.
White energy gathered at the fingertips—quiet, controlled, absolute.
"Stay still, mutt."
He vanished.
One blink—gone.
Another blink—
He reappeared behind the Nightbane.
His fingers tapped the beast's spine.
BOOOOOOOOM—!!!
A pillar of white light erupted like a divine spear.
The Nightbane's roar turned into a choking gasp of agony.
It flew across the village, smashing into the ground, carving a trench through soil and stone.
Riyam didn't stop.
He flicked his wrist.
Chains of pure light wrapped around the Nightbane's limbs, forcing it down.
The beast howled—struggled—failed.
Riyam stepped forward.
One footstep.
The air cracked.
The Nightbane froze—its body instinctively refusing to move in front of a higher existence.
Riyam placed Lei Wei's palm over the wolf's head.
"Rest."
The energy burst.
A shockwave rolled across the burning village.
When the light died…
The Nightbane Dread Wolf lay still.
Dead.
Silence fell.
The village—burning, collapsing, destroyed—had only two survivors now:
Elder Yun.
And Lei Wei.
Riyam looked around calmly.
"Your fate begins now, boy."
His voice echoed inside Lei Wei's mind as consciousness faded.
"I must sleep. Do not die before we speak again."
Darkness swallowed Lei Wei.
---
After the Storm
When he woke, dawn was rising.
Smoke drifted from the ruins of Willowmist.
Bodies lay everywhere—villagers, beasts, his parents…
Lei Wei's chest tightened painfully.
Only Elder Yun sat beside him, exhausted eyes watching over him.
A weak sound came from behind.
The Silverflame Dire Wolf limped toward him—body wounded, bloodline power completely drained.
Its molten-blue eyes softened when it saw Lei Wei awake.
Slowly… it lowered its head to him.
A gesture of loyalty.
Of gratitude.
Of choosing him.
Lei Wei reached out and placed a trembling hand on its fur.
Suddenly the wolf glowed and transformed into a small puppy.
Elder yun said " he used his bloodline power forcefully to temporary increase his power "
Lei wei placed his hand on the wolf's head and rubbed it gently.
They both understood each other without words.
They would survive together.
Elder Yun placed a hand on Lei Wei's shoulder.
"There is nothing left for you here… Only the path forward."
Lei Wei looked at the burning ruins of the home he once knew.
Then at the Silverflame Dire Wolf beside him.
Then at the forest.
The unknown.
The destiny waiting.
His fists tightened.
"We leave."
And so—
Lei Wei and the Silverflame Dire Wolf took their first step into the world beyond Willowmist…
with Riyam sleeping deep inside his soul, waiting to rise again.