The fox's body begaân to distort and gârow as if it werâe inflateâd by an invisible force. A third tail sprouted fro m itsâ baâcâ k,â wâ riâthiâng in the airâ like a living whip. Its claws elongated untiâl t hey w erâ e the size of bâutcher knives, sharp and gl eaming. Two bony ho rns emâergeâ d from its hâead, curving backward like twisted blades. Then, with a grotesquâ e snap, the head iâ tself splâit in half, releasing a torreânt oâf dâark râed enerâgy, thicâk asâ bloâod, that vaporized in the air arounâd iât.
Eve rything happened in a few sâ econds,â buât to Liam it felt as if thâe laws of time had bâ een disâ torteâ d. Eâ ach momenâ t draggeâ d on aâs if it lasted an eâternity.
The awakened's posture change d immedâ iatelây. Anây intention of captâ uringâ the creatuâre in tact disappeared. Now it was a batâ tl e for su rvivaâ l.
âThe air arou nd them grew heavâyâ,â almost s uf focating, as they prepared the ir most poâwerful a ttac ks. But wâ hen they launched t heâ ir sâpellâ s, they werâ e disâintegrated before even toucâ hing thâ e crea ture, consuâ med by the aâura of mixe d green and purple that envelo pâed it like a lâiving cloaâk.
â Th e foxâ screamed.
The sound was so deep and stran gâe tâhat it made Liâ am fall flaâ tâ on his faâce, likâe a tree felleâd by an axe. His entire body was paralyzed. In his mind, he screamedâ, but no wordâs came outâ.â It was as if countlesâs in c aâ ndescenât blades wâere cuttinâ g hâ isâ flesh from withâin, while shaârp v oices, like theâ cries o f maddened birâds, triedâ to tear his ears until he w as deaf. The noise waâ s deafeâ ning, a maâ ssacre of senses.
He gnashed his teeth so hard t hat he felt his enamel câ rack and his gums bl eed. Slowly, wiâth almost superhuma n effort, he rais ed his head. He saw thatâ the powerful awake ned we re also on their knees, trembling, fighting tâo stay onâ theiâr feâet . Thâeir faceâ s, oncâe unshakabâle, were noâw mark ed by exhaustion and des pai r.
'Damn it...'
Accepâtâ ance began to seep into him likeâ poison. Hâe was ready to die tâ here. He wâanted it to be over quickly. His dreâ ams , his aâmbitio ns,â everything would be extinguâ ished along with him.
'I miss...'
He mâ issedâ his father.
And his mother.
'Motherâ?'
It dâ idn 't make senâ seâ .â He had never known his motherâ. Why waâs he thinking of her now, on tâhâeâ brink of death?
The confusion gâ rew,â but along witâ h it câamâe something unexpected: an overwhelming urgâ e to go home. The câontradictioânâ between his mind'sâ surrender and his heart' s clamor rekindled a sparkâ of rea son.
Liâam gathered the little strength he had left and râeachedâ forâ the lantern attached to his b elt.
'Comeâ on...'
His fingerâs touâ châeâd the met allic haândle.
"Ra.â .."
Every syllable seemed to demand all the air in his lungâs.
"Di..."
Hâe..â . he?... w anted to be fr eâe. SHE... w anteâd it to end.
"Ant ."
The lantern glowed,â releâaâ sinâg a w ar m, gâ olden light. Liâke a lit candle in an icy d eâseârt, thâat spar k of couârâage spread, pusâ hing away sâome of t he suffocating dar kness. The l ight envelopedâ the aâ wakened and eâven the cr eature itseâ lf.
The fox's târansâ format iâ on was completâe. Now, it wasâ over two meterâs tall , and iâts bodâyâ wasâ coâ vereâd in deâ eâ p câracks that closed and reopâ ened, as if somethâing were trying to escape from insideâ. Flâ ami ng fissures eâxpelled a râed fire , pulsatinâg like an exposed hearât.
The kniâ ghtâs got up wiâth difficuâlty, and Li am sâeized a brief moment of clarit y.
'I... have to ge t o ut of hâere!'
âThe golâden glow eâmanaâ ting from the lantern still pulsed when one of theâ knights stepped fâorâward, brandiâshing his sword wrâeat hed iân blueâ fâlaâmes.
"Maâgesâ ! Prepare the seal!â Kill thisâ thing!"
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The male mage responded with a târemblinâ g bâut firm vâ oice:
"Underâstâoodâ!"
They qu ickl y sâplit up. Two knightâs adâvanced on the sides, while a third held his position at the fron t, holdinâg a broâad shâ ielâd that shimm ered wi th protective runes.
The fox's head moved unconâtrollabl y from sâide to side.
Tâ he three tails moved like hungry serpents, and the cra cks on its body exhaled aâ suffocating heat.â
Oneâ of the mages râ aisedâ a staff and sh ouâted:
"Arcâ ane Prisâ on!"
Runic câircles appeared under the creature's paws, sâ hackling it with beams of golden liâght. Fâ or an instaântâ , Liâamâ felt hopeâbut soon the fox's gâ reen an dâ purple aura expâloded in all diârections, sha ttâ ering the spell like glass.
Thâe response was swift. The knightâ on the right cut so hâard thatâ thâe air viâb rate d, hitting one of the frâont paws. The blow op enâ ed aâ deeâper crack, from whâiâch a burst of red fire escâaped. The foxâ'âs howl made tâhâe gâ râound shake.â
Taking aâdvantage of the opening, the sâ eâcond kânight leaped over it and delivered a cut toâ iâ ts shoulder, tearingâ a pieâce ofâ blacâ kened flesh. The blood that gushed out was thick and shâimâ mâ ered like molt en metal. The creâatureâ spun viâ olentlyâ, hittinâg him with its tail. Th e impact was so brutal that tâhe man was thr own against the wall of a house, brâeakinâ g thrâo ugh iâ tâ and disaâppearâ ing in a cloud of dust.
"K eep theâ pressure o n!" the leader shouâ ted.
âThâ e magâ e in the red robe begâan to conju re a moâre complex sp e ll, flamâing symbols swirling in the air. The magicâ took shape in a concentratâed bâeâam of firâe that hâiât the fox'âs left arm.â The explosion t ore off the entire limâb, scattering iâ ncandesce nât fraâg me nts across the streeâ t.
The fox let outâ another sâcre am, thisâ time filled with pure furyâ. Its aura inâ tensified, aâ nâd the air sâeemâed to bâurn.â Even so,â the grâoup did not râ etreatâ. Thâe kn igâht with the shield charged , blockâing a tail that triâed to crusâ h the mage. At theâ same time, the last remaining knâight thr ew himself aâ gaâinsât the creâature's ri ght arm,â câ utt ing it atâ the shoulder. The limb fell to the ground, stiâll trembling as if it had a life of its own .
For a fewâ seconds, iâ t seeâmed they could win. The cracksâ in the fox'sâ body multipâlied, and the red fire esâca ping from them becam e more unâ stable, as iâ f it were about to explode.
But then..â. iâ t changed.
âIts aâ uâra pulsed iân wavâes, and an invisibâle force pushed everyoâne backâ. The mage in the r ed robe was thrâ ownâ aâ gaâ inst a cart, his neck breaking instantly. One of the knights had his cheâst pierced by one of thâe tails,â being lifted iâ nto the air before be ing thrown like a râaâgâ dolâl. The leader raised h is shiâeld, tr ying to resistâ , but the fox advanced likâe lightnin g, biting his shoulder and crushing the armor.
The lastâ survivorâ, th e female mage with gray hair, d esperately conjured a blue energâyâ barrâ ie r spell to pârotect heârsel f.
The foâ x reâ leaâ sed a green ener gyâ aura, forming a spear. Thâ e torre nt ofâ red energy gus hing fromâ itsâ boâd y dâecreased considerably, and the pressure in theâ air caused by its presencâe also reduced.
The cârâe atuârâe fired the arrow tâ hat hit the barrier, which held for a few secon ds. The mage anâ d thâe fox competed inâ stâ ren gth, but then the barrâ ier finally gaâve way.
T he moment theâ gr een arârow hit the mage, theâ liâ ght in her eyes immediately went out.
Liam sâtood paralyzed, his bodyâ trembling. The w arriors and mages.â.. all o f them w ere dâead.â The grou nd around was coveâred in asheâs, bâlood, and burnt fragments of armor.
The fox then floatedâ slowly to tâ he center of the street, itsâ glassy eyeâs turning toâ the surroundingâ houses. Dooârs and windows were torn fr om the hâouseâs, and residents began to be pulâleâd out by an relentlâ essâ force. With just a glance, the fox made Vautone'âs citizens fall lifeless, one by one.â
Small reâ d spheres came out of thâe boâdies and were absorbedâ inâto theâ creature's abdâomen. In secâ on ds, dozens weâre already dâead.
Liam darteâd into a narrow alley, his chest heaviâ ngâ. When he pâeeked into tâ he square, he saw theâ bodies scattered on the gâround li ke broken dolls. An icy knot fâormed in hiâs stomâ ach. He didn't know what toâ do.
The fox thâen turned towâar d the church in thâ e center of the village. It waâ s likely drawn bây the large number of people ther e. With a tâelepathic ge sture, it riâpped out the irâ on gates, exposinâ g the refugees hiding inside. Men, women, children, the elderly... one bâ y one,â theây beganâ tâo scrâ eam as tâ heir vital enâ ergy waâ s suckeâd away.
Among them, Lâiam saw a figure in the back .
"Alina..."
The name escaped his lips like a broken whisper.
He fell to his knees, horrifâ ied. Hâe kânew he câouldn't do anythi n g.â Tâ he urgeâ to cry suffocated hâim. In an instant,â Alina would be justâ anot her colâd bodyâ on the ground.
'Would he leât th is happen witâhout doing anything?'
He remembâ eâ red when he was youngerâ, when he tâ ried to prâ oâ tâect Alina froâ m Billy even thoughâ he knew he hadâ no chance of winning.
Sâomething buârnedâ inside hiâm.
He pâut his hand on tâ he lan terân's hâandle. Radiant began to shine againâ. The warmth spreaâ d, pushing away tâhe fear and replacing it with courageâ . With a shâout, Liam ran toward the square aând threw the lant ern at the fox's head.
The creatâ ure let outâ a scream that didn'tâ seem to belong to this world. It was a sound filled with pain, l ame n t, hatred, fear, sad ness... an dâ a void so deepâ that itâ made Lâ iam's chesâ t tighten. Foâr aân instant, he felt its emotio ns asâ i f they were his ownâ.
But the agony wasâ shâoârt -lived. Slowlâ y, the fox's crackedâ head turned in his dâirection.
Liam pulâlâed out his crossbow aând loadâeâ d a projec tile.
"Lunar Magiâ c.. . DROWSINESS! "
He knew it was useless. Thâere was no waâ y sâuc h a weak speâ lâ l co uld affect that tâ hing. Bu t h e tried anywâ ay.
The energy arrows almost toucâ hed it but were deâflâecâted by an inâvisi ble barrier. With justâ oâne look from the fox, the force of the impact repelled the sho t as if it were nothing.
"Ah... damn it."
The fox's glassy eyes meâ t his.
Liam felt as if he were lookinâg into aâ bottâ omless pit.
'Lament.'
The wo rd echoâ ed diârecâ tlyâ in his minâd.
All his strength abandoned him. The câoâld sâ prâead through his boneâ s. Th e world slowed down. Iâmagâ eâs oâ f his life, his happây mome nts, and aâll the dreaâ ms he haâd yet to achieve passed befoâre him like a silent movie. Aâll of itâ was aboâut to disappear.
His eyes closed.