The alpha's bark was a whip-crack command, and instantly, the five wolves fanned out, their silver-coated bodies slinking through the underbrush with predatory precision. Kael's muscles coiled as he took slow, measured steps backward, his spine pressing against the rough bark of the tree behind him. His eyes never left the alpha—its massive frame, the jade-green stripe running down its back, the obsidian horn glinting under the fractured sunlight.
Wildkin rank.
A beast with intelligence. With strategy.
And it had just ordered its pack to flank him.
Kael's pulse hammered in his throat. The orb hovered beside him, unnoticed by the wolves
His fingers flexed, his body tensed—
Then, he moved.
With a burst of speed he didn't know he possessed, Kael launched himself upward, fingers scrabbling for purchase on a low-hanging branch. A silver blur lunged beneath him—jaws snapping shut on empty air—as he barely avoided the wolf's teeth. He didn't hesitate. He dropped.
His boot slammed into the wolf's ribs with a sickening crack. The beast yelped, crumpling, but Kael was already sprinting through the gap in their formation, his legs pumping as he tore downhill.
The wind roared in his ears. His body felt alive, stronger than ever before—every muscle, every sinew thrumming with unnatural power. The orb had spoken of the shard's strengthening, but feeling it was something else entirely.
Then—instinct screamed.
Kael threw himself sideways, hitting the dirt as a wind blade shrieked past, carving a furrow into the earth where his head had been.
Wind attribute.
His stomach dropped.
Wind beasts weren't just fast—they were relentless. They didn't tire. They didn't stop.
And the alpha was already gathering mana for another strike.
Blood and Mana – A Desperate Gambit
Kael didn't look back. He ran, legs burning, lungs heaving as he wove between trees, using the dense forest to slow his pursuers. Behind him, the lesser wolves snarled, their barks growing fainter as he outpaced them.
But the alpha—
A howl split the air, and Kael felt it before he saw it—a surge of mana, a ripple of power. The alpha's body blurred, its speed doubling as it tore through the undergrowth, closing the distance with terrifying efficiency.
Kael's breath came in ragged gasps. He couldn't outrun this. Not like this.
Mana.
He needed to use it.
Gritting his teeth, Kael focused inward, searching for the burning core in his chest—the well of power the shard had awakened. He could feel it, a molten river churning beneath his ribs, but it was wild, untamed.
No time for finesse.
With a snarl, Kael forced the mana into his blood vessels, his veins igniting with searing power. His heart exploded into a thunderous rhythm. His vision sharpened—every leaf, every shadow thrown into hyper-clarity. His muscles swelled, strength flooding his limbs like liquid fire.
He accelerated.
Trees became blurs. The wind screamed in his ears. The alpha's enraged snarls grew louder—
Another wind blade shrieked past, grazing his arm as he twisted aside. Blood welled, but Kael barely felt it.
He was faster now.
But the alpha was relentless.
E
The forest thickened, branches whipping at his face as Kael pushed harder, his body a living conduit of raw mana. The alpha was gaining—its horn glowing as it gathered another attack.
Kael's eyes locked onto a towering oak ahead.
One chance.
With a final, desperate surge, Kael leaped, fingers clawing at the bark as he hauled himself into the branches. Below, the alpha slammed into the trunk, its jaws snapping inches from his heels.
Kael didn't stop. He climbed higher, his breath ragged, his blood singing with adrenaline.
The alpha howled, its fury shaking the leaves. But it couldn't follow.
Not yet.
Kael didn't wait to see if it would try.
He ran across the branches, his footing sure, his body lighter than air as he fled deeper into the canopy. The wolves' barks faded behind him, their hunt abandoned—for now.