Kael's breathing was ragged.
His shoulder burned, the arrow still lodged deep in the muscle, blood seeping down his arm. Every move sent a lance of agony through his body. He staggered to his feet, trying to push off the ancient tree's trunk, but his limbs wouldn't obey.
A flash of green light crackled in the air.
Chains of shimmering energy coiled around his legs and wrists, snapping tight like cold iron. Kael gritted his teeth, muscles straining uselessly against the binding magic.
Three adventurers stepped into the clearing.
One was a towering man in scale mail, axe resting on his shoulder. Another, a wiry woman with twin daggers glinting like silver fangs. And the third — the caster — a pale man whose eyes gleamed with cruel satisfaction, his hands still aglow with magic.
"Cornered at last," the axe-wielder rumbled.
"I'll mount your horn on my wall."
Kael's pulse hammered in his ears.
He could barely stay upright. His vision swam.
He reached for his pouch, fingers brushing against the orb. It pulsed, warmth racing up his arm.
The dagger-woman moved first, a blur in the dark.
Kael tried to lift his arm, but the magic chains held him fast. She lunged, blade catching the moonlight, aiming straight for his throat.
And then —
The air shattered.
A pulse of force rippled outward from Kael's chest, sending dust and leaves spiraling into the night sky. The adventurers staggered back in shock.
A voice, ancient and savage, roared through the clearing.
"Enough."
From the shadows behind Kael, a form emerged.
Larger now. More solid.
Fenrahl.
The wolf-like beast's crimson eyes burned like twin suns, his fur a tangle of shadow and mist. His claws gleamed like obsidian blades, and his fanged grin spoke of death long overdue.
"Did you truly think you could slaughter my vessel unchallenged?"
His voice made the trees tremble.
The adventurers froze.
The caster recovered first, snarling a spell under his breath, hurling a bolt of searing white light toward Fenrahl.
The beast swatted it aside like an insect.
Before anyone could react, Fenrahl was among them.
One swipe — the dagger-woman's scream was cut short as she was hurled against a tree, her body crumpling like paper. The axe-wielder raised his weapon, but Fenrahl's claws caught him mid-swing, cleaving through steel and flesh. Blood sprayed the air.
The caster turned to run.
A fatal mistake.
Fenrahl moved with impossible speed, his claws closing around the man's head, lifting him off the ground.
"For your insolence," Fenrahl growled.
With a sickening crunch, it was done.
Kael, still bound and bleeding, watched in stunned silence.
The chains around his limbs cracked and fell away, dissolving into mist as Fenrahl approached.
"You called, and I answered."
Fenrahl's voice softened, though it still carried the weight of storms.
Kael sagged against the tree, his head spinning.
"I… didn't… even say it…"
A low chuckle from the beast.
"Our bond grows stronger. Your blood cried out for me."
Fenrahl knelt, placing a clawed hand over the arrow still embedded in Kael's shoulder. A warmth spread through Kael's flesh as the arrow was pushed free and the wound began to knit closed, leaving only a pale scar.
Kael winced, but the pain dulled.
"We should move," Fenrahl muttered, his gaze sweeping the dark woods. "Where one hunting party roams, others follow."
Kael managed a nod.
But before they could leave, a distant horn sounded — a mournful, metallic note carried on the wind.
Not from adventurers. Not from the village.
Something else.
Something far older.
Fenrahl's expression darkened.
"So… they're still watching."
"Who?" Kael rasped.
Fenrahl's crimson eyes met his.
"The Forgotten Court."