"Stay down!" I snarled, slashing at the shadow wolf lunging for my throat. My muscles burned with exhaustion, but I couldn't stop—not now, not when the darkness threatened to consume everything.
The thick black fog swirled around me, suffocating and alive. Each time I thought I was gaining ground, it regenerated, mocking me with tendrils that lashed my skin.
A guttural growl erupted to my left. I turned just in time to see a monstrous beast barreling toward me, its crimson eyes glowing like embers. My heart slammed against my ribs, but I gritted my teeth and charged.
"No fear," I whispered to myself. "No weakness."
I ducked under its swipe, driving my dagger into its side. The beast howled, black ooze dripping from its wound, but it didn't stop. None of them ever did.
Anothe
