THE SHADOW STRIKES BACK
The night air was heavy with tension, thick with the scent of charred earth and molten residue. Kael prowled the perimeter of the forest, wolf form tense, muscles coiled, every sense on high alert. Nara hovered beside him, silver fire flickering, hands crackling with restrained power. Lyra’s golden aura pulsed softly, scanning for the faintest ripple of movement, while Riven crouched low, claws digging into the ash-strewn ground, eyes glowing with calculated ferocity.
Kael’s amber gaze swept the shadows. “It’s still here. I can feel it… waiting.”
Nara nodded, silver strands of fire wrapping around her fingers. “It’s observing, learning from us. Every heartbeat, every motion. It’s anticipating. But we’ve learned too—we know its weaknesses now, and its patterns. We
