The final creature stepped forward. It moved unlike the others, slow, deliberate, elegant. Its body shimmered like smoke trapped in glass, colors swirling in its fur with every step. Antlers twisted like living silver, eyes like twin moons. Older. Wiser. Sacred.
And the moment Mae saw it, her body relaxed. Her breath finally released. And her knees buckled. Ashar lunged, but he wasn’t fast enough. Before she could hit the ground, the great beast moved. So did the others. The Soulkind caught her. They didn’t stumble under her weight. They lifted her together, eight creatures of different forms, all coordinated as if Mae were the most precious thing to have ever lived. Even unconscious, her hands glowed faintly.
The creatures walked slowly toward Ashar and Riven, their eyes never breaking
