Nobody moved.
The silence was suffocating.
Bran’s grip on his axe tightened. "Did — Did that thing just talk?"
Zayn’s pulse hamred in his ears. His instincts scread at him — this wasn’t a monster you charged blindly.
Tobias took a slow step forward.
"We killed them because they were attacking people," he said calmly, his voice betraying none of the tension in his shoulders.
The creature’s head twitched, the tentacles shifting unnaturally.
"They were hungry."
Zayn swallowed hard. "So were the boars that attacked last week. Didn’t stop from putting them down."
The creature tilted its head further, the movent too sharp, too unnatural.
Then, without warning, it lunged.
Zayn barely had ti to react.
One second, the creature was standing still. The next, it blurred forward, its tentacles extending like spears.
Kara enforced her stone wall in ti.
The impact made the wall shatter and send her as well as Elisse skidding back, her feet digging into the dirt.
Bran roared, swinging his axe down with brutal force.
The blade connected — but instead of splitting the creature in two, it only sank halfway into its shoulder before stopping.
The monster laughed.
A wet, gurgling sound.
Then, it grabbed the axe with one hand and ripped it out of its own flesh, hurling it aside like it was nothing.
Bran barely managed to roll away before a tentacle lashed toward him.
Tobias moved next.
A burst of fire magic erupted from his hands, engulfing the creature’s torso. The flas crackled, burning bright —
For a second, Zayn thought they had it.
But then —
The flas vanished.
Like a candle being snuffed out.
Zayn’s heart stopped.
"That’s — " Elisse gasped. " — That’s not possible."
The creature stepped forward, its charred skin regenerating before their eyes.
Tobias cursed under his breath. "It’s resistant to magic."
Bran hefted his axe, the muscles in his arms straining as he surged forward, his boots digging into the earth.
His war cry tore through the battlefield, raw and unyielding, as he aid to cleave the monstrous being in half.
Zayn wasn’t far behind.
"Elisse! Reinforce us!" he barked, his tone sharper than he intended. He didn’t have ti to coddle anyone right now.
They needed every ounce of magic they could get.
Kara, ever the smart one, was already putting distance between herself and the fray, likely preparing to counter or defend if things went sideways.
But Elisse —
Zayn caught a glimpse of her.
She was shaking.
Not from exhaustion. Not from fear of the monster itself.
This was different.
Her hands trembled violently, her usually calm eyes wide with sothing else.
Zayn cursed under his breath.
’Not now. Snap out of it, Elisse.’
Bran’s voice cut through his thoughts.
"ZAYN, LOOK FORWARD!"
He barely registered the warning before a tentacle whipped toward his head.
Ti slowed.
His body tensed.
He could see the sickly sheen of\the appendage, the way it shimred like an oil spill in the dim light, the way it curved mid-air, adjusting its trajectory to his movent —
Zayn couldn’t dodge.
But Bran could reach him.
The burly warrior threw himself between Zayn and the attack, his axe raised defensively.
The tentacle slamd into Bran’s weapon with a sickening crack.
Bran gritted his teeth.
Zayn swore he heard the man’s bones creak under the force of the impact.
Bran staggered but held firm.
Zayn’s heart pounded.
’That could’ve been his head.’
He imdiately launched forward, his legs burning as he activated his agility skill.
Faster.
He reached for the Soul Forge, pulling from the swirling mass of souls within him.
’GIVE SOTHING GOOD.’
A surge of power coursed through his veins.
An unfamiliar strength flooded his limbs.
His vision sharpened, his muscles coiled, and his instincts scread.
The mont his foot touched the ground, he vanished.
Zayn’s body was a blur as he shot toward the monster, each footstep barely touching the ground before he launched himself forward again.
His muscles burned, his breathing ragged, but he didn’t stop.
Bran’s axe was still carving through the writhing limbs, but Zayn didn’t have ti to focus on anyone else.
This thing needed to die.
But then —
A tentacle skimd against his arm.
His sleeve ripped open, skin tearing beneath the monstrous force.
Another one scraped his thigh, leaving a deep dent in his armor that shouldn’t have been possible.
Damn it —
He clenched his teeth, ignoring the pain, ignoring the way his body scread at him to fall back.
’Just a little more.’
The creature lood in front of him now, its grotesque form shifting as it twisted its head toward him.
Its unnatural, glowing eyes followed his every move, studying him. Judging him.
Zayn tightened his grip on his sword.
He swung.
Aiming for its neck, for anything that looked vital.
And then —
It raised a single finger.
And stopped his blade cold.
Zayn’s breath hitched.
His sword did not move.
The monster’s massive, clawed digit pressed against the flat of the blade, halting its montum like it was nothing.
Zayn felt his heart slam against his ribs.
His arms shook.
He pushed against it, trying to force his blade forward, but it was like trying to cut through a mountain with a wooden stick.
’What...?’
His mind reeled.
Even the strongest enemies they had fought until now had reacted to a direct strike.
Even the dungeon boss they had struggled against before had felt the weight of their blows.
But this creature —
It wasn’t even trying.
"ZAYN, GET OUT OF THERE!" Tobias’ voice cut through the chaos, sharp and desperate.
But Zayn didn’t move.
He couldn’t.
The boss would strike him down if he did.
He gritted his teeth, his arms trembling as he kept pushing against the blade.
The monster remained silent.
Zayn swallowed the pain and kept going. He prepared to bring out a soul from the Forge and dash out the way but...
A tentacle lashed out.
Fast.
Too fast.
It pierced straight through his stomach.
Zayn’s world froze instantly.
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