anwhile, in the fractured heart of the cave, the view was obscured by the disaster, but Ryder could see from the do he created.
The air in the cave shivered with power. The floor beneath him cracked again, coughing up veins of red mist—like the cave itself was bleeding from the sheer spiritual force that had just been unleashed.
Dark Snow stood tall, unhard, his shadow flickering unnaturally even in the dim light. The malicious smile on his lips did not belong to a man.
It belonged to a demon.
Ryder’s ears rang. His wolf whimpered low inside him, battered but alive. He knew now—truly knew—what lived inside him. And he knew what he had to do to never let it rule again.
Shadow One rose slowly, debris showering on him, but none could penetrate the barrier around him. A long sword – glowing yellow, appeared in his hand as he stepped forward.
Shadow One couldn’t rember the last ti an opponent made him take out his sword.
Dark Snow grinned maliciously. His claws elongated as he turned his gaze towards Ryder. "Watch and learn how to kill."
He lurched forward. And Shadow One waited with his sword, poised to strike.
A punch to the barrier.
Shatter.
The barrier shattered and the cave thundered again—not from collapse this ti, but from war.
Shadow One moved like a phantom, his dark cloak flaring with every motion, blades flashing in and out of existence in his hands. He struck at Dark Snow with a fury that seed to ripple the air itself, each blow sharp and calculated. Sparks flew where steel t claw, and for a mont, it was as if shadow fought shadow.
But Dark Snow was not just a shadow. He was wrath, condensed into form.
"You don’t stand a chance against ," Dark Snow snarled, his voice deeper now, layered with sothing feral—inhuman. "I’m getting bored."
Shadow One didn’t speak. He never did. But the silence only made him more terrifying.
He spun mid-air, slamd his foot into Dark Snow’s side, and sent him staggering back. The earth beneath them cracked. The ceiling began to give way, pieces of ancient stone thundering down around them, massive shards crashing into the floor and sending shockwaves through the walls. Debris fell like rain, so chunks the size of boulders.
Still they fought.
"That’s all?" Dark Snow smirked. He clawed through the dust, eyes blazing with madness. He twisted his hand and the ground itself responded, jerking upward like it was tethered to him.
Shadow One was fast—but Dark Snow was faster now.
"Ti to end this circus."
With a roar that tore through stone and soul alike, Dark Snow blurred forward and struck Shadow One with a blow so devastating, it summoned the wilds.
CRACK—BOOOOOM!
The force of the impact sent a shockwave bursting from the cave’s mouth. Trees on the mountain’s slope outside were ripped from the ground, their roots screaming as the earth split. Snow exploded into the air, whirling like a white storm. The sky itself seed to pulse as if struck by thunder.
Shadow One’s body shattered the stone wall like a cannonball launched from the cave. Everyone outside saw a human in black slicing through the cold air before crashing into the white field below. His body hit the earth with such force it dragged a deep, endless line through the snow-covered plain, carving a path that sprayed ice and frozen mud into the sky.
Reana’s breath hitched. She moved before her mind could think, but Marcus was faster. He blocked her path, shaking his head.
"He’s in there," she whispered, voice trembling like a leaf.
Marcus swallowed, his resolve faltered but he stood his ground. "He wouldn’t want you there. You can’t help him."
Reana’s fist clenched, knuckles turning white. Marcus took in her appearance - she was in her night robe. It barely covered anything. He took off his cloak and draped it over her shoulders, then stepped away and stood beside her.
Reana almost didn’t notice the warmth. Her eyes were focused on the ss left in where the cave once was. And her mind was imagining every scenario of what might be happening inside that cloud of dust and debris.
"Ryder," she whispered, "Who are you fighting?"
anwhile, inside the cloud of dust, the remaining walls of the chamber split further, howling with the wind now pouring into the ruin.
Dark Snow stood at the center of it all, chest heaving slightly, fists clenched, the earth responding to every breath he took.
And Ryder, trembling and bleeding within the cracking do, could only watch. His vision was swimming, heart thundering, as the monster stood victorious amidst the ruin. The cave groaned around them, like it was breathing its last with a guttural rumble as stone cracked and continued to collapse.
Dark Snow turned, his blue eyes glowing with an unholy light that pierced through the fog of dust and shadows.
A cruel smirk settled on his lips as he moved towards Ryder, one step at a ti.
"Who’s going to stop now?" he drawled, voice thick with venom and arrogance. "Your body is mine now. And so is our mate."
Ryder’s breath hitched.
Another step, he continued. "She’s your weakness, Snow. But when I take over, she’ll beco my prisoner. I’ll do with her as I see fit."
"You..." Ryder’s voice was raw, barely a rasp in his throat. Rage and fear twisted inside him, a storm he could barely contain.
"You won’t touch her," he growled, blood dripping from his lips. "I swear on everything left in ... I’ll kill you first."
Dark Snow laughed—a sharp, chilling sound that echoed off the trembling cave walls.
"You’ve already tried. And look where that got you."
Then the cave rumbled again, a deafening roar as debris rained from above. The mountain itself seed to mourn the horror unfolding within it.
But Ryder didn’t flinch.
His bloodied fist clenched against the trembling ground.
And deep within him, his wolf stirred—weak, but not broken. It growled low, defiant.
Ryder lifted his gaze, eyes glazed with pain but burning with a quiet plea.
"Please," he whispered, voice hoarse and trembling. "Please... don’t touch her."
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