Panicked Freya inched closer to Professor Linden asking her to take a look but the next mont what she heard made her body freeze for a mont.
"Oh! You managed to stay alive," he said, his voice dripping with mockery. He tilted his head as if inspecting her and the barely conscious Lukas. "What bad luck."
Freya's heart sank as she clutched her fist tighter. She glimpsed at the faint murderous intent that shone in his eyes which gave her a chill down her spine.
Feeling goosebumps crawling over her back, she stepped back raising her guard.
"What do you an by that?"
Ignoring her Linden looked at the boy, his expression changed and he grieved, "What a nice lad! I then t him yesterday outside the temple alas.''
Saying this, he looked at Freya with a grunt," I am here to kill you, girl."
"Wait...That blast..was it..."Her eyes quivered and in the mont, the figure Professor Linden changed.
Her heart sank. She clenched her fists tighter, her pulse racing as she noticed the faint murderous intent glimring in his eyes. A chill ran down her spine, and she instinctively stepped back, raising her guard as she noticed change in the man's eyes and skins.
"You...You aren't Professor Linden...No, you aren't even human.."
Before she could react, Linden's body began to change. His hunched back straightened, and his skin twisted and darkened, turning a sickly shade of gray. His face elongated, the bones stretching unnaturally as his mouth widened into a jagged grin filled with razor-sharp teeth. His arms grew into massive, clawed limbs, the tips of his fingers gleaming like deadly blades.
Freya felt her blood run cold. The air around him thickened, an unnatural aura pressing down on her chest.
"Correct...This guy is dead...I am a specter who occupied this body."
"Now die..girl..."
With a guttural growl, the creature that was once Professor Linden lunged at her. His claws swiped through the air, aid straight at her head.
Freya dove to the side, rolling across the ground. Dust and debris scattered around her as his claws smashed into the floor, leaving deep gashes in the stone. She scrambled to her feet, her breathing ragged, and pulled out a small dagger she had hidden in her boot.
The monster growled, its glowing eyes locked on her. It lunged again, swiping its claws in quick, brutal arcs. Freya ducked, narrowly avoiding the strikes, and countered with a slash of her own, aiming for its arm.
The blade barely nicked his thick skin, but it was enough to make him recoil. Freya used the mont to put so distance between them. Her mind raced. She needed a plan. She couldn't take him head-on, but she had to keep moving or she wouldn't survive.
Freya gripped her longsword tightly, her knuckles white from the strain. Her legs felt like lead, her body weighed down by exhaustion and the pain from her injuries. Despite this, she stood firm, her sharp blue eyes locked on the monstrous form before her.
Professor Linden—no, the specter—let out a guttural growl, his elongated face twisting with malice. Darkness began to radiate from his body, tendrils of shadow spreading across the ground like a living thing.
Freya tightened her stance and raised her sword. With a deep breath, she summoned the remaining fragnts of her strength. A gust of wind swirled around her, lifting her hair and she grabbed her sword.
She swung her sword, sending a slicing wave of wind at the specter.
The attack hit, but the specter vanished into the shadows, reappearing behind her with inhuman speed. She spun around just in ti to block his clawed strike, the force of the blow nearly knocking her off her feet.
"Damn it!" she hissed, her breath ragged.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Talia running toward them to support.
Just as the specter prepared to strike Freya again, Talia intervened, slamming into him with a powerful blow. The impact sent the specter stumbling back.
"Freya! Are you alright?" Talia called out, standing between Freya and the monster.
Freya blinked, only now rembering Talia had been there. She staggered slightly, her grip on her sword tightening. "Tha...Guy... The one with the hamr... what happened to him?" she asked, her voice faint and hoarse.
Talia glanced at her, a strange look crossing her face. "Dead," she said bluntly.
The word hit Freya like a punch to the gut. Her body froze, her mind reeling.
Before she could recover, the specter let out a haunting shriek. Darkness thickened in the air as he disappeared into the shadows again. His figure flickered in and out of sight, reappearing just long enough to slash at them before vanishing again.
Freya swung her sword wildly, her attacks missing their mark as the specter's shadowy form darted around her. Talia lunged forward, only to be struck by a powerful kick that sent her flying across the battlefield.
"Talia!" Freya shouted, distracted just long enough for the specter to reappear behind her.
She turned, raising her sword to block, but too late. Sothing sharp and cold grazed her torso, tearing through her side. Blood poured from the wound as she stumbled back, gasping. Her vision blurred, and her knees buckled, but she forced herself to stay standing.
The specter disappeared again. Freya scanned the area desperately, her breaths coming in shallow pants. Suddenly, a sharp, bony tongue shot through the air, piercing her side. She scread as the pain brought her to her knees.
Her trembling hand pressed against the wound, trying to stem the flow of blood. Her vision darkened as she looked up, her gaze landing on the specter. Its elongated form now had a grotesque, lizard-like tongue, dripping with her blood.
"It seems that's it," the specter sneered, its voice filled with cruel amusent. "I thought killing you would be difficult, but..."
It paused, its gaping mouth opening wider, an eerie shriek echoing through the air. A dark projectile shot out, aiming straight for Freya's head.
Freya could only stare in horror, too weak to move. Just as the attack was about to strike, a shadow leapt into view, a blade slashing through the air and deflecting the attack.
The impact startled both Freya and the specter. Freya blinked, her mind sluggish as she registered the cold, mocking voice that followed.
"It seems you have a thing for getting sneak attacked," a cold voice echoed as a human erged from the shadow.
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