The wind howled into absurdity, its voice twisting into a mad whisperer. It slithered through the trees and threaded between snow-draped branches. Overhead, the moon had begun its slow descent, sinking behind the forest.
Zerin's fingers curled around the foreign object buried deep in the creature's back. With a firm tug, he wrenched it free. A wet, sickening sound followed, accompanied by a slow stream of blood corrupting the beast's white pelt. The Howler hardly reacted. An ear flicked, a dull glance over its shoulder, then it returned to its feast, completely unfazed.
Turning his hand over, Zerin studied the artifact resting in his palm. It was too intricate.
"A Memory?" he murmured, bringing the barbed object closer to his eye.
The runes carved into its surface were unlike anything he had seen. They weren't etched by hand, nor burned into the wood. No—these markings seemed woven into the very grain, as if nature itself had been forced to shape them this way.
He rolled it between his fingers, a frown tugging at his lips. Then, with a quiet breath, he slipped it into his pocket.
A deep yawn overtook him. The sharp edge of adrenaline had dulled, leaving only exhaustion pressing down on him like a smothering fog.
"It's been a while… My body's clock is calling it quits."
He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his dark hair, fingers catching in the tangles. He had choices. The logical thing to do would be to report this to Evan. That was the proper course of action. The responsible one.
But his mind wandered, circling back in on itself.
He couldn't stay. That much was certain.
Evan was strong, but he held himself back. Burdened by two non-combatants, he had no choice. Zerin wasn't about to carry that weight.
But could he really ignore this? Could he keep silent about the thing lurking in the woods?
His jaw tightened.
"Two more days."
Zerin turned toward the Howler. "Hey."
The creature's ears twitched. It lifted its head, empty glowing sockets locked onto him.
"You're on lookout duty," he ordered.
The Howler remained still, silent. Then, after a long pause, it dipped its head before returning to its meal.
Zerin exhaled and turned away, scooping up the pot of bloodied meat before stepping toward the cave.
Whatever was out there... wasn't his problem.
It was theirs.
But for now, he would still help.
***
The cave's entrance swallowed him whole. Inside, the dim light of the fireplace flickered against the uneven stone, shadows stretching and writhing.
He set the pot near the fire, then lowered himself onto the ground, keeping a deliberate distance from the others.
"Now I wait for them to wake up."
His gaze drifted toward them, their forms rising and falling with slow, steady breaths.
A yawn caught him off guard.
"Hibernated for months… and I'm tired."
The frustration simmered. He fought it. A meaningless, silent battle.
But soon, the desire for sleep overcame him. And shortly after he closed his eyes and succumbed to rest, someone else stirred from their slumber.
A quiet groan.
Ecludia.
She shifted, pressing a hand to her temple, brows pinched slightly in pain. The cave air was thick with the lingering scent of smoldering embers and damp stone.
"Why are we back here?" she muttered, voice groggy.
Her boots scraped softly against the ground as she fastened them, her gaze drifting toward the fire.
Then, she froze.
Her breath caught as her eyes landed on Evan's arm, bound tightly in a makeshift sling.
Her chest tightened. "What happened?"
Without hesitation, she moved closer, kneeling beside him. A hand pressed against his good shoulder, shaking him awake.
Evan jolted, muscles tensing under her touch. His eyes flickered open, blinking rapidly as his sluggish mind caught up.
"Ecludia…?"
His surprise melted into relief. "You're awake!"
He pushed himself up too fast, only to grimace, a sharp breath escaping through clenched teeth as pain lanced through his shoulder.
"Don't hurt yourself!" Ecludia steadied him. "Calm down…"
Evan exhaled through his nose, scanning her with quiet concern. "Are you okay?"
"Worry about yourself!" She paused, shook her head, and sighed. "My head hurts a bit, but I'll be fine."
Her gaze flickered toward the dancing flames. "Why are we—"
She barely had the chance to finish before Evan cut in, his expression darkening.
"We were attacked by nightmare creatures back there… I thought we were screwed."
A beat passed before his usual smirk returned.
"If it wasn't for that scrawny bastard, we wouldn't have made it."
Ecludia blinked. "Bastard?"
"Yeah." Evan gestured pointing behind her. "Zerin—the new guy. Right behind you."
Turning, Ecludia followed his gesture, her eyes landing on the figure curled up in the shadows.
Scrawny? Maybe by Evan's standards.
But as she studied Zerin—the sharp angles of his face, the way his dark lashes cast faint shadows against his cheek, the quiet rise and fall of his chest—he didn't seem small.
Just... worn.
Like someone who had spent too long fighting, someone who was held together by nothing.
Her gaze lingered. Too long.
The flickering firelight softened his usually guarded expression, revealing a side of him she hadn't expected. As a first impression, it left a mark—one she couldn't quite place.
She swallowed, an unfamiliar flutter stirring in her chest.
"Ecludia…? Ecludia?"
The voice barely registered.
"Y-Yes?" She blinked, snapping her gaze away from Zerin's sleeping form, heat creeping into her cheeks.
Evan let out a quiet chuckle, though it quickly turned into a wince. His hand instinctively went to his shoulder. "Can you heal this? Sorry to ask, but it hurts like hell. If I could muscle through it, I would."
She straightened, shaking off her lingering thoughts. "Of course, that won't be a problem."
She placed her hand over the injured shoulder and closed her eyes. Almost immediately, warmth stirred beneath her fingertips, pulsing from deep within. A soft glow bloomed beneath her eyelids.
A faint golden radiance spread across her face. Her flames seeped into Evan's wound, winding through torn muscle and battered bone, mending the damage bit by bit.
"You're lucky to still have your arm," she murmured. "With the amount of soul fragments I have left, I wouldn't have been able to mend anything worse. But this…" A small smile curved her lips. "This, I can do."
As she pulled her hand away, the glow beneath her eyelids flickered, then died completely. A faint wave of exhaustion washed over her, the familiar drain of her soul fragments leaving her feel weaker than before.
"It'll be sore," she warned. "I healed most of it, but I just ran out of soul fragments."
Evan exhaled, rolling his shoulder. A dull crack echoed in the quiet. "Shit… Didn't I give you two last time?"
She shrugged. "That's only about fifteen fragments—if I'm lucky."
Evan sighed, stretching experimentally. "Guess we'll have to fix that later. We can't have you running empty." He pulled his arm free from the sling, testing the movement with a small, satisfied grin. "Much better. Thanks, Ecludia."
She stood up. "Mhmm," she hummed, already turning away. Her steps were light as she made her way toward the cave's entrance.
Evan glanced up. "Where are you going?"
She paused, glancing over her shoulder. "The ladies' room."
His eyes widened slightly. "Oh. Uh—okay. If you see anything dangerous, shout out."
She smirked, shaking her head as she shifted the barricade aside. "Will do."
Stepping into the night, Ecludia pulled the barricade shut behind her. The warmth of the cave vanished instantly, replaced by the chill of the open air.
She exhaled, watching her breath curl into the darkness. The wind had died down. The usual rustling of branches was gone. Too quiet.
Then, she saw it.
A few feet away, sprawled across the frozen ground, lay the mutilated remains of an elk beast. Its flesh had been stripped clean, exposing jagged bones, glistening under the moonlight. Its hollow eye sockets gaped at the sky. An empty, lifeless stare frozen in death.
Then the icy wind wafted the scent of fresh blood clung to the air. Thick. Pungent. Fresh.
Her breath hitched. Her heartbeat pounded against her ribs.
And then—
A slow, deep exhale.
Warm. Too close.
It wasn't her own.
The heat of it ghosted against her cheek, carrying the stench of blood.
Dread wrapped around her chest, suffocating. Every muscle in her body screamed to move, but she couldn't.
She turned her head—just slightly. Just enough to see.
A massive, wolf-like creature rested beside her. Its fangs, slick with blood, gleamed under the pale moonlight. Piercing blue eyes locked onto hers, unblinking. Its fur, white as untouched snow, ruffled slightly in the night breeze, but otherwise, it remained still. Too still.
Ecludia's breathing turned shallow and quick. Run. Move. Do something.
Nothing happened.
Then, finally—her body reacted.
Not how she wanted.
Her legs buckled. She stumbled back, crashing into the snow.
A scream of fear tore from her throat.
The shriek shattered the night, echoing through the cave. The sound cut through the stillness, reaching Zerin and Evan's ears in an instant.
Zerin and Evan shot upright. Their hands moved without thinking, instincts honed by survival. Weapons summoned in an instant.
"Ecludia!" Evan's voice rang out as he lunged forward, hammer already forming in his grip. Zerin was right behind him, sluggish with sleep.
They burst outside, boots crunching against the snow—
And froze.
Ecludia sat on the frozen ground, wide-eyed and trembling.
Evan's gaze snapped to where hers was locked. His breath stilled.
A nightmare creature.
His grip on the hammer tightened. No hesitation. No thinking. He moved.
The weapon swung upward, momentum surging through his arms—
"It's with me!"
The sharp command stopped him mid-swing.
Evan faltered, his grip loosening. His head snapped toward Zerin. "What?"
Ecludia barely reacted, her face a mix of fear and disbelief.
Zerin exhaled sharply, stepping forward. "It's with me," he repeated, his voice firm. His hand guided Evan's hammer downward, forcing him to lower his weapon.
The Howler, despite the chaos, didn't move.
No snarl. No aggression.
It simply sat there, watching.
Evan's jaw clenched as he scrutinized the creature. "You got one of those wolves as your Echo?"
Zerin shook his head.
"No… it's my Aspect."
Silence.
Evan's expression shifted from confusion to shock. "Holy shit," he breathed. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Zerin hesitated. His gaze flickered toward Ecludia.
"I… forgot."
Evan scoffed. "Forgot? Seriously?" He let out a slow breath, shaking his head. "I mean, I guess there was a lot going on, but still…"
His eyes drifted back to the Howler. "This thing really scared the hell out of you, huh?"
It was a poor attempt to break the tension.
Ecludia didn't answer.
She just curled into herself, arms wrapped around her body, fingers gripping her sleeves as if to anchor herself.
Evan frowned, stepping closer. His voice softened. "Ecludia?"
She opened her mouth, but the words didn't come.
Finally, a shaky breath escaped her.
"I… I…"