As his life was about to come to an end. a sudden surge pulsing his body from within. adrenaline rushed through his mind, heart pumping like a machine gun, his mind suddenly become clearer as he was about to get eaten.
suddenly, he felt his body is much stronger for a moment. emptiness filling his mind, all he could think of is to fight.
Aldir extended his right arm toward the massive wolf in front of him, his fingers outstretched and tense. His mind, still reeling from the visions, was focused now. The unknown power stirred within him earlier flared, responding to the danger in the air. He could feel the earth beneath him trembling in sync with the raw power that he was learning to harness.
As he concentrated, the air around his arm began to move. First, there was a subtle shift, a slight disturbance. But then it grew. The wind swirled around his outstretched hand, gathering in force, like the gathering of a storm on the horizon. The pressure increased, the air becoming dense and heavy, the sound of it shifting into a low, ominous hum.
The wolf, large and looming, bared its fangs, its eyes gleaming with the promise of death. But there was hesitation in its movements. It felt the change in the air, the weight of the power Aldir was about to release. The beast growled lowly, muscles tensing in anticipation.
With a sudden flick of his wrist, Aldir unleashed the power that had been building. A sharp crack split the air as the wind that had coiled around his arm burst out in a concentrated blast. The force of it hit the wolf head-on, ripping through the space with such raw power that the very ground beneath the beast trembled. The sound was deafening, like a thunderclap, but with a speed that made it sound as though the world itself had snapped in half.
The wolf howled in pain, its body thrust backward by the shockwave of pressure. Its fur was torn from its body in patches, and its eyes widened in shock as it staggered, barely able to keep its footing. The blast had struck with such force that even the wind seemed to bend to Aldir's will, spiraling around him in a swirl of power, forming a vortex that rippled the very air around them.
Aldir's body trembled with the exertion, the power he had just unleashed leaving him breathless, but something more profound echoed in the depths of his soul. The power was not just a force he could control, it was him.
Confusion gripped Aldir's mind as he stared at the scattered fragments of flesh and bones, remnants of the once-mighty wolf now reduced to nothing but a grotesque heap. The blood still pooled around him, a macabre scene painted in red against the earth, and the air around him smelled like a storm had passed. It was surreal, like the remnants of a nightmare he couldn't fully comprehend.
For a moment, Aldir was lost in thought, his mind drifting back to the moment he had unleashed that power—the force that had erupted from him. He could still feel the surge of chi, the overwhelming rush of energy, like something deep within him had been unshackled. The power was his, but it was also foreign. Alien.
Slowly, Aldir brought his hands up before his face. They were stained—dirty with mud and streaked with blood, his pale skin now tainted in the crimson aftermath of his actions. His fingertips trembled ever so slightly, but the sight of the blood didn't bring him revulsion. Instead, it stirred something darker within him.
His mind raced. What have I done?
The memory of the scene played back in his mind—the violent destruction of the wolf. And then it hit him, like a surge of water crashing over a dam. He wasn't just wielding power—he was power. It was something he had always known, deep down, yet had never fully grasped. And in that moment, that power had been set free.
His breath hitched in his chest as his eyes widened. All two of them. He remembered the visions, the black sword, the fight between Annatar and his brother. Was this, was this the same power? The same energy that had once torn through worlds, consumed kingdoms?
And then, as if something had unlocked deep within him, a sudden wave of joy flooded his mind. It was sickening, twisted joy, an exhilaration that surged through his veins. His lips parted, and a small grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. That grin widened into a smile, like a crack splitting open in a mask.
The wolves in front of him, those remaining, had not moved. Their eyes glinted in the dim light, their stance tense, as though they were unsure of what to do next. They had seen their leader fall, the giant wolf that had once commanded the pack now reduced to a bloodied heap. Their primal instincts told them to retreat, but something held them there, staring at Aldir as if they sensed something... different.
Aldir tilted his head upward, his gaze locking on the remaining wolves. There was no fear in his eyes. No hesitation. No second-guessing. He was no longer the uncertain boy who had just arrived in this strange world. He was more. Something had awakened inside him. Something darker. Something ancient.
And then, suddenly, it burst out of him.
He laughed.
It started low, a soft, guttural chuckle that quickly spiraled into something twisted, something... demonic. The sound echoed through the trees like thunder, a sinister, chilling laughter that reverberated off the bark of the ancient forest. His voice cracked, a deep, unnerving sound, but it was full of abandon, full of power, as though he had finally surrendered to something that had been clawing at him from the very start.
The laughter rolled across the forest, bouncing off the shadows and filling the space with an eerie, almost malevolent energy. The remaining wolves remained frozen, unsure, their ears pinned back in unease. The air grew colder around them, the shadows lengthened, and the night seemed to grow darker as Aldir's laugh continued to ripple through the very fabric of the forest.
And in that moment, Aldir felt as though he had crossed a line. There was no going back now. The power was his. And it was just the beginning.