The scene before her was too much for her to process: the group was gathered around the campfire. Some of them were chewing quietly. They were having a feast—weren't they struggling to eat these days?
They had left the forest since it had become too dangerous, but they hadn't found any food in the city. Where had they gotten so much meat? Did they hunt? Was there still any wild animal left in the city?
She felt confused, her mind muddled from the strange sleep, when her gaze fell on the most horrifying thing she had ever seen in her life.
A white wolf's head lay near the fire, severed and discarded like an afterthought. His once-glorious white fur, the same fur she used to cuddle with to sleep, was stained red with blood. His golden eyes, which had glowed beautifully whether under the sun or the moon, now lay lifeless, staring blankly into the dark sky. The lump in her throat threatened to choke her, but she couldn't speak—couldn't breathe.
Her knees buckled beneath her, and she collapsed to the ground. She barely felt the rough earth against her palms, the shock of the scene consuming all of her senses.
"Maru…" Her voice barely reached her ears, a weak whisper. The warmth of the fire felt far colder now, and the world seemed too small for the agony she was drowning in.
The elder of the group, an old man in his 50s, slowly approached. There was only an ounce of guilt in his face; the rest was a man trying to defend his decision.
"Seraphine," he began, his voice low, as if trying to mask the truth with soft words. "You're awake. Sorry we had to put you to sleep." He paused, as if waiting for her to acknowledge him, but she couldn't look at him. "We had to make a difficult choice, you see. This is for us to survive, for you too… We can always find another wolf in the woods…"
The words cut through her like a knife, but she couldn't find the strength to say anything. She didn't want to hear him, didn't want to hear any explanation. She wanted to scream, to demand why, to ask what kind of monsters they had become to take Maru from her so callously.
He gave her a moment to gather herself, but when she didn't respond, he continued, his tone almost too gentle. "You've been through a lot, dear. You must be hungry. It's only right that we share the meat with you. We did it for the group's survival, after all."
He held out a chunk of roasted meat. Seraphine's breath caught in her throat as she realized it was Maru's flesh—barely recognizable as the creature who had been her best friend, her protector, the one she had cared for since he was a pup. The elder's smile was thin, but there was something unsettling in his eyes, a sense of control. It was as though he was telling her, *It's just a dog, an animal. No need to get so emotional.*
Her stomach twisted violently, but she couldn't move. The pain was too much. Her heart felt like it was being crushed under the weight of his words, of what they had done, of what they had turned into.
Before she could force herself to speak, to refuse him, or even yell at him, a low rumble echoed through the forest, followed by a violent shaking of the ground. The elder looked up, eyes widening in alarm. His voice faltered, his calm demeanor cracking.
"What—" he started, but it was too late.
Only three buildings from where they were staying, the air itself seemed to warp and twist. A rift opened wide, jagged and dark, sending a wave of malevolent energy crashing through the camp. The ground trembled as the rift expanded, pouring forth hordes of twisted, monstrous creatures that flooded into the world.
Seraphine's heart skipped a beat, not from fear of the monsters but from a deep, unshakable despair. She saw the chaos around her, the others scrambling, but she couldn't think or feel anything anymore. The weight of the betrayal, the emptiness in her chest, the loss of Maru—everything was too much for her.
With a blank expression, she reached Maru's severed head, gave him a goodnight kiss on his forehead, and turned to face the rift. She took her weapon and threw herself into the oncoming horde, the wild, frenzied screams of monsters filling her ears as she ran toward them. She didn't care anymore.
Her mind was numb. Her heart had already shattered.
The world was ending, and for her, it already had.