They reach the outskirts of the clearing as night deepens around them.
The air feels thick with anticipation, the forest whispering secrets in a language none of them can understand.
Kieran, his jaw set in a tight line, leads the way.
Ace's heart pounds in his chest, the weight of their mission heavy with each step.
Jun's face is unreadable, his eyes scanning every shadow, every shift of the wind, but even he feels the strain of this impending battle.
As they go further, the air thickens, its weight pressing against them like an invisible barrier.
The once faint rustle of the forest is gone, swallowed by a silence so absolute it feels like the world is holding its breath.
Ace's chest tightens, the mark on his skin beginning to pulse faintly, a warning from his powers.
A cold shiver courses through him as he senses it—a shift in the energy around them, dark and ancient, creeping toward him like tendrils of shadow.
"Wait," Kieran says sharply, his voice low but firm as he raises a hand to stop them. His golden eyes narrow, scanning the impenetrable darkness ahead. "We're close."
Ace clenches his fists, his breathing shallow. The sensation grows stronger, his powers reacting as though they're alive.
The mark on his chest spreads more warmth, battling the oppressive chill of the clearing.
The air itself feels wrong. Heavy. Charged. Ace swears he can hear it hum, vibrating faintly with an energy that makes his skin crawl.
His heart pounds as he senses something watching, waiting.
"I feel it too," Ace whispers, his voice barely audible. "It's… alive. The magic here, it's like it's feeding on everything around it."
Kieran's jaw tightens, his muscles coiled as if preparing for an attack. "Stay close."
The earth beneath their feet trembles, a faint vibration that steadily grows stronger.
The skeletal trees surrounding them groan and creak as though stretching toward the sky, their blackened branches twisted into claw-like shapes.
A faint glow seeps through the gloom ahead, silver and dark, flickering like a sinister heartbeat.
The energy surges, slamming into Ace like a tidal wave.
Ace winces slightly from the overwhelming energy.
"Ace, what's happening?" Jun hisses, his voice tight with worry.
Ace manages, his voice trembling. "She's here… and she knows."
A sinister presence washes over them, an invisible storm swirling through the clearing.
The very air feels alive, thrumming with malice, and Ace can't shake the feeling that they're being suffocated by the darkness itself.
Then, the voice comes.
Sweet, venomous, and chillingly familiar, it echoes from the shadows, curling around them like a serpent. "Ah, my long-awaited guests. I was wondering when you'd arrive. Finally Ace showed up after running like a lost puppy , you realize that we have unfinished business, don't you Ace? You have something I want."
Ace's stomach twists, his powers bubbling in him in response to that.
Kieran steps forward, his body tense and his wolf bristling with barely restrained fury.
His golden eyes lock onto the source of the voice, narrowing in defiance. "Step aside, Lila. This ends tonight."
A dark laugh echoes through the clearing, and the flickering glow ahead intensifies. Shapes move in the shadows—hulking, unnatural forms with hollow eyes.
Ace realizes with a sinking feeling what they are.
The wolves. Lila's creations.
Their soulless gazes fix on him, and Ace feels the weight of their presence, their twisted forms exuding the same sinister energy that surrounds the clearing.
The runes on the anchor in Lila's hand begin to glow, pulsing in rhythm with the oppressive magic in the air.
The power radiating from her is almost suffocating, and Ace struggles to stand under its weight.
But then, he feels it—a spark deep within him, growing brighter, stronger. His mark burns, and the heat in his body intensifies.
Lila steps forward, the faint light revealing her triumphant smirk. "You should have stayed away," she purrs, her voice dripping with mockery. "But now, you've walked right into my trap. You two were supposed to be with other wolves here, bowing down to me! But whatever the reason why my powers didn't work on you, I'll fix it now that you are here...
And you!" She say referring to Jun. "What are you even doing here? Do you have a death wish?! You are just a mere human, what makes you think you should be here?"
Jun, "Let's see who is going to be mere after this!" Jun says confidently despite his tense state.
Lila's laugh is like the ringing of bells, but there's no warmth to it—only the coldness of power and cruelty. "Oh, how bold. But you're too late, both of you! All the wolves bow before me now. Even you can't stop me."
Lila steps forward, her figure emerging from the shadows. Her eyes gleam with dark satisfaction as she looks over her shoulder at the wolves—hundreds of them, mindlessly moving in unison.
The air is thick with their presence, each one marked by her twisted magic, their eyes lifeless and glowing with the remnants of her control.
"This is my kingdom now," Lila continues, her gaze sweeping over them. "I am the goddess of this domain. All the wolves, except for you two, serve me."
Ace's breath catches in his throat, his mind spinning. Goddess? She truly believes she's some sort of deity now.
He can feel the gravity of her words, the weight of the power she's drawing from the earth, from the wolves, from everything around her.
Kieran steps forward, his voice unwavering. His laugh mocking her, "Ha! Ha ha! Goddess?! You're no goddess! You're a parasite, feeding off the lives of others."
Lila tilts her head, a mock smile playing at the corner of her lips. "Is that so? You still don't understand. This is bigger than any of you. I will reshape the world, and you—" she looks pointedly at Ace and then Kieran, "—will be my servants. Surrender now, and I'll spare your lives. Refuse, and I'll take everything from you."
"Ace , surrender your powers to me , and I will spare you!"
"You want me to surrender?" Ace's voice is steady, though his pulse pounds in his ears. "You should wake up, because that's an impossible dream!"
Lila's eyes glimmer with something dark, something calculating. She steps closer, her presence almost suffocating. "You want it hard way, don't you?"
"As I said , this ends tonight!" Kieran says.
Lila's smile widens, her gaze flicking between them. "You think you can stop me? With your pathetic little army?" She turns and gestures to the wolves, whose vacant eyes never leave her, their movements synchronized with the beat of the magic that swirls around her.
Ace feels the magic, the dark energy that pulses through the earth. He knows it's connected to the symbols he saw in his vision.
They're more than just markings; they're barriers, traps, and the very essence of Lila's power.
"Enough of this chitchat!" Ace's powers starts burning bright from his chest , threatening to consume things.
Lila seeing that , raises Anchor high into the air, and the ground beneath them trembles violently.
The air crackles with dark energy as the boundary surrounding the clearing tightens, shimmering like an impenetrable wall.
They can't get in.
The magic surges around them, pulling at their energy, their very will. The boundary is a wall of pure, oppressive force that seems to bend reality itself.
"Try as you might," Lila's voice purrs from the other side of the wall, "you won't get through. My power is too great. This is my domain."
Kieran slams his fist into the invisible barrier, but it's like hitting an invisible stone. The force of it sends a tremor up his arm, but the wall doesn't even falter.
Jun curses under his breath, stepping back. "She's fortified everything. We won't get through like this."
Ace feels a surge of frustration, his power thrumming just beneath his skin. "There has to be a way—"
But before he can finish, Lila's laughter rings out again, louder now, echoing through the clearing.
"Oh, you poor, naive fools. You think you can defy me? I'm a goddess now—your goddess. And no one, not even you, Kieran, can challenge me."
Kieran's jaw clenches, his eyes narrowing as he assesses the situation.
Ace feels his heart hammering in his chest, the pressure of the boundary pressing in on him.
He wants to break it, to tear down the walls around them, but it's clear that it's not that simple.
"Maybe I can dissolve this boundary thing and then we can get to her," Ace says.
Without waiting for any of their arguments or suggestions, he closes him eyes.