The pigs came charging forward in a mad frenzy, their eyes glowing with an unnatural light. They moved in synchronized formation, as if some unseen force was guiding them. Alina's heart pounded in her chest, her grip tightening on her sword.
"What the hell is going on?" Dante muttered, his eyes scanning the horizon. "These aren't just regular pigs!"
Alina narrowed her gaze at the advancing swarm. There were at least forty of them—more than enough to wipe out the entire village if left unchecked. But it wasn't just the numbers that made her nervous. It was the way they moved: organized, precise, as if they had a leader. And that leader, she realized, was standing right at the edge of the woods, watching them with an eerie calmness.
"There's something controlling them," Alina said, her voice low but firm. "I can feel it."
The man who had warned them stepped back, fear evident in his eyes. "You have to stop them! Please, we can't—"
"Stay behind us," Alina cut him off, her focus shifting entirely to the pigs. She turned to Dante. "Get ready."
Dante was already pulling his daggers from his belt. "I was born ready."
They both braced as the wild pigs charged, their tusks gleaming with menace. Alina stepped forward, her movements fluid as she swung her sword at the nearest one. It was smaller than the boar she had slain earlier, but it still had the strength to knock her off balance if she wasn't careful.
With a swift slash, Alina took down the first pig, but there was no time to celebrate. The others were already upon her, their tusks aimed at her chest. She dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding a deadly strike, and swung her sword again, cutting down another pig. But the creatures were relentless. Every time she killed one, another took its place. She couldn't keep up.
"Alina!" Dante shouted, slashing at one of the pigs that had tried to flank her. "We can't hold them off forever!"
She gritted her teeth, blood pumping in her ears. "We don't have to. We just need to find the one controlling them."
Dante nodded, then leapt back into the fray, his daggers flashing as he danced around the pigs, cutting them down one by one. Alina kept her focus on the edge of the woods, where the shadowy figure stood. Whoever or whatever it was, they were too calm, too composed for this to be a random attack.
Suddenly, Alina's vision blurred. The shadows around the figure at the edge of the woods seemed to grow darker. The air grew colder, and a voice—a low, distorted whisper—floated through her mind.
"You cannot defeat them. They are mine. You belong to me now."
Alina staggered, almost losing her balance. The voice was not in her ears—it was inside her mind. It felt like the very fabric of her thoughts was being twisted, manipulated by some unseen force.
"Alina?!" Dante's voice broke through the haze. "What's wrong?"
She shook her head, trying to clear the fog in her mind. "That voice… it's in my head."
Before Dante could respond, a blast of dark energy erupted from the woods, hitting the ground with a force that sent a shockwave through the village. Alina barely had time to raise her sword before the wave hit her, knocking her off her feet and sending her flying backward.
"Alina!" Dante's voice was frantic, but his words were drowned out by the chaos.
Alina hit the ground hard, her head spinning. She tried to push herself up, but her limbs felt heavy, sluggish. The dark energy had left her weakened, disoriented. She looked around, struggling to focus, but the world around her was spinning.
"You are weak. You will fall before me, just like all the others." The voice echoed in her mind again, stronger this time.
Alina's breath quickened. Who was this? What did they want with her? She couldn't remember a time when she had felt so powerless, so small.
Just then, the wild pigs closed in around her, their tusks aimed at her. She had no energy to fight them off, no strength to stand. Panic clawed at her chest.
But then, a streak of blinding light cut through the chaos. Dante appeared at her side, his daggers flashing as he took down two pigs in quick succession. He grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet.
"Come on!" he shouted, urgency in his voice. "We need to get to the edge of the woods, now!"
Alina nodded, pushing through the pain. She could feel her strength returning slowly, the fog lifting from her mind, but it was still hard to focus. They sprinted toward the woods, but as they neared the tree line, the figure stepped out from the shadows.
It was a man, tall and cloaked in darkness, his face hidden beneath a hood. His eyes glowed with the same eerie light as the pigs.
"I am Solus," he said, his voice a deep, resonating growl that seemed to come from everywhere at once. "And these pigs… they are my servants. My army."
Alina's heart raced. This wasn't just some rogue monster or bandit. This was something far darker.
"You control them?" Dante spat, his daggers raised. "What are you trying to do?"
Solus tilted his head, his smile barely visible beneath the hood. "What am I trying to do? I am merely testing her. Seeing if she's worthy of the power I offer."
Alina stiffened. "Power? You're the one controlling them? What do you want with me?"
The figure's smile widened, revealing sharp, predatory teeth. "I have no interest in you, little farmer. It is your potential that I seek. You are much more than you realize. I can feel it within you."
Dante stepped forward, his daggers aimed at Solus's chest. "I won't let you use her."
Solus's eyes glowed brighter, the darkness around him thickening. "You cannot stop me, mortal. You cannot even begin to understand the forces at play here."
With a flick of his wrist, dark energy surged, wrapping around Dante like a rope and pulling him off his feet. He screamed as the energy constricted around him, his body trembling under the pressure.
"No!" Alina shouted, her sword raised. "Let him go!"
But Solus didn't budge. Instead, he lifted his hand, and the pigs began to circle Alina, their tusks gleaming with malice.
"You will choose, Alina. Join me and I will give you power beyond your wildest dreams. Refuse, and I will make sure that your friend suffers… forever."
Alina felt her heart hammering in her chest. She had fought monsters, corrupt kings, and everything in between, but this was different. This wasn't just a battle for survival—this was a battle for her soul.
Could she trust herself to make the right choice?
Her mind raced, but there was no time. The pigs were closing in, the energy binding Dante was getting tighter, and Solus's mocking grin was burning into her soul.
---
Alina's sword trembled in her grip as she faced the impossible choice: join Solus and claim power beyond her imagining, or defy him and risk Dante's life, perhaps her own. With the pigs surrounding her and time running out, what choice would she make?