Zai leaned closer, his necklace brushing against Lana.
The moment the jade grazed her skin, Lana's fingertips shivered.
A soft, celestial shine began to spread across her, spreading like rhythmic water waves on the shore.
His eyes widened as he let out a breath of surprise.
He pulled back the pearl, no longer touching her.
The shine faded, and he noticed that—
Slowly, he lifted the necklace from around his neck and brought it even closer to her.
Zai spread his palms, controlling the essence suppressed inside the jade, and made it flow towards her until it was an empty glass bead.
The essence coiled around Lana, slowly merging with her body.
The glow got brighter and brighter.
Her clothes and skin turned to hues of white.
It looked like her body had a ghostly transparency to its appearance.
She jolted awake with a deep gasp,
a parched throat and a racing heart.
"You're awake!" Zai shouted.
"What's wrong?" Lana asked, her eyes narrowed as she looked at the mother Glowfangs worried eyes and quickened heart.
That's when they heard low growls echoing through the walls.
Lana and Zai turned to face the other Glowfangs.
They saw their eyes narrowed and clenched jaws painted with pure resentment and fear.
"Shit," Lana and Zai blurted in sync.
They started barking at them.
The sound grew sharper and louder.
Fangs flashed in the dim lights,
their voices rising in anger.
One of them stepped forward,
his body starved that his bones were poking out,
His eyes dusting with hopeless fog,
his jaw clenched, ready to devour.
Zai quickly leaned in front of Lana,
sheltering her behind him.
He narrowed his eyes,
getting ready to draw his sword, Even though at that point he was probably too weak to fight.
The eroded Fang sprang forward at them, bearing his teeth, but the mother Fang jumped in front of them just in time, shielding them behind her.
Even her pups snuggled and made a circle around them.
Her growl rose from within her core,
sharp and trembling, as frightening as it was protective.
She was not going to let them lay a finger on them.
"Quick!—get out of here," Zai urged Lana, seizing the chance to escape.
Lana quickly rose from the ground while
Zai stood up trembling.
He lurched forward, his legs buckling beneath him. He stumbled, tripping hard—until Lana's hand shot just in time to break his fall.
"Go! Now," he gasped, urging her to leave alone. He couldn't move another step. His strength was worn out.
"I'm not leaving you—or her—alone!" she said, her voice shaking,
her lips trembling with fear and rage.
She hurriedly spread her palms, ready to summon her dagger so she could fight back—
But nothing appeared.
It was as if she had entered an entirely different body with different abilities.
She groaned in frustration,
her mind racing with thoughts and scenarios.
Zai turned his face, taking a quick glance at the situation. The Glowfangs were still agitated—though they couldn't see them, they could sense their essence behind the mother Fang's body that towered in front of them. Perhaps it was what lay within the jade that fueled their anger.
He grabbed Lana's arm, pulling her down to the ground with urgent force.
"The jade essence… I'm taking it back. Just hold still."
He spread his palms, trying to control it, but it clung tighter than it should. His hands trembled and twitched, but he poured every ounce of effort into it—brow furrowing, eyes narrowing, jaw clenched.
Slowly, he managed to draw it out. The essence coiled from her, slithering toward the empty glass bead, until it finally settled, suppressed back into the jade.
As it flowed away, her original form began to return. The white hues of the essence receded like mist, revealing the reds beneath, as if a painting had been slowly uncovered, layer by layer, restoring her true colors.
The Glowfangs' growls gradually faded as they couldn't sense that essence anymore.
Lana and Zai let out a sigh of relief,
still kneeling on the cold ground.
Zai's body sagged, collapsing back.
Lana rushed forward, slipping an arm behind him, catching his weight before he hit the stone.
He slumped against her, half upright in her hold as his chest heaved for air.
"It's alright… it's all over now…"
She whispered gently, comforting him.
But—
It's not over yet…
The eroded Fang remained, still agitated.
He let out a hollow, screeching whisper, as if stabbed from the inside. He had reached his breaking point. The poison had eaten away at his mind, leaving him unable to see clearly. His eyes bulged, leaking blood and a misty, dark fog—just like the one they had seen when they fought the giant beast in the yawning cave.
He was driven to madness like a puppet attached to invisible strings.
He lunged at the mother Fang.
The pack erupted. Growls and barks tore through the air as several of them rushed to defend her.
"NO!!" Lana screamed.
As she did, a surge of hollow energy erupted from her, pushing him back with brute force.
Zai's eyes began to bleed slowly, thick dark blue streams sliding from his eyes like molten ink rather than tears. His eyes squinted, brows furrowed, and jaw clenched.
The eroded Fang's entire body shivered,
like trembling glass—his pupils dilating violently, guilt and rage colliding in his eyes.
He shook his head, limbs trembling, jaw clenching as he struggled to gain control over his mind.
A low, broken whimper escaped him before he bolted, claws scrabbling against stone as he vanished into the twisting dark tunnel, leaving only echoes of chaos behind.
Lana and Zai lay on the ground,
their hearts hammering as they felt the storm unfold around them.
Every second stretched, fast and terrible, and they could do nothing.