The forest had never been this silent.
Even the wind seemed to hold its breath, as though the world itself feared what was coming.
Sera could feel the darkness that is gathering at the edges of the clearing, creeping closer with
every heartbeat. The night had weight, pressing against her chest, heavy and suffocating.
Then the shadows moved.
They didn't crawl like normal darkness. They breathed and they pulsed. The black fog unfurled
into living shapes as if they were wolf-like beasts woven from smoke and bone. Their eyes are
hollow, their growls low and mournful. Every step they took made the ground quiver and their
every snarl leaves a trail of frost in the air.
Sera's breath hitched. "What are those?"
Kieran didn't answer right away. His palms glowed faintly. An emerald energy cracks around his
fingers. "Shadow-beasts. Witchborn," he muttered, the words tightened with tension. "They only
come when summoned by blood magic."
