The moon hung high, pale and cold, its reflection breaking in the still pools of the Lotus Forest. The campfire hissed and cracked, scattering brief embers into the darkness—until the air grew too still.
The first sound was not a growl.It was a pulse—a pressure that slid through the air, rippling the grass, making every flame tremble.
The boy's hand twitched. He turned sharply toward the treeline.
"It's here," he whispered.
The knight beside him froze, his hand moving to his blade.
"Young master—get back in the tent. Now."
Before the boy could respond, another sound came—low, rhythmic, like claws dragging through wet earth.
The knight's voice broke through the tension.
"Everyone, up! We're under watch!"
Tents burst open. Knights scrambled out, blades drawn, the blue glow of runic wards flickering to life. The forest was breathing—alive with Ether distortions.
And then the first pair of eyes appeared.Two golden orbs glimmered through the dark, followed by another… and another.
The Arrival
"They're closing in—five hundred meters!" shouted one of the scouts.
Lightning crackled.A figure emerged from the largest tent—Levan Aurelion, blade drawn, stormlight crawling across his armor.
"Where is my son?" he barked.
"Safe in the back, my lord!"
Elara appeared moments later, her blue flames already whispering around her hands. Her eyes caught her husband's for a second—no words, only recognition.
And then… the forest split.
A shadow peeled itself from the darkness and stepped into the light.A wolf—but nothing like the kind described in tales.
Its fur shimmered between smoke and solid form, like glass holding a storm.Its eyes were ancient, violet and deep as voidfire. When it moved, the ground beneath it bent.
And then, without moving its mouth, a voice filled the minds of everyone present.
"Humans… what brings you here?"
Its tone was calm—far too calm.The knights froze, unsure whether to bow, flee, or strike.
The boy clung to his mother's robe, his eyes glowing faintly with Ether.
The wolf's steps were slow, deliberate.
"Or rather," it said, "why don't you leave that… with me?"
The Shadow Monarch
[Species Analysis: Lykarth Nox — "Shadow Wolf"]Tier: Legendary Class — L3 (Third Rank)Type: Nightcrawler VariantElemental Affinities: Shadow | PsychicDescription:Once native to the eastern wilds, Lykarths were wolves that survived the first Fall. Bathed in void Ether, they evolved beyond beastly instinct, gaining telepathic and psionic resonance. They hunt the voidborn and maintain balance within corrupted forests—rarely ever interfering with humans.
But this one… did.
And that was the part that made every knight in the camp's blood run cold.
No Lykarth had spoken to a human in over 3,000 years.
Confrontation
Levan stepped forward, lightning coiling around his frame.
"You want my son?"
The wolf's gaze flickered faintly.
"Your kind never learns.""Always shielding the fragile instead of letting the world choose its own."
Elara's hand tightened on the boy's shoulder. The knights encircled them, shields raised, forming a line between the family and the treeline.
Levan exhaled softly, his expression unreadable.
"Knights! Formation Alpha. Protect the camp perimeter."
"Yes, my lord!"
The wolves multiplied—emerging from every shadow, crawling, forming a crescent shape around the camp. Their numbers were uncountable.
The Legendary Lykarth tilted its head.
"Hand it over, and this ends."
"No."
That one word—sharp, calm, absolute—shattered the night.
Lightning erupted from Levan's blade as he raised it high.
"To my family," he said quietly, "to every noble who thinks they understand power—you don't seem to get the idea."
He slammed his sword into the earth.
Skill Activation
Skill: Thunder Gate (Triple S-Rank)Type: Wide-Area Defensive / Offensive HybridDescription: Emits a 360° discharge of lightning that creates a barrier around allies while stunning enemies within range. Range expands with user's control.
The air detonated.Bolts of blue lightning shot into the sky, branching outward like a cage of stars. The entire camp was enveloped in crackling arcs, the ground glowing with runes that hummed like a living engine.
The Lykarth's fur rippled as its shadows recoiled from the light.
Before it could move, another voice cut through the thunder.
Elara.
Her staff materialized in her hand, elegant and sharp, topped with a sphere of deep azure flame.
"Flames of Purgatory."
Spell: Flames of Purgatory (Triple S-Rank)Type: Flame Enclosure / Barrier CompletionDescription: Conjures pure blue flames that fill Ether voids and reinforce allied barriers, capable of incinerating shadow-class entities.
She struck the staff into the ground.Blue fire surged upward, filling the gaps in the Thunder Gate, turning it into a blazing ring of energy. The barrier shimmered with both light and flame—lightning forming its bones, fire its skin.
The Wolf's Words
The Lykarth stepped forward, unfazed, its telepathic voice deepening until it felt like the forest itself was speaking.
"Humans…""You still believe you're at the top of the food chain."
Its pupils dilated. The shadows behind it twisted like smoke alive.
"You never learn."
And then, it vanished.
The entire treeline exploded as dozens of wolves lunged from every direction.
Lightning flared.Flames roared.Steel clashed.
The Lotus Forest, which had slept for centuries, came alive with the chaos of a war that had not been seen since the First Fall.
And beneath the crackling thunder and purging fire, the boy stood frozen—his hand glowing faintly purple.Somewhere deep within him, the words surfaced again.Mind's Eye.
[End of Chapter 20 — The Night of the Lotus Forest]