Scene 144 — "Something Woke"
The wolf moved first.
All three heads lowered.
Its enormous body shifted forward.
The Traveler remained standing.
Barely.
His breathing had become rough.
Blood stained his sleeve.
The elder sister noticed.
He was slowing.
She looked at the beast.
Then at him.
She understood.
If the fight continued like this—
he would eventually fall.
The wolf charged.
The elder sister stepped forward.
The Traveler's eyes shifted toward her.
"Don't."
She ignored him.
She ran directly toward the left head.
The wolf reacted instantly.
Its left head snapped toward her.
She raised her broken blade.
The jaws opened.
At the last moment—
she threw herself aside.
The jaws slammed shut where she had been.
The elder sister rolled across the ground.
The wolf turned after her.
That was the opening.
The Traveler moved.
Not fast.
Terrifyingly fast.
His body crossed the distance before the creature could react.
The center head turned.
Too late.
The Traveler seized the base of the left head.
His fingers disappeared into the thick fur.
The wolf violently twisted.
The Traveler's feet left the ground.
He was dragged sideways.
His grip tightened.
The beast shook him.
He refused to release.
The right head attacked.
The Traveler ducked.
The jaws snapped above him.
The center head came next.
He drove his shoulder into it.
The wolf staggered.
The Traveler's breathing became ragged.
His muscles trembled.
The creature tried to pull away.
He pulled back.
For one moment—
the entire battlefield seemed to stop.
The elder sister stared.
The Traveler's hood had fallen farther back.
White hair covered part of his face.
His eyes were shadowed.
Then—
a faint purple light appeared beneath them.
The elder sister froze.
The color lasted only an instant.
Dark.
Deep.
Almost violet-black.
The Traveler's expression changed.
Not anger.
Not rage.
Something colder.
His grip tightened.
The wolf struggled violently.
The Traveler twisted.
The movement was brutal.
Sudden.
Absolute.
CRACK.
The left head tore free.
The enormous body recoiled.
The beast released a roar so violent that the remaining two heads screamed with it.
The Traveler staggered backward.
The severed head fell heavily into the shattered earth.
The elder sister stood frozen.
She couldn't speak.
The younger girl stared from behind the broken wall.
The wolf stumbled.
Two heads remained.
Both turned toward the Traveler.
The creature no longer looked like an unstoppable monster.
It looked wounded.
Furious.
Afraid.
The Traveler stood several meters away.
His chest rose and fell heavily.
His hands trembled.
He looked down at them.
Then at the head lying in the dirt.
He didn't understand.
He hadn't planned to do that.
He hadn't known his body could do it.
The purple glow had already vanished.
The elder sister slowly approached.
"You..."
The Traveler looked at her.
His expression was empty.
"...I don't know."
The remaining two heads roared.
The ground shook again.
The Traveler raised his eyes.
The battle wasn't over.
It had only become worse.
Because now—
the wounded beast had nothing left to lose.
And the Traveler was beginning to realize that whatever had moved through his body moments ago...
had not been entirely his own decision.