Night fell once again.
But this night felt different.
Heavier.
Darker.
As if something unseen had wrapped itself around the world.
The camp was quieter than usual. Even the rogues, who once laughed and argued through the night, now kept their voices low.
No one could explain it
But everyone felt it.
Something was coming.
At the edge of the camp, Lira stood alone, her silver eyes glowing faintly under the moonlight.
"You feel it too," she said softly.
The voice within her responded, calm but alert.
"Yes… and I do not like it."
Lira's gaze remained fixed ahead.
"That presence from earlier…"
"It was not normal," the voice continued. "It was hidden… shielded."
Lira's brows narrowed slightly.
"Shielded from you?" she asked.
A pause.
Then
"Yes."
That was enough to confirm it.
Whoever or whatever that figure was…
They were dangerous.
Behind her, Ronan approached, slower than usual.
"You've been standing here for hours," he said. "Planning something?"
Lira didn't turn.
"Thinking."
Ronan crossed his arms.
"That's worse."
That earned a faint smile from her.
"Probably."
Silence followed for a moment.
Then
"I saw something earlier," Ronan said, his tone more serious now.
Lira glanced at him.
"What?"
"Tracks," he replied. "Near the ridge where that figure stood."
Her eyes sharpened slightly.
"And?"
Ronan hesitated.
"That's the problem… there were none."
Lira turned fully now.
"None?"
He nodded.
"No scent. No footprints. No broken branches."
A chill passed through the air.
"That's not possible," Lira said.
"It is if they don't want to be found," Ronan replied.
The voice inside her spoke again.
"This is not just power… this is concealment beyond ordinary wolves."
Lira's expression darkened slightly.
"Then we're not dealing with a wolf."
Before Ronan could respond
A sudden scream tore through the camp.
Sharp.
Terrified.
Both of them turned instantly.
"That came from the inner tents," Ronan said.
They moved at the same time.
Fast.
By the time they arrived, a small crowd had already formed.
Fear filled the air.
"What happened?!" Ronan demanded, pushing through.
A rogue stepped back, pale and shaking.
"H-he just… dropped…"
Lira stepped forward.
On the ground lay a man.
Still.
Unmoving.
His eyes wide open
But lifeless.
No wounds.
No blood.
No sign of struggle.
Lira knelt beside him, her hand hovering just above his chest.
She could feel it immediately.
Or rather
What was missing.
"His life force…" she murmured.
"It's gone."
Ronan frowned. "What do you mean gone?"
Before she could answer
Another scream echoed.
Then another.
Panic erupted.
"They're dying!"
"What is happening?!"
More bodies began to fall.
One by one.
No attack.
No warning.
Just… collapse.
The entire camp descended into chaos.
Ronan looked around, his expression tightening.
"This isn't a coincidence."
"No," Lira said, rising slowly.
Her eyes glowed brighter now.
"This is targeted."
The wind around her began to shift sharp, restless.
"Show yourself," she said, her voice low but powerful.
Nothing.
Silence
Then
A whisper.
Soft.
Cold.
Right behind her.
"Interesting…"
Lira's eyes snapped wide as she turned
But no one was there.
Ronan saw her reaction immediately.
"What is it?"
"They're here," she said.
"Where?" he asked, scanning the area.
Lira's gaze moved slowly across the camp.
"Everywhere…"
The voice came again.
This time… clearer.
"You've grown stronger than expected…"
The temperature dropped suddenly.
Frost began to form lightly on the ground.
Ronan's breath hitched.
"You hear that?" he asked.
Lira nodded slowly.
"Yes."
The whisper turned into a soft chuckle.
"But you are still incomplete…"
A shadow flickered at the edge of her vision.
Gone the next second.
"Who are you?" Lira demanded.
Silence.
Then
"I am the one who remembers what you used to be…"
The voice grew colder.
"And what you lost."
Lira's expression hardened.
"Show yourself."
Another pause.
Then
"When the time is right."
A sudden gust of wind swept through the camp.
And just like that,
The presence vanished.
Completely.
The cold faded.
The whispers stopped.
But the damage remained.
Bodies lay scattered.
Lifeless.
Drained.
Ronan clenched his fists.
"What the hell was that?" he said under his breath.
Lira didn't answer immediately.
Her gaze remained fixed ahead.
Her mind racing.
"They're not just watching me…" she said finally.
"They're hunting."
The voice within her spoke again, quieter now.
"This enemy… knows you."
Lira's eyes darkened slightly.
"Then they've made a mistake."
Ronan looked at her.
"And what mistake is that?"
Lira's silver eyes burned with quiet fury.
"They showed themselves."
A slow, dangerous calm settled over her.
And for the first time,
Her power didn't feel just awakened.
It felt… provoked.