The air was thick with tension, the scent of blood and decay lingering as Kael and Aria stood back-to-back, surrounded. The creatures with yellow eyes slithered out of the darkness, their twisted forms barely recognizable as wolves. Their fur was patchy, their limbs elongated unnaturally, and their eyes—glowing pools of eerie light—held nothing but hunger.
Kael felt it immediately. A crushing weight, like unseen chains wrapping around his body, dragging him down. His strength wavered. His wolf roared within him, but it was as if something was draining him, pulling at his very essence.
Aria's breath hitched. "Kael… something is wrong."
"I know," he ground out, muscles trembling as he forced himself to stand tall. "They're tied to my curse."
One of the creatures lunged. Kael barely dodged, slashing out with his claws, but the impact sent him staggering. His vision blurred, his body unsteady. This wasn't normal. He'd fought wars, crushed enemies with ease—so why did he feel as if his life was being stripped from him?
Aria screamed as another creature leaped at her, and something snapped inside her.
The world slowed. The fear, the confusion—it all melted into something deeper, something primal. Her fingers tingled, an invisible pulse rushing through her veins. When the creature was inches from her face, a surge of blinding energy exploded from her body.
The force sent the beast flying, its body crashing into a tree with a sickening crunch.
Kael's eyes widened. "What the—"
Aria stood frozen, staring at her own hands. They glowed faintly, the air around her crackling like lightning after a storm. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, horror dawning on her face.
"What… what did I just do?"
The creatures hissed, recoiling, their yellow eyes flickering as if they recognized something in her—something they feared.
Kael clenched his fists, using their distraction to strike. Even weakened, he moved like a shadow, slicing through the monsters with deadly precision. But he was still struggling, his body faltering under the weight of whatever curse linked him to them.
Aria, still shaking, felt another creature rush her way. This time, she didn't think. She reacted.
A wave of raw energy burst from her, sending dust and debris flying. The creature stopped mid-air, howling as its body twisted unnaturally before disintegrating into black smoke.
Silence followed.
Kael and Aria stood among the carnage, the last of the creatures gone.
Aria looked at her hands again, chest heaving. "No… no, no, no." She stumbled backward. "This isn't me. This—this shouldn't be happening."
Kael, still breathing heavily, watched her carefully. "Aria."
She shook her head violently, stepping away. "I don't know what that was. I don't know what I am." Her voice was breaking, panic rising. "I could have killed you, Kael. I—I don't even know how I did that."
Kael took a slow step toward her, his usually cold eyes unreadable. "But you did."
Her breathing grew ragged. She was terrified—not of the creatures, not of Kael, but of herself.
Kael didn't reach for her, didn't force her to calm down. Instead, he studied her, his mind calculating. The way the creatures reacted to her power. The way she obliterated them with a force he had never seen before.
"Aria," he said slowly. "Look at me."
She hesitated before meeting his gaze, her eyes wide with fear.
"I don't know what just happened either," he admitted. "But running from it won't change anything."
Her hands clenched into fists, her entire body trembling. "Then what do I do? What if I become something worse than them?"
Kael inhaled deeply, still feeling the effects of the fight, but his focus remained on her. "I'll figure it out. I need to speak to my grandmother."
Aria blinked. "Your… grandmother?"
"She's an old witch," he explained. "If anyone knows what this means, it's her."
Aria remained silent for a long moment. The wind whispered through the trees, brushing against her skin like a warning.
Kael finally took a step closer. "You're not alone in this."
For the first time since she discovered her abilities, Aria saw something in Kael's eyes—something that softened the ice around them.
Trust.
And yet, deep down, she still couldn't shake the feeling that whatever was inside her… was something she should never have awakened.