The wolf charged again, its massive paws kicking up dust as it leaped. I didn't hesitate. I focused on that flicker of power, willing it to surge outward again. The air rippled around me, another pulse of force blasting forward.
But this time, the wolf was ready.
It twisted mid-air, dodging to the side. Too fast. It landed smoothly, muscles tensed, ready to lunge again. My heart hammered. My attack had been instinctual, raw, uncontrolled. If I wanted to survive, I needed to do better.
Think. Adapt.
The power inside me was like a tiny ember, flickering but stubborn. If I could shape it, control it—
The wolf pounced. I moved, but my body was sluggish, untrained. Claws slashed toward me. I barely managed to twist, the attack grazing my arm. Pain flared, hot and sharp. I bit back a scream.
I needed more time. A way to stall—
Then it hit me.
I dropped to one knee and slammed my palm into the ground. My power surged—not outward, but downward. The dirt trembled, then exploded in a cloud of dust and debris.
The wolf yelped, blinded. I didn't waste the opportunity. I scrambled to my feet, adrenaline drowning out the pain in my arm. I ran.
Branches tore at my skin as I sprinted through the trees. My legs burned, but I didn't stop. The wolf's furious growl echoed behind me. It would recover fast. I needed somewhere to hide, to regroup, to figure out what the hell was happening to me.
Then, through the trees, I saw it.
A structure—ancient, crumbling, half-buried in the earth. A ruin. A chance.
I didn't think. I bolted for it, the wolf's snarls growing closer.
I had seconds. Maybe less.
But I wasn't going to die. Not again.