Chapter 16 — The Chase Through Shadows
The answering howls swelled into a chorus, echoing off the frostbitten trunks.
The noble's face drained of color. "That… sounds like a lot of them."
Kael was already moving. "Keep up. And don't trip."
They broke into a sprint, boots crunching over frozen soil. Moonlight spilled in streaks through the branches, flashing silver over Kael's blade. The forest came alive — shadows twisting, eyes glinting between the trees.
The first wolf hit them from the side. Kael met it mid-leap, his sword cleaving through its skull in a single fluid arc. The corpse never touched the ground — the shadow beneath it swallowed it whole.
—Four more to your left, Side warned.
Kael didn't slow. His shadow erupted outward, spearing through the undergrowth like liquid darkness. Four silhouettes froze mid-step before being yanked into the ground without a sound.
The noble stumbled. Kael grabbed him by the collar, hauling him forward just as a wolf lunged from above. A flash of steel, and it fell headless.
The pack began to flank them, moving with terrifying coordination. Kael's eyes narrowed.
"Fine," he muttered.
He stopped running.
The noble skidded to a halt. "What are you doing—"
Kael planted his sword in the ground. The shadows around him shivered, spreading outward like ink through water. From the black came the echo of heavy footfalls.
And then they stepped out — a knight in jagged armor, a hulking beast stitched from shadow, and the towering silhouette of the Huntmaster he'd just slain, now with eyes like burning coals.
The wolves hesitated, hackles rising.
—Intimidation successful, Side noted with satisfaction.
The Huntmaster roared, a sound that cracked the cold air, and the pack broke formation. They came all at once — teeth, claws, and snarls.
Kael's summons met them in a clash of speed and savagery. The knight's greatsword split two wolves in one swing. The shadow beast slammed another into a tree hard enough to splinter the trunk. The Huntmaster tore through its former kin without hesitation.
Kael moved among them like a blade given life. Every strike precise. Every dodge a breath from death. His cloak whipped around him, catching moonlight between cuts of darkness.
In less than a minute, the forest fell silent. Bodies lay scattered — but not for long. One by one, they sank into Kael's shadow until the snow was clean again.
The noble swallowed hard. "What… exactly are you?"
Kael met his gaze, expression unreadable. "Someone who knows how to survive."
He turned, walking deeper into the forest. "Keep moving. The night's not over."
The noble followed without another word.
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