"Kai'el! Look up, the hanging spires!"
Alain's shout cut through the blizzard just as the mist erupted with motion.
Theo and Kai'el skidded across the slope toward him, boots carving trenches through the frost.
Behind them, the shapes were closing in. Red-eyed silhouettes darting through the fog, claws cracking against the ice.
"How many?!" Alain yelled.
"Too many!" Theo barked back, his breath steaming
"Kai'el—now!"
The younger mage raised his arm, drawing the sigil as fast as he could.
ᛏ — Tiwaz (Cut)
Air channeled through his sigil, turning into a blade of wind that rippled across the valley and sliced clean through the ice spires.
The whole pillar went down, slamming into the frozen ground where the pack had been seconds earlier. The impact sent a shockwave of frost and debris rolling outward.
For a heartbeat, silence.
Then, from beneath the shattered ice, came a low, guttural growl.
"Ahhh, why are there so many!?" Theo exclaimed, his own Rune flaring to life.
ᛝ — Ingwaz (Velocity)
The air trembled.
Shards of broken ice and snow still tumbling from the collapse stopped midair, caught in invisible rings of pressure that warped the fog around.
Each fragment hung weightless, spinning slowly as if time itself hesitated.
"Theo—!" Kai'el started.
"Relax," Theo said, raising his hand. "Just finding the rhythm."
The fragments vibrated, humming in place. Then, with a flick of his wrist, a shockwave rolled outwards. Dozens of jagged shards, streaking forward like a barrage of glass-tipped arrows.
Howls of pain and collapsing of bodies could be heard whenever each shard would meet its mark.
Alain watched the cloud of shards twist again midflight, curving through the fog to hit a second cluster trying to flank. Theo's control didn't fade; his ether pulsed steadily, each motion smooth and deliberate.
"You've been holding back," Alain muttered.
Theo nodded, eyes still focused, "Don't get distracted, there's more coming."
From the fog, the rest of the pack emerged—no longer shadows, but shapes.
They were distorted, contorted.
Wolves, or what remained of them. Their bodies looked half-melted, as if carved from flesh and frost and left to rot in the cold. Veins of black liquid pulsed beneath their skin, glowing faint red through the thin film of decay.
One of them lunged at Alain, its jaw slick with blood. The crimson dripped down his sword as he caught the bite mid-swing.
The hound reeled back, a sound like tearing fabric escaping its throat. In that instant, Alain saw it clearly.
Their eyes were hollow pits, glowing faintly from within. When they moved, their joints cracked and snapped into place, bodies jerking like puppets being forced to run.
The hound's jaw hung askew, bone showing through slashed flesh. It shook once, letting out a hollow rasp before charging again.
Alain planted his foot, raising both sword and dagger in a cross-guard. The impact jolted through his arms.
The force pushed him back, his boots pushing against the snow.
He exhaled sharply, twisted his stance, and swung wide. The blade cut through the mist, telegraphed and heavy.
The sword sank between its teeth. For a heartbeat, Alain thought he'd cut through, until the steel stopped dead.
The beast's jaws clenched, dragging him forward with a shriek of metal.
It pushed forward, snarling, forcing the blade back toward him. Alain tried to wrench it free, but his grip slipped.
His strength wasn't enough.
He raised his dagger for a desperate strike, but before he could move—
A thunderous sound wave split the air.
Theo blurred past him, ether flaring in twin trails. He slammed his shoulder into the hound's ribs, the momentum of his sprint transferring in a single violent burst.
The creature was ripped away from Alain, the sword flying from its mouth with a metallic clang. It tumbled across the ice, skidding in a trail of black frost.
Theo spun out of the impact, digging his boots into the snow to steady himself.
"Finish it off!"
Alain nodded, quickly channeling ether to his fingers to carve the sigil. In a clean motion, the formation flared red before him.
ᚱ— Raido (Push)
With decisive action, Alain threw his dagger through the sigil in the air.
As soon as it passed through the other side, the sigil created an explosion, launching the dagger.
With the push, it blitz'ed through the air, connecting right on the hound's head.
The creature whimpered, then collapsed lifelessly.
Alain rose slowly, breath shaking, his arm trembling from the recoil. "Got it," he muttered.
Theo exhaled through his nose, rolling his shoulder. "Barely."
ᛉ— Algiz (Guard)
A barrier of wind formed, deflecting the jaws of another hound away.
"Guys! Can I get some help here!"
Kai'el yelled as another hound got launched away by the barrier.
The barrier pulsed again, the air folding like glass under pressure as another hound slammed against it. The impact sent cracks through the wind dome.
"They're breaking through!" he shouted.
"Hold on!" Theo snapped.
His rune flared. With a single step, Theo appeared next to one of the hounds. However, he seemed to misjudge the distance as he barely managed to inflict a shallow wound on its underside.
Theo cursed under his breath, skidding to a stop on the ice. The wounded hound turned instantly, its head jerking at an unnatural angle as it lunged.
"Theo!" Alain shouted.
He carved Raido into the air and thrust his palm forward. The blast detonated beside Theo, just enough to throw the charging hound off course. The push sent both of them sliding backward through the mist.
Theo recovered first, boots screeching against the frost. "I'm fine!" he barked. "Keep it busy!"
Kai'el's barrier cracked fully with a sharp, crystalline sound. The second hound broke through, shards of etherized wind scattering as it burst into the open.
"They're through!"
Alain rushed forward as the first hound regained its footing, its ribs visibly caved in from the earlier push.
Alain met it halfway, parrying with the flat of his sword. Sparks burst from the contact. The impact jarred through his arms, but he pivoted on his heel, channeling another Raido through the blade.
The burst exploded between them, flinging the beast backward in a tumble of limbs. Theo didn't hesitate. He caught the creature's momentum mid-air, his rune glowing bright
A force that should've been light, turned into a cannon. The hound went flying into the air.
Theo raised his hand, the creature stopping midair. With a hand motion to the ground, the creature plummeted. It slammed into the ground, body exploding into a mass of blood and insides.
"That's one down!" Theo shouted.
"One more!" Alain barked back.
The second hound didn't slow. It barreled through the mist with its claws scraping the frost, eyes burning a deep, sick red. Kai'el barely had time to react.
"Kai'el!" Alain yelled.
He turned just as the creature crashed into him. Its jaws clamped down on his left arm with a crunch that echoed across the ice.
"ARRRGHH!" Kai'el screamed, a sharp, guttural sound that froze Alain mid-step.
The beast shook its head violently, dragging Kai'el to his knees as blood sprayed across the snow.
Shaking out of stupor, Alain surged forward. He didn't hesitate. His sword came down in a rough, two-handed strike. The sword went cleanly through the hound's skull. Its body falling over immediately.
The two fell back, the air filled with steam and the stench of burned blood.
"Kai'el!" Alain dropped beside him.
The sleeve of his coat was shredded, the flesh beneath already blackened around the bite. Veins of dark red light pulsed beneath his skin, the same color as blood crystals.
Kai'el was shaking, his breath ragged. His left arm hung limp—mangled, punctured deep at the forearm.
"Shit," Theo breathed, kneeling beside them. "That's bad."
The dark veins were crawling upward, faint but visible beneath the pale light. Kai'el's breathing quickened.
"Don't move," Alain said, trying to steady him. "We'll figure it out. Just hold on."
Alain tore a strip from his cloak and wrapped it tightly around Kai'el's arm, just above the wound. The fabric hissed faintly from the heat.
"That'll have to do," he said quietly.
Alain stood up, sheathing his sword and heading over to first wolf's corpse. He bent down to pick it up before…
The air shifted.
A deep, guttural roar rolled through the valley, rattling the ice beneath them. The sound wasn't just heard—it pressed against their chests, made their hearts stumble.
Alain looked up.
The fog ahead rippled, parting like torn fabric. Something vast moved within it, its outline bending the light.
Two violet eyes blinked open in the storm.
And the Alpha stepped through the mist.