Smoke and ash erupted from the shattered doorway like a volcanic scream. The force of the explosion hurled debris across the chamber in violent bursts, each chunk striking the walls with bone-deep impacts that echoed like thunder. I barely had time to brace myself before the shockwave surged outward, slamming into me like a tidal wave made of pressure and heat.
Then came silence.
A heavy, unnatural stillness that hung in the air like the breath before a scream.
From the darkness beyond the fractured threshold, something vast began to move.
It was difficult to make out through the haze, but its presence was undeniable. It wasn't just that it blocked the light, it devoured it. The rune-lit chamber dimmed instantly, the symbols sputtering as though gasping for breath. A suffocating aura of malice rolled in like fog. Ancient. Hungry. A predator that had waited eons to feast.
Luthor's voice rang out, sharp and commanding. "Stay behind me!"
My instincts obeyed even as every fiber in my body burned to charge forward. My claws scraped against the smooth stone, digging in. My muscles coiled, ready to spring. The beast hadn't stepped fully into view, but its energy, its will. pressed down like gravity.
The air reeked of iron and decay, like old blood soaking into forgotten earth.
Another howl shattered the momentary stillness. This one closer. Then another, and another still.
They were closing in. Surrounding us.
Luthor spun in place, his cloak flaring as he lifted his arms, chanting in a tongue that made the runes pulse with sudden life. The walls shimmered briefly with a golden light, the ancient script blazing against the stone. The glow pushed back the shadows, holding them at bay. But only barely.
The light flickered erratically, like a candle in a storm.
"They're feeding on the magic," Luthor growled, scanning the chamber. His eyes narrowed with urgency. "The seals are weakening faster than I anticipated."
I let out a low snarl and surrendered to the shift, bones cracking as I transformed. My limbs lengthened. Fur rippled across my skin like wildfire. The moment I hit full wolf form, power surged through me, raw and electric. The chamber lit up in scent and sound. I could hear the slow, deliberate heartbeats of the creatures waiting outside. Cold. Calculating.
They were intelligent. Patient.
They knew we were trapped.
"They want me," I said, my voice a low rumble from my throat, distorted by the beast inside.
Luthor didn't deny it. He met my gaze with grim certainty. "Yes. But not only you. Something has awakened inside you. Ancient power. They can feel it. And they'll stop at nothing until it's torn from your body."
Then I heard it.
Not just any howl, but something more guttural, distorted. Familiar, yet wrong. Wolves. Or what used to be wolves.
They didn't sound like the creatures of the forest anymore. They howled like memories of wolves. Twisted echoes of their former selves. Hollowed out, corrupted. Their cries carried more than rage. They carried sorrow. Hunger. Desperation.
One of them limped into the light.
It towered over me, larger than any living wolf I had ever seen. Its fur was matted, soaked in layers of blood and black sludge. Deep claw marks crisscrossed its side, and from its neck hung a chain that scraped across the floor with a deathly rattle. Its eyes were no longer eyes they were swirling pits of darkness, bottomless and staring straight into my soul.
Behind it, more emerged.
Dozens.
A full hunting pack, each more grotesque than the last. Some dragged limbs. Others had too many. All were bound together by a force darker than night.
Luthor didn't hesitate. He raised both hands and summoned a river of fire that burst forth like a dragon's breath. The blaze roared, hot and furious, lighting up the chamber with violent intensity. The beasts shrieked and recoiled, their unnatural forms recoiling as the flames scorched their flesh. For a moment, we had a reprieve.
Only a moment.
With a snarl that split the air, the largest of the creatures leapt over the fire straight at me.
I met it in mid-air, our bodies colliding in a vicious explosion of claws and fangs. We hit the ground, a tangled blur of snarls and fury. The creature smelled like rot and ruin. It slashed at me with jagged claws, slicing into my shoulders. I retaliated with a vicious bite, sinking my fangs into the soft tissue beneath its throat.
It shrieked, not like a beast, but like something that remembered what it meant to feel pain.
I tore through it with everything I had, until the body went limp beneath me. Its black blood splattered across the stones. I spat out a chunk of its throat.
But there were more.
Dozens more.
Luthor fought beside me with terrifying grace. His magic flared in bursts of heat and force. When he ran out of spells, he switched to claws and teeth, his own transformation a blur of fury and blood. Each movement was deliberate. Efficient. Final.
Still, they kept coming.
The chamber itself began to buckle. Cracks split the stone as the outer seals gave way, one after the other. One cracked loudly and shattered in a pulse of dark energy, blasting me back a few feet. My vision swam.
Luthor caught me by the arm and steadied me. "We can't hold this position," he said, breath ragged.
I growled, baring bloodied teeth. "Then we run."
He shook his head. "No. We draw them deeper."
I blinked, confused. "Deeper?"
"They're anchored to your scent," he explained quickly. "If we lead them into the lower vaults "the labyrinth" we can lose them."
"And what's in the lower vaults?" I asked, wary.
He didn't answer.
Another beast lunged. Luthor slammed it into the wall with a flash of force magic. "Things even they fear."
We ran.
Down twisting corridors lined with forgotten murals, past sealed doorways bearing sigils that glowed and whispered, we sprinted deeper into the ancient structure. The sound of pursuit never stopped, their claws scraping stone, their howls growing louder. Closer.
My lungs burned. My body ached. But I didn't slow.
Eventually, we reached it.
A massive iron gate stood before us, inscribed with a complex web of runes that pulsed softly with silver light. Luthor pressed his palm to a glowing sigil, and with a thunderous groan, the gate shuddered open.
Beyond it was darkness. A void that seemed to breathe.
Colder.
Older.
Without hesitation, Luthor pulled me inside and slammed the gate shut behind us.
The instant the lock sealed, silence fell.
Complete and total.
No howls. No scratching. No echoes.
I shifted back into human form, breathing hard. Sweat clung to my skin, mixing with blood and soot. My limbs trembled not from fear, but from the adrenaline crash.
"Where are we?" I asked, my voice a rasp.
Luthor raised a flame in his palm. Its glow revealed our surroundings.
Rows of stone sarcophagi lined the chamber. Each one was massive, ancient, and etched with runes far older than any I'd seen. The walls bore murals of creatures with glowing eyes and crowns of bone. Warriors, beasts, and kings
Each more terrifying than the last.
"This is a tomb," Luthor said softly. "Where the Firstborn sleep."
I stepped closer, feeling the oppressive energy in the air. "Firstborn?"
"The original Alphas," he murmured. "The ones who walked the world before written history. Before the Veil was sealed. Before the realms were divided."
I stared at the nearest coffin, heart pounding. "But they're dead."
"For now," Luthor said grimly.
A shiver danced down my spine.
Then, from outside, the howls resumed.
Faint at first.
But growing louder.
"They're searching," I whispered.
"They'll find a way in," Luthor agreed. "The outer seals won't hold forever."
I turned to him. "Then what do we do?"
He looked at me, his expression unreadable. "You were brought here for a reason. Your awakening was no accident. The bloodlines don't stir without cause."
My throat tightened. "You think… this has all been building toward something?"
He nodded. "Everything that's happened, your transformation, their pursuit, even this tomb it's all been part of a larger design. A war is coming. And you are its catalyst."
My gaze shifted back to the tombs.
"Then tell me," I said slowly. "How do we wake the Firstborn?"
Luthor gave a faint, almost sad smile.
"That's the dangerous part," he replied.
Before I could press him further, the walls trembled. Dust rained from the ceiling. A deep, droning sound echoed through the stone.
A sound that didn't belong to this world.
The Others had found us.
And this time, Lucien led them.
We were trap between both the howls of the wolf pack and Lucien army
Confused and trapped only questions on my mind was
"What happens next"