The howl came again — closer.
The children in the alley were trapped, their backs pressed against a wall. Two wolf demons padded toward them, one with a single head, the other with two snarling heads that snapped at each other between growls.
"Help!" a boy shouted.
The knights were too far. Reko was busy holding back a swarm of demons on the other side of the square. If I didn't move now, the kids would be nothing but meat.
I gritted my teeth and ran.
The one-headed wolf turned first. It crouched low, eyes glowing red in the shadows.
"Do not hesitate," the Demon King's voice said in my mind. "Hesitation kills."
I didn't argue. My feet pounded against the dirt. The demon leapt toward the children—
I slammed into its side before it could reach them. We both rolled across the ground, dust flying up around us. My body should have broken from the impact, but the demon's weight felt lighter than I expected.
It snapped its jaws toward my face. I caught them with both hands, holding them open. My muscles burned — but not from weakness. They were… alive. Stronger.
The two-headed wolf demon came next.
It bounded forward, both sets of teeth bared.
"Now," the Demon King whispered.
The black markings flared faintly on my arms. I felt energy build inside me, sharp and dangerous. I pushed the one-headed wolf away, planted my feet, and swung my arm in a wide arc.
A black slash of energy tore through the air.
It hit the two-headed demon square in the chest. The force threw it back into the wall, the stones cracking from the impact.
The children screamed and ran past me toward the open street.
"Good," the Demon King said. "But finish it. Never leave an enemy alive."
I hesitated.
The one-headed wolf recovered, snarling. It lunged for my throat —
I stepped forward and drove my fist into its jaw. Bone cracked. It fell limp to the ground.
The two-headed one rose again, shaking its head. I grabbed a broken spear lying nearby and hurled it like I'd been doing it my whole life. The wood spun through the air and struck deep into its chest.
It gave one last howl before collapsing.
Silence filled the alley. My heart pounded. My arms still glowed faintly with the black lines before they slowly faded.
"Hide your strength," the Demon King's voice said firmly. "Your kind will not thank you for this power. They will fear it."
Boots pounded on the cobblestones behind me. Two knights rushed in, swords drawn.
"You! Did you see who killed them?" one demanded.
I forced myself to look shaky, leaning on the wall. "I—I just found them like this. The kids ran that way."
The knights didn't question me. They rushed past, following the children.
I exhaled slowly. My hands trembled, but not from fear — from the rush of power still humming in my blood.
"You could have told them," the Demon King said. "They would know your worth."
I shook my head slightly. "They'd put a blade in my back the moment they knew."
A low chuckle echoed in my mind. "You learn quickly."
We moved toward the center of the village. Smoke rose high into the night sky. The square was chaos — Reko stood at the front, wind swirling around him like a living storm, cutting through demons that tried to get close.
Dozens of wolf demons lay dead, but more poured in from the outer streets. The knights fought in tight lines, spears and shields keeping the monsters at bay.
I stayed on the edge, looking for openings. I couldn't let anyone see the black energy too clearly.
Then I saw it — a knight pulled down by a two-headed wolf. The demon tore through his armor, its jaws locking on his arm. The man screamed, dropping his sword.
"Move," the Demon King ordered.
I sprinted forward, grabbed the fallen sword, and swung it in a single motion. The blade cut into the demon's neck, spraying hot blood across the stones.
The knight gasped, clutching his arm. "Th-thank you—"
I didn't wait. I dropped the sword and slipped back into the chaos before anyone could ask questions.
Everywhere I turned, there were demons. Every strike I made, I pulled just enough power from the bond to move faster, hit harder — but never enough to make the markings appear for long.
I was careful.
Or I thought I was.
One of the knights spotted me sending a black slash of energy at a wolf demon that was about to tear through their shield line. The strike split the demon in half before it even touched them.
The knight froze, eyes wide. "What was—"
I didn't let him finish. I grabbed a fallen spear, pointed toward the west gate, and shouted, "More coming! Move!"
It worked. His attention snapped back to the fight.
The west gate was worse. A massive wolf demon — larger than any I'd seen — was pushing through the wrecked doors. Its fur was jet black, and it had three heads, each one snapping in a different direction.
Knights were being thrown aside like dolls.
Even Reko was struggling to hold the wind barrier in place against its charge.
"That is no common beast," the Demon King's voice said, suddenly serious. "It carries old blood. Dangerous."
"What do I do?" I whispered.
"You already know."
The three-headed demon roared and pushed forward again. Reko's barrier cracked.
I ran.
The knights didn't see me coming. I slid under the barrier as it shattered and came face to face with the giant beast. Its middle head lunged for me.
I dodged left. My hand shot out, grabbing the side of its jaw. My other fist slammed into the joint with a burst of black energy. Bone snapped.
The left head swung at me, but I ducked and drove my knee into its throat. It staggered back — and the right head clamped onto my shoulder.
Pain exploded through me.
"Strike now!" the Demon King roared in my mind.
I let the markings cover my arms fully this time. The black energy surged, pouring into my hands. I grabbed the right head by the throat and squeezed. My fingers sank into flesh and bone.
With a roar that wasn't entirely my own, I tore it free.
The beast stumbled. I leapt forward, both hands slamming against its chest. The energy burst outward, ripping through it from the inside.
The three-headed wolf fell, its body twitching once before going still.
I stood there, chest heaving, the markings slowly fading again.
When I looked up, Reko was staring at me from across the square.
He didn't say anything. But his eyes narrowed, and I knew he'd seen more than I wanted him to.