The howl split the forest like a blade through canvas.Every tree shook. Every branch quivered. The air itself felt as though it bent beneath the sound. It wasn't simply a noise—it was a presence, crawling beneath Cipher's skin and rooting itself in his chest.
Red clamped her hands over her ears, but it didn't matter. The sound wasn't carried on air. It tunneled through bone, echoing from within. Her wide eyes darted to Cipher's face, searching for reassurance.
He placed a steady hand on her shoulder. His expression, though sharpened by caution, bore no panic. "Breathe. Stay behind me."
The forest fell into silence, as if the howl had stolen even the insects' voices. Then—slow, deliberate—footfalls pressed against the earth. Each thud was heavy enough to make the ground tremble, scattering dry leaves in soft bursts.
It emerged between the crooked trees, vast enough to dwarf the clearing. A wolf, yes, but one born of nightmare. Its body seemed stitched together from shadow and bone. Black fur bristled, yet through the gaps, pale ribs jutted outward like jagged armor. Its eyes glowed with twin embers, and its maw stretched unnaturally long, each fang a shard of bleached stone.
And when it spoke, the voice came broken, warped, as if ripped from the scraps of a children's book and played backwards."W…hat b…big… teeth I… have…"
Red whimpered. Cipher's grip tightened on Astralis. The scythe pulsed faintly, runes glowing like scattered stars.
"So that's the wolf," Cipher muttered.
The automaton perched on his shoulder tilted its head. "Designation: corruption density exceeds stable containment. Warning: direct engagement inadvisable."
Cipher smirked faintly. "You always this cheerful?"
The Wolf lunged.
It moved with impossible speed, a black mass tearing through the clearing. Cipher swung Astralis in a wide arc. The blade sang, catching the dim light, trailing starlight as it carved through shadow-flesh. The impact rang like iron on iron, and the Wolf howled—not in pain, but in fury.
The force flung Cipher back, boots gouging lines in the dirt. He landed in a crouch, breath steady, eyes sharp. His arms ached, but he kept his stance.
Red gasped, clutching her cloak tighter. "Y-you cut it—didn't you?"
Cipher's eyes narrowed. The wound he'd made was already closing, shadows knitting together. "Not enough."
The Wolf's jaws unhinged, wider than natural, wide enough to swallow a tree whole. Its voice echoed again, words tangled and broken:"…To… eat… you… with…"
The ground beneath Cipher cracked as the beast's roar shook the clearing. Darkness spread outward from its paws like ink spilling through water. Mist crawled along the forest floor, curling around Red's ankles.
She froze. The mist thickened into images—her grandmother's bed, the curve of teeth, the endless darkness of a stomach closing in. Her breaths came sharp and ragged.
Cipher turned back, catching the tremor in her face. The Wolf's power wasn't just claws and fangs—it fed on her fear, swelling larger as her terror deepened.
"Cipher," the automaton's voice buzzed, "probability of defeat rises with each pulse of fear emitted by Subject Red."
Cipher scowled. "Then we don't just fight it."
The Wolf surged forward again, claws carving trenches into the earth. Cipher met it head-on, Astralis spinning in a flurry of arcs. The scythe cleaved shadows, each strike leaving a shimmer of starlight in its wake. He twisted, ducked beneath a swipe, and slashed upward, carving a glowing crescent through the beast's chest.
It staggered, but only for a breath. Then, with a guttural snarl, it split into three. Shadow-wolves burst from its body, smaller but fast, their forms glitching as though reality rejected their existence.
Cipher gritted his teeth. "Figures."
The pack swarmed him. One lunged for his throat. He pivoted, bringing Astralis down in a flash of silver, scattering it into mist. Another snapped at his leg, and he spun, kicking it back, driving the scythe's butt into its skull with a crack. The third tried to circle around, aiming for Red.
Cipher's eyes sharpened. With a fluid motion, he swept Astralis in a broad arc. A starlit wave erupted from the blade, cutting the wolf apart before it could reach her.
Red flinched, then looked at him. He wasn't just fighting—he was shielding her, every motion calculated to keep her safe.
But still—the Great Wolf loomed, wounds mending, eyes glowing brighter as Red's fear fed it.
Cipher's lungs burned. His arms ached from the weight of Astralis, but his voice remained calm as he called back to her. "Red. Look at me."
She hesitated, trembling. The mist curled higher, whispering with her grandmother's voice. "Come closer, dear. Don't be afraid."
Cipher's voice cut through. Firm, steady, like a teacher addressing a frightened child. "Fear isn't weakness. It's proof you care about living. Courage is moving anyway. Can you do that?"
Her lips quivered. "I… I don't…"
Another roar. The Wolf lunged again, claws raised. Cipher intercepted, Astralis sparking as it caught the strike. The ground caved beneath them, dirt exploding outward. Cipher gritted his teeth, locking the beast's weight against his weapon.
"Red!" he barked, sweat dripping down his temple. "I can hold it. But this story—it's yours! It only ends if you choose to end it!"
The Wolf's jaws opened wide, breath foul with decay and shadow. Its words dripped like poison:"…Y…ou w…ill… be… e…at…en…"
Red's body shook. Tears brimmed. She wanted to curl into herself, to vanish. But—Cipher's words clung to her, a lifeline in the darkness.
Not weakness. Proof I care about living.
Her trembling fingers clutched her cloak tighter. She forced her legs to move, one step forward, then another. Her voice cracked, but she spoke anyway, eyes locked on the beast.
"N-no… I… I won't… be eaten again!"
The cloak flared. Light shimmered through the fabric, faint but growing. The mist recoiled, sizzling as though burned.
Cipher's lips curved in a brief, proud smile. "That's it."
The Wolf snarled, twisting violently, hurling Cipher back. He rolled, dirt streaking his shirt, boots skidding across the ground. His chest heaved with effort, but his grip on Astralis didn't waver.
The Wolf's ember eyes blazed, not with hunger now, but with fury. Its body swelled, shadows writhing like chains. The trees bent toward it, branches snapping under invisible weight.
The automaton buzzed with static. "Warning: Subject Red has disrupted corruption resonance. Wolf escalating."
Cipher pushed himself up, stance ready again. "Good. Let it."
The Wolf lowered its head, muscles coiling, shadows spiraling like stormclouds around its body. Its growl deepened until it became a rumble in the earth itself. Then it charged, not at Cipher—but at Red.
Her eyes widened. Her courage wavered, but her cloak's glow held. Cipher's shout rang out, a command sharper than steel.
"Stand your ground, Red!"
The world seemed to slow. Red's fists clenched. She planted her feet, cloak blazing brighter, a beacon in the shadowed forest.
The Wolf's jaws opened wide enough to swallow her whole—
—and Cipher was there, Astralis arcing in a brilliant sweep. The blade carved into the Wolf's side, light bursting from the runes like a hundred stars. The beast howled, stumbling, shadow-flesh writhing as if resisting the strike.
Cipher landed between Red and the monster, his voice steady despite the sweat dripping down his chin. "You're not alone in this story anymore."
The Wolf reeled, shadows boiling off its form. Its ember eyes narrowed, hatred smoldering. Then, with a guttural roar, it twisted into the mist—retreating deeper into the forest.
The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by Red's ragged breaths.
Cipher exhaled slowly, lowering Astralis. He glanced back at Red, who clutched her glowing cloak, eyes wide.
"You did well," he said softly.
She shook her head, trembling still. "I… I was so scared…"
His gaze softened. "Good. That means you're alive. And you kept moving anyway. That's courage."
The automaton's eyes flickered, recording. "Subject Red: resonance shift detected. Probability of cycle disruption rising."
Red blinked, staring at Cipher, then at the faint glow still lingering in her cloak. For the first time, her lips curled into something fragile, but real. A smile.
The forest was still again—but the Wolf's howl lingered at the edge of hearing, promising it wasn't finished.
The Automaton's gears clicked rapidly. "Retreat recommended. Tactical regrouping required. The Wolf cannot be slain until the narrative cycle is mended."
Cipher's jaw was tight, but his voice was steady. "Then we'll find the way to mend it. No one's story ends with being devoured."
Cipher shifted Astralis to one hand and scooped up Red with the other, lifting her light frame against his side.
Behind them, the Wolf's howl split the forest once more. But for the first time, Red didn't curl into despair. She pressed her face into Cipher's shoulder, clutching the chalk—and whispered:
"…Thank you, Teacher.