The darkness was moving. Not because the light had vanished… But because the walls themselves had begun to crawl.
Kai stood alone in the center of the cave, his breathing heavy, blood streaming from a wound on his forehead.
Around him Dozens of distorted bodies. Eyes open within the flesh. Mouths pulsing where they should not exist.
Then, They spoke. Not a single voice. But layers : Children, Elders , Women's whispers. Broken laughter.
All of it came from every direction at the same instant:
—"You are separated…"
—"Now… no one can save you…"
—"Where is your other half?"
Smiles tore across the fleshy faces.
A being crawled close to his ear and whispered,
—"The scent you carried… has vanished…"
Silence. Just one second.
Then another voice, Deeper. Colder.
—"Do you feel fear… Wolf?"
Kai's eyes narrowed. Slowly… He smiled. A small smile… empty of warmth.
"No."
He lowered his body. His muscles tensed.
"But I've begun to grow bored."
At that very moment, They burst toward him. The ceiling tore apart. The ground split open. Bodies surged from every corner like a flood of flesh.
Kai moved. His foot slipped half a step . Then he vanished. A strike. His fist crushed a being's face. Bone shattered.
But It reformed.
Black threads emerged from the void. They pulled the flesh. Restored the shape. Another being leapt onto his back. Teeth sank into his shoulder.
Blood.
Kai grabbed it with his bare hand… And crushed its head against the rock. He whispered:
"Stone Art - Moon Wolf Stone"
Cold energy erupted inside his chest.
"Level 1: Moon Sense."
The world slowed. Sounds drifted apart. Scents exploded within his awareness. Rot, Blood, Threads.
…
Threads?
Wait.
Two beings attacked from the right. He dodged the first. Struck the second. But his eyes were not on the strike. They were behind the body.
Something… Didn't make sense. The threads appeared again. Pulled the flesh. Restored the form. The collective voice laughed.
—"Useless…"
A tall being bent before him, its head tilted at an inhuman angle.
—"Kill… kill more…"
A wide smile split its face in half.
—"It will not end."
A brief silence passed through Kai's mind. One feeling only: Something here… is wrong.
But A claw suddenly pierced his thigh. Pain exploded. His knee buckled. Another being lunged for his neck.
Kai raised his arm to block But for a fraction of a second . He was late. Kai's eyes widened slightly. The first crack in perception.
"…"
The beings screamed together:
—"Cut him!"
The assault exploded again. Bodies surged toward him all at once. Not from one direction But from every direction.
The ground vomited flesh. The ceiling rained limbs. And in the instant they leapt . They spoke. A single voice… forged from hundreds of throats:
"The Loom - Thread of Veil - Depth IX : Beginning Severance."
The world destabilized.
Kai saw the beings before him. The strikes were already on him. Pain detonated in his shoulder. A claw pierced his side.
But he did not see the motion. Did not see the beginning. As if the result came before the action.
The collective voice whispered inside his head:
—"No beginning…"
—"No anticipation…"
—"The strike exists… before it is born…"
Another body appeared in front of his face. He did not see it approach. It was simply : There.
Teeth sank into his arm. Blood burst free. Kai's knee dipped half a step. For the first time, His balance faltered.
They laughed.
—"This is it…"
—"Perception breaks…"
—"The wolf… cannot see…"
But Kai's eyes held no fear. Cold. Calm. He lowered his head slightly. Whispered in a low voice:
"Stone Art - Moon Wolf Stone"
Lunar energy erupted from his feet into the ground. The rock beneath him trembled.
"Level 5."
He raised his hand. Fingers curled like a claw.
"Moon Fang."
Silver light compressed around his arm . Then detonated. A massive cutting wave surged through the cave.
Rock split. Bodies were torn apart by the dozens. Black threads appeared immediately Trying to reconstruct. But For a fraction of a moment… They stopped.
Kai's eyes narrowed. He saw. Not the body But behind it. The thread… It did not emerge from the flesh. But from a void behind it. A point with no place.
The collective voice screamed suddenly:
—"Do not look!"
—"Cut his perception!"
—"Every demon has its threads!"
The threads around the beings writhed frantically. Some circular. Some flat like ribbons. Some branched like nerves.
The voice continued, almost boasting:
—"We weave ourselves…"
—"Every vein… every shape…"
—"Every demon… its own fabric…"
The bodies began to regenerate. Flesh returned. Bones healed. But Kai did not move. A faint smile appeared.
"…I understand."
The bodies did not wait. They leapt at him again. The ground cracked beneath his feet. And the collective voice tore through the air:
"Depth II : Synchronization Slip."
The world… shattered.
Kai heard two steps. But only one body moved. He saw a claw pass before his eyes— Then felt pain in his back. The strike happened… Before he saw it.
Another voice whispered near his right ear:
—"Here…"
But the mouth was on his left. The voice split. Perception split. His body lagged by half a beat And that was enough. The flesh tore open. Warm blood spilled down his leg.
Another set of teeth sank into his shoulder. Kai staggered. The ground tilted beneath his feet. The collective laughter rose:
—"The senses do not align…"
—"Timing is stolen…"
—"You are late… always…"
A massive body dropped onto him from the ceiling.
Kai raised his arm instinctively But all he saw was the afterimage of the movement. The real strike
Came from another angle.
Pain exploded through his ribs. Air was forced violently from his lungs.
Kai's knee hit the ground. Rock cracked. Blood ran from his mouth. For a second… His consciousness wavered. But Something deeper awakened. An ancient cold. Primal.
He lowered his head. Fingers digging into the ground. He whispered in a low… broken voice:
"Level 4."
Lunar energy spread beneath his skin. Veins glowed silver. He lifted his head. His eyes gleamed like those of a nocturnal beast.
"Wolf Howl."
The howl was not sound. It was impact. A spiritual shockwave erupted through the cave. Rock trembled. Air compressed.
And the beings Froze. Fear. A primal instinct older than their forms struck them all at once.
Some screamed. Some trembled. Many bodies froze mid-motion. And for a moment, The synchronization of their threads broke.
Kai saw. His claw pierced the body of one of them. Flesh tore.
The threads appeared instantly… Trying to rebuild. But Something was wrong. His eyes narrowed.
The thread… It did not enter the body. It faded Before touching the flesh. As if it only imprinted an image. Not matter.
Another being was regenerating Then suddenly stopped. Fear still held it frozen. Regeneration… delayed. A third being tried to rise But confusion slowed it.
The threads around it trembled. The body failed to fully form. A quiet stillness passed through Kai's mind.
Perception.
Simple. Terrifying.
The thread does not restore flesh… The thread restores the idea. Another strike from Kai. His claw plunged into a being's chest.
The ground beneath the strike glowed with moonlight. The imprint remained within the body. Flesh grew heavy. Bones sank, as if buried.
The being screamed. The threads tried to repair it But they lagged.
Because it… was afraid.
Because it… was confused.
Because its perception… was unstable.
Kai's eyes gleamed. He whispered to himself:
"…So this is it."
He activated his sense again.
"Moon Sense."
The world slowed. Scents exploded. Energy shifted. And there He felt it. The threads did not come from the body. But from a void behind it.
A place he could not see. Yet it existed. A small smile appeared on his lips. The beings sensed it. The collective voice trembled:
—"Stop…"
—"Do not look…"
—"Cut his perception…"
But Kai stood slowly. Blood ran from his arm. His breaths were heavy. But This time… The fear was not in his heart. But in theirs.
The bodies began to move again. But this time Slowly. Cautiously. A being lunged at him. Torn arm… open mouth… claws trembling.
Kai did not move. Even The threads tightened. For just one moment. A moment of attempted reconstruction. The world… wavered. As if reality itself was unsure of what it should be.
Kai's eyes gleamed. He whispered:
"…Here."
He vanished.
"Level 3 : Shadow Step."
His body melted into the shadows. He did not move through the air But through the layers of dark earth.
The beings turned Late.
Kai emerged from directly beneath the being's foot. His silver claw rose from below. A precise strike. Not toward the flesh. But toward the point where the thread was taut.
The impact made no sound. Instead A silent tear. The thread trembled. It snapped. And for the first time The body… was not repaired.
The being froze. Its single eye widened.
"No…"
Its voice cracked. The flesh began to lose its shape. Edges melted. As if smoke forgetting it had ever been solid.
The threads tried to return But found nothing to hold onto. The body collapsed into black mist… Then evaporated.
Gone.
Silence.
Even the collective laughter… stopped. Kai stood slowly. Lunar energy still swirled around his arm. He looked at the place where the being had been.
Around him The threads began to tremble. The collective voice emerged… this time terrified:
—"No… look…"
—"The fixation… is unraveling…"
Kai raised his head. A small… predatory smile.
"The thread…"
He said it slowly. He glimpsed it Thin, almost imperceptible, stretching from the being to a void he could not see. He narrowed his eyes.
"So… this is the point."
He surged forward. Air split beneath his claws, and he struck the spot he saw with all his strength.
Nothing.
The body did not explode. Did not crack. Did not even falter. The being turned to him… slowly. Then smiled. It was not a smile of the mouth… But a smile of existence.
And in the next moment, the flesh writhed back as it had been, As if the strike… had never happened.
Kai's pupils dilated.
Had he missed? He stepped back half a pace, watching the thread again. It was still there.
Unbroken. Unaffected. Then he understood…
"It's not a matter of location."
His voice faded, as he felt something colder than fear itself.
"But a matter of… timing."
The being was not protecting the point. It was re-fixing itself… before allowing reality to collapse. Kai slowly raised his head and said:
"It wasn't repairing the body…"
One step forward.
"…It was convincing the world… that the body still exists."
The beings recoiled. For the first time. Fear Was real. They surged toward him together. Not as individuals… But as a single wave of twisted flesh.
Mouths opened. Eyes slid across surfaces. Torn, childish laughter filled the cave.
—"Do not run…"
—"Mother wants you…"
—"We are hungry…"
Kai did not retreat. He lowered his body slowly. His breaths grew deeper. Colder. Then he whispered:
"Stone Art - Moon Wolf Stone"
The air around him shifted.
"…Level 2 : Lunar Claws."
In a single moment, The claws grew. Silver. Curved. Glowing like a fractured moon.
The ground beneath his feet trembled… Then stilled. An invisible proclamation spread through the place.
This… Was hunting ground.
The beings surged. Kai leapt. His speed exploded suddenly. He vanished among their bodies like a silver flash.
A strike. A body tore. A second strike. A burst of blood.
The claws did not just cut flesh… They left a lunar imprint within the wounds. The beings tried to regenerate. The threads tightened.
But Their movements slowed. Even the ground itself seemed to weigh them down. As if something was pulling them downward.
Kai spun around them with predatory speed. A long leap. A pounce. He tore one of them apart.
The being screamed. The threads moved to reconstruct And in that moment…
Kai saw them. The tension. The point. The moment of fixation. Without thinking , He struck there. Piercing. Stillness.
The thread trembled… The being did not regenerate. Its body began to fade.
To crumble. Turning into black smoke that seeped into the air.
For a single second, Kai froze. His eyes widened slightly.
"…I was right."
The other beings recoiled. The threads around them shook violently. As if something deep within had lost control for a moment.
But Kai gave them no time. He surged forward again. His claws gleamed. Rapid strikes.
Each time, He waited for the thread to tense. Then struck the fixation point.
One…
Two…
Three…
The bodies began to vaporize. Smoke rose. But It was not natural evaporation. The threads suddenly withdrew toward the mountain. As if a tremendous force was pulling them from within.
The beings rose half a meter above the ground… Then, Were pulled in. Disappeared into the rock.
Silence fell suddenly.
Kai stood alone. His claws faded slowly. His breaths were heavy. Blood ran from his arm… his side… his mouth. His knees trembled.
Then, A vibration. Distant. Deep. As if a massive explosion had occurred elsewhere in the cave. His heart clenched. He whispered in a broken voice:
"…Skyler…"
His legs could no longer support him. He fell to his knees. Darkness crept to the edges of his vision.
The last thing he felt , The earth shuddering… And a heavy pulse… Like a dying sun deep within.
_
Meanwhile, in another place where Lilithia and Villiam were,...
The night had bent over the earth like a heavy curtain. Lilithia stood at the edge of the stone path, as if returning to the Drakhaen Kingdom, her eyes fixed on the void.
Beside her was Villiam, shoulders tense, instinctively watching the shadows with caution.
Suddenly, The air froze. No sound. No movement. Even the wind… stopped. And from the darkness, without a footstep heard or a sign of approach seen, Someone was already standing before them.
Akira.
As if he had been there from the beginning, unnoticed by anyone. He lifted his gaze calmly and spoke in an emotionless tone:
—"Lilithia. It has truly been a long time."
Her body trembled. Not from fear… But as a forced response. Her breaths faltered, her chest tightened suddenly, as if her heart had skipped a beat.
She tried to speak But the words stuck. An invisible weight pressed inside her.
Villiam's eyes widened. He drew his sword.
"What...!!!?"
He stepped in front of her instinctively, closing the distance. He glared at Akira with burning intensity.
"You. Akira."
It was not a question. It was an accusation. His voice sharpened, anger surging without hesitation:
"What have you done to her?!"
Akira did not move. He did not even seem interested in the anger directed at him.
His gaze remained fixed… calm… As if the entire scene were nothing more than a trivial detail. Then he spoke playfully:
—"So, Villiam… do you still care about this she-devil?"
He stepped forward.
—"But I have no time for you now."
A brief silence.
As if his words themselves had dropped an invisible weight onto the place. He turned his gaze toward the distant horizon, toward the black mountain ridges swallowed by darkness, and continued casually:
—"I have a little excursion in nature… among the mountains."
A moment. Villiam clenched his hand until his knuckles turned white.
"You speak as if...."
He stopped. Because Lilithia… did not move. She stood in place, head slightly lowered, breathing uneven. She tried to raise her hand… But froze halfway.
As if her body no longer obeyed her fully. She whispered, barely audible:
"…No…"
Akira watched her for a single second. Then he smiled. A small smile… without warmth.
—"Good. We will meet soon, when the sun splits and the moon unites."
He lifted his foot. One single step And disappeared. He did not move away. He left no trace. No sound of movement was heard.
He was there… And then he was gone.
Villiam rushed to Lilithia immediately :
"Lilithia! Look at me!"
She gasped, as if emerging from drowning. She drew in a deep breath and slowly lifted her head, her eyes still unsettled.
But Akira… Was not there. Nothing of him remained.