What stood before Aether was no longer a mere wolf or puppy—it was a towering monstrosity, its form warped and grotesque.
The creature’s massive, muscular build glistened under the dim light, its skin stretched taut over bulging veins.
Its claws were impossibly long and razor-sharp. The beast’s face was fierce, with eyes that glowed menacingly, radiating a predatory hunger.
Two sabre-tooth-like fangs jutted from its maw, glistening with saliva that shimmered unnaturally, a rainbow of colours dripping from its jaws like liquid.
The creature stood upright, its immense frame reaching nearly 30 feet tall, exuding raw power and malice.
Aether’s expression turned grave, His instincts screamed at him—the aura radiating from this beast was suffocating. It wasn’t just a monster. This… thing carried an energy that rivalled the Alaric!
“I need to kill it at any cost,” Aether murmured, his voice low and resolute.
Behind him, Helena and Nightfire stood frozen in shock. They had seen many monsters before, but nothing like this.
Nightfire’s gaze narrowed, focusing on the rainbow-coloured saliva dripping from the beast’s maw. A thought struck her, one that made her stomach churn. ‘Those colors…’ Her eyes darted to Helena, who still carried the rainbow Arcane card. ‘Don’t tell me… Is this thing connected to them?’
Trrrrrnnnnngggggg.
A grating screech filled the air as the monster dragged its claws across Helena’s barrier. Both women winced, clutching their ears as the sound cut through them like daggers.
“Heh… heh… rrr…” The creature chuckled, a low, guttural sound that sent shivers down their spines. Its glowing eyes locked onto Aether, its expression almost mocking, as if taunting him: How long can you hide inside?
Aether’s lips twitched, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. With a snap of his fingers, purple flames erupted in a swirling torrent, shooting straight toward the beast. The monster swatted the flames aside with a casual flick of its claw, sending them spiralling into the distance.
But in the instant its attention wavered, Aether vanished.
Thud!
Aether reappeared directly in front of the creature, his fist slamming into its face with bone-crushing force. The impact made the monster stagger back, its massive frame trembling from the blow. Yet, it didn’t falter.
Instead, its twisted grin widened, the rainbow saliva dripping from its maw now flowing like a waterfall.
Without warning, the creature lunged, its claws moving with blinding speed, faster than anything Aether had encountered before.
Slick!
Slick!
Aether barely had time to react, twisting his body to evade the slashing claws. Still, one strike found its mark.
Chuccckk!
Aether staggered as the monster’s claw raked across his shoulder, tearing through his flesh with ease. The force sent him crashing to the ground, blood pooling beneath him.
“AETHER!” Helena screamed, rushing toward him without a second thought.
“H-Helena!” Nightfire cursed under her breath, clicking her tongue in frustration as she followed after her. Just as they crossed the old, rusty gate, it flickered and slammed shut behind them, trapping all three inside.
“Heh… heh… herrr…” The monster’s guttural laughter grew louder, its fangs glinting as it lunged again. Its claws, still slick with Aether’s blood, swiped toward Helena.
“Not so fast!” Helena raised her hand, her fingers glowing with a brilliant white light.
Orbs of pure energy shot from her palms, slamming into the creature’s claws with explosive force.
Bang!
Bang!
“HInnnnggg!!!” The monster howled in pain, its claws recoiling as smoke rose from its smouldering wounds.
“Hang on, Aether!” Helena dropped to her knees beside him, her hands glowing as she worked to heal the deep gashes on his shoulder.
The beast’s glowing red eyes locked onto her, its gaze burning with an unrelenting ferocity. It tilted its head, its jaw twitching as it tried to form words.
“Wr-rraarrr… y-you… arrrrre…?” The garbled growl emerged, broken and inhuman, yet eerily close to speech.
“Is it… trying to talk?” Nightfire muttered, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and fascination.
Aether gritted his teeth, forcing himself upright despite the pain as soon as she healed him, “Helena, keep that barrier up—protect yourself and Nightfire. Leave this thing to me.”
Helena hesitated but nodded. A shimmering dome of energy enveloped her and Nightfire as Aether turned to face the monster once more.
He rolled his neck, the sound of cracking joints breaking the tense silence. Purple flames flared to life around him, swirling in an almost sentient manner.
“You should’ve stayed dead…” His voice was calm, almost pitying, though his smile carried a dangerous edge.
The monster snarled in response, its massive body crouching low as it prepared to strike again.
“RRRRROOOOORRRR!!!” With an earth-shaking roar, the beast lunged. Its claws moved so fast that they appeared as blurred streaks of light, each swipe aimed to dismember.
So fast that even Helena and Nightfire could barely comprehend the blur of motion!
Aether’s body reacted instinctively. In a fraction of a second, he slid low, the monster’s claws barely grazing the tips of his hair. The rush of displaced air was deafening. Twisting his torso with lethal precision, Aether spun as his leg lashed out in a devastating arc that collided with the creature’s outstretched claw.
CRAAAAACK!
His foot connected with the creature’s claw, shattering claws into jagged fragments. The beast howled, but before it could recover, Aether snatched two of the broken pieces mid-air, gripping them tightly like makeshift daggers.
Using the beast’s own momentum against it, Aether twisted his body and drove the first claw fragment deep into the back of the monster’s massive palm. The force pinned the creature’s hand to the ground for a fleeting moment, a sickening squelch echoing through the space.
“GRRRRAAARGH!”
The beast roared in agony, but Aether wasn’t done. Before the monster could wrench its hand free, Aether seized another claw shard from the air, his movements precise and fluid.
With a calculated leap, he used the embedded shard as an anchor, twisting his body into a spinning motion like a whirling top.
His momentum carried him upward, and in one seamless motion, he yanked the shard free and plunged it back into the monster’s arm at a higher point.
Like a spinning top!
His rotation sent him careening up the creature’s arm, his movements seamless and fluid like a dancer in perfect rhythm.
With each rotation, Aether yanked the shard free and plunged it back into the monster’s flesh at a higher point, using the momentum of his spin to keep himself moving. The other claw shard in his opposite hand followed suit, each stab creating a deadly rhythm as he rolled upward, faster and faster.
Like a spinning top that travelling on the thread!!
THUNK!
TWIST!
STAB!
THUNK!
TWIST!
STAB!
…..
…
Aether’s body became a blur of motion as he spiralled upward, his relentless spinning mimicking a breakdancer’s whirling motion, but with deadly precision.
“GRRRRR!”
The monster roared in frustration, swinging its free hand wildly to swat him off, but Aether’s spinning momentum made him impossible to pin down. Every attempted strike only served to shift the monster’s own balance, its massive claws slamming into its own flesh as Aether darted upward like a relentless storm.
By the time he reached the monster’s shoulder, his movements had carved a vicious path across its body. With one final, powerful rotation, he flung himself into the air, the shards glowing with residual heat from the sheer force of his attacks.
With a final, powerful spin, Aether launched himself into the air, the claw fragments in his hands glowing bright purple flames.
Hovering above the beast, he hurled it downward in a blazing streak.
FWOOOOOM!
The beast snarled, its eyes narrowing as it opened its massive maw and unleashed a torrent of shimmering blue energy to meet the attack.
BOOOOOOM!
The conflicting forces collided mid-air, an explosion of light and sound that shook the very ground. Flames and energy dispersed into nothingness, leaving only a smouldering haze in their wake.
But through the haze, the monster’s glowing eyes widened in shock.
Aether with a massive icy spear beneath his feet during the leap. Propelled by his momentum, he came hurtling down like a meteor!
“HRAAAARGH!”
With a roar of his own, he drove the spear downward with all his might, aiming for the base of the creature’s neck.
CRACK!
STAB!!!!
BOOOOOOM!
The impact was earth-shattering. The monster’s neck slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash, and the icy spear lodged deep into its flesh.
The beast’s body convulsed violently, its limbs thrashing in its final death. Its monstrous eyes flickered weakly before dulling completely, lifeless.
Aether descended slowly, his feet touching the ground.
He turned to Helena and Nightfire, both of whom stood frozen, their faces pale and slack with disbelief. Without a word, Aether strode toward them, scooping them up effortlessly in his arms.
“We’re leaving,” he said curtly.
Helena blinked, her mind still reeling. “A-Aether… you’re… so powerful,” she stammered, her mouth hanging open in awe. Her voice trembled as her mind struggled to process the spectacle she had just witnessed.
Nightfire, on the other hand, seemed torn between terror and grudging admiration. “What the fuck just happened? Are you sure you’re not a Sovereign or something?” Her voice was tinged with disbelief, though the flicker of fear in her eyes betrayed her thoughts. ‘Did I seriously piss this guy off earlier? Oh, shit, I need to start watching my mouth.’
Aether let out a faint chuckle, his usual calm demeanour returning as he approached the old, rusted gate.
Without hesitation, he raised his foot to kick it open but something blocked him now and before he could think,
Tick!
His foot froze mid-motion, as it travelled… back?
Chuccckk!
Aether staggered as the monster’s claw raked across his shoulder.
‘W-What just happened…?’ Aether’s eyes widened in shock, his mind racing to comprehend the sudden attack…. Blood seeped from his shoulder as he gritted his teeth.