Fang, the Eternal Flame Faebeast, charged toward them, its body ablaze with molten lava that dripped from patches of its scorched fur. Every stomp of its massive paws caused the ground to tremble.
“We need to control him!” one of the Knights shouted as they sprinted toward Fang,
seemingly forgetting about Broken and Ivana entirely. Their focus had shifted to stopping the rampaging beast.
Broken quickly noticed that in their panic, the Knights had left Cedric and Cecilia unguarded, and the barrier around them had dissipated.
“Ivana, Polly, follow me,” Broken commanded. The three of them raced toward Cedric and Cecilia.
Cecilia stood frozen in shock, her eyes wide with disbelief as she watched their father, Fang, tearing through the landscape.
“Father…” she whispered.
Cedric, though shaken, was more composed. “Father has incredible power,” he said grimly. “I don’t think the Knights can handle him on their own.”
“Cedric, Cecilia, you two need to get on Polly and escape immediately. This place is too dangerous, and your levels are too low to stay here,” Broken urged.
But Cecilia shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “No… I can’t leave. Father needs help. We can’t just run!”
“Cecilia, there’s nothing we can do!” Cedric grabbed her arm tightly. “I know he’s our father, but he doesn’t remember us. He’s lost to the curse. Please, Cecilia, we have to go!”
“No, Cedric,” she sobbed. “If we leave, they’ll hurt him. They’ll kill him!”
“That’s exactly why we need to call Lady Elaine! If we don’t, the Knights might die trying to stop him.”
Cedric quickly lifted Cecilia onto Polly’s back, holding her tightly from behind to keep her from resisting. She struggled weakly, her tear-filled eyes still locked on the distant figure of Fang.
“Mr. Broken,” Cedric called urgently, “you should come with us.”
“I’ll join you shortly,” Broken responded, giving Polly a pat on the flank. With a powerful
leap, Polly soared into the sky, taking Cedric and Cecilia to safety.
Broken and Ivana remained on the ground, watching as the four Knights readied themselves for the inevitable clash with Fang.
“That creature has impressive attributes.”
“Should we help them? They’re going to struggle against Fang, aren’t they?”
“No,” Broken replied nonchalantly. “After what they pulled on us, it’s best we stay back and observe. Let them handle their own mess.”
Ivana’s voice softened as she glanced at him. “Broken?”
He gave a small, calculating smile. “We just have to wait and see. Who knows, we might be able to take advantage of the chaos.”
Fang’s massive form loomed over the battlefield. With a thunderous howl, the wolf shook himself, sending splatters of magma in all directions.
The knights surged forward. The first knight, a mage, hurled a barrage of magic toward Fang, but the beast reacted instantly, leaping to the side with incredible speed. With a roar that shook the ground, Fang lunged at them, his jaws snapping with deadly intent.
“Attack from another angle!” another knight yelled.
The second knight, armed with a shield, stepped forward bravely, slashing at Fang with his sword. But the wolf was too quick. Fang dodged the strike and, with terrifying precision, sank his teeth into the knight’s arm. The knight screamed in agony as his sword clattered to the ground, leaving him defenseless.
“Focus on your movements! Attack together!” came the desperate shout from one of the remaining knights.
Fang continued his relentless assault. Every leap, every dodge, was executed flawlessly. When his powerful jaws connected, they easily crushed bones, leaving the knights struggling to keep up with his overwhelming speed and strength.
“Try to control him! Slow him down!” commanded one of the knights.
The mage knight stepped forward, casting a powerful spell. A shimmering aura enveloped Fang, and for a brief moment, the giant wolf staggered, his movements slowing under the spell’s influence. But it wasn’t enough. Fang shook off the magic’s effects with a growl, his sheer force and power too much for the spell to fully contain.
Despite their best efforts, the Faery Knights were no match for Fang. The gap in strength was clear. Fang, the Eternal Flame Faebeast, was far too fast, too strong-and too angry.
Suddenly, Elaine appeared from the distance, floating gracefully in the air. Behind her, Morel ran, struggling to keep up.
Broken turned his gaze to the same scene. “Elaine’s here.”
“Yes, hopefully this can be resolved soon. It’s already gotten too bad.”
Broken’s expression remained grim. “It’s beyond repair, Ivana. This situation is ruined.”
“You think so, Broken?” she asked
“Yes,” he said coldly. “I’m not going to be forgiving enough to overlook their mistakes.” Ivana nodded, understanding his mindset.
“Are you against my decision?”
“No… I understand how you think, Broken. I might have approached things differently, but that’s my personal way. And here, I’m following you,” she replied.
Elaine’s eyes scanned the chaotic battlefield, her expression frantic. With a quick motion, she pointed her finger at Fang. A bright flash of light shot from her hand, and a transparent cubic barrier materialized around Fang, suspending him in mid-air, trapping him.
The Knights pressed their attack, desperately trying to control Fang. Despite being trapped within Elaine’s barrier, the wolf thrashed violently, its strength still enough to lash out and cause havoc around him.
Elaine, breathing heavily but holding firm, struggled to maintain the barrier. Her face was tense, beads of sweat forming on her brow.
“I can’t hold him back for much longer. We have to find a way to defeat him. There’s no other
option.”
Morel shouted in disbelief, “How did Sir Fang escape his confinement?!”
The Knights turned their accusing eyes toward Broken. “It must have been him! He was here when this all started,” one of them spat.
“We can’t think of any other explanation,” another added
But Elaine cut through their accusations. “I know what really happened here. And… this breaks
my heart!”
Before Broken could respond, one of the Knights barked, “Broken! Now you must prove your strength. If you’re truly worthy of the task Lady Elaine has given you, then defeat that wolf!”
Broken smiled sarcastically, but he remained silent. He had no intention of dignifying the Knights’ accusations with a response.
“My Lady Elaine, I believe this is the perfect opportunity to prove whether that human is of any real use to us!” one of the Knights declared.
Elaine’s voice was unwavering as she responded, “I have made up my mind. You will heed my
words!”
“My Lady Elaine,” they replied, “we are only trying to protect this tribe. We don’t doubt your judgment, but we must ensure that this mission is carried out as efficiently as possible. We cannot rely on that man-he’s too weak. What could he possibly do to help us defeat this
curse?”
Elaine’s gaze hardened as she interrupted them. “Save your explanations for another time. Our priority now is to contain Sir Fang.”
Despite being trapped within her barrier, Fang continued to thrash violently, his fiery form throwing powerful attacks toward Elaine. Each time his attacks met her magic, they were deflected, reverberating harmlessly against the transparent walls of his prison. Elaine, still focused on maintaining the barrier, gave a firm command to the Knights. “Prepare your strongest attacks. The moment I remove this barrier, strike together and don’t
hesitate.”