Chapter 27- A Wolf's Pride

~ P.O.V. Of Engil ~

The harder I sprint, the more my injuries worsen. I stumble on every crack that catches my feet. I feel that blood gushing from the multiple wounds I received in the earlier fight. I feel broken bones sliding and trying to break through my skin. I feel all this, but somehow I don't feel anything. Is it adrenaline?

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!!"

A voice came from the castle it was full of anger and malice. At the moment I couldn't care less, I only have one chance that Roen probably gave his life for. If not then I'll find him and run away. We can live. We will live.

I repeat those phrases as I run. The castle was yelling and screaming, but that only served to lessen the quietness of the surroundings. However I felt a danger coming from the only surviving tower. The runes on it began to glow and it felt like it was sucking the air from the surroundings. Although I couldn't understand most of the glowing runes on it, I could roughly guess as fire began to engulf the entire broken tower. Then the fire started to congregate into top, and a thick red ray shot out and swept a little to my right and disappeared into the distance.

Fwoooosh!

A sound as if the air was combusted occurred and to my right was a sea of fire that stretched on for miles. That's unfair.

"HAHAHA DO YOU REALIZE HOW EASILY I CAN KILL YOU! IT JUST TAKES SECONDS AND YOU ARE UP IN FLAMES!"

Ignoring the provocation I start to coalesce the remaining aura I have. If I am correct then that tower has a 30 second charge time and most likely he won't shoot himself, so I just need to cover around 70 feet in 30 seconds. Plenty of time to spare. I shoot out of the spot I was standing and start closing in on the castle.

The air starts to get hotter and I can feel a couple of my hairs burning. The broken tower has began to charge up again. 30 feet left! The tower looks as if an inferno was condensed onto it's surface, pretty cool if you ask me. My aura in my legs start to dry up.

No!! Just 10 more feet come on! The inferno climbs up the tower and starts to condense into the top. One more push and I'll make it inside!! I howl at the top of my lungs encouraging myself.

Crash! Fwoooooosh!

The two sounds intermingled in my ears as I crashed through a glass window of the castle.

"Haha I made it now wait for me I coming to shut you down!"

Saying the line I've been holding in for a while I get up...

I can't get up...

I look at the cause, my whole back end was severed by the red ray of light. The charred flesh smell carried itself into my well developed sense of smell and a feeling of despair took over me.

I look around the room. This is not the room I needed to be in. I need to get moving. I grit my teeth and start to drag what's left of my body with me. My speed is slow, but I need a chance to strike. I keep moving through the ever changing hallways. The feeling of death never takes me over. Maybe it's because this body never belonged to me? No time to be wondering about that now though.

The thought of finding the control room quickly escapes my plans. This fiend is just changing the rooms into a giant loop. I'll never get out at this pace. I begin to look at the unfamiliar runes trying to gain a glimpse of how to win. That's odd, I never thought I wanted to win. Why do I want to win now? Didn't I want to run?

"YOURE A ODD LITTLE WOLF, HOW ARE YOU NOT DEAD?"

Ignoring the castle's questions I continue to study the runes. For a second, I thought I saw one of them glow slightly red for a second.

"I am originally not a wolf, however now that I have been a wolf for awhile I've learned how prideful wolves can be. I shall never bow my head down to others nor will I turn my back on someone who has given me theirs!"

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"HHAAAHAH SO YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN DEFEAT ME WITH SOME WOLVES' PRIDE?HAHAHAHA."

The laughter continued and I saw a rune change to a slightly red color. I acted immediately and released my soul from the wolf's body heading straight for that rune. I forced my amorphous blue blob to squeeze through the rune and I arrived in a pitch black space similar to when Roen first made me a soul. However there was a massive purple soul with features similar to the monster that Roen should've killed earlier.

"You?! How'd did you..."

"Didn't I say not to underestimate this wolf?"

"I don't believe you did."

"Well I thought it so it's good enough!"

Honestly I didn't think that would work. I just realized that he needed a rune to project his voice, but souls normally cannot speak. Thinking of this I looked for something similar to the emitter rune that he was probably using to accomplish something similar. Luckily the rune he uses turns a slight shade of red unnoticeable if one doesn't look closely enough. Whew plan is a success.... Now that I've got this far I can't back down.

"Hoh~ I was originally surprised, however now that you're here what do you hope to accomplish."

"A wolf always goes for the kill."

"But you are no wolf."

The purple ethereal figure disappears and I feel a pressure grabbing part of me.

RIIIIIIIPP!

"Aaaaaarrrrggghh!"

What was that?! It was so painful?!!

"Hahaaha you think that you can win with just words? Let me savor ripping your soul to shreds!"

Damnit he ripped my soul?! Is that allowed?! I need something to protect myself why can't souls use aura?!!

As if answering my prayers an azure two foot sword with twelve rune markings on the blade flashed in front of me. Hooray! But how do I hold this with an amorphous blob body. Right now that purple guy is conceited thinking I'm an easy target, so it's a perfect opportunity. Man I love overly confident enemies. I need to somehow use this sword. I try using a corner of my blob and am somehow able to hold onto the sword. Again hooray.

"Are you done already?"

"Yes thank you for waiting. You're a nice bad guy aren't you?"

"I'm still going to rip you to shreds."

"Please be gentle."

The purple figure once again disappears, but I reflexively slice my sword to the right. I connect with something and look to see the purple, semi-clear hand holding onto the body of my blade.

Snap!

With a disdainful smile he ruthlessly breaks my sword in half. I stare at the blade point that he tosses over his shoulder. I'm too shocked to move. This can't be happening right?

RIIIIIIP!

I'm too numb from loosing my sword to react to the pain.

"Are you not going to react anymore?"

Can I even stand a chance against a monster Roen couldn't completely kill.... That's right how could I forget this monster stood toe to toe with Roen! I'm the conceited one for thinking I can win.

"Guess that's all a wolves' pride is huh. Well then I guess I'll put you out of your misery."

Wolves' pride? That's right the wolves never bowed down when Roen or I killed them. They faced death and took it. I could feel a slight tug on my soul. A howl was constantly being echoed within me. A wolf that is what I am, however I am no wolf I am Engil! I felt the howling begin to etch itself into my very being with every howl.

The broken sword in my blob hand began to shake and I could hear a low howl coming from it as well. The twelve runes were lighting up and shining in a deep azure light.

"What, what is going on?!!"

The panicked shouts of the purple monster were second only to the howling inside my soul. Or was I howling? My sword began to shorten and a curvature started to form. The body of the blade began to widen and the guard disappeared entirely.

The new sword had only three runes on it, and it's shape drastically changed. It looked exactly like a one foot long wolf's tooth attached to a blade handle. I felt a strong connection towards it almost as if we were one and I realized that my originally blob 'hand' had turned into an azure blue human hand! I checked the rest of my ethereal body and I appear to have regained my original human body minus the fact that I'm still a soul.

The panicking massive purple soul was suddenly no longer massive. I could look him in his nonexistent eyes now!

"What?! First it was that crazy boy with his insane methods and now someone who can merge their soul with a beast!!?"

His words confused me a little. I had no time to react to his words. Something was telling me I needed to move now this was my chance. I took a step and instantly shot past the purple soul. I succeeded in taking two of his arms off.

"AaaaaaAaAaArRrRrrrrrggggGghhhh!!!"

His pained screams reached my ears, but didn't phase me at all. I could see fear in his eyes. Tracing back our conversations he is probably afraid of this Wolf thingy.

I decided to finish it in the next move and the rune closest to the handle lit up. A giant azure wolf came pouncing out of the blade as I moved. The wolf easily filled this space we were in and the purple soul just stood there accepting his foretold death which the wolf kindly granted to him.

The wolf disappeared whilst howling and after it was gone I felt a feeling as if being robbed of all my energy. The howling in my soul ceased and a calm took over the surroundings. I felt my conscious fading away.

I won...

Hell yeah...

Roen can suck it!!

... And Anna... Wait for me.... I'll be there soon....