The air was thick with tension, the cold creeping into Aaryan’s bones despite the crackling fire that barely seemed to cut through the chill. The valley, once quiet and empty, now felt like a cage—silent, oppressive, and closing in. His mind buzzed with the weight of the danger that was right in front of him. The trap had been set, and he had agreed to play his part—to be the bait—but even now, as he stood among the remnants of his decision, doubt flickered at the edges of his resolve.

The group hurriedly moved toward another boulder, but before they could reach it, another one of the beasts lunged at them. Its massive black claw sliced through the air with a speed that defied its size. The wolf was nearly as large as the boulder, its eyes glowing with a dangerous, otherworldly light. Its enormous form twisted and shifted, its dark fur blending with the shadows of the forest.

Aaryan scrambled to his feet, but the others were not so lucky. One man had barely managed to avoid the strike, but the wolf’s claw still caught him. The jagged slash tore through his shoulder, leaving a gaping wound that sprayed blood across the stone. The others rushed to drag him back out of the wolf’s reach, but his cries filled the valley.

The rest of the group, watching from afar, sucked in a deep breath, eyes wide with horror. From the first attack to this moment, barely ten breaths had passed, and already one of them was gravely injured.

“Thankfully, I don’t have to face these beasts,” said one of the villagers abruptly, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

“Damn it, we don’t stand a chance against these monsters,” one of Aaryan’s companion muttered, wiping a nervous sweat from his brow.

“Move!” Aaryan shouted, snapping the group back to attention. Another claw slashed through the air, missing them by inches. The group scrambled backward toward another boulder, their only shield against the beasts circling them.

“We can’t keep retreating like this,” one of the men grunted, still clutching his injured companion. “Soon we’ll reach the waterfall. We’ll have nowhere to go.”

“We need to drive them into that corner,” Aaryan said, his voice steady despite the chaos around him, pointing to a narrow gap between the mountain wall and a massive boulder. “That’s our only chance.”

The group hesitated, their thoughts racing as they tried to formulate a plan. Then, a bone-chilling howl pierced the air—another of the wolves. A shadow shifted in the trees, and the final creature emerged, its eyes blazing with predatory hunger.

“All of them are here,” Sharan muttered from his position behind the rocks, his voice low but full of dark anticipation. “If that fool plays his part right, we’ll have them all.”

Aaryan’s pulse quickened. The trap was tightening around them, and every move he made felt more desperate. The wolves were circling now, stalking with eerie patience, as if savouring the game. They didn’t seem to be in any hurry and were very cautious—maybe due to the setback they had received last time.

“There!” one of the group members called out. “We can use the burning wood to drive them into the corner. But we’ll need a distraction—otherwise, we’ll be dead before we even get close.”

Silence fell over the group as they all knew what the distraction would require: someone would have to bait the wolves. And whoever did would almost certainly die.

“I’ll do it,” the old man, who had been injured earlier, said with a resigned sigh.

“You… don’t have to do this. We will think of something else,” Aaryan said hesitantly.

The old man shook his head, his eyes sad but resolute. “I’m already done for. I’ll buy you some time. You’ve got more to live for, kid.” He tossed his sword to Aaryan, a final act of trust. “Use it well. Stay alive, and make sure this isn’t for nothing.”

With that, he turned and started running in the opposite direction of the fire, hurling a rock toward one of the wolves to draw its attention. The two wolves, which were closer to the old man, noticed the distraction and began to move toward him, their eyes gleaming with malice.

“Let’s go,” Aaryan said, urgency in his voice. His heart was heavy as he watched the old man’s sacrifice, but he didn’t allow himself to mourn. Not yet.

The group rushed forward, moving quickly toward the bonfire, but one wolf—a monstrous creature with a single glowing eye—shifted its focus to them, crouching low, its massive form preparing to strike.

Aaryan acted without thinking. He grabbed a burning stick from the fire and shoved it toward the wolf’s mouth just as it lunged. The beast howled in pain, recoiling away from the flame. Aaryan didn’t stop to breathe. He grabbed another burning piece of wood and held it tightly in his hands, ready for the next strike. His two companions did the same, their faces pale with fear but determined.

“AAAAAARGGGHHHHH!”

The valley seemed to echo with a blood-curdling scream. Aaryan whipped his head around to see the old man torn apart, his body flung into the air like a ragdoll.

“Thank you,” Aaryan whispered, his voice barely audible as he bowed his head toward the spot where the man had fallen. He couldn’t afford to lose focus, as this was not the time to get distracted.

“We’re close to the corner,” Aaryan called out, shaking off the grief that threatened to consume him. “Stay close to each other. Don’t separate, or none of us will make it.”

The wolves circled them, always cautious, testing for weakness. They lunged at the group, but Aaryan and his companions dodged, leaping behind boulders or rolling away from the beasts’ deadly claws. The pace was relentless, but they kept moving, inching toward the narrow corner.

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“We’re almost there,” Aaryan said. His voice was firm, but there was a hint of desperation in his eyes. “Take these,” he said, handing each of them a violet mist sphere. “On my signal, we throw them.”

After a few more lunges and dodges, the group made their way to the corner, the wolves growing more restless. The air seemed to vibrate with tension as they closed in. The creatures were calculating, their eyes watching every movement, their muscles coiled to strike.

The group stood there, eyes fixed on the beasts, sometimes waving their fire sticks in the air. After some time, the wolves grew impatient and spread out, blocking all retreat paths. Suddenly, they lunged toward Aaryan and his group.

“Now!” Aaryan shouted, throwing his mist sphere onto the ground in front of him, while moving back as fast as he could. The others followed suit, their spheres hitting the earth with soft, wet sounds. The air immediately thickened, and a strange violet mist began to billow out, enveloping everything in a haze.

Soon, Aaryan and his companions, as well as the beasts, were covered in the violet blanket. Aaryan and his companions quickly covered their noses and began to move silently, creeping along the edge of the cliff, staying as close to the mountain wall as possible. They didn’t dare speak, knowing the mist could give them away.

The seconds stretched into what felt like hours. Aaryan’s heart pounded in his chest as he tried to make sense of what was happening. Had it worked?

“What happened there?” asked one of the minions hiding in the distance.

“Did they succeed?” said another.

The eyes of the leaders were shining with greed. They looked at each other and started readying their men to act any moment from now.

Aaryan and his companions made their way out of the mist, not daring to take a single breath in. They started to make their way toward the main group without making any noise, keeping their whereabouts as concealed as possible.

“THUD!”

A loud noise rang out, followed by another similar sound.

Aaryan looked toward the mist, trying to figure out what was happening when he suddenly saw a black, whip-like tail lashing through the air, heading toward his head. He instinctively jumped to the right, and the tail slammed into the spot where he had been standing moments earlier.

Before his two other companions could react, a black shadow emerged from the mist, lunging toward one of the men. Before he could scream, his head was bitten off from his shoulders.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. The other man started running toward the group, but before he could go far, the wolf pounced on him. The tail pierced his heart, and another scream echoed through the walls.

The sudden turn of events left everyone shocked. People who were about to charge into the valley stood there like statues.

“What happened? Why didn’t the wolves faint?” asked Sharan, gasping for breath.

Nayan was standing next to him, trembling in fear. Beside him was Aman, his eyes as wide as saucers.

“How would I know? I’m standing right where you are,” said the eagle-nosed man, cursing in his heart for accepting this mission.

“How… How is this possible? What am I supposed to do now?” Seeing the wolf turning toward him, Aaryan felt like the world had stopped for a moment.

The mist began to thin out, revealing the view in front of them. Two wolves were lying unconscious.

“How unlucky…” Aaryan sighed.

“We got two... we got two!” Nayan exclaimed.

“Hahahaha, told you this would work… Why didn’t I think of it before?” Sharan chimed.

“Now, all we have to do is wait for that wolf to kill the kid. If the kid manages to injure the wolf before dying, we could capture it too. Otherwise, we’ll simply drive it away,” said the eagle-nosed man, licking his lips manically.

The wolf turned toward Aaryan, a wound visible in its left eye.

“So, it’s you. How ironic. It really is fate, then,” said Aaryan, holding tightly onto the sword in his hand.

The wolf growled and moved like lightning, sending its massive claw toward him. But Aaryan was already in motion. He dodged to the side, but the wolf’s tail slammed into him, sending him crashing into the mountain wall with a sickening crack.

Pain exploded through Aaryan’s body, and he gasped for air. He coughed 4-5 mouthfuls of blood, trying to get on his feet with the help of his sword, which he still held onto. Refusing to give up, he stood up somehow, swaying left and right.

His whole body was covered in blood, pain coming from every muscle and bone. His eyes dimmed, threatening to close at any moment.

“I can’t watch it anymore. He’s just a child,” said one of the old villagers, turning his head to look in another direction.

“What can we do? We can only pray that his suffering ends quickly, and he has a peaceful afterlife,” said another with sorrow in his eyes.

“Junior chief, should we try to help?” asked someone from the crowd.

“Our priority is the wolves; everything else comes after that,” said Aman with a very calm demeanour.

“Humph, that’s what happens when you don’t know your place,” mocked Nayan.

The wolf advanced again toward Aaryan, swiping its claw through the air. Aaryan tried to dodge, but he was already injured and couldn’t move completely out of the way. He missed the claws but still got hit with part of it and was sent flying into one of the tall trees standing on the periphery of the waterfall.

This time, he felt that all of his bones had been shattered, and all his muscles had been torn. He bit his tongue, causing his already bloody mouth to fill with more blood.

“Am I going to die here? Is this the end for me?” he thought.

Unable to move, he just lay there. He could see the wolf slowly coming toward him, and the other villagers slowly making their way toward the two unconscious wolves.

Seeing this, hatred filled his heart—a feeling which he wasn’t very familiar with—and it overtook his mind.

“NO! I WILL NOT DIE HERE!” This was the only thought he had at this moment.

As the rage inside him reached its boiling point, he felt a very strange sensation in his soul. A barrier seemed to be hidden in the depths of his soul, a barrier which seemed to hide something. At that moment, a crack appeared on that illusionary barrier, and a sudden burst of power and energy erupted from deep within his body. His broken bones started to mend together, and his torn muscles and tendons fused. Although the pain was much worse than before, like 1,000 ants gnawing at his flesh, he felt like his blood was burning.

He got to his feet, still swaying, and looked toward the approaching wolf.

“He still hasn’t died,” said Aman, his voice tinged with surprise.

“It’s only a matter of time,” said Nayan.

“Hurry, we need to kill these wolves before they wake up,” urged the eagle-nosed man.

“I WILL NOT DIE HERE. I WILL NOT DIE HERE. I... WILL... NOT... DIE... HERE...” Aaryan yelled, running toward one of the trees, right on the edge of the cliff leading to the waterfall.

The wolf saw him running and chased after him with haste. Aaryan ran as fast as he could, and as the wolf closed in on him, he reached the tree, using it as a springboard to leap into the air, his sword, stained with his own blood, aimed at the head of the beast. He narrowly dodged the wolf’s biting mouth, and with all the strength he could muster, he plunged the blade into the wolf’s skull. The impact rattled through his body, but he didn’t stop. He dragged the sword down its head, splitting its skull open with a final, desperate effort.

The wolf’s body went limp beneath him, and Aaryan collapsed, his body giving out. Blood pooled beneath him, and he stared into the lifeless eyes of the creature.

Something inside him had changed. A power he didn’t understand, didn’t even know existed, had awakened. His chest heaved with exertion, his vision blurring at the edges. But he wasn’t willing to close his eyes.

Not yet.