Leonar ran through the streets, heading in the opposite direction of the shelter. The alarms were still blaring, and the atmosphere was once again thick with tension; families hurried toward the shelters, children were crying, and adults shouted instructions while the chaos spilled over like a river out of control.
An officer in a reflective vest and helmet stood at an intersection, waving his arms and directing citizens toward a nearby underground tunnel.
Leonar quickly approached and, before speaking, pulled out his hunter ID, showing it to the man.
“Where did the portal rupture happen?” Leonar asked, his voice slightly breathless, sweat beading on his forehead from the run.
The officer looked at him with a touch of disbelief before carefully inspecting the ID.
After confirming it was legitimate, he pointed down a street leading west.
“It’s three blocks from here, right at the main intersection near the park. But, buddy, we’ve got hunters there already... You probably shouldn’t get any closer if you’re not ready for this.”
Leonar nodded without responding, thankful for the direction, and began running again.
Each step brought him closer to the spot, and as he dodged people rushing in the opposite direction, he couldn’t help but think:
‘Is this my fault?’
The previous dungeon anomaly had left him questioning things, as it wasn’t something that happened often, but to have another anomaly happen so quickly after he got Eleonora…
The thought churned in Leonar’s stomach, but there was no time to stop.
When he reached the location, the scene was far different from what he expected.
The portal was glowing intensely, radiating heat that made the surroundings vibrate.
The fire wolves emerging from it were grotesque. Their bodies were a mix of flesh and lava, with skin that seemed to burn constantly.
Flames danced across their backs and limbs, and their eyes looked like two pools of molten rock.
Some were the size of regular dogs, quick and agile, but others were large enough to compete with a compact car.
The larger ones were causing the most trouble.
Leonar watched as a group of hunters attempted to confront one of these beasts.
Two of them, armed with reinforced swords, charged at once, but the wolf responded with a deafening roar that released a heatwave so intense it melted the asphalt beneath its paws.
One of the hunters fell to the ground, screaming as his clothes caught fire.
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“Damn it!” Leonar muttered through clenched teeth, feeling his heart rate quicken.
A group of soldiers was trying to hold off the smaller wolves, shooting at them from a safe distance. However, the bullets barely seemed to affect the creatures.
One of the soldiers, seeing his position compromised, tried to retreat, but a small wolf reached him. With a swift jump, the creature sank its jaws into the man’s neck.
Leonar had to look away as the soldier let out a strangled scream before collapsing.
‘What can I do here?’ Leonar thought, feeling the pressure building in his chest.
“Eleonora, what can I do?” Leonar asked aloud, hoping for a response from the entity in his mind.
“With your current strength, it’s going to be difficult to handle my abilities,” Eleonora replied in a neutral tone, but was quickly interrupted by Leonar.
“If you can use those abilities, then I can too. Tell me how.”
Eleonora sighed.
“Remember what happened at the casino? You couldn’t even create a tunnel without almost passing out, and that was with no pressure.”
Leonar didn’t respond.
Instead, he desperately searched for something he could use.
His eyes landed on a nearby fire hydrant. Without hesitation, he ran toward it and, with a powerful strike, broke the valve, releasing a chaotic stream of water.
The impact left his hand trembling in pain, but he didn’t stop. The water began to flood the area, soaking the ground.
Leonar turned to Eleonora in his mind.
“What do I do now? How do I start controlling the water flow?”
Eleonora let out another sigh, this one longer.
“Leonar, seriously, this isn’t something you can learn overnight.”
At that moment, a message appeared before Leonar’s eyes:
[Power released from Eleonora at 24%]
Immediately, he felt a change in his body. His senses seemed sharper, and a faint connection with the water before him began to form. He extended his hand toward the stream, trying to shape it, but the water continued to fall erratically.
“Watch out!” someone shouted behind him.
Leonar turned just in time to see one of the wolves lunging at him.
By pure instinct, he dropped to the ground, barely dodging the creature’s claws.
“Give me control!” Eleonora urged in his mind.
Leonar’s heart was racing as he saw the wolf turn toward him.
The water he had released was beginning to soak both him and the wolf.
Leonar got to his feet, clenching his fists.
“No! Tell me how you control your ability!”
“Damn it, Leonar! It’s not that simple!” Eleonora shouted, her voice filled with frustration.
The wolf charged again, and this time Leonar managed to land a punch. When his fist struck the wolf’s side, he felt a searing pain shoot through his hand. The creature’s skin was a mix of fire and lava.
The impact barely moved the wolf, which responded by knocking Leonar to the ground.
As the wolf opened its jaws to attack, another message appeared before Leonar:
[Power released from Eleonora at 67%]
Suddenly, his left hand moved on its own. Before the wolf could bite, a burst of ice formed around its body, freezing it in seconds.
Leonar stared, breathing heavily, while his arm still didn’t respond to his commands.
“What the hell did you do?” Leonar asked, his voice shaky.
“I took control of your hand,” Eleonora replied. “I used the water in your surroundings to freeze it. But don’t think this is easy to do. Without water around, I would have been seriously hurt.”
Leonar gritted his teeth, slowly getting back up.
“Then explain to me how you do it. I need to learn.”
Eleonora sighed when she heard those words.
“Seriously… first, you have to feel the water,” Eleonora explained in a calmer tone. “It’s not enough to give vague orders. You need to understand how to manage your energy so the water responds to you.”
Leonar barely understood what she was saying, but the cries of the hunters and soldiers snapped him back to reality.
He looked toward the portal, where even more wolves were emerging.
“Listen,” Leonar said with determination. “Take control of my body for now. But when this is over, I want to learn to use this on my own.”
Eleonora stayed silent for a moment before replying:
“Perfect, I’m glad to hear that.”
Leonar nodded and allowed Eleonora to take control, ready to face the chaos.