Their bodies didn't move, and neither did Devon. Only the creature, clutching its shadowy limb to its chest, continued to shift around, its head lolling to the side. The last of the humans popped out of the sand, the grains falling away to rejoin the arena floor. They looked stiff, unnatural. Their eyes were hollow, pure white, without irises or pupils. I counted four women, two men, and a single small child.

That has to be Thelassa's grandson. Holy crap, is he even alive anymore?

He sported a simple tunic and a pair of black pants. His hair looked combed, and his skin unblemished. If it weren't for the eyes and rigid stance, I wouldn't have thought anything was wrong with the boy.

My jaw slowly clamped shut. If the creature hoped for a reaction from the stoic hunter, it would be disappointed. Devon ignored the human statues and pressed his spear even closer to the creature's neck.

The creature ignored the blade, its red eyes spinning in the black haze that made up its face. "So cold. Should have known you only care for one thing and one thing only."

"I'll ask again. Who helped you destroy the chains?" Devon demanded.

"Bindings are a funny thing. Even seals as ancient as the one used on my real body. Weaken the link, and energy can slip out. Weaken a few more, and enough can leave the seal to create a sliver, an avatar, a mere shadow like me."

Devon stabbed through another limb, but the creature roared with laughter and continued.

"You know not why I'm trapped here nor why I am to be locked away. My name is hidden, and my records are struck clean. I can tell, or you would have come prepared. Simple. Foolish. A Grimm is a prideful being, an apex predator that hunt other predators. Turning monsters into prey. I never understood why a pack of monsters go through so much effort to pretend to be what they're not."

Shadows continued to rise, and Devon flexed his fingers. Bindings spun and sank deeper into the sand. The creature's body shrank into itself, its form losing cohesion as it wailed. But even as it screeched, the smile only grew, and the two horns extended until they were longer than my arm.

"Ill-prepared runt is all that you are. And for that… I'll make you my... PREY!"

Devon stabbed at its chest, but it raised its arm and caught the spear by the shaft. He growled.

Where iron met shadowflesh, it burned and sizzled. Yet the limb remained firm and pushed the spear back. Its torso expanded and grew until the creature loomed over the man.

"Get back!" Devon yelled to us.

The shadows exploded, and the cave turned into an expanse of endless darkness. The void grew and pushed forward like a wave. But then it rebounded, becoming a cocoon of shadows that towered into the air.

The Grimm pushed forward, but the shadows repelled him until they began to bend and wrap around. Then, a maddening cackle echoed across the walls as the wisp took form.

Seperated from the creature, from the shadows itself, a being five times wider than Devon's own formed. It expanded. Lanky limbs loomed over the man. Black shadows became purple flesh with black veins.

The creature squeezed, towering over Devon. He raised his arm in defense, runes flaring. But as the bindings trembled, the monstrous form bore down, mercilessly crushing Devon's ribs.

"You are but a child compared to the Grimms who sealed me," it taunted, its voice filled with malice. It cackled and pulled itself up one of the bindings. "Let me show you a real monster."

The giant flung its arm. Devon flew into the far tunnel, with the giant giving chase.

"Devon!" Alice screamed.

She jumped down, and I followed, boots hitting the sand.

The creature didn't bother looking our way but simply snapped its fingers. As one, the human statues charged.

Alice swung her axe, but then the boy held out his arms. She stopped, and one of the men tackled her. Sand filled the air; they went flying.

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Damnit! Alice!

I rushed over, but three of the women ran at me.

I dodged one, and they slid across the arena floor. The second woman grabbed my wrist, but I lifted my boot and kicked. Her grip tightened. "Get off!"

Another push. She stumbled back, and I moved to evade the grasp of the third woman. I grabbed her hair and yanked downward, letting go as her head smash into the ground.

Agh! Are they possessed or zombies?!

The rest charged in, and the second man and woman rushed at Alice while the child ran towards me.

A roar shook the arena, followed by a wolf's howl. It called to me, exciting the mana in my chest. My heart blasted with every thump, creating a pounding in my ears.

Prey! Hunt! Fight!

The woman came for me, but my summon rose from my shadow and clamped its teeth around her torso. They went down in an explosion of sand, and I jumped away.

"Don't kill her!"

Whether my wolf listened, I had no idea. Flailing limbs assaulted my side, and I struggled to stand. The child crashed into my leg, sending a jolt through my bone that ran up my hip.

Damnit!

I spun around, tried to shake myself free. But the kid stayed attached. Small hands dug into my thigh, and a woman latched onto my left arm. She pulled.

My bones creaked under the pressure.

Screw this!

I punched, using the back end of my axe to break her nose. Her head rocked back, but she didn't let go, and then the child began to crush my thigh. He tried but couldn't muster the force.

Behind me, Alice cried out.

Alice!

It wasn't time to be reluctant. I couldn't hold back, not now!

Let.. go!

I punched again, my knuckles landing squarely on the side of her head. The woman's grip loosened, and I pushed her away. The second woman came at me, but my wolf pounced and knocked her to the ground. As the last two tried to rush forward, I grabbed the child's arm with a grimace.

No more holding back.

Sorry.

I yanked at an angle, something snapped. The child's arm broke in my grip. I ignored the disgust welling up.

With the leverage gained, I pulled the kid's arm away and stomped down with my right foot. Lifting him up in one arm, I threw him at the others. He crashed into their legs, and they nosedived to the floor in a crumpled heap of tangled limbs.

Thump! Thump! Thummp!

My heart pounded. A series of buzzes made me turn, and I saw my wolf fly through the air. The woman who threw him had long scratches down her arm and bled from a gnarly bite on her leg. As my summon landed, it tried to sink into the ground, but something happened, and my cloak snapped up.

The pressure returned, and shadows extended from above. Vial light struck the wall of shifting black, absorbing the light and creating a glaring hole in reality.

Blood rushed to my head and my eyes strained at the sight. A crushing headache blossomed across my skull.

Thanks to the distraction, I didn't have time to react as a tug dragged me to the ground. My chin hit the sand, and the impact rattled my skull. Mana flared, and I pushed up, kicking backward. The puppet caught my foot and pulled.

Using my arms, I twisted around and managed to get on my back just in time as I saw a wave of steaming cold rush at my face. It crept up the woman and her limb. The frost hit me, but that was fine. I accepted the cracking thin sheet over my skin and felt my mana respond. It roared in defiance, the heat building until the ice melted away, leaving me drenched.

The wave hadn't stopped; it surged past me, slamming into my wolf. I kicked free, breaking away from the woman's grasp. Turning quickly, I saw Alice in action: she flung off one man clinging to her axe, then shoulder-checked another, sending him sprawling. With a swift whirl, she launched the woman puppet through the air.

Crack!

The woman landed a few feet away as Alice snarled. She favored her left leg and stalked forward.

She raised her arm. But in that split second of distraction, a hand stealthily slipped around my neck, yanking my head back. I tried slammed my head back, but whoever grabbed me kept squeezing tighter.

I yelled for Alice, but she kept moving forward, ignoring my struggle. Desperately, I tried to pry the arm away, but they wrapped their legs around my waist and pulled me backward. The motion allowed my right shoulder to slip, but not enough to free myself.

My fingers worked desperately to wrench the arm downward, but I couldn't get the leverage needed. My axe reflected my face. The blazing orange irises of my eyes shone through the darkness.

Kill the prey!

I roared and flipped the axe around. One chop, then another. Blood splattered the ground and my arm. I kept hacking away until I hit bone and continued.

After the sixth attempt, air rushed into my lungs as the armbar came free. The puppet's arm sank into the sand.

Kill!

Whirling, I rotated, twisting my torso, and swung my arm. Before I could fully process what I had just done, the iron of my axe sliced through pale flesh and emerged out the other side. I had just enough time for my eyes to widen in shock before a fountain of red sprayed at my eyes.

I rolled to my feet just as a severed head tumbled across the ground. Its owner dropped to the floor.

I.. I…

"Cain!"

I looked up and saw a massive brown shape flying through the air. Claws dug into the earth and slid across the sand. The werewolf howled, and the thoughts in my head responded, screaming. I raised my axe, seeing only red.

I just…

"Cain!"

My eyes met Devon's crimson gaze, and he whirled around to throw one of the charging puppets out of the arena. Before I could react, he rushed at me.

I froze.

In a swift leap, Devon grabbed me by the shoulders and tossed me away.

Time slowed to a crawl.

I could only watch as I flew through the air, and a massive wooden club, the size of a tree trunk, landed where Devon had been standing.

"Devon!" I screamed.