The clearing erupted into chaos as the dark figure rose from the ground, its form twisting and shifting like a living shadow. Its glowing eyes locked onto Lyla, and the air around it seemed to hum with raw, malevolent energy. The forest’s whispers became frantic, their tone urgent and desperate, flooding Lyla’s mind with a single message: End it now, or everything will fall.

Eli positioned himself between Lyla and the creature, his wolf form bristling with tension. Dani and Mason flanked ...