Varok walked in, staring at the house made of wood.

  Alph emerged from the dwelling, snarling as she beheld Varok’s massive frame. Her tail was up, her teeth bared, and her claws unsheathed.

  “I heard about you. I was told a Nyrrak killed my family,” Varok began, pulling a limitless bag from his pocket. “I don’t blame the young ones; we are a family that does whatever we want. But you changed that. Uhhh, what am I saying? I’ll leave them to this.” As he spoke, a pack of nearly twenty duskwolves emerged from the tree line; at least ten of them stood as tall as she did.

  A howl echoed through the forest. “Seems like Dakota already left,” Varok noted before walking back out, leaving Alph effectively caged by twenty duskwolves.

  ..……

  It was almost like a haze. The air whipped past her hair as she moved, the trees blurring into a dark streak. As she fully opened her eyes and her consciousness returned, she realized the incredible speed at which Ben was sprinting through the forest.

  “Ben, Ben,” she said, reaching up to touch his hair. Her eyes met his, but he was looking straight ahead, his pupils widened and swallowed by a dark spot in the center.

  “Stop, Ben. I’m fine… we are fine,” she urged. She could taste the blood in her mouth as the strain began to take its toll, her body finally registering the bruises and strikes she had taken from Azeya.

  “Ben, Ben,” she tried again, but her efforts went unheeded. She glanced back and saw another pack of roughly twenty duskwolves giving chase. The distance between them fluctuated by the minute, but they were gaining.

  She was about to speak when Ben took a sharp left, nearly losing his footing before regaining his momentum. He leaped over fallen trees and banked into another turn, his muscles contracting fully before springing out like a coil. Sky turned her head to see the pack just leaps away, their teeth bared.

  The world suddenly shifted. Ben stepped onto a log and used it to launch himself into the air, clearing a good eleven feet from the ground.

  While airborne, Ben adjusted his position, wrapping his arms tightly around Sky. He used his own body as a cushion, hitting the ground first. His body bounced with an impact that flattened the grass and cracked the earth. As he rolled, he maintained his grip on Sky, only letting go once the motion finally stopped.

  “Ben, Ben,” Sky whispered. She looked at him; he was silent, his eyes shut tight. ‘He’s still alive,’ she thought, feeling his faint breath as she cradled his head. She looked at her hands, seeing the red stains. “This is…” She began checking through his hair which had grown significantly, finally discovering the wounds on the back of his head and across his body.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  ‘Potion,’ she thought. She searched herself before remembering she had no pockets, then frantically searched Ben’s instead. Her hands shook as she pulled out the bag. ‘Relax, Sky. He’s… relax.’ She quickly assessed his injuries: a broken leg, head injuries, a broken arm, and various bruises. “I should have left you,” Sky wept as she forced him to drink the potion. His chest moved slowly as she followed it with a second, colorless bottle to supplement the first reddish one.

  Sky was about to reach for bandages when she halted. “I’m sorry, it’s my fault. You… you shouldn’t move that fast, or do something so dangerous,” she said, standing up. She took in her surroundings: they were on a flat stretch of land in Veilwood, where the green grass swayed in the wind just like her skirt. The moon was out, illuminating the clearing.

  She turned back toward the cliff Ben had jumped from. It was high enough that the wolves had been forced to find a different path, but the distance from the cliff to where they lay was as long as a truck trailer. The duskwolves had finally reached the flat land.

  Sky drew two swords from the limitless bag and wiped away her tears. Green grass stretched as far as the eye could see, the wind whistling through her hair. She looked down for a moment before screaming.

  “I’ll kill you!" She began before taking a breath. "I’ll fucking kill you all!” Her veins bulged as she gripped the hilts, her stance so heavy it caused a depression in the earth. With her swords pointed diagonally down, she charged.

  She dashed toward the pack, hurling the left sword with enough force to pierce the skull of the lead duskwolf. Without breaking stride, she took the head of the next one clean off, blood splashing her back as the headless carcass hit the ground.

  …….

  “So, what you mean is that my body and my spirit are intertwined,” Ryke said, sinking into his seat.

  “And Hollow is the extension. If Ryke dies, Hollow dies too,” Sherlyn said, placing a hand on her forehead.

  “Yes, that’s the sacrifice Hollow took. Unlike other normal spirits, Hollow can die,” Rheis explained.

  A moment of silence followed. Veryn kept his eyes on Ryke, who had closed his own.

  “So you can see it?” Ryke asked, his eyes still shut. Sherlyn’s presence wasn't making things any easier for him.

  “Yes,” Rheis replied.

  “Where is it? Which side?”

  “On your left ear. Considering yours is human-like, that’s where the head is,” Rheis said.

  “You speak like they are different?” Neyra said.

  “Spirits aren’t identical; they look different,” Rheis said. “What, did you think they all had legs and hands?”

  “That’s a hard one. Before this, I started thinking spirits were just stories,” Neyra admitted.

  “Well, you came across Sky. Have you ever wondered why she could move like that?” Rheis asked.

  “Yes…” Neyra began, but her heart skipped a beat. She felt a sudden heat in the air that made her break into a sweat.

  She looked at the others. Ryke was tensed up, his hands shaking as he held Hollow. Veryn was already drenched, his shirt soaked with sweat. Rheis stood up, her body rigid and Sherlyn just looked tired.

  Leon walked in, with Azeya following behind. “What’s up?” he asked.

  “Put your rings back on,” Rheis commanded, her hands held out while her legs where anchored to the floor.

  “Who are you, and what’s with the hands?” Azeya asked.

  “Please put your limiters back on,” Rheis said, Ryke seeing her subtly being pulled toward Leon.

  “Forgot,” Leon said, sliding his rings back on.

  “Fresh air, finally,” Veryn exhaled just minutes later.

  “I’m Rheis, just a girl who sees more than most. And I’ve already started on your past, Leon—and the limit of mastery,” Rheis said. “Nice timing.”

  ……...

  “They can smell you; it’s just a matter of time,” Varok said, moving through the trees. “And you can’t use strong magic. The girl’s body is too weak for magic after that stunt you pulled last time,” he shouted into the forest.

  A howl rang out, and Varok walked toward the sound. Veilwood was now duskwolf territory, and Varok intended to use that to its fullest. Upon arrival, he found Dakota seated, surrounded by the pack.

  “They are not coming. I made sure they are occupied,” Varok said, looking down at the seated girl.

  …….

  The beauty of reinforcement—it’s one of the best feelings, especially when you are fighting against a pack of duskwolves while standing on shaky legs.