Before the echoes from the Circle of Assessment had fully faded away.
A second explosion shook the palace.
BOOOOM.
The stone floor trembled violently. Thin cracks spread across several old pillars. Blue flames on the walls flickered wildly, as if responding to the approaching threat.
Aurelia immediately turned toward the main hall's gate.
Her instincts screamed.
Danger.
And not ordinary danger.
Kael was no longer smiling.
His face had turned cold.
"The outer gate has collapsed."
Ragnar laughed softly, but this time there was a bloodthirsty note in his voice.
"Finally."
Orion stepped forward, his gaze as sharp as a blade.
"They won't attack without preparation."
He glanced slightly toward Aurelia.
"This isn't a normal attack."
Aurelia nodded slowly.
She could feel it.
The energy seeping in from outside… dark, ancient, and poisonous.
As if something from the past had awakened once more.
"Who are they really?" asked Aurelia.
Kael answered without turning his head.
"Creatures that even the strongest packs chose to forget."
Ragnar grinned.
"Because they can't be defeated the usual way."
Orion added in a low voice,
"They are the remnants of the first war."
Aurelia furrowed her brow.
"War of the First Blood…"
Kael nodded.
"And it seems… someone has awakened them."
BOOOM.
Another explosion rang out, closer this time.
Dust fell from the hall's ceiling.
Without another word, Ragnar turned around.
"I'm not going to stand here waiting."
He walked toward the great door with heavy steps.
"Let's greet our guests."
Kael sighed softly.
"Always in a hurry."
Yet he still followed.
Orion looked at Aurelia once more.
"If you want to be part of this alliance…"
He said quietly.
"This is a test beyond the circle."
Aurelia did not reply.
She simply walked past them.
Toward the door.
Without hesitation.
The palace's great doors swung open with a loud crash.
Cold wind immediately struck their faces.
The sky of Shadow Land had changed.
Black clouds swirled wildly.
Dark lightning flashed in the distance.
And below them.
A battlefield had formed.
The Shadow Land guard forces fought against creatures emerging from the mist.
Those creatures… were not wolves.
Their bodies were tall and gaunt, with dark skin like living shadows.
Their eyes glowed red.
And their movements… were too fast.
Too unnatural.
Aurelia narrowed her eyes.
"What are those…"
Orion replied shortly.
"Wraiths."
Kael added,
"Remnants of experiments from the old war."
Ragnar immediately leaped from the palace steps.
Without waiting.
Without a strategy.
Straight into the middle of the battle.
"HAHA! It's been a long time since I've fought like this!"
He struck one Wraith with his fist.
BOOM.
The creature was thrown back and shattered as it hit the ground.
But.
Within seconds.
Its body reformed.
Aurelia watched intently.
"They… regenerate?"
Kael nodded.
"As long as their energy isn't completely destroyed."
Orion said quietly,
"Physical attacks aren't enough."
Ragnar growled in frustration.
"Yeah, I already know that!"
He destroyed another one, only to watch it rise again.
Aurelia stepped down from the steps.
Her eyes glowed gold.
"If that's the case…"
Lunar energy began to gather around her.
"…we have to destroy the source."
Kael smiled slightly.
"Now you're starting to think like us."
Orion nodded.
"The source is beyond the mist."
He pointed toward the far end of the battlefield.
There.
Black mist swirled like a portal.
Dark energy continued to pour out from it.
Ragnar grinned.
"Good."
He looked at Aurelia.
"Let's destroy it."
Aurelia did not wait.
She moved immediately.
Her steps were quick.
Her body was light.
Every movement was filled with Lunar power.
The first Wraith tried to block her path.
But Aurelia raised her hand.
Golden light burst forth.
BOOOOM.
The creature was completely destroyed.
No regeneration.
Kael chuckled softly from behind.
"Effective."
Orion followed on the other side.
His movements were precise.
Every attack struck directly at the enemy's energy core.
Ragnar remained brutal.
Destroying everything in his path.
As for Kael.
He moved like a shadow.
Fast. Smooth. Deadly.
The four of them advanced together.
For the first time.
Without words.
They fought as one team.
Aurelia felt something strange.
Synchronization.
As if their powers complemented each other.
Their attacks did not collide.
Did not interfere with one another.
Instead.
They strengthened each other.
The Wraiths began to fall.
But their numbers kept growing.
The black mist did not stop.
Orion spoke quickly,
"We don't have much time."
Kael added,
"If the source isn't destroyed, they'll just keep coming."
Ragnar pointed ahead.
"There!"
The mist grew thicker.
The dark energy felt stronger.
Aurelia quickened her pace.
But just as they were almost at the source.
Suddenly.
A figure emerged from within the mist.
Different from the other Wraiths.
Larger.
More solid.
Its dark aura was far more powerful.
Its eyes glowed dark red.
And this time.
There was intelligence there.
The creature smiled.
A wrong smile.
A smile that something like it should not possess.
Aurelia stopped.
Her instincts immediately went on high alert.
Orion narrowed his eyes.
"This isn't an ordinary Wraith."
Kael murmured,
"A commander."
Ragnar grinned widely.
"Finally, a worthy opponent."
The creature stepped out of the mist.
Each step made the ground tremble.
It looked at Aurelia.
Straight into her eyes.
"Luna…"
Its voice was hoarse, as if coming from an abyss.
Aurelia did not reply.
But the energy within her body surged.
The creature laughed softly.
"We've been waiting a long time."
Kael immediately stepped slightly forward.
"'We'?"
Orion said quietly,
"So it's true…"
He looked at the creature.
"You aren't acting on your own."
The creature grinned.
"Darkness is never alone."
The air suddenly grew colder.
The mist behind it swirled faster.
And from within it.
More figures began to emerge.
But this time.
It was not just Wraiths.
Larger silhouettes.
More terrifying.
More… alive.
Ragnar laughed loudly.
"HAHAHAHA!"
He raised his fist.
"I like this!"
Kael smiled slightly.
But his eyes were serious.
"Looks like it's going to be a long night."
Orion stepped beside Aurelia.
"This isn't just an attack."
He said quietly.
"This is an invasion."
Aurelia looked ahead.
Toward the darkness that continued to open up.
Toward the enemy that kept coming.
And for the first time since she had entered Shadow Land.
She felt something different.
Not fear.
Not doubt.
But.
Readiness.
The golden light in her eyes glowed brighter.
"If they want war…"
Her voice was calm.
Yet full of power.
"…then we'll give it to them."
In the distance.
Black lightning struck the sky.
And that night.
Shadow Land began to bleed.