The violin had stopped.
But the world hadn't gone quiet—it had merely inhaled before the scream.
BOOM!
A blast rocked the fog-heavy woods as a demonic human burst from the trees, only to be sliced midair by a ripple of wind blades.
Jake blurred past, his sword gleaming like lightning in the gray mist.
His feet never touched the ground more than once, each step launching him forward with breakneck velocity.
"Don't let them near them!" The guy who rarely spoke now barked, twisting mid-spin and cleaving through another.
Selena stood protectively near the kneeling Lia, who trembled as she pressed glowing hands over Siris's cold body.
But even trembling, her magic pulsed—a weak but stubborn green aura—like a sprout refusing to die in winter.
"Shadow Maw," Selena whispered.
The shadows behind her twisted, snarling—CRUNCH.
