CHAPTER 127: CHAPTER 126: LETTING IT GO

Dozens of them.

Large Fellfang Grizzlies, their brown fur thick and ragged like wild moss, standing as tall as houses and wider than any wagon. Their claws looked like carved obsidian, jagged and longer than a man’s arm.

The most frightening part, though, were their fangs—huge lower tusks that jutted out from below their snouts, curving upward like pale blades made of bone, stained faintly red from whatever they last fed on.

Their breath came out like smoke, and even while resting, they looked like carved statues of death waiting to move.

Axelius stopped walking.

Owen jumped down from his shoulder and pulling out the katana, tossing it up. Axelius caught it in one smooth motion, his eyes never leaving the grizzlies.

The moment the steel was in his hand, the aura around him pulsed again, stronger this time.

Then something strange happened.

Three flickers of dark light sparked beside him.

And from those shadows, three figures were thrown out—one after the other.

First came Nyx, the shadowy Skulkhound, landing with a low growl and her eyes glowing faintly blue as she barked once, already stepping forward in instinct.

Then Crow, the white bird with razor feathers, spread his wings and cawed sharply as he flew up to circle the sky.

And finally, Gob, the red goblin, small but tense, stepped out and immediately scanned the area, his wide grin gone as he stepped back a little. "Master can’t hold back anymore,"

The sudden wave of energy made the nearest grizzlies stir, several of them lifting their heads and sniffing the air as if they had just sensed something unnatural—something dangerous standing too close to their den.

"Let’s go, Hurry!"Owen said again, bouncing starting to run, his jelly-like body stretching slightly as he bounced forward.

Gob looked up at Axelius then grabbed Nyx by the scruff and sprinted, while Crow flew fast ahead, his feathers fluttering with speed. As they moved farther away, Owen led them toward a cliff he had noticed earlier, one that overlooked the whole section of the forest they had just come from.

From where they stood on the cliff, the wind suddenly changed—it wasn’t natural anymore, it didn’t just blow like air should, it rushed, like something had exploded far below, something massive and angry and alive.

The trees swayed violently, the grass flattened in waves, and Owen’s tiny form braced itself against the wind while Gob crouched low, clutching his arms to his face, eyes wide and trying not to look as the forest below them began to darken.

Then came the black mist, the dark aura coming from Axelius wasn’t leaking—it was bursting.

A massive pulse of black energy exploded outward from the clearing, spreading in every direction like a storm of shadows that swallowed the light, and even from the cliff they felt it hit them, the air turning thick and hard to breathe, the pressure pushing down like a mountain dropped on their backs.

Crow grunted and spread his wings wide to anchor himself to the rock, Nyx growled low and ducked beneath Gob’s arm.

"Hold on... it’s coming."

The wave reached them, a slow sweep of cold, dark pressure that made the stones under their feet shake, and for a second the world turned gray—colors faded, and the only thing they could hear was the humming roar of the dark energy moving past them like a living wind.

And then—just like that—it stopped.

A stillness.

They weren’t in the aura’s reach anymore.

Gob slowly lowered his arms, eyes trembling as he looked up at the now-motionless treetops.

The silence then shattered by a sharp swish, like a blade cutting through the air at impossible speed.

The dark aura that had spread far and wide—covering even the cliff they stood on—suddenly snapped back toward the middle like a giant breath being sucked in all at once.

It retreated in one fast, violent motion, the shadows rushing back so fast it bent trees backward and tore leaves from branches. And when it was gone—completely vanished—what remained was terrifying.

No trees.

No grass.

Only scorched, cracked earth and broken rocks, the ground scarred as if a hundred lightning bolts had struck the same spot.

They ran fast from the cliff, the moment they saw that the dark aura had vanished and the wind had stopped blowing wild, they rushed back to where they left Axelius, running through the broken trees and scorched earth, past the spots where the grizzlies once stood.

When they reached the center of the place, they saw him—lying down flat on the cracked ground, dust and black marks covering his cloak and boots like he had just finished rolling in ash, his body looking still at first, making Owen shout loudly with worry, "Axel?!"

But before panic could rise again, Axelius slowly sat up, lifting himself with a groan and then turning his face to them with a wide grin, teeth showing from ear to ear like a proud kid who just broke something and got away with it, and he said with a weird tired laugh, "I feel good now... heheheee."

Gob, who was holding back tears, ran fast toward him, almost tripping, and hugged him tightly like a child who just found their lost toy, crying out, "Master! Are you okay now?!"

Axelius blinked once, smiled again, and gently pushed Gob off with both hands before standing up slowly, stretching his arms and shoulders like someone waking up from a long nap, and said, "Yeah, I’m fine now, really... that was needed."

He then raised his hand, looking into the air, and a set of glowing words floated in front of him—simple and bright in the open air with a faint chime as the notification settled.

[8th Star Cycle Reached]

He blinked at the message for a second, then smiled wider as Owen gasped from behind and said with excitement, "Ohh! That means all of us will evolve now, congratulations, Axel!"

"Congratulations Master!" Gob said and nyx barked and crow flew perched in Axelius shoulder.