CHAPTER 364: _TIME TO ACT IS NOW

Kaelos’ POV

*****

"Sweet mother of the moon." Janelle gasped after slicing off the heads of one of the monsters. "W–What are these monstrosities?"

"Whatever they are... They reek of magic." Althea muttered, levitating above our army.

The cave erupted into chaos as the wolves we led in charged deeper, cutting through the monsters like they were uprooting wheat from a field.

The witches weren’t left behind, the air humming with the might of colourful spells that lit up the cave like a rave.

My fists glowed with bright silver energy, my claws unsheathing.

"Regardless of what they are..." I leapt into the air, aiming deep into the army of monsters. "They’re all burning down!"

I landed like a meteor, the force so heavy that it sent debris, dust and a powerful wave of slicing silver energy for several tens of meters.

Pained howls and groans echoed through the cave from both sides but all I could see was red, led by my bloodlust. Bodies piled up but I didn’t stop.

Not until they were all dead.

.

.

"I think... I think that’s the last of them." Regina gasped for breath, shifting back into her human form when the battle seemed over.

I stood in the middle of a pile of blood, mangled corpses and ash, stretching throughout the cave like a carpet of death.

Yet it didn’t seem satisfactory. Not one bit.

"What were those things?" I turned my gaze to Regina, ignoring the way she leaned closer to Caroline. "You better tell us anything you—"

"Regina is not hiding anything from us, my Lord," Caroline spoke up, her voice firm.

My eyes flicked briefly to the army we gathered, hurdled at a side with Althea and the witches helping them heal the wounded.

Casualties were already piling up and we weren’t even close to Ryker yet.

"Those were artificial hybrids." Caroline continued. "But they were... Modified. Twisted. From the look of things Ryker must have transformed members of one of the packs he conquered."

My jaw tightened, my fists clenching beside me.

That bastard.

"Who knows how many more of those he has waiting for us?" Janelle huffed, flicking off some blood from her fingers.

She stepped over a few bodies, staring down at the artificial hybrids with an odd mix of pity and disgust before locking her silver eyes on me.

"We need to get an idea of what we’re going to face once we confront your brother."

Yeah... No shit.

I rubbed my chin, my eyes landing on some of the dead hybrids.

The idea of wolves—my wolves—willingly giving themselves up to Ryker to be transformed into these twisted things disgusted me to my core.

Who knows how much further he was going to take this once he got control of the Vein?

"I may have a way of finding out." Althea’s voice cut through my thoughts just then, forcing me to turn my neck to her.

She walked toward us calmly, her staff in hand. Her robes slid over the bodies of the artificial hybrids in her path but she ignored them, crouching to the ground when she got to us.

Without saying anything, she closed her eyes, grabbing the bloodied palm of one of the dead hybrids.

"What are you—" Janelle frowned but before she could finish, a dull blue light glowed around Althea’s fingers.

The light swirled from Althea’s fingers, moving like ropes, linking her to the palm. Things didn’t end there. The energy ropes latched onto the skin of the hybrid like hooks.

Simultaneously, Althea’s eyes opened, glowing with a powerful burst of blue light. She arched her back, staring at the ceiling with a gasp.

I withheld the urge to stop her, squinting when I saw her eyes flickering repeatedly like she was looking through several things at once.

After what felt like an eternity, the blue energy ropes finally dissipated into nothing. Her eyes lost their glow and she lowered her head again, letting out a strained breath.

"Althea." Janelle rushed to her side, her hands resting on her shoulders. "Are you okay? Did you see something?"

I tilted my head, my skin crawling with unease.

Something was wrong.

Althea swallowed hard, trying to catch her breath as she rose to her feet. "R–Ryker is waiting in his throne room... Past an entrance at the far end of this cave."

She pointed behind me, forcing me to glance over my shoulder.

Indeed, at the far end of the cave, there was an entryway, simple-looking but yet etched into the cave walls like a gateway to hell’s pits.

Red light even spilt out of it like liquid smoke, illuminating that part of the cave walls.

"Perfect." Lord Thorian’s domineering voice joined the conversation just then.

The older man moved toward us like a seasoned warrior, his golden armour glistening despite the dull lighting in the cave.

He stood beside his wife, scanning his eyes on our faces. "The energy from Ryker’s ritual is still thick in the air." He fixed his gaze on me, as if trying to gauge if I could feel it too.

Of course I could.

The cave walls still occasionally trembled with its might. The air whispered silently like the ghosts of all my brother’s victims were out for blood.

Even my hair stood on end because of the Vein’s energy.

"How many more artificial hybrids do you think Ryker has in there?" Janelle turned to Althea.

The high priestess’ face was solemn but just when she parted her lips to speak—

"LET ME BE THE ONE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION!" A voice boomed through the cave like thousands of lightning bolts crackling through the sky.

The air trembled and the ceilings cracked, causing dust and rocks to fall.

My fists clenched as all eyes trailed to the ceiling several metres away from our army.

A giant skull head made of blazing orange flames ignited into existence; its mouth opened in a mocking laugh that thundered through the cave.

I didn’t need a seer to know who that was.

"Ryker..." I took a step forward, hesitating when I saw the way the flaming skull lit up the once blackened cave like a second sun had descended upon us.

The skull’s eyes fleeted to me, brimming with unhidden disdain. "FOOLS! YOU THINK YOUR ARMY STANDS A CHANCE BEFORE MY WRATH? BEFORE THE WRATH OF THE VEIN?!"

The cave trembled with each word he uttered, so much so that the ground rippled like water beneath our feet.

Everyone struggled to steady their footing. Some of the soldiers murmured and gasped in fright. Even the witches created force shields, ready for the worst.

But I wasn’t deceived.

"This is merely a projection meant to scare us, dear brother." I took another step forward, making sure he had his attention on me. "If you’re so powerful, show yourself to us."

I could feel the tense looks Janelle and the others had on me. But I didn’t care.

The flaming skull head grinned slyly. "Oh, you’ll see me soon enough, brother. All of you. And when you do, you’ll realise why I don’t need an army of flesh to erase you."

My brows furrowed at his words.

An army of flesh?

Suddenly, the flames burst, exploding outwards and roaring like a tidal wave toward us.

Althea reacted swiftly, striking her staff on the ground. A massive force bubble appeared, shielding us from the brunt of the blast.

I subconsciously dimmed my eyes, feeling the energy coming from the flames beyond the force bubble.

And then, as if the flames had never existed, the cave swallowed the sound — leaving only the echo of his laughter.

"He wasn’t... He wasn’t bluffing..." Althea heaved heavily behind me, forcing me to turn around.

Blood trickled down her right nose, showing just how much blocking a spell from Ryker had taken from her.

She clutched her staff tightly, continuing. "He doesn’t have an army there. He’s... He’s all alone. Just him in a massive throne room. And at the centre of the throne room is a black pool directly linked to the Vein."

A cold shiver ran down my spine. I subconsciously touched Odessa’s protection ring around my finger, wondering if she could feel the shift in the Vein too.

This had bad news written all over it.

However—

"We’ve come too far to quit now," I remarked, lowering my hands. "If Ryker gets more control of the Vein, stopping him will be nigh impossible."

I turned away from them, my eyes locking on the entrance leaking with red light at the far end.

Damon growled underneath my skin, waiting for the right time to emerge.

My fingers twitched as I added decisively:

"The time to act is now."