In the blink of an eye, something massive slammed into the idol of revelation, throwing it violently to the side. A sickening crunch echoed through the grove.
Gasps rose from the crowd of witches as the creature tumbled across the soil, kicking up dirt and dead leaves before coming to a crouching stop. The thing that had struck it now stood in its place.
A malformed Lycan.
It towered over them, grotesque and primal. Larger than any Lycan that any of them had ever seen. Its body was a patchwork of torn flesh and wild fur, with black, gnarled claws as long and sharp as spears. Its eyes were endless voids, with irises glowing blood-red. Its mouth stretched too wide, filled with rows of jagged, oversized teeth that dripped with saliva.
It roared.
The sound was a living earthquake. The very soil of the grove trembled. Leaves fell like rain. The trees groaned.
The witches screamed and chaos erupted.
The malformed Lycan moved fast—unbearably fast. It leapt and descended upon the idol-beast, impaling it clean through with a swipe of its monstrous claws.
The Idol of Revelation shrieked—a sound that curdled the blood. It reverted back to its original, inanimate form in a shuddering collapse, broken and lifeless beneath the creature.
And then the Lycan turned.
Its soulless eyes locked on the crowd of witches. It roared again and lunged.
The entire grove descended into panic.
Witches scattered in every direction, their screams ringing through the night. The monster was a blur of death and madness.
It tore through them.
One witch raised her hand to conjure flame—but the Lycan was already upon her, slicing her cleanly in half. Blood splashed across the grove. Another witch ran, only to be yanked back by a claw and thrown into a tree, her bones snapping audibly. The Lycan grabbed a warlock by the neck and bit into his skull, crushing it like fruit. It fed, tearing into bodies and consuming raw flesh with animalistic fervor.
Lilith shot to her feet.
"Az'ara Netherion Sa-el!" she cried, her voice a thunderclap of fury and command.
The earth split open.
From the depths of the grove, a colossal, living flower erupted—its bloom wider than a carriage wheel. Inside were spiraling rows of teeth, and its thorny vines whipped violently through the air. It struck fast.
The vines snatched the monster, wrapping around its limbs, constricting and dragging it toward its gaping mouth. The Lycan thrashed, snarled, roared—but the flower was too strong.
Then came the rip.
With a savage tug, one of its legs was torn off. The Lycan screamed, an unholy sound, and in a fury of pain and rage, it sliced through the vines with its claws. Black liquid sprayed from its wound. The Lycan fell to the ground for a moment, then it's torn leg started regenerating until it could stand again and jump back into action.
It reached the flower—and shredded it to bits. Vines and petals flew, littering the grove in ruined bloom.
Lilith gasped, the spell backlash hitting her.
The beast charged at her with immense force and speed. She barely had time to react.
***BOOM!***
The Lycan barreled into her. She slammed into a thick oak tree, the bark cracking from the impact. She dropped limply to the ground.
**"MOTHER!"** Eva screamed.
She ran through the chaos, weaving through spells and screams, and fell to her knees beside her mother.
Lilith was bleeding. Her nose streamed crimson, her skin pale.
"Oh gods," Eva whispered, lifting her gently. "Are you okay?"
Arianna rushed to their side. "High Priestess!"
Lilith groaned but forced her eyes open. "I'm fine," she lied through clenched teeth, clutching her side. Her voice was thin. "Go... Help them, Eva."
Eva hesitated. Arianna touched her shoulder. "I'll stay with her. Go."
Eva leaned down, kissed her mother’s forehead, then stood. Her eyes burned with fury.
The Lycan ripped through another witch, his insides strewn across the forest floor.
Eva’s hand shimmered with power.
A massive icicle shot through the air.
The monster dodged it right before impact.
It turned.
Eva stood still, both hands glowing with cold white light.
With a soundless growl, the Lycan lunged.
She moved.
Her fists became jagged ice gauntlets, edged with frozen spikes. With a blur of movement, she met it mid-air, slamming her fist into its jaw.
***BOOM!***
The shockwave shattered the ground. The Lycan flew backward, smashing into a tree so hard it splintered and collapsed to the ground.
Eva's foot came down. Jagged icicles erupted in a wide circle, stabbing toward the beast. It howled and sliced through them, shattering the spikes before launching back at her.
Claws met ice.
She blocked, ducked, rolled. With supernatural speed, she appeared behind it. Her hair extended, and whipped towards the Lycan like blades.
***SHICK.***
The monster’s arms were severed, spraying black-red blood.
***SHICK.***
Then the other.
With a final spin, her hair cut through the monster’s thick neck.
Its head dropped then the body crumpled to the ground.
The grove went silent.
And just when they thought it was over, the limbs twitched, and slowly reattached themselves to the body. The head lifted, then slid smoothly back onto the neck, veins, arteries and flesh knitting back together almost instantly.
The Lycan roared, then it started to shift. The sickening sound of bones crunching and breaking came, then it's back started to bulge until great, bat-like wings exploded from it, stretching into the moonlight, glistening with torn veins.
It rose.
The monstrous creature ascended into the air and disappeared into the night sky, blending into the canopy and darkness.
Then it went silent.
The witches stood breathless, eyes flicking wildly through the trees. The only sound was the soft rustling of disturbed leaves.
Then—
A sound broke through the quiet.
The sound of flapping wings echoed through the trees. Beating fast. Getting louder.
The witches looked around, trembling, their eyes darting through the darkness, trying to find it.
Eva turned slowly. “Where is it…” she whispered.
Before anyone could scream, before anyone could warn or even react, out of nowhere, the monster blasted from the trees like a missile.
Eva didn’t have time to move.
It slammed into her. The force of impact drove her clean through the air and into a tree. The sound of the crash silenced the grove.
Lilith’s hand flew to her mouth.
"No..."
The witches were wide eyed and frozen in shock. No one could move or utter a single word.
Eva stared down in horror. The Lycan’s claw was buried through her stomach, pinning her to the tree.
The monster leaned close. Its breath reeked of death and old blood.
She looked the beast in its soulless red eyes, her body trembling.
Blood gushed out of her mouth.