ASHES AND SHADOWS

ASHES AND SHADOWS


Now she is gone.

And the wolves are at war.

Blood soaked the snow in the northern territory, where claws clashed and growls tore through the forest. Once united, the packs had turned on each other, fed by rumours and fear—and at the center of it all stood Damien and Dominic in another territory, engaging in intense brawl.

They took this time to pour out the rage and anger they harboured towards each other. Humans have always envied the wolves, saying they had good chemistry.

But the truth was, the wolves were worse than humans. They could harbor hate and envy for decades.

Their fists were no longer enough. It was personal now—Aria’s disappearance had carved a wound deeper than anyone dared admit.

"You let her go!" Dominic roared, his voice shaking the pine trees. "You were supposed to protect her!" he snarled.

Damien didn’t speak. His eyes burned, golden and wild, the guilt weighing heavier than any blade. “I thought you never liked her, huh!” he fired back finally.

Dominic smiled. “That's my business, not yours. You had one task but you couldn't do it well,” he said.

Damien didn't say a word any longer, but he stood his ground. Dominic’s words struck him hard. He had only one job, but he couldn't do it well.

He got distracted and was very open for his opponent to strike. Without wasting a minute, Dominic struck.

A blow to the ribs—Damien groaned as he fell to the ground. Dominic bent over and grabbed his collar. He added several punches to his jaw. Damien cried out in pain.

He couldn't attack anymore, because his opponent had the upper hand, and moreover, he had just recovered from a near-death sentence.

And the last punch pierced deep across his side. But this time, Damien used his claws, slashing through skin and bone.

Damien collapsed, coughing blood on the ground.

Dominic froze, chest heaving, but the rage in his eyes dulled to horror. He hadn’t meant to go that far.

He looked at his claws slowly, watching them return to fingernails. He was too furious that he didn't know when he summoned his wolf.

He sighed. “What do I do?” he thought.

He stood there, still in shock from what he did to his brother. Even though he hated him, his intentions weren't to kill him.

He ran off when he heard Damien's men coming. He couldn't hold them off. Damien's men were built differently.

All they understood was kill. Damien trained them to be extremely wild and strong.

Damien was rushed to the healer’s cave immediately, barely breathing.

The healer was shocked at the injuries on his body, but he didn't have the time to start asking how he got it.

They worked through the night, stitching both flesh and spirit, but the wound festered. It wasn’t just physical. It was something darker.

“This wound isn't an ordinary wound,” he whispered. “What happened?” he finally asked the head of the gang.

But he had no answer to the healer's question, because they arrived late at the fight scene. He shook his head in silence with his head down.

Damien's wound was finally stitched up and cleaned, but he whispered her name in fevered dream.

In the other world, beyond the stars and time—Aria ran for her life. “Oh, that old hag! If I survive this, I will definitely kill her first,” Aria threatened.

The forest in this world was ancient and twisted, with trees that moved when her back was turned and shadows that whispered her name. Her cloak was torn, her feet blistered. But it wasn’t exhaustion that slowed her—it was the eyes watching her from the dark.

Right where she was resting, she heard snake hissing. “What is it this time?” she whispered.

She opened her eyes, and it was a giant serpent with the head of a wolf. It was looking directly into her eyes.

Aria slowly touched her neatly sharp peg. She had them in case of emergencies like this.

She made sure the snake didn't notice her hands or body moving. She grabbed it and stabbed the snake with it.

The snake shrieked in pain and crawled backwards. Aria rushed up and began running again.

She had encountered a lot of predators since she arrived, but this one was a different one. “Why does it have a wolf’s head?” she asked curiously.

Aria didn't know animals like that existed. The snake chased after her while its blood flowed everywhere.

But she saw something shocking—anywhere the beast’s blood touched, everything around there died.

Shock and fear gripped her at once, but this wasn't the time to fear but fight.

She paused on her track, took out her legs, and launched at the snake. “I just need to kill it and not let its blood touch me,” she whispered while running towards it.

They engaged in severe combat. The snake had the upper hand as it kept slamming Aria on the ground and trees. “All I need is to keep my eyes open at all costs,” she muttered while charging towards the snake again.

This time, she was wiser. She picked up a stone and threw it at a different location, and the snake turned around.

She ran up the giant snake, avoiding its blood. She stabbed the snake’s eye with the peg.

The snake cried out in pain while it slammed Aria to the ground. The snake crawled, looking for where to hide, but it couldn't see anything. She ran up with the last strength in her and stabbed it ferociously.

The snake struggled for its dear life, but it couldn't live after how badly Aria stabbed it. She heaved a sigh of relief, seeing the giant snake on the ground lifeless.

She brought a bottle from her bag and took the snake's blood, which was dripping. “This will be helpful,” she commented with a smile.

She walked off, looking for the nearest lake to clean herself from the bruises she sustained.

But that journey wasn't smooth. Then came the glas
s-winged lions after watching Aria defeat the giant snake.

“Oh, my unlucky self!” she hissed.