Elysia stood atop the wall with her team, their silhouettes etched against the crimson glow of dusk.Below them, a towering wolf with dark red fur, the Alpha, gazed up coldly, surrounded by nine smaller brown wolves.
There was a silent menace in the Alpha's eyes, a cruel intelligence that made the air itself feel heavy. Even from this height, none of the five dared to meet its gaze directly. Fear flickered in their eyes, a primal instinct warning them to look away. But everyone knew they were safe on the wall.
The wolves paced in a slow circle, restless and waiting. Then the Alpha tilted its head back, and the others mirrored it.
Their jaws parted, thick strings of saliva spilling down in glistening arcs. The drool sizzled as it hit the scorched ground below, a sharp, wet hiss like raw meat searing on a hot grill.
What should be the best play here? Elysia thought, fingers tightening around the cold metal of her sniper rifle.
It's a dangerous creature and too close to the wall. I should take him out before he does anything out of the ordinary. She tried to focus on the Alpha's feet, massive paws covered in dark crimson fur, claws like silver blades gleaming in the dying light.
They looked strong enough to shred through steel, let alone human flesh.
She studied the Alpha carefully. But on the other hand… we're safe here. The wall's enchantments can withstand any creature of the Unknown, unless a demon god himself tries to break it.
And with Liora's aspect shielding our hearing, there's no real danger. I should let them handle this. It'll be a valuable experience for them.
Elysia glanced at her teammates, all ready, all steady, their weapons aimed down at the wolves below.
She steadied her aim on the Alpha's legs, her breathing slow, measured, controlled.
"Listen," she said through the small crystal earpiece, a faint shimmer of black light pulsing against her ear. "The creature in front of us is dangerous, far beyond your current level. You've only awakened your first affinity aspects, and though you'll grow stronger with time, this beast is meant for a full squad of five Captains… or one Major."
Her tone was calm, her words steady, not a trace of fear in her voice.
"But since we're on the wall, no creature can harm you here. That's why our mission is simple now.
All four of you, listen carefully." Her soldiers hung on every word. "Our job is to stall the creature until the defense system finishes cooling down.
This will be your first encounter with a creature of the Unknown, so pay close attention to its movements. This is a rare chance. Most soldiers have to risk their lives to gain this kind of experience. Consider yourselves lucky."
Elysia's eyes shifted toward Varick, who had complained earlier about patrol duty. Now they all understood why she'd chosen to patrol the walls, an easy, safe way to study the Unknown creatures, gain experience, and learn without risk. But her next words carried a sharper weight.
"And also remember what I said earlier. The wall's enchantments only guard against physical attacks. The creature in front of you," she paused, watching the Alpha's stillness, "isn't limited to the physical. Don't look directly into its eyes. That's an order."
Her squad nodded in silence. They gripped their weapons tighter. Dread flickered beneath their determination.
It was a simple and easy task: hold the line until the barrier reactivated.
The ancient enchantments of the First Heroes glowed faintly beneath their boots, runes pulsing softly. For now, they were safe. Or so they thought.
The Alpha turned its head sideways, as if whispering a command. His thick red fur glistened like a burning rose beneath the dying light, shimmering faintly under the heat-hazed sky.
A brown wolf suddenly leapt from the left, soaring high toward Varick, who stood near the corner beside Jaxon.
Everyone's eyes snapped to it, fear flashing for a heartbeat, knowing that he'd be safe atop the wall.
Varick didn't flinch. He gripped his weapon tighter, stance solid, eyes sharp.
The wolf hit something invisible midair, and the impact cracked like thunder. The air rippled like disturbed water, the unseen barrier holding firm.
Jaxon and Rylan immediately turned their guns toward it, waiting for another strike. Elysia tracked the wolf through her scope, her finger steady on the trigger.
Then she called out, sharp and clear, "Now, attack!"
Her order was meant for Varick, Jaxon, and Rylan, the three armed with ARs capable of unleashing multi-burst elemental fire.
At her command, they fired in unison.A roaring barrage of bullets tore through the air, black, blue, and brown streaks of light slicing through the dusk.
Normal rifles couldn't pierce creatures like the Mist Wolves. But the army's weapons were different; they were enchanted, refined, attuned to the wielder's affinity. Each weapon had a soul of its own; no one could wield another's.
"You dumb creature," Varick muttered, face impassive. "You can't touch me as long as I stand here."His long black rifle gleamed with faint dark-blue veins of lightning. Each bullet shimmered with black electricity as he fired.
"I won't let you cross this line!" Rylan shouted beside him, jaw tight. His gun glowed a deep azure, bullets like crystalline shards of frozen water bursting with blue sparks.
"Pathetic," Jaxon growled, his earthy-brown weapon thundering beside them. "They think that they can cross the wall. Let's put them out of their misery."
But before the bullets could reach it, the creature twisted midair, its body unraveling into crimson mist as it glided back to the ground. The barrage tore through empty air, leaving only faint trails of smoke where the wolf had been.
Varick frowned. "What? How? That's cheating." He slammed another magazine into his rifle with a bored scowl. Rylan clicked his tongue. "It's faster than I thought."
When the wolf reformed, its abdomen was riddled with small, bleeding holes. Black fluid seeped out, sizzling as it touched the ground.
Even though it had turned into mist, the damage remained. That was unsettling. A being of vapor, bleeding like flesh. The sight was grotesque and awe-inspiring at once.
But before they could celebrate, the Alpha growled, low, deep, resonant. The mist around it coiled like living veins, wrapping around the wounded wolf. In moments, the wounds vanished. Healed completely.
Elysia's eyes widened. That's it. Her thoughts snapped together.
Her thoughts snapped together. That was it. Earlier, when the pack misted, we thought they were deflecting the shots. But they weren't. They were taking the hits. All of them. The Alpha was just healing them, over and over.
Her sniper stayed trained on the Alpha. So it can regenerate its pack endlessly. Elysia thought to herself.
"Would you look at that," Liora said, her tone unreadable, scope fixed on the Alpha's lower body. "This one can also heal its minions, too."
Elysia kept her focus on the Alpha, careful not to meet its eyes. She wanted to test something." Liora, now!" she ordered. "Aim for the legs of the big one!"
Two sniper shots cracked the air. One bullet was coated in black poison; the other was engraved with fine runes that glowed pale silver as it cut through the wind.
Before they hit, two brown wolves threw themselves into the line of fire, taking the bullets head-on. Both dropped to the ground, twitching.
Seconds later, the Alpha's mist reached them, swirling over their wounds, and the bodies stirred. Healed. Whole again.
Elysia's expression hardened. "Interesting," she murmured. "It can even heal poison. And these rounds are no joke; only high-tier monsters can resist their effects."
Her instincts screamed that something was wrong. Why do I feel like something is wrong here?
She steadied her aim again. "Sergeants, stay sharp. Something's off. I don't think it is here to attack. It knows it can't cross the wall. It's testing something."
Her voice stayed calm, cold, precise. But everyone could feel the tension beneath it.
The Alpha slowly raised its head. Then it howled.
The sound tore through the air, a deep, bone-shaking note that split the evening sky. The other nine wolves followed, their combined howls rising into a single shriek that made the air itself shiver.
Even with Liora's vacuum shields guarding their ears... a wrongness rippled through the world, a pressure that made the light seem to warp and the air taste of metal and decay."
And for the first time that time, even Elysia's calm began to crack.
And with the howls, all nine smaller wolves leapt into the air, lunging toward the five people standing on the wall.Their eyes blazed a deep crimson, fury burning inside them. Yet within that fury lurked madness, raw, untamed, and wild.
"Well, Captain, there goes your theory," Liora said dryly as the nine wolves hurled themselves upward without hesitation.
Of course, they're here to attack us. What was I thinking? Elysia thought, her jaw tightening. But deep down, she knew something was off, something wrong. She just couldn't grasp what it was.
All the wolves, except for the Alpha, began their combined assault on the wall. Their black fangs and claws slammed against the invisible barrier, sending ripples of faint blue light through the air.
Again and again, they tore at the unseen defense, desperate to shred whatever kept them out. Yet no matter how hard they struck, not a single crack appeared.
The Alpha, meanwhile, remained behind them, howling. Its posture was oddly relaxed, sitting like a trained hound, attention fixed only on its own eerie chorus. With each rising howl, the tension thickened. The air itself grew darker, heavier… wrong.
Even though Liora's wind aspect muted the sound, everyone felt it, the chill crawling through their bones.
The nine lesser wolves remained relentless, focusing their fury on the spots where the five stood. Each strike thudded like a hammer blow against the unseen shield. But the barrier held firm, shimmering faintly with each hit.
At the same time, Elysia and her teammates opened fire, clean, controlled shots aimed at any wolf slamming against the wall.Varick fired with his usual bored expression.Rylan's face was hard, steady with determination.Jaxon's grin was unsettling, a flicker of madness glinting in his eyes as though he enjoyed the chaos.And Liora, poised, precise, shot down wolves that moved in pairs, her movements sharp as breath.
Elysia held back. She wanted them to gain the experience, to feel the rhythm of a real encounter. Their task was simple: stall the wolves until the defense system reactivated. In the end, the barrier would finish the job.
Still, she was impressed. Their accuracy was exceptional.Most soldiers outside the wall no longer relied on firearms; they wielded gear or enchanted weapons instead. Only a handful could use projectile weapons effectively, but every one of her team was making their shots count.
Each bullet struck true, forcing one or two wolves down. Yet every time one fell, the Alpha's mist slithered forward, wrapping around its body, knitting flesh and bone back together within seconds.
Seventy… maybe eighty times it's done this, Elysia thought grimly. And it hasn't slowed down once.
"How much can it heal them?" she muttered under her breath, both impressed and uneasy. "And why keep attacking the wall? He knows he can't cross it… so why?"
The Alpha's howl finally ceased. The sudden silence was worse. Heavy. Eerie. Wrong.
Now, the creature just sat there, chest rising and falling in measured rhythm. But its head twitched, eyes shifting from side to side, searching. It was trying to make eye contact.
For some reason, it couldn't.Each of the five people standing on the wall instinctively turned their gaze away the moment their eyes neared theirs.
After a few moments of stillness, the Alpha closed its eyes.
Only Elysia noticed.
Something is coming… I can feel it.Elysia's thoughts raced, analyzing every possibility, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pinpoint what it was, and the battle raged on.
Liora stood atop the wall, firing one deliberate shot after another at the lunging wolves. Each time her bullet struck, a wolf fell, only to heal moments later, sometimes instantly, sometimes after a few seconds.
She was beginning to understand the rhythm of the fight. With every shot, her accuracy sharpened, her timing refined. She was learning how to move, how to breathe, how to fight without ever meeting their eyes.
But suddenly, one of the wolves leapt higher than the rest, claws glinting under the crimson light as it soared straight toward her.Liora exhaled, calm, steady, and pulled the trigger.
The shot struck the creature square in the head.The wolf's body went limp and started to fall below, motionless.
She didn't even flinch. "It'll heal in a few seconds," she murmured, already turning to aim at the next.
But as it fell, the creature's eyes snapped open, burning red. It twisted midair, its head jerking toward her.
For just an instant, their eyes met.
The world shifted.The sound of her teammates vanished. The heat drained from the air.The wall beneath her feet no longer felt real.