The barrier shattered seconds after Kel gave Dominic that look.
It did not explode. It tore like paper.
The green surface rippled, then split as the dark ether punched through like claws through wet paper. A sharp sound like cracking glass rang out, and the corrupted wolves burst forward.
"The barrier is down!" someone shouted.
Riven turned at the sound, eyes widening just a fraction too late.
"Shit!"
The guards nearest the breach froze. For a moment, none of them moved.
Then the wolves hit them.
A spear thrust went wide. A wolf slammed into the man holding it, driving him backward with enough force to knock the wind from his lungs.
Another guard screamed as teeth closed around his arm. Blood sprayed across the dirt.
"You said it would be safe!" one of the guards yelled, stumbling back as he hacked blindly with his sword.
Riven's face hardened.
"Apparently not," he snapped back. "Something like this usually happens during a leakage from Labyrinth."
That answer did nothing to steady them. And Riven didn't intend on reassuring them either.
Chaos happened in the blink of an eye.
Two guards were dragged down almost immediately, their screams cutting off as their bodies vanished beneath snapping jaws.
The other guards broke formation entirely, panic overtaking them as they swung wildly or tried to retreat.
Behind them, the caravan erupted in screams.
People scattered. Horses reared and whinnied in terror.
Alaric's face drained of color as he staggered back, clutching his cloak with shaking hands.
"Protect me!" he shrieked. "Do something!"
No one answered him.
Riven surged forward.
This time, he did not hold back.
The ground cracked beneath his boots as he launched himself into the swarm.
His sword swung in a wide arc through the nearest wolves, splitting their bodies and before they even hit the ground.
Shockwaves rolled outward with each of his steps now, battering aside anything too close.
"Form up!" he roared. "If you run, you die!"
Some of the guards heard him.
Others were already running away or dying. Or died when trying to run away.
Kel moved as well, drawing his sword as he stepped in front of Mara. He cut down a wolf that leapt for her. He was fast and precise enough, but not as good as Riven. Each kill cost him effort.
"Mara!" he shouted. "Now!"
She staggered, teeth clenched, and thrust her hands forward again. Ether flared, weaker and thinner this time.
A new barrier bloomed into existence. But it was smaller and uneven, catching two wolves in a leap and slowing them just enough for Kel to finish them.
"I can't hold this!" she yelled. "It won't last!"
"You don't need to hold it for too long," Kel replied. "Just buy enough time!"
A wolf slipped through the edge of the barrier and slammed into a guard's back.
He screamed as he fell, another wolf piling on top of him. Blood soaked into the dirt.
Dominic saw it all.
The broken line. The screaming men. The way Riven was already too far forward to stop what was coming next.
One wolf broke through cleanly.
Then another.
They were heading straight for the caravan.
Kel twisted sharply, sword coming up again, but he was already engaged. Mara's barrier flickered violently, cracks racing across its surface.
"Dominic!" Kel shouted.
The wolf was almost on him.
Dominic swallowed his saliva, then moved.
His body acted before his mind could catch up.
He stepped forward, raised the sword with both hands, and thrust.
The impact rattled him to the core.
The blade bit deep into the wolf's head. Hot blood splashed across his hands and chest.
The weight of the body nearly dragged him down with it, but he held on with clenched teeth.
The wolf collapsed at his feet.
Another one came right behind it.
Dominic gasped and used "Blitz" to slash its neck.
Around him, the fight was chaos. Guards screamed, cursed, and died. The people huddled near the wagons filled with panic.
Dominic ran to them.
He cut through the space between himself and the caravan. Wolves lunged from the sides, snapping and snarling, but he did not slow.
Ether surged through his legs as he activated "Blitz", his body blurring forward in short but violent bursts and he killed them.
He forced himself to count each use. Because he knew that using too much "Blitz" and his ether would dry up fast just like what happened to Riven before.
He could not afford to be reckless.
By the time he reached the cluster of people near the wagons, several wolves lay dead behind him. He skidded to a stop and turned.
The people stared at him.
Fear was written all over their faces. But there was also hope.
They looked at the blood on his clothes, the sword in his hands, and the corpses behind him. For a moment, no one spoke.
"Get inside the wagons," Dominic said, his voice sharp and steady. "Now! It is safer inside."
They moved immediately without questions or hesitation.
Within seconds, people were climbing into wagons, slamming doors shut, scrambling for any cover they could find.
Dominic watched them go.
He knew most of them were not fighters. Their Bloodmarks, if they had them at all, were suited for craft, trade, or labor. Some were artisans. Some were merchants. Some had a weak Bloodmark like him, before he went to the Labyrinth.
He turned his head.
"You three," he said. "Stay outside and help me."
Alaric froze.
"What?" he said with disbelief in his voice.
Lucen stared at Dominic as if he had lost his mind. "Are you insane?"
Corvin scoffed. "You do it!"
Dominic did not raise his voice.
"I can't do it alone," he said. "You three have stronger Bloodmarks than me. Help me. Or are your Bloodmarks actually weaker than mine?"
The words landed hard. He could see their jaws tightened and their eyes widened.
That struck their pride.
They had seen him fight and kill. They had seen wolves fall to someone they had thought off as having broken and weak Bloodmark.
If he could do that, then of course, they could do that as well, right?
They looked at one another.
Lucen swallowed. "Right," he muttered. "If this cursed boy can do it, then we can too!"
Alaric's fear twisted. He made a sharp and forced grin. "Right. Let's prove our strength."
"Alright!" Corvin said.
Dominic turned away before they could see his expression.
A small smirk tugged at his mouth.
A wolf howled nearby, answered by another.
Another snarl echoed through the clearing.
Dominic felt his ether stir again.
The next wave came charging from the same direction.
"HYAAAHH!!!" Corvin raised his arms and made his body swell. Golden color enveloping him.
The other two followed.
Dominic crept from behind them with a cold expression.
—