Jake could not name the sensation clawing through him.
Calling it a primal instinct felt wrong. It wasn't his. It didn't belong to his mind or his body. It was something foreign, invasive, screaming one command above all else.
Live.
It urged him to turn, to run back into the forest, to abandon the field, the wolf, the screams, the smell of burned flesh. It tightened around his spine like invisible hands, trying to drag him away from the fight.
"Jake!"
The shout snapped him back into his body.
Luna had both hands on his shoulders, shaking him hard enough that his teeth rattled. Her eyes were wide, furious and terrified all at once.
"Goddamnit, get a hold of yourself!"
Jake sucked in a sharp breath. Pain flared through his shoulder, down his side, reminding him he was still alive. Still here.
"I'm good," he said hoarsely, forcing his fingers to tighten around the spear in his right hand. His grip was weak, slick with sweat and blood. "That just… caught me off guard."
Ahead of them, Marquis was already engaged.
The white wolf's fur bristled as the captain raised his hand. A split second later, lightning tore down from the sky and smashed into the creature's skull. The impact exploded dirt and petals into the air, briefly obscuring the wolf's massive form.
Then Jake heard it.
A sharp mechanical whirr, high-pitched and wrong.
"Move!"
He didn't need to be told twice. Jake dove sideways as Luna lunged in the opposite direction. Three streaks of blue energy ripped through the space where they had been standing, punching clean through the air like blades. One of them clipped a beyonder behind Jake. The man didn't even have time to scream before a fist-sized hole appeared in his chest and he collapsed backward, dead before he hit the ground.
"It has barrier magic!" Marquis shouted. "Wear down its shield!"
The battalion surged forward.
Steel rang against invisible resistance. Axes slammed down. Hammers crashed. Blades screeched as they struck the shimmering hexagonal barrier around the wolf. Each hit sent ripples of light through the air, the shield flaring brighter with every impact.
The wolf did not retreat.
It twisted its massive head and fired again. Another bolt tore through a charging beyonder, removing his leg at the hip. The man spun once, shrieking, before collapsing in the flowers, blood pumping violently from the stump.
Everything this thing did was lethal.
Jake swallowed hard and glanced at Luna.
"Don't let it graze you," he said, voice tight. "And come back alive."
Her jaw clenched. "Same thing applies to you."
Jake broke into a sprint, angling toward the wolf's head. As long as the barrier was active, it couldn't bite him. He leveled his spear, legs screaming in protest as he pushed through the pain.
The wolf growled, low and thunderous, and snapped its jaws toward him.
Jake didn't dodge.
Something slammed into his side and sent him tumbling across the ground. He hit hard, the impact knocking the air from his lungs. Dirt filled his mouth.
Lucas.
Jake looked up just in time to see why.
The barrier had vanished around the wolf's head.
Its body was still protected, shimmering under the blows of the other beyonders, but its skull was bare. Exposed.
Smart.
The realization chilled Jake more than the pain.
"It can pick and choose where the barrier holds!" he yelled, his voice carrying across the field.
Marquis turned sharply. Even through the obsidian visor, Jake could feel the captain's grim focus. Fire magic surged from his hands in a relentless barrage, each blast slamming into the barrier and cracking it further.
Luna saw the opening.
She charged, battle axe arcing up and then down with everything she had. The blade bit into the wolf's snout with a wet crunch. Blood sprayed across the blue flowers as the creature snarled in agony.
The wolf lunged.
Jake didn't think. He moved.
He drove his spear forward, bracing with his entire body, shoving the wolf's head just enough to divert its bite. The massive fangs snapped shut inches from Luna's torso.
Lucas followed immediately, sprinting in, blade aimed for the skull.
The wolf surged forward instead, plowing through him like he weighed nothing. Lucas hit the ground hard and skidded several feet before coming to a stop.
The creature leapt backward, creating distance. Its blue eyes lifted toward the moon once more.
It howled.
Energy poured from its mouth again, thick and violent. The familiar circular pattern began to form in the air, the glow intensifying by the second.
"Stop it!" someone screamed.
Everyone rushed forward.
The barrier flickered weakly now, barely visible. Then it shattered completely, dissolving into dying sparks. All of the wolf's power was being poured into the forming fireball.
"They won't make it," Jake realized, dread flooding his chest.
He twisted his body and threw.
The spear left his hand with everything he had behind it.
Time stretched thin.
The glowing circle completed.
The spear struck.
Jake's world exploded into white and heat again. The shockwave flattened him, slamming him into the ground. His ears rang. His vision swam.
When the light faded, the field was silent.
Jake pushed himself up on trembling legs.
The ground where Luna and Lucas had been was blackened, scorched to glass. The flowers were gone. The earth itself had melted.
They were gone too.
No bodies.
No blood.
Only their weapons remained, warped and charred, lying in the ash.
Jake's knees buckled. He collapsed forward, hands digging into the dirt.
"No," he choked. "No, no, no—"
His stomach twisted violently. Bile burned his throat as he fought the urge to vomit. His chest felt hollow, crushed inward.
The instinct screamed louder than ever.
Stand. Fight. Live.
The wolf was still standing.
Jake looked up.
His spear was embedded deep in its left eye, the shaft jutting out at a grotesque angle. But the creature was still alive. Still breathing. Still staring at him with murderous intent through its remaining eye.
It snarled, hatred incarnate.
Something inside Jake snapped.
"I'LL KILL YOU WITH MY BARE HANDS!"
He charged.
Marquis was already beside him, fire roaring as he unleashed everything he had left. The wolf fired weak bolts in return, but they were slow now. Sloppy. Jake weaved through them, pain flaring with every step.
The wolf collapsed to one knee, fur burning, whimpering in pain.
Jake ripped his spear free.
He didn't aim.
He stabbed.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Each strike landed with a sickening resistance, wet and yielding. Blood coated his hands. His arms shook from exhaustion and rage. The world narrowed to the sound of tearing flesh and his own hoarse breathing.
He didn't stop until someone dragged him backward.
"Jake!" Marquis shouted. "It's dead. That's enough!"
Jake froze, chest heaving.
The left side of the wolf's head was nothing but ruined meat.
Jake yanked his spear free one last time.
"Fucking bastard," he muttered.
He turned away.
Where Luna and Lucas had fallen, he gathered their weapons with shaking hands. Marquis was already cutting into the wolf's chest, retrieving a glowing blue crystal that pulsed faintly in his grip. It wasn't Aetherium. It felt older. Heavier.
They would walk back alone.
Jake slung the weapons across his back and moved through the dead. He stopped beside a young body and gently closed the empty eyes.
Finn.
Seventeen, maybe.
"Rest easy," Jake whispered.
He tore fabric from Finn's clothing and wrapped it around his exposed shoulder, jaw clenched as pain flared again. Marquis stepped in, silently helping him secure the makeshift bandage.
"Let's go," the captain said quietly. "This expedition is over."
Jake nodded.
They disappeared into the forest.
Far away, unheard, a chime echoed once more.
The Emperor sat rigid on his golden throne, exhaustion etched deep into his features.
A commander approached and bowed. "The mission is complete. The fortress and nearby beyonder sites were destroyed. One cabin remains, but it will be dealt with."
"Good," the Emperor said. "That should reel Marquis back in."
Then the chime rang inside his mind.
His expression twisted in fury.
His fist slammed down on the throne's armrest.
"That bastard," he snarled. "Does he have any idea what he's done?"
The commander hesitated. "Has it… started?"
"Yes," the Emperor said grimly. "The spell is unraveling. Prepare every mage we have. Create more if you must."
"At once."
As the throne room emptied, the Emperor leaned back, eyes dark with realization.
"So it begins," he murmured. "The age of Beyonders has returned."