The morning sun peeked through the cracks in the canopy, its golden rays softly warming Asrial's cheek as he slowly stirred.
But something wasn't right.
His arms… were wrapped around something warm.
His eyes cracked open slightly, only to find soft silver hair brushing against his chin.
Theresia was resting peacefully in his embrace, her head tucked against his chest.
Asrial's heart nearly stopped.
'W-Wait… why am I—'
Before he could move, Theresia's eyes fluttered open. For a few seconds, she simply blinked at him, her sleep-dazed mind still catching up.
Then realization struck her like a bolt of lightning.
Her face flushed bright red.
"A-A-Asrial!!"
Asrial panicked, quickly letting go. "I—It's not what you think! I—I didn't mean to!"
Theresia scrambled back, covering her cheeks with both hands. "W-Were you… cuddling me in your sleep?!"
He lowered his gaze, guilt flooding him. "I… I'm used to sleeping like that. My little sister, Luna… I always cuddled her when we were young. It—it was instinct. I'm sorry."
There was a moment of silence.
Theresia's initial shock melted into a soft expression.
"So… you had a little sister…"
Asrial gave a weak nod.
Her anger vanished, replaced by a small, playful smirk. "Well… I'll forgive you this once. But next time… I'll be charging you a gold coin per cuddle."
Asrial let out a rare, soft laugh. "That's a steep price."
Their laughter lingered, echoing in the peaceful morning air.
It was a brief, precious moment of normalcy.
But fate, as always, had other plans.
Asrial's gaze suddenly sharpened. "Stay alert. Something's wrong."
He stood quickly, his hand tightening around his sword's hilt as his elemental senses prickled in warning.
The shadows around them were… moving.
Not shifting from the sun or trees.
Moving on their own.
Dark tendrils crept along the ground unnaturally, coiling like serpents. The light couldn't touch them.
From the dense underbrush, figures began to emerge—monstrous beasts of pitch-black flesh, their eyes glowing a sinister crimson.
Theresia's hand flew to her sword. "What—what are those?!"
"I don't know… but we can't fight them here."
Without hesitation, Asrial swept Theresia into his arms and shot into the sky, propelled by a burst of wind.
From above, the sight was even more terrifying.
An army of shadow beasts swarmed beneath them, all trailing behind a massive, black-furred wolf whose eyes burned like embers.
The wolf raised its head and let out a deafening howl.
The shadows dissolved into mist, their forms melting and merging together.
From the dark fog, a colossal wyvern formed, its body shaped from countless shadow beasts, its wings spreading wide like living storms.
It roared, shaking the very air.
Asrial's eyes narrowed. "A fusion beast…"
The wyvern's wings beat furiously, chasing them with predatory speed.
It was faster than Asrial anticipated.
It surged forward, ramming into his back with crushing force.
Asrial's breath caught, the impact sending him spiraling downward.
"Hold on!" he shouted, tightening his grip on Theresia.
The ground raced toward them, but Asrial reacted swiftly—he summoned a sphere of water around them, cushioning their violent crash.
They slammed into the earth, rolling across the ground as the watery barrier broke their fall.
Theresia groaned, brushing dirt from her hair. "That… wasn't fun."
Asrial's eyes snapped toward the sky—the wyvern was descending rapidly.
He pulled her to her feet. "Move—"
THUD!
The beast crashed down before them, its wings folding as it disintegrated back into countless shadows.
From the depths of the forest, the massive black wolf approached, its crimson eyes gleaming with cunning.
It circled them slowly, its voice rumbling in their minds—its speech rough, bestial, yet chillingly clear.
"My queen… will be proud of my achievement."
Theresia's blood ran cold. "It… it can talk."
Asrial's heart pounded. 'The queen…? Could this be one of the church's hunting beasts? No… this is something different. This isn't normal dark magic.'
The wolf lowered its body, preparing to lunge.
Asrial's flames sparked to life in his palms, his wind gathering around his feet.
His voice was cold, unwavering.
"You'll regret coming after us."
The wolf's response was another guttural growl, its fangs bared in anticipation.
The battle was inevitable.
And someone was watching from beyond the trees.
---
In the depths of the shadows, unknown eyes observed the fight, and a whisper drifted across the wind.
"Let's see how far you'll go… Arthur… or should I say… Asrial."