The Leviathan rises from the murky waters of Cauldron Lake, its colossal and imposing form dominating the scene. Its scaly skin, of a deep purple hue, gleams under the moonlight, revealing its ancient and menacing nature.Shandra feels her heart race in her chest, a mix of fear and determination taking hold of her thoughts. How had she not sensed its energy? How were they so close to such a grave threat without suspecting anything?She looks around. Apparently, no one there knew of the creature or had even sensed its scent. Seeing genuine fear in the eyes of members of a veteran organization makes her falter, taking a step back.She is supported by a thick hand with slightly stronger fingers than usual. Startled, Shandra looks behind her and sees that it is Sam holding her firmly on the shoulder, but in his demonic form. By his side, Julian also returns to his infernal origin.The other members of the Shadow are also stunned by the sight of the Leviathan. Marcus, with his experience a
Trembling from head to toe, Shandra slowly let the lightning in her mind and hands subside. She took a deep breath, containing her own fury and destructive potential, calming herself in the process.Then, as the sparks finally faded away completely, she sighed.And fell to her knees on the ground, gasping for breath and extremely tired.Immediately, everyone rushed to her, their faces filled with concern."Shandra," murmured Sam, sitting down and embracing her.The girl simply looked at him."I did it," she said, smiling.After being embraced by Sam, Shandra looked around, meeting the worried gazes of her companions. Julian, his voice choked, broke the tense silence."Shandra, you scared us," he said sincerely, his expression reflecting the concern he felt for her. "You faced such immense power, so dangerous... We were afraid of losing you."Julian's words hung in the air, lingering as a reminder of the danger they had all faced. The relief of seeing Shandra triumph mixed with the ten
Julian takes a few steps back, his eyes wide with surprise and fear. Shandra, although exhausted, quickly stands up, her heightened senses sensing the imminent danger. She positions herself between the two brothers, trying to calm the situation."Sam, stop!" she shouts, her voice trembling but firm. "We won't solve anything by fighting amongst ourselves. Julian is our ally, not our enemy."Sam growls, his eyes burning with uncontrollable fury. He seems to struggle to control his demonic form, but the anger is still present."He's meddling where he shouldn't," Sam snarls, his guttural voice echoing in the air.Julian, still in a state of shock, recovers enough to respond."Your reaction only proves my point. What is it? Are you feeling guilty, Sam? Feeling unworthy of something?"Julian's irony seems to further provoke Sam, who advances but stops instantly.Shandra extends a trembling hand towards Sam, trying to calm him."I don't know why you're like this, but I think you better stop
Julian's words echo in Shandra's mind like an explosion, leaving her stunned and wounded. Eluna, Sam's former betrothed, also shared a Blood Fusion with him. A mix of shock, betrayal, and disappointment swirls within her, causing her to tremble with restrained emotions.She turns to Sam, her eyes shining with a mixture of pain and anger. What she sees in his eyes is a blend of guilt and remorse. Silence hangs in the air as she tries to process this devastating revelation.Around them, no one interferes, only watching the turn of events between the Vanguard and the Beacon of Light."Why didn't you tell me?" she whispers, her voice filled with despair. "I thought... we shared everything. How could you hide something so important from me?"Sam looks at her, his lips moving, but no words come out. The pain in his eyes is palpable, and Shandra can feel the internal struggle he's facing."I couldn't," he finally manages to say.The girl completely loses her composure. Blue flames surround h
Marcus doesn't seem surprised by Shandra's request, or rather, her announcement. She wasn't asking for his permission but formally notifying him that she could no longer serve the Alpha. The werewolf with impressive eyes uncrosses his arms and gazes firmly at her. Without hesitation, the young woman returns the same look.Seconds later, he takes a deep breath before saying:"You can't just leave, Shandra. You have to bear this responsibility.""Responsibility?!" Shandra exclaims angrily. "I didn't ask for this. Throughout this whole time, all I wanted was a bit of respect, transparency, and equality. I gave up everything and put my own desires on hold to help these idiots," she points at Julian and Sam, who remain motionless. "But I don't answer to anyone. Not to them and not to you."The Alpha approaches Shandra slowly, looking at her intensely in the eyes. His voice is softer now, filled with a mixture of understanding and determination."I understand your frustration, Shandra. Trul
The sweat dripping down Shandra's face is hot, almost like lava, and produces terribly unsettling sensations on her cold, shivering skin. Tremors and spasms take over her body, and her eyes blink without stopping as, in desperation, the young woman tries to regain control.She remembers Marcus' words in her magic training, when they were still testing the limits of Shandra's magic. She asked the Alpha when exhaustion began, and he explained to her that there were two stages.The first had already happened to her in Fairy Town, which was the most common form of burnout. The second was the most dangerous and lethal, as it could destroy the magic bearer's body from the inside out.With each violent jolt that took hold of the girl's arms, legs and torso, the greater was Shandra's desire to cry, but even this she could no longer do.The sounds of the world also oscillated. The tree on fire seemed to scream louder and louder, only to fall silent the next instant as if it had never started.
Shandra's heart races as she prepares to face the unknown that hides behind the tree. Her determination and the strengthening of her magic fill her with confidence.With one swift movement, Shandra turns toward the tree, ready to face her pursuer. However, her expression of courage turns to surprise when she finally sees who was there."Julian?" she whispers, incredulous.The redhead, who is wearing the same clothes as the night before, runs up to her."Shandra!" He takes both her hands, looking her up and down. "You look... well?""I am now.""But you...? I mean, Sam was suddenly exhausted, so we came to the conclusion that you... well...""I really was exhausted.""But you were supposed to be lying there, dying of pain... How did you...?""It's a long story."The yellow-eyed demon looks around and notices the burned tree."É. Apparently so.""But I can't stay here anymore. I...I need to go back and help you."A pained expression forms on Julian's worried face."About that, I just wa
Taking deep, heavy steps on the ground pictured below him, Sam walked over to Julian and Shandra. They both looked quite surprised to see him."So that's it. You not only want to poison her mind against me, but how are you trying to do the same thing you did to Eluna?!"The redhead growls."What are you talking about, you idiot?!""I'm talking about your hypocrisy. You are always trying to tell Shandra how dangerous I am, how manipulative I am. But you just want to take her from me!"The coppery-eyed demon's words are so raw, so loaded with a sincerity never before seen, that the girl is stunned. She is unable to pry into the argument between the brothers."I'm offering my support to her," Julian explains, not showing even a little patience. "And just to be clear, Shandra is a free girl!""Free for you to put your claws into?""Free to make her own decisions! She doesn't answer to you. She answers to no one, Sam!"The man with fair skin and black hair finally looks at the girl."Are y
The final walk along the last trail that would lead them to the Tenebris Mountains was much more tense and silent than Shandra had imagined it would be.Nervous, the girl was paying attention to the vegetation around her; the way the trees and plants looked now that she knew they were all interconnected with Gaia.And speaking of Gaia, the entity's words still rang in her ear constantly. She takes a deep breath as she gropes around in her pocket for the strange artifact she had been given as a gift.Would she need to use it that day?Sam's voice sounded in her mind:"Disturbed?"Shanda looks discreetly at him before answering mentally as well:"Evidently so. Don't you?"His fire-colored eyes, always so confident, were somewhat misty that morning. A few seconds later, he finally replies:"I'm more than disturbed. I'm terrified."The heartfelt answer takes the girl by surprise. He continues:"At some point, Shandra, everything... Everything will come to light. The fact that we are inter
Shandra was still absorbing the shock of Gaia's strange contact, as well as her sudden disappearance, when a low voice whispers behind her."Shandra."She turns around quickly. Julian is standing with a totally apathetic expression on his face."Did you see it?", she whispers.The redhead nods his head in confirmation."Was it an important errand?"Shandra bites her lip, thoughtful about what to say about Gaia's words. She decides to be subtle and direct:"Yes."Julian waits for the explanation, but the girl just holds the jewel tighter and starts walking back to the camp."Wait a minute."She stops. The demon approaches again and asks:"What's going on? Are you okay?""I am.""You don't know how to lie very well, you know that?"Shandra snorts."I just don't want to talk about it."Julian looks at the girl's closed hand and stares at her as if he is about to question her about it."Please, please, don't ask me questions," she pleads.Genuine anguish takes over his expression."Let me
Shandra knew she was awake.Therefore, what was in front of her could not be a dream. Considering all the stress she had been under in the past weeks, however, she thought she was suffering from a delirium.Everyone else was asleep, except, of course, the demons. Although they felt no sleep, both Sam and Julian liked to lie down, close their eyes and apparently rest. Caleb and Ezan are also immersed in a deep sleep.The girl keeps looking at what at first she thought was just a trick of light and shadow: the thin, unusual silhouette that strolled by as if it were a mere traveler.However, the energy of that silhouette, the way it moved... This was certainly no ordinary person. Then Shandra stood up to take a closer look.The person, creature or whatever it was didn't seem to be intimidated by being noticed. Its skin was transparent, almost ghostly, and a subtle blue light radiated from it.Strangely enough, Shandra did not fear it. No, there was nothing aggressive or strange coming fr
Shandra feels her heart resounding inside her chest. A small shiver runs down her arms as she slowly takes a step towards the final trail; the one they would make before finally arriving in enemy territory.Everything could end well: Eluna would be rescued, and everyone could return to their respective homes.Or...She imagines the bodies of Sam, Julian, Ezan and Caleb lying on the ground like a sack of potatoes; their throats slit. Was cutting throats an easy method of execution for supernatural creatures?Shandra knew that killing a demon was too difficult a thing to do, so she doubted it very much. Werewolves, on the other hand, seemed weaker in that respect."Let's walk some more and get camp up," says Julian, who until then had been completely silent and immersed in his own thoughts.Shandra nods, trying to push away the dark misfortunes troubling her, but it is incredibly difficult. She knows she cannot let fear take over. Together, the group continues to advance along the narro
Shandra knew that she would never, ever be able to fully recover from this.As the small group headed towards the mountain range, the young woman barely opened her mouth to say anything and ate only what was necessary. The magic was dormant, still ready to spring into action, but she deliberately ignored the feeling.Looking up at the pale dawn sky, Shandra huffed audibly. It was very soon before they finally put the plan into action. There was still no word from Marcus and his group.Not that she didn't trust the abilities and strength of the pack. They could take good care of themselves.But would she, Julian, Sam, Caleb and Ezan be able to single-handedly accomplish a mission of that magnitude and not get screwed in the process?"It's going to be okay," Sam's voice breaks into her dark thoughts.Annoyed, the girl looks at him, and mentally communicates as well:"Are you reading my thoughts?""I don't need to. Your expression already says it all."Irritated, Shandra just keeps walki
As soon as Caleb's huge sharp teeth dig into Elara's unprotected torso, the vampire screams terribly in agony. The bite causes her a stabbing pain.Elara lets out another scream when, after having her skin torn apart by the wolf, her body is thrown backwards by the impact of this attack... Julian also approaches quickly, taking the opportunity to strike a powerful blow against Elara, hitting her full on.Sam once again looks at Shandra, obviously proud to see what had happened there. Ezan, Caleb and the yellow-eyed demon continue to attack relentlessly; Shandra stays focused on her task of neutralizing the vampire's artifacts. With the items weakened, Elara is no longer invincible, but still poses a danger.Sweating, the young woman realizes that she needs to keep her own energy connected to Elara's items. There was no way, or at least no easy way, to permanently deactivate them.Although she was obviously weaker, Elara was not vulnerable. Even though she is suspicious as to why her t
Shandra feels a mixture of relief and gratitude when, finally, Julian takes flight and attacks Elara, holding her by the neck and throwing her to the ground sharply."You really think you can take me, you pathetic demon?" she sneers, probably ready to use one of her many artifacts.And that is exactly what she does. One moment, Julian is strangling her without a shadow of mercy. The next, he is breathing hard, gasping like a smoker after climbing two flights of stairs.Sam, focused on destroying the vampire, casts more fire elemental magic energy, but at the last second the girl flinches, causing the flames to only burn the tip of her hair."You bastard!" she shouts, leaving Julian temporarily behind.Shandra quickly raises a shield to protect him, but the wall fails.Ezan's voice sounds behind the girl:"Beacon of Light!"She widens her eyes and addresses the older werewolf. The girl is surprised to see him in human form. Caleb, unlike him, remains as a wolf."Beacon of Light, we are
Shandra panics as she sees the werewolves advancing towards Elara, ready to attack. She knows that a fight between the werewolves and the vampire can be extremely dangerous and doesn’t want anyone to get hurt. With a mixture of despair and determination, she stands in the way, trying to prevent impending violence."No!" cries Shandra, her voice full of anguish. " Stop! It’s not worth it! Elara is not our enemy!"Useless. Completely useless, you know.The beautiful girl, seeing the two angry wolves coming towards her, drops her cloak, revealing pale skin like the moon and slender, thin and seemingly fragile arms and legs. Immediately Elara puts herself in a fighting posture, smiling as she feels the adrenaline taking over her body.Shandra can barely understand what happened when, out of nowhere, the vampire just disappears.But her energy was still there. Had she become invisible?The impact of a sharp blow to Ezan’s jaw, which makes him fly for a few meters, frightens the girl and gi
Shandra, Sam, Julian and the other members of the group stand on alert, watching for the approaching silhouette. Tension hangs in the air as everyone prepares for any eventuality.As the figure approaches, it becomes clear that it is a tall, elegant woman with long black hair and a piercing gaze. She seems to exude an aura of power and authority."Elara," Sam murmurs, with a mixture of surprise and apprehension in her voice.Shandra frowns from one to the other, wondering what could be happening, but doesn't have time to verbalize a single word.The werewolves transform into their lupine form and start growling loudly and menacingly. Elara doesn't seem to be upset or afraid of that sight."Interesting company you have arranged," are the first words she addresses to the coppery-eyed demon."Is that really serious?", Julian grumbles."Who are you?" asks Shandra.The questioning makes the woman laugh."Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends, Sam?"The prince from hell looks hes