The chamber pulsed like a living thing, every breath of shadow twisting through the cracks in the stone. Kael’s roar still echoed, but the silence that followed was anything but comforting. Every warrior present every wolf, every ally froze, staring at the figure at the center of the storm. Kael stood tall, his chest rising and falling heavily, eyes burning with a strange fusion of light and shadow.Elara’s hands hovered near him, fear and hope tangled into one expression. She could feel the bond thrumming wildly, almost unbearable in its intensity. He was here. He had fought through the abyss to return to her. But beneath the relief was the chilling awareness that this fight had only begun.From the center of the chamber, the Hollow Heart stirred. Its crystalline core, black and jagged like a shard of night, pulsed faster, every beat syncing with Kael’s ragged breathing. The veins of corruption across the walls and floor writhed as if alive, twisting like serpents, lashing outward.“

The survivors limped through the night, each step a reminder of wounds too deep to ignore. They left behind the ruins of the Hollow Heart’s chamber, its jagged shards still glowing faintly underground, and emerged into a landscape that felt wrong. The air was too still, as if the world held its breath. Even the forest had fallen silent.Kael could hear the rasp of every breath, the scrape of boots against stone, the muffled whimpers of the wounded. Each sound clawed at him, a reminder of the price already paid. His body ached, but it was his spirit that carried the heavier burden. He had promised victory, yet all he saw were bloodied faces and broken armor.They did not stop until the trees thickened into a grove, sheltering them from the open sky. Only then did Elara call for rest.The wolves collapsed into the earth with weary groans. Some shifted partially, their half forms flickering uncontrollably, proof of how drained they were. The healers worked in silence, mixing herbs, apply

The grove had gone quiet after Kael’s speech. Too quiet. Wolves shifted on their paws, exchanging glances as though waiting for someone to speak the words no one wanted to say aloud. Finally, it was Jarek, the grizzled Beta of the Bloodfang scouts who had trailed Kael since the Hollow Heart.“You ask for unity,” Jarek rumbled, his scarred muzzle twitching. “But unity is not bought with words, Kael. Wolves are proud. Packs are stubborn. Some will not bow even if the sky itself falls.”A low growl rippled through the gathered ranks, but Kael held up his hand. His eyes, molten with Voidlight at the edges, locked on Jarek’s. “Then they won’t be asked to bow. They’ll be shown why there’s no choice left. Either they stand with us or they’ll be trampled when the Void devours their lands.”Ryn stepped forward, cloak whipping in the cold night wind. “And if they resist? If the packs turn their fangs on us instead of the Void?”Kael’s silence stretched long enough for tension to choke the air.

The pyres burned high into the night, their flames throwing jagged shadows across the twisted forest. Smoke curled into a sky veiled with sickly clouds, their glow faintly pulsing like a heartbeat. The wolves worked tirelessly, dragging timber from the withered woods, stacking barricades, digging trenches. This was no longer a march. This was survival.Kael moved through the camp with a torch in hand, eyes scanning every face he passed. Exhaustion clung to his warriors, their armor blackened with ichor, their claws dull from hours of slaughter. Yet their gazes still burned with fire. They had crossed into the Void’s territory and lived. That spark of victory, fragile as it was, had to be protected.Elara oversaw the defenses on the western flank, barking orders as shields were hammered into place and stakes driven deep into the corrupted soil. Her hair, streaked with ash and blood, caught the torchlight, making her look like she burned from within. Kael paused to watch her, the weight

The morning bled into gray as the army advanced. Though the sun had risen, its light seemed strangled before it could pierce the forest. Shadows clung to every branch, curling like smoke even in daylight. The earth beneath their paws was soft, damp, pulsing faintly as if it breathed. Each step sank slightly, squelching with a sound too close to flesh.Kael led the march, his blade strapped across his back, his shoulders tense. The night’s illusions still weighed heavy, but there was no room for weakness now. The wolves followed, eyes hollow yet burning with defiance. Elara strode at his side, her expression sharp, scanning the unnatural terrain with every step.By midday, the forest thinned, opening onto a clearing that stole the army’s breath.At its center rose a fortress.It was no castle of stone or steel, but a grotesque mass of writhing flesh and bone. Walls twisted upward like ribs bent into cages, their surfaces slick with a pulsing black sheen. Veins ran across its exterior,