Chronos's instincts screamed as the barracuda charged at him even faster than the spikes had been moving.
Distance mattered very little when something was moving that fast but just before it could eat him a white flash passed Chronos and knocked it aside.
The barracuda slammed into a gray ball shattering it in the process, then hissed as it righted itself turning to face the new threat.
The white wolf and the barracuda stared at each other, their gazes practically drilling holes in the others body.
Then the barracuda gave up and broke away from the standoff, swimming into the distance at a speed that might have been a lazy stroll for it but was so fast that Chronos could barely keep track of where it was going.
The white wolf turned around to find Chronos standing there with [Sever] on his claws. His body was trembling from overwork, he was gasping like he could never breathe enough air, and the exhaustion was making his vision swirl, but he was ready to fight for his life no matter what the end result would be.
Its mouth moved in what Chronos could have sworn was a smile then he was pinned to the ground beneath its paw.
Chronos hadn't seen it move at all; it had just appeared on top of him, making him wonder if that was the same spatial ability it had used to bypass his barrier or if it was just that fast.
"Dellai goondarie soqist."
"I still don't understand you but if these are my last words then, FUCK YOU!"
With that he plunged his claws into its leg only to find that he couldn't even pierce through the fur covering it.
The white wolf just laughed as one last spike shaped [Isolate] pierced into Chronos's heart. His body screamed in pain as his throat locked up. Unable to let out a single sound he could only lay there in horror wondering if this was the last thing he'd ever see then everything went black as the cold embrace of death engulfed his senses.
....
Chronos's eyes shot open as he found himself lying on his bed in the Malark Mansion drenched in sweat.
Standing up he checked his chest where the spike should have pierced him only to find that there was nothing wrong. There was no injury or scar or any sign that he had been hit at all.
He rubbed his skin as he examined his body in every way he could, but he failed to find anything wrong. Even his [Spatial Awareness] wasn't detecting anything inside or outside of his body.
He even checked his mental space but there was nothing new or damaged there either.
Even if the white wolf had decided to let him go there should have been some damage or exhaustion from pushing his body past its limits for so long and the pain still lingered in his mind even if he couldn't feel it anywhere. Instead, he felt refreshed.
Not just refreshed, he felt better than he had in weeks like he'd never been more alive.
Hearing birdsong from outside of his window Chronos realized that only one night had passed while he was being hunted. Everyone should be waking up now and everything was fine...
No, he couldn't take his own word for that. That dream, or whatever it was, had been far too realistic to have been an accident.
He needed to have Lyla examine him immediately.
Bang.
"Oh, Milord, is everything alright?"
Storming out of his bedroom he startled the maid who was bringing him a warm bowl of water to wash his face with and ran down the hallway to Lyla's room.
Bang.
"Goodness, Young Master, it is not appropriate for you to be entering a lady's room so early." Said Head Maid Maria who had been helping Lyla get dressed.
Lyla was standing in the middle of the room with her nightgown hanging off of one shoulder. She was looking very alluring at the moment but right now Chronos had a bigger problem.
"Lyla examine my body!" he said while taking a seat on the edge of her bed.
Lyla wanted to complain but seeing the concern and urgency in his eyes she changed her mind.
"Alright sit still." Slipping her nightgown back on she began her examination.
An hour later she finished the examination.
They had been joined by a concerned Ronald and Gregory who were both waiting by the door for a verdict.
And when Sariah had heard about what was going on she had also come to Lyla's room and was currently comparing notes with Lyla after her own examination.
"Chronos, are you certain you ran, fought, and died in that strange place?" Lyla asked.
"I wouldn't call it a fight more like a curb stomping but yes I am. Is there really nothing wrong?"
"If there is something wrong then we can't find it, if anything you're even healthier now than you were the last time I examined you. You have no injuries, physical, spiritual, or mental. Your aura is stronger than ever before and even your bloodline has significantly increased in density. You may just be the healthiest werewolf alive." Lyla reported.
Sariah nodded in agreement with Lyla. He had always been healthy in the past but right now his body was so healthy that they couldn't even find the old scars he was supposed to have. And his flesh all felt invigorated to the point where they thought it might be new.
It was like someone had rebuilt his body from scratch.
"That makes no sense. I know that wolf killed me," Chronos huffed in annoyance.
"I don't know what you experienced but it wasn't death. Of that I am certain."
Chronos looked at Sariah trying to find some support.
"I agree with Lyla. Rather you're actually missing some contamination you should have. Remember when I cursed you last night during training."
"Yeah, I almost fell off the cliff at the time."
Sariah nodded, "The remnant curse should still be affecting you, but it's gone. There's not even any traces of it left behind."
Chronos grunted feeling even more disturbed now than before.
Why would the white wolf chase him for so long when it could have caught him at any time? And why cleanse him of any ailments he might be suffering from?
It didn't make sense.
"So, if the wolf didn't hurt you what did it do?" Gregory said in confusion.
A moment later he asked a question that made Chronos feel rather stupid for not thinking of it first.
"The system is supposed to track what happens to us, right? Have you checked your status in the system since you woke up?"