The forest roared like a hurricane trapped between the trunks.There was no wind, but the leaves trembled.There was no fire, but the sap seemed to boil.
Grisela ran between twisted roots, firing arrows of green mana light.
—"Don't stop!" —she shouted while dodging the bite of a crystal wolf that bled purple light—. "Maintain formation!"
But the formation was already broken.They could not hold it.
Twelve elves had left that morning.Only eight remained.
It was not a random attack.The horde was hunting them. Something in the air was guiding them.
—"For the Mother! They're coming from everywhere!" —Lioras shouted as a black-horned deer rammed into him.
Grisela turned and fired. The creature fell, but another jumped over its body without stopping.
They were being surrounded.
And the worst part was the forest.
The giant trees were no longer protecting them.Some even leaned slightly toward the horde.
As if they were listening to another order.
High above, on a twisted branch, Lusian watched in silence.Thunder stood beside him, tense, sparks running through his fur.
—"They could hold a little longer," Lusian murmured.
Dayana licked her fang, sensing corruption in the air.
—"They will hold… but not all of them will survive," she said calmly—. "Do we intervene?"
Emily looked at him in horror.
—"Lusian! They're people! They're desperate!"
—"They are not 'people', Emily," he replied without looking at her. "They are elves.And they hate humans almost as much as demons.If we help them now, they will turn against us later."
Emily stepped forward.
—"I don't care what they do later. They are dying now! Lusian, please!"
Lusian raised his hand.
It was not a quick gesture. It was slow, deliberate, as if he were stopping the very air.
—"Stop."
His voice was not loud, but it cut through the chaos like an absolute command.
The elves heard him… but they did not relax.
The titanic deer turned its head slightly upward, detecting his presence among the branches.
—"Another intruder…" —the creature roared—. "This forest is filling with trash."
Thunder let out a low neigh. Electricity ran through his fur like small cracks of light.
Elizabeth clenched her teeth.
—"Lusian, that's not a normal monster…"
—"I know," he replied without looking at her.
Dayana narrowed her eyes.
—"That's not an ordinary corrupted beast… it has the authority of the forest. Something is feeding it."
The deer took another step.
The ground sank.
The elves almost fell from the shockwave.
Grisela gripped her bow tightly. Still confused; the creatures that once protected the forest were now attacking without mercy.
—"We can't run! It will reach us before ten steps!"
The monster lowered its horns. A repulsive mana surrounded it. Its eyes revealed its state: it did not seem aware of what it was doing, as if something were controlling it.
Ready to charge.
And then Lusian took advantage of the moment. While the monster was focused on the attack, he searched for its blind spot.
A second later, he was on the ground behind the beast.
His sword was already out. He attacked, but the monster dodged as if it had eyes on its back.
The air tightened.
—"Fall back," he said without turning.
The elves hesitated.
—"That man is crazy!" —one of them shouted.
Grisela did not take her eyes off the deer.
—"If it's a distraction… we use it."
The deer let out a strange sound, not belonging to its species.
—"A human… protecting them? How pathetic."
Lusian looked up at the creature for the first time.
—"You can speak."
The deer paused.
—"Ignorant human."
Silence fell for a moment.
Elizabeth felt the demon mana inside her react. It was as if it recognized that mana… or its source.
—"Lusian…" —she whispered—. "That power… it's not natural."
Dayana stepped forward from the branches.
Her expression had changed.
No longer curiosity. She recognized several things. The mana was very similar to that of the demon. The deer seemed controlled, just like she controlled corpses.
—"That is no longer a forest guardian," she said.
Emily looked at her, confused.
—"What does that mean?"
Dayana clenched her teeth.
—"It is not protecting the forest…"
The deer struck the ground with a hoof.
The shockwave split the earth.
—"Its mind is no longer its own! It is contaminated with demon mana… it is a puppet."
The monster leaned toward Lusian.
—"Little human. I will give you one chance. Step aside."
Lusian did not move. He looked at Emily for a moment.
—"I can't."
The deer tilted its head.
—"You can't?"
Lusian raised his sword slightly.
—"It's not my decision," he said, without directly looking at her, as if the answer had already been chosen by someone else.
A second of absolute silence.
The world seemed to stop.
The air became so tense it hurt to breathe.
Then the deer charged.
The ground did not give way. It exploded under its hooves as if the forest were glass.
The shockwave expanded in all directions, tearing up earth and roots.
The elves were thrown backward without even being able to react.
Some lost their balance in the air before hitting the ground.
The screams came after the impact.
Emily opened her eyes wide.
Guilt appeared on her face the instant she understood the situation.
—"Lusian!"
Elizabeth stepped forward, but Dayana stopped her with a hand.
—"Don't interfere… or what are you going to do, demon?"
The beast advanced with a hunger for death.
Horns ready to pierce everything.
Mana covered it completely, hardening its body like living armor.
Lusian took a deep breath.
a useless battle, I should tell Emily she doesn't need to be so soft-hearted
The beast attacked. With each step, the ground opened beneath its hooves, as if it could not bear its weight.
Lusian did not retreat. Instead, he advanced directly toward the beast. The horn strike barely grazed his chest.
Thunder jumped from above and released a lightning bolt. The impact struck the beast's face.
The attack stunned it. Lusian took advantage. He was already beneath its neck. The sword rose without hesitation.
But the beast's reinforced bark blocked the impact. Mana sparks exploded in the air.
Even so, the attack was not useless. The beast roared and shook its head; it had taken damage.
Lusian turned with a fluid motion. He launched a second slash, shorter and deeper, and managed to draw blood. Dark blood fell to the ground.
The beast stepped back. Instinctively, it tried to flee, but something in its mind stopped it.
It hesitated for a moment… and charged again.
The mana around it thickened, as if the forest itself were pushing it forward.
Thunder moved close enough for the electricity to harm it, but without entering the beast's attack range. The monster's body tensed for a moment, and Lusian had already seen it.
He entered through the open side.
The sword aimed for the monster's core.
But the beast turned in time. Too fast. A horn struck him midair.
Lusian blocked with Dainslein, but the impact threw him backward.
The ground caught him violently, and the air left his lungs.
A brief silence.
Elizabeth wanted to run toward Lusian. Emily too, but everything was too fast.
The beast advanced to finish him.
Thunder stepped in and unleashed a full discharge that lit the entire forest in white.
The beast stopped for a moment, its body frozen between electricity and the mana sustaining it, as if its internal system had been locked.
Lusian did not wait for the effect to fade. He forced himself to recover from the previous impact and appeared behind the beast, taking advantage of that moment of stillness.
The sword was already raised, and this time it met no resistance.
The blade pierced the beast's core, and its mana structure shattered from within, as if something essential had been destroyed at once.
The creature immediately lost strength, and its body began to collapse as its balance shut down.
In its final moments, it regained lucidity. Its eyes were no longer pure rage and focused clearly for the first time.
It looked at the elf.And its voice came out broken.
—"Run…"