The energy exploded.
Not outward—
But from Nyra.
A shockwave tore through the battlefield, throwing hunters, wolves, and even the surrounding trees backward.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
Nyra stood at the center.
Her body trembling.
Her eyes glowing intensely.
Silver.
Dark.
Unstable.
"Nyra…" Kael's voice was cautious now.
Not commanding.
Not cold.
Careful.
Ronan didn't speak.
For once—
He just watched.
Because this—
This was something new.
Something dangerous.
Nyra's breathing became uneven.
The power inside her surged again.
Stronger.
Louder.
They came for you.
The voice echoed.
So show them why.
"No…" Nyra whispered.
Her hands shook.
"I don't want this…"
It doesn't matter.
The ground cracked beneath her feet.
The air twisted violently.
The hunters didn't retreat.
They adjusted.
One of them stepped forward, raising a device that began to glow.
"Energy levels rising," he said calmly. "Prepare containment."
Nyra's head snapped toward him.
Containment?
Her chest tightened.
Fear flickered—
Then vanished.
Replaced by something else.
Something colder.
Her eyes darkened further.
Kael saw it first.
"Something's wrong," he said.
Ronan exhaled slowly.
"No," he muttered.
"Something just woke up."
Nyra lifted her head slowly.
Her expression—
Empty.
No fear.
No hesitation.
No Nyra.
Just power.
Raw.
Ancient.
Terrifying.
The hunters fired again.
Multiple shots.
All aimed at her.
They never reached her.
The energy stopped mid-air—
Then reversed.
Flying back toward them at double the speed.
Explosions ripped through their line.
Chaos.
For the first time—
The hunters reacted.
Not fear.
But urgency.
"Contain her now!" the leader ordered.
Too late.
Nyra stepped forward.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Each step cracked the ground beneath her.
Kael moved instantly.
"Nyra, stop!"
She didn't respond.
Ronan grabbed his arm.
"Don't," he said.
Kael's eyes burned.
"She's losing control!"
Ronan's gaze stayed fixed on her.
"No," he said quietly.
"She already lost it."
Nyra raised her hand—
And the air around the hunters compressed violently.
Invisible force crushing inward.
They struggled.
Weapons dropping.
Movements slowing.
"Subject unstable!" one of them shouted.
Nyra's voice echoed—
Layered.
Not fully hers.
"You came… for me…"
The pressure increased.
Bones cracked.
The forest trembled.
Kael stepped forward again.
"NYRA!"
For a split second—
Her eyes flickered.
A trace of her.
Still there.
Still fighting.
"Help… me…" she whispered.
Then—
The darkness surged again.
Completely taking over.
Nyra's head tilted slowly—
And she smiled.
Not soft.
Not kind.
Something else.
Something terrifying.
"Too late."
What happens when Nyra is no longer in control…
and the power inside her decides who lives and who dies?