CHAPTER 233: WE’RE NOT SAFE HERE

Raegar, Selene, and Zargoth entered Brightwater City only to see dozens of people scrambling for cover as the weather worsened around them. Upon passing through the closing gate, the older Demon man turned to them, smiling.

’’Thank you both for your help,’’ he said warmly. ’’The roads nowadays are dangerous, full of bandits and other horrible monsters.’’

As the Demoness parted her lips to respond, a deafening clap of thunder roared across the sky, drowning out her words and sending the people scuttling toward cover as the rain started.

The air crackled as dark, roiling clouds churned ominously overhead. A sudden gust of wind tore through the scene, whipping at their clothes and sending loose debris skittering across the ground.

Without hesitation, the trio bolted toward the nearest building. Moments later, Raegar spotted a guard stationed at the entrance and bellowed over the howling wind. ’’The storm’s turning vicious! Watch yourselves, the gusts are strong enough to sweep you off your feet!’’

His voice carried a mix of urgency and concern as he waved them toward the shelter, his silhouette barely visible through the thickening sheets of rain. The three pressed forward, hearts pounding.

Moments later, the storm’s wrath intensified around them. As the Demoness got close to the entrance, she was suddenly swept off her feet. ’’Selene!’’ Raegar’s tone cut through the storm’s roar.

His heart lurched as he saw her twisting in the air, her yellow eyes wide with shock and horror. Without a second thought, he summoned his power, the air around him crackling as Aether surged to his feet.

He launched himself skyward, his body propelled by an explosive burst that sent shockwaves rippling through the rain-soaked air. The wind screamed in his ears, clawing at his cloak, but his focus was locked on Selene.

Raegar stretched out his arms, muscles straining as he closed the distance in a heartbeat and swept her into his arms, cradling her in a princess carry as they hovered momentarily amidst the storm’s chaos.

Clinging to each other, they spiraled through the storm’s merciless grip, dragged for miles as the winds wrenched them left, then violently right. Raegar’s heart pounded as he realized it was hauling them straight toward the school.

Moments later, they were flung west and flying toward the Black Forest. Its gnarled branches reared up. Raegar twisted midair, wrapping himself around Selene to shield her as they tore through the canopy.

Branches shattered under their weight, the splintering cracks weaving into the storm’s savage howl. They crashed onto the forest floor, tumbling over slick, moss-drenched earth until they skidded to a halt.

Bruised and breathless beneath the canopy that blocked out most of the wind. Raegar surged to his feet, pain searing through his battered body. Aether was pulsing faintly at his fingertips as he scanned the shadowed trees for lurking threats.

Selene rose beside him, her white hair plastered to her face, her breath coming in sharp gasps. ’’We’re not safe here,’’ she warned, eyes darting to the unnatural darkness that seemed to pulse deep inside the forest.

The storm’s howl was muffled now, but the air thrummed with a different kind of menace, an ancient, hungry power that made the hairs on Raegar’s neck stand on end. He met her gaze, his jaw set. ’’Then we move. Together.’’

Just then, his senses flared, causing him to summon his daggers and quickly cross them as a humanoid creature lunged at Selene. He moved in front and blocked the swipe, sending sparks to fly everywhere.

He gritted his teeth before casting Lightnfire Blast into the monster’s face, sending it flying into the brush. Once the creature was dead, the Demoness let out a sigh of relief as she commented from behind him. ’’Wasn’t that a Creature of the Night?’’

’’Yes, it was, and it seems like they’re swarming in the forest,’’ he revealed, scanning the treeline around them.

Raegar’s gaze swept the Black Forest, its oppressive darkness swallowing all light. A tangled sea of thorny bushes and thick, writhing vines choked the undergrowth, veiling the shadows in a creepy shroud.

A guttural sound rumbled in the distance, and his blood ran cold as a wave of raw power pulsed from the unseen beast, far beyond Tier Ten. His face paled, but he didn’t hesitate. Gripping Selene tightly by the waist, he Flash Stepped into the tangled branches above.

Selene’s eyes flickered, but Raegar pressed a hushed whisper against her ear. ’’Stay quiet. A monster’s coming, too strong for me to fight.’’

Moments later, the Black Forest’s oppressive gloom seemed to pulse, the air thick due to a malevolent hum. His eyes strained through the shadowed veil of thorny vines and twisted undergrowth, catching movement in the distance.

A grotesque silhouette leading a writhing mass of horrors eastward toward Drakenwood. The creature at the front was a nightmare made flesh, a towering humanoid monstrosity with a skeletal frame draped in tattered, gray skin that hung like rotting cloth.

Its elongated limbs jerked unnaturally, fingers ending in jagged claws that scraped the air. Hollow sockets glowed thanks to a sickly green light, and a lipless maw split its face, revealing rows of needle-like teeth.

Each step it took sent tremors through the earth, a harbinger of dread. Behind it shambled a horde of abominations that Raegar instantly recognized. Nightwalkers, their emaciated forms skittering on all fours, eyes like burning coals darting in eyeless skulls.

Then there were the Forest Giants, hulking figures covered in dark fur and carrying large branches as weapons. He spotted Watchers that made Selene go stiff and tremble as the creature’s aura was too much.

The creatures had gaunt and eyeless, their heads twitching as if sensing prey through the air; and Hollowborns, spectral husks with gaping chest cavities that pulsed due to an unnatural void, their whispers chilling the air.

Raegar’s grip on Selene tightened, his heart hammering as the horde’s collective power pressed against his senses like a suffocating weight. ’’Drakenwood,’’ he whispered, voice barely audible, dread lacing every word. ’’They’re heading straight for it.’’

The Demoness’s eyes widened, her fingers digging into his arm, but she stayed silent, her gaze locked on the grotesque parade cutting through the forest’s heart. She shook her head and responded. ’’We need to get back and warn them before the students get hurt.’’

He nodded, his eyes sweeping the gnarled canopy of the Black Forest. The twisted branches were sturdy enough to bear their weight. With a glance at Selene, he realized they could leap across the boughs, staying above the horde’s path and out of sight.

Following that, Raegar led the way through the Black Forest’s canopy, his movements quick and silent as he leaped from branch to branch, Selene close behind. The school’s distant spires beckoned through the darkness.

His daggers gleamed faintly in his hands, Fire and Lightning Aether flickering along their edges as he scanned the shadows below for threats. A sudden skittering sound froze his blood.

From the undergrowth, three Nightwalkers erupted, their emaciated forms clawing up the trees with unnatural speed. Their coal-like eyes burned in eyeless skulls, jagged maws snapping as they lunged toward the pair.

Raegar reacted in an instant, shoving Selene behind him. ’’Stay back!’’ he hissed, then sprang forward, his body a blur of motion.

He Flash Stepped to a higher branch, drawing the enemy’s attention. The first lunged, claws raking the air, but he twisted mid-leap, his dagger slicing through its neck. Black blood sprayed as the creature’s head lolled, its body collapsing into the darkness below.

The second Nightwalker scrambled up the trunk, its spindly limbs thrashing. Raegar vaulted to a nearby bough, using the momentum to spin and hurl a dagger. The blade struck true, embedding in the creature’s chest, sending it shrieking to the forest floor.

He retrieved the weapon, his speed a flicker against the gloom. The third Nightwalker leaped from a branch above, aiming for Selene. Raegar’s heart lurched, but he was already moving. He Flash Stepped upward, intercepting the creature midair.

His twin daggers flashed, carving through its torso in a whirlwind of strikes. The Nightwalker’s body disintegrated under the onslaught, raining ichor as Raegar landed lightly on a branch, his chest heaving.

Raegar glanced back at Selene, her wide eyes locked on him, unharmed but shaken. ’’Come on,’’ he said despite the adrenaline coursing through him. ’’We’re close, I think.’’

With a final scan of the shadows, he took her hand and resumed their path toward the school, the weight of the forest’s threats pressing ever closer.

Following that, the couple pressed forward, leaping across the branches, the school’s promise of refuge driving their every step. His daggers glinted as he moved, his senses razor-sharp for any further threats.

Selene matched his pace, her breaths quick but steady. The forest’s suffocating gloom began to thin, the tangled canopy giving way to slivers of faint starlight. His heart lifted as they neared the edge of the Black Forest, the school’s towering walls visible.