The creature’s blank, white gaze settled on them, and an invisible weight pressed down upon their shoulders.

  Alynia recognized it instantly.

  “A Gravalorn…” she muttered in irritation.

  She didn’t bother hiding her frustration. These beasts were absurdly resilient, their stone bodies rendering them nearly impervious to conventional attacks.

  “We’re about to waste time… and energy,” she hissed through clenched teeth.

  But her instincts warned her before she could think further.

  Something moved in the shadows.

  A black streak shot between the rocks—swift as a gust of wind. In the blink of an eye, it shifted again, its fluid motion impossible to track.

  “What was that…?” Veil whispered, tense.

  The shadow leapt, vanishing behind them in the space of a heartbeat. A predator on the hunt.

  Alynia and Veil turned sharply in unison.

  The thing stopped dead in its tracks.

  The creature that faced them was an uncanny blend of wolf, cat, and hound—a shape both feline and massive, built for speed and power alike. Its thick, downy coat seemed almost silky beneath the pale glow of the lake. Jet-black along its back, fading to a brownish hue across its belly and legs, it blended perfectly with the cavern’s shadows.

  Its long tail lashed lazily at the air. Its ears—larger than Alynia’s—stood tall and alert. Its broad, powerful paws ended in hooked claws, ideal for seizing, rending, and springing forth with devastating force.

  Yet it was the creature’s face that unsettled Veil most: slender, calm, almost harmless. Like a docile beast—simply far too large to ever be a pet.

  Veil frowned.

  “A monster… or just an animal?” he wondered, confused.

  But Alynia knew better.

  Her expression hardened, her eyes sharpening with cold clarity.

  “What is a Furilithe doing here?” she spat.

  Her voice echoed faintly against the cavern walls, edged with annoyance.

  Veil glanced at her, puzzled.

  “A what?” he asked, hesitant.

  Alynia turned her head toward him. Her gaze was cold—not hostile, but cutting.

  “That thing doesn’t belong here,” she said flatly.

  Veil frowned slightly, his lips parting as though to press her further. But he stopped, eyes shifting between the beast and Alynia, as if trying to decipher her hidden meaning. For a moment, he hesitated. Then finally, he spoke.

  “Why?” he asked warily.

  Alynia raised her hand slightly—a short, sharp motion that silenced the question before it could take shape.

  “I’ll answer you if we survive,” she replied calmly, but firmly.

  The tone ended the conversation. Veil understood at once that this was no time for questions.

  He stepped back slightly, his eyes darting between the two creatures. The Gravalorn, armored in living stone. The Furilithe, swift as lightning.

  “One untouchable, the other impossible to follow… We’re screwed,” Veil muttered tensely.

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  He tightened his grip on his dagger and turned to Alynia.

  “I’ll take the Gravalorn,” he declared with confidence.

  Alynia arched a brow.

  “If that thing’s as fast as you say… you’re the only one who can deal with it,” he added with a crooked smile.

  Alynia didn’t reply immediately, but she couldn’t deny his logic. Veil was straightforward, brute force in motion. Against something that fast, he’d be outpaced in an instant.

  She gave a short nod.

  “Don’t do anything reckless,” she warned, her tone low.

  Veil couldn’t help but grin faintly.

  “Do you really think I’d screw up?” he teased.

  “I know you’re capable… but that doesn’t mean it’s without risk,” Alynia said calmly.

  He didn’t argue. Shifting to the left, he advanced cautiously into the cavern.

  The Furilithe’s gaze followed him, its tail swaying lazily. But Veil’s eyes were fixed solely on the Gravalorn. He drew a steady breath, trying to analyze the stone beast. There had to be a weakness.

  But before he could think further, the Furilithe struck.

  No warning. No sound.

  One moment it was still. The next—it was on him.

  “Shit, it’s fast—!” Veil cried, panic flaring.

  Alynia moved at once.

  A flash of steel.

  She stepped in, dagger raised, intercepting the monster’s attack. The Furilithe’s massive paws crashed against the blade in a brutal clash.

  Her muscles tensed under the impact, but she held firm, feet rooted in the stone.

  The Furilithe stared at her, its eyes gleaming with a chilling intelligence. Then, with a single effortless motion, it leapt back, retreating just as swiftly as it had come.

  Veil caught his breath, the shock still thrumming through his muscles.

  It’s toying with us… he thought grimly.

  But before he could thank Alynia, a deep rumble stopped him cold.

  Behind him, the Gravalorn drew in a massive breath, a searing heat spilling from between its jagged fangs.

  A cloud of steam hissed from its maw, the air around it heating in an instant. Then, in a slow, deliberate motion, it lowered its head. Veil felt his chest tighten.

  “…What’s it planning?” he muttered tensely.

  He didn’t have to wait long to find out.

  The Gravalorn raised one colossal paw, its stone claws biting into the ground. Veil tensed, bracing for a sudden charge.

  But the attack didn’t come.

  Instead, the cavern shook violently.

  The ground trembled beneath his feet as cracks ripped open all around him. Before he could react, the floor gave way, throwing him sideways, balance shattered.

  Damn it…! he cursed inwardly.

  The Gravalorn had slammed its paw into the ground with titanic force, fracturing the stone beneath.

  Veil scrambled to his feet, but too late.

  The creature charged, the cavern erupting in a deafening roar.

  He barely had time to react, throwing himself to the side at the very last second. He rolled across the stone floor, still disoriented from the earlier tremor. A heartbeat later, the monster slammed into the cavern wall, pulverizing a cluster of rocks in its path.

  Veil winced as shards of stone blasted outward in every direction.

  “That could’ve been me…” he muttered through clenched teeth.

  He pushed himself back up quickly, breath ragged.

  Alynia, meanwhile, was locked in a struggle just as intense.

  The Furilithe gave her no reprieve. A blur of black and brown whirled around her, striking again and again. Each attack chained seamlessly into the next, impossible to predict. The instant she blocked one strike, another was already upon her.

  Alynia caught a swipe of its paw, immediately springing back to avoid its snapping jaws.

  It’s too fast, Alynia analyzed, tense.

  Her muscles burned. Her breathing grew heavier. She wouldn’t last at this rhythm.

  Her eyes darted briefly across the cavern. Impossible to tell how Veil was holding up—she didn’t have the time to check.

  If this keeps up, I’ll have to… she thought, jaw tightening.

  She shook her head sharply, banishing the thought.

  No. Not now. Not at that cost, she growled inwardly, frustrated.

  She had to find another way.

  Veil, on his side, was just as exhausted.

  The Gravalorn was slow, but every strike was an earthquake. It allowed him no room to breathe. Each step of the stone beast sent tremors through the ground, and its massive charges split open the cavern floor with gaping cracks.

  Veil dodged yet another blow, but his stamina was faltering.

  Then… something changed.

  The Gravalorn, mid-charge, stopped dead.

  Veil froze as well, eyes widening.

  “Huh…?” he muttered in disbelief.

  Slowly, he lowered his gaze. He was standing at the edge of the lake.

  The Gravalorn was staring at the water, its body locked rigidly in place—as though something was holding it back.

  Veil understood instantly.

  “…It’s avoiding the water,” he whispered, focused.

  A spark of hope lit in his mind.

  Without hesitation, he raised his hands. Mana surged through his arms, crackling into his palms.

  The lake’s water stirred, lifting slowly, until a sphere of liquid formed above his head.

  He pushed it larger, forcing his reserves into it without caring about the consequences.

  His mana plummeted violently. A crushing fatigue pressed onto his shoulders, blurring his vision for a split second.

  “Hold… just a little longer…” he muttered through gritted teeth.

  The sphere swelled to an impressive size.

  With a sharp motion, Veil hurled it forward.

  The impact was immediate.

  Water burst against the Gravalorn, seeping into its fissures, saturating every crevice of its stone body.

  A terrifying scream ripped through the cavern.

  The monster froze.

  The Gravalorn’s howl shook the entire cave, its echo so violent it even halted the Furilithe mid-strike.

  Alynia, in the midst of blocking yet another relentless strike, suddenly spotted an opening in the Furilithe’s whirlwind assault. A chance she couldn’t waste.

  With fluid precision, she shifted her footing, releasing the pressure instead of dodging.

  “Now,” Alynia whispered, focused.

  Her body pivoted sharply, following the Furilithe’s momentum. Her dagger flashed, carving a deadly arc.

  The blade pierced straight into the creature’s left eye. A guttural roar tore from its throat as the Furilithe thrashed violently, leaping back in agony.

  Dark fluid spilled from the ruined orb, streaking down its fur, now bristling with rage. Its breathing quickened, its single remaining eye burning with feral fury.

  Alynia had already withdrawn, regaining her stance. Her breath came fast, but her movements remained sharp and precise.

  Veil, gasping, felt his body reaching its limit.

  Using that much mana…

  It had been a mistake.

  He shut his eyes briefly, forcing his concentration back into focus.

  A gust of air swept into the cavern through the opening high above.

  Come on… just one more, Veil urged himself.

  He gathered the last remnants of his strength.

  A sphere of wind spun into being in his palm, howling furiously as it condensed.

  His vision blurred, but he refused to give in.

  He struck.

  The sphere shot toward the Gravalorn’s legs, freezing instantly over the water-soaked stone.

  The beast’s joints locked in place.

  Another monstrous howl reverberated, shaking the cavern walls.

  “It’s… now or never,” Veil panted under his breath.

  One last time, he focused his mana into his legs, unleashing a burst of force.

  Dagger in hand, he lunged.

  Steel bit through frozen stone.

  A sinister crack split the air.

  The Gravalorn’s leg shattered, and a raw, ear-splitting roar tore through the cave.

  The massive body lurched, then collapsed heavily to the ground in a thunderous crash of splintering rock.

  Veil staggered back a step, chest heaving, heart pounding out of control.

  “Watch out… behind you,” Alynia’s urgent voice cut through the chaos.

  Veil froze.

  A deep sound rumbled from just behind him.

  “…This isn’t over,” he growled through clenched teeth.