Chapter 16: DR And MK
Auren’s hand trembled slightly as he aimed his weapon at the beast’s face. He hadn’t expected his heart to pound this hard—this wild—just from facing it alone. The Night Stalker stood its ground, perfectly still, yet alert, its massive body radiating cold dominance. It could sense Auren’s intent, his tension, the surge of magic inside him. But the beast didn’t attack.
No. It waited.
And why wouldn’t it? It was confident—dead sure that no matter what Auren did, it could dodge his bullet. And honestly, it was probably right.
’Master! Let me! Let me take this one!’ Bigbird’s voice rang in his head, full of crackling excitement.
Auren gritted his teeth. ’Shut your beak, Bigbird. I know you just want to show off right now. But what am I gonna do once the magic backlash kicks in? Let the rest of the pack feast on my crispy roasted corpse?’
He cut off the phoenix’s suggestion immediately. Bigbird had been trying to push that idea since the moment the beast appeared. Sure, the phoenix’s power was glorious—explosive, even divine—but it came with a cost. And Auren had learned that the hard way.
It had taken him almost a year to master the Phoenix Soul technique—something only those with the activated bloodline of the Golden Phoenix could wield. But after using it once, the mana backlash nearly knocked him unconscious for three days. His body was scorched from within, his skin flaking, his mana core in shambles. He survived thanks to Robert and Marissa’s help.
It was powerful. But too risky.
That was his trump card. His final draw. And this wasn’t that moment. Atleast not yet.
So instead, he stayed calm. He forced himself to act composed, cool—like the Night Stalker didn’t bother him one bit. He knew from training that these creatures delighted in panicked prey. They enjoyed the fear. They liked watching their victims struggle, wounded, crawling away slowly like dying rabbits. The more pathetic the prey, the sweeter the hunt.
Like an icing on a human cake.