Chapter 36: First Bleed
Asher stood in composed silence, his heartbeat measured, each breath drawn with a focused calmness. In a blink, Virelass materialized in his palm, its blade resonating with a quiet hum, an eager whisper, as though thirsting to taste real blood and cleave through living flesh for the first time.
His gaze remained steady as he listened, leaves trembled in warning, rustling with increasing urgency. Whatever was approaching was fast, and it was drawing near.
The instant they emerged from the forest’s shroud and stepped onto the open path, Asher saw them.
’Wolves? How predictable. It’s always wolves or goblins, first to appear, first to die.’ The thought edged with irony
The first wolf lunged, its jaws wide open, fangs gleaming as it aimed to tear through Asher’s neck in a single, savage bite. But Asher moved, effortlessly, precisely, his body shifting sideways at the final instant, matching the creature’s speed with unnerving ease.
The beast’s maw snapped shut with a sharp crack, biting into nothing but air where Asher’s throat had just been.
Then, before it could even recover, a silver flash arced across its vision.
The wolf froze mid-step.
A breath later, its head slid cleanly from its shoulders, severed with such elegance it barely registered the strike before falling to the earth.
But Asher was already gone.
In the blink of an eye, he was on the move again. The wolves came in waves, surging from the front, flanking from the sides, closing in from behind. A coordinated hunt.