Chapter 24: Chief
Everything happened so fast. When Darian used his white power to heal the beasts, one of them went berserk and attacked.
*BANG!*
Niara landed a quick, brutal punch right in the beast's face. It flew back, slamming into the dirt walls, making everything shake.
"Kuin!" the wolf leader howled, stunned.
Before the dust even settled, a pair of red eyes appeared at the far end of the cavern. The creature stood instantly—as if it felt no pain... or had completely lost its mind.
Then it locked eyes with Niara. Those were the sinister red eyes of a Risen. It roared, but then its gaze flicked away weirdly.
"That can't be! His corruption was only at eighty percent—how is this possible?!" the leader growled.
Niara whispered to Darian, "His eyes and aura changed. That means he's fully corrupted now. This is the stage right before becoming a Risen. When that happens, we have to kill him immediately."
Darian had read about this in the library. A newly corrupted being was in a state even Mannaz could take down. When they were still "turning," they were stronger than normal—but once fully corrupted, their minds went haywire and they temporarily lost control, making them technically weaker. If they survived that, they'd stabilize into a full-fledged Risen.
It was universal law: no newly corrupted could live. Corruption had no cure. But...
'Don't kill him.'