Ep.24 Trial by Fire Part 3

Maya Pov

The forest grew darker with each passing minute, shadows lengthening between the ancient trees like grasping fingers. I consulted the makeshift map Rowan and I had pieced together during our tracking sessions—roughly an hour remained until I reached the beast's den. My hands trembled slightly as I folded the worn parchment, but not from fear.

Tonight, I promised myself, one way or another, this ends.

If death was waiting for me at the end of this path, so be it—but I would drag that monster down with me. The faces of my fallen friends from the orphanage flashed through my mind. Ms. Clementine's kind smile, forever extinguished. Each memory fueled the fire burning in my chest, hardening my resolve into steel.

The den appeared exactly as our intel suggested—a yawning mouth in the cliff face, black and forbidding. I crouched at its entrance, extending my magical senses into the darkness. Minutes ticked by as I searched for any trace of mana, but the cave remained silent and still.

Drawing a deep breath, I conjured a flame in my palm. The orange light danced across the stone walls as I ventured deeper, casting twisted shadows that seemed to move with a life of their own. Fear had no place in my heart now—there was only purpose, only the mission.

Bones crunched beneath my feet as I pressed forward. Some weathered and old, others... fresher. I forced myself not to look too closely at the smaller ones. The passage twisted downward, leading me to what appeared to be the beast's nest—a depression in the stone floor lined with torn fabric and splintered wood. Items stolen from its victims, no doubt.

But the Mutt itself was nowhere to be found.

Frustration burned in my throat as I retraced my steps, moving much faster now. Tonight, I repeated to myself. It has to be tonight.

Back under the open sky, I reached out with my magical senses once more. For several heartbeats, there was nothing—then suddenly, an overwhelming surge of mana pulsed from the west. My body moved before my mind could catch up, legs pumping as I tore through the undergrowth. Dirt kicked up beneath my feet as I vaulted fallen logs and ducked low-hanging branches. Nothing would slow me down. Nothing would stop me.

As I neared the source of the mana signature, I forced myself to slow down. Stealth could mean the difference between victory and death. I crept from tree to tree, each movement carefully measured. But when I peered around the thick trunk I'd been using as cover, I found only empty forest.

Confusion and frustration warred in my mind as I moved to the next tree, scanning the darkness. Something wasn't right. I reached out with my magical senses one more time—and my blood turned to ice as I detected an overwhelming concentration of corrupt mana directly above me.

A twig snapped behind me.

Time seemed to slow as I turned, my body moving with agonizing sluggishness. The sight that greeted me shattered every wall of courage and determination I'd built up over the months of preparation.

The Mutt loomed over me, its massive form blocking out what little moonlight filtered through the canopy. Blood-stained saliva dripped from teeth longer than my fingers, and its eyes—gods, its eyes—burned like coals in the darkness. Its fur almost pitch black, making it seem like a piece of night given terrible form.

This was it. This was the monster that had torn my world apart, that had burned my home and slaughtered my family. The beast that haunted my nightmares and drove me to push myself beyond my limits day after day.

As our eyes met, something changed inside me. The paralyzing fear melted away, replaced by a fury so intense it felt like my very blood was boiling. Mana leaked from my body in visible waves, and I welcomed it, let it flow freely. My body grew warm, resonating with my rage.

The Mutt sensed the shift in me. Its roar shook the earth and rattled my bones—a challenge, an acceptance of the battle to come. The sound echoed through the forest like a thunderclap.

Good, I thought, gathering my power. Let them hear. Let them all hear.

This was how it would end. Here, in this dark forest, with no one to witness except the ancient trees and the cold stars above.

I'm ready.