Chapter 3-The Cycle of Shadows

The snow-laden trees stood as silent sentinels; their branches heavy with the weight of the evening's sorrows. The funeral pyre crackled in the cold night, its flames licking hungrily at the bodies of Viktor's parents. Orange embers swirled into the sky like restless spirits, vanishing into the black void above. 

Kaavi stood motionless; his weathered face unreadable. The firelight deepened the lines of grief carved into his skin. At his side, Viktor's small form barely moved, his emerald eyes dull, reflecting the dying flames. 

When the last ember faded, Kaavi wordlessly gathered the boy in his arms, carrying him back to the cabin. Viktor didn't resist. He had nothing left to fight for. 

Inside, the warmth of the hearth did little to chase away the cold settling into the boy's bones. The bed felt too large, too empty. 

"Please… tell me more about Father," Viktor whispered. His voice was so fragile, it nearly broke in the air. 

Kaavi hesitated, something tightening in his chest. Artur…his son, his greatest regret. How could he tell Viktor the truth? 

"Rest now, Viktor," Kaavi said, pulling the blanket over him. "There will be time for stories when you're ready." 

Viktor's eyes fluttered shut, exhaustion swallowing him whole. 

Kaavi sat by the dying fire, staring at the flickering embers. But his mind was already elsewhere…reaching beyond the cabin, into the night. 

A raven perched high on a frost-laden branch. Kaavi's mind slipped into the bird's senses, his own sight dissolving into the creature's sharp vision. The forest unfolded before him in a shifting, ghostly haze of black and white. And then…movement. 

Shadows flickered through the trees. Men. Armed. Searching. 

Kaavi exhaled slowly. A second scouting team, sent to investigate the first one's fate. They had found the bodies. He saw their leader signal to the others…retreat. They knew they had disturbed something far greater than them. 

Kaavi's body ached as he pulled himself from the raven's vision. The years had worn him down, his power no longer infinite. Every use drained him faster. He could not afford reckless displays of strength. 

With a quiet whisper, he called the wolves. Their glowing eyes blinked open in the dark. A bear, a towering shadow among the trees, shifted its weight, waiting for his command. 

But this time, Kaavi would handle things alone.

Silent as a shadow, he slipped into the night. The forest, dense and labyrinthine, embraced him as one of its own. He moved swiftly, weaving through ancient trees, his steps barely leaving imprints in the snow.

The wind howled through the branches, masking his approach. Above, his raven guiding his path with unseen eyes.

Kaavi did not rush. He stalked. A predator hunting its prey.

Through the raven's vision, he tracked the intruders…five men moving cautiously, their breath curling in the cold air. Their leader, the bone-armoured warrior, strode ahead, spear-hand poised for an attack that would never come.

Kaavi circled them, cutting off their retreat. Every step was measured. Every motion, a thread in the web he spun around them.

The wolves lurked nearby, their glowing eyes barely visible in the undergrowth. The bear waited in the darkness; a silent guardian should the night demand its fury.

The intruders, oblivious to the death closing in, stopped near a clearing. One of them muttered something under his breath, rubbing his arms against the cold.

Kaavi stepped closer. Close enough to hear their breaths. Close enough to end them before they even realized they were being hunted.

And then Kaavi stepped from the shadows. 

"You've come far," he said, voice like distant thunder. "Only to meet the same fate as those before you." 

The leader sneered, his bone Armor shifting as he raised his arm. A spear-like weapon extended from his palm, jagged and gleaming with fresh, growing bone. 

"An old man dares challenge us?" His grin was cruel. "You must be the one responsible for my men's deaths." 

Kaavi did not answer. 

A flick of his wrist. The wolves lunged from the darkness, their snarls shattering the stillness. Fangs found flesh…except for the leader, whose armour deflected the attacks. 

His confidence wavered as he watched his men scream, their throats torn open, their bodies dragged into the snow. 

Alone now. 

The bone-armoured warrior roared and charged. His spear lashed out, a blur of pale death. Kaavi sidestepped with effortless grace. A second strike…Kaavi caught his wrist mid-thrust. 

The warrior gasped. 

A whisper of power seeped from Kaavi's fingertips, crawling like invisible tendrils through the man's body. His muscles locked. His breath hitched. 

"What… what are you doing?" the warrior choked. 

Kaavi's voice was steel. "Kneel." 

The man's knees hit the frozen ground with a crack. Terror flickered in his eyes as his body betrayed him. 

Kaavi pressed his palm to the warrior's forehead. Shadows swirled in his mind as he delved in…images flashing past in a violent blur. Orders given. Faces unseen. The name of the true master remained hidden, shrouded in secrecy. This man was nothing. A pawn sent to test the waters. 

"You're expendable," Kaavi murmured. 

Fear swallowed the warrior whole. His lips trembled as he understood…his life meant nothing to those who sent him. 

Kaavi's power wavered. His pulse pounded in his ears. He had overexerted himself. 

This needed to end. 

The wolves circled closer, golden eyes burning like embers. Kaavi released the hold on the warrior's body. 

"Run," he commanded. 

The man scrambled to his feet, bolting into the trees. But the forest does not forgive trespassers. The wolves and the bear lunged. The night swallowed his screams. 

Kaavi exhaled, bracing against a nearby tree. His limbs trembled. His heart hammered unevenly. The years were catching up to him. 

Through the raven's eyes, he searched for any other survivors. One presence lingered. Watching. And then, just as quickly, it vanished. 

Someone had escaped. 

Kaavi cursed under his breath. *They will return. And next time, they will not underestimate me. * 

By the time Kaavi returned to the cabin, dawn had begun its slow crawl over the horizon. He swung off the bear's back, patting its thick fur in thanks. The wolves settled in the snow outside, their silent vigil unbroken. 

Inside, Viktor still slept, his breathing deep and steady. He looked so small beneath the blankets, so fragile. But Kaavi knew…fragility would not be an option for him. 

Tomorrow, they would leave. The hunt would not end here. 

Kaavi sat heavily by the hearth, his thoughts lingering on the waxing and waning of the moon outside. 

*The cycle of shadows never ends. One falls, another rises. But no matter how deep the night, the sun always returns. * 

For now, they had a moment's peace. 

But peace was merely the pause between battles. 

And Kaavi would be ready.