Chapter 45: The Wrath of the Shadow King

[Imperial Camp — Northern Territory — Before Dawn]

Kael collapsed into the snow, blood spreading beneath him.

"YOUR MAJESTY!!!"

Cedric lunged forward. Grand Duke Lior roared and charged toward his fallen son, while Lucein and the Imperial Knights desperately formed a wall between Kael and the approaching Grimfangs.

But then Veyrith froze; the raven’s amber eyes suddenly widened, and his feathers rose as the shadows beneath him began to tremble.

SHHHHHHHH...

A strange pressure swept across the battlefield.

The Grimfangs stopped, every wolf stopped, every knight stopped, and even the wind seemed to die. Cedric slowly raised his head.

"...What is this?"

Lucein’s breathing became shallow; the air had suddenly become...heavy and crushing. As if something immeasurably powerful had descended upon the northern mountains.

The shadows beneath Kael began spreading. First...a thin line, then another and then—

BOOOOOOOOM!!!

A pillar of darkness erupted from the ground. The snow exploded outward, trees bent violently, and the sky itself seemed to darken.

Grand Duke Lior instinctively threw himself over Kael. "Everyone...BACK!"

The Imperial Knights stumbled backward; even the Alpha Grimfangs recoiled, and from the darkness...a figure emerged, long black robes, midnight-black hair, and golden eyes blazing with murderous fury.

Lytharion.

The Lord of Darkness stepped forward, and the moment his feet touched the ground—CRACK.

The frozen earth fractured beneath him, and the shadows spread across the entire battlefield like an ocean. His golden gaze fell upon Kael. The blood, the wound, and the unconscious body of his mate.

Something inside the deity...snapped.

Silence, an absolute silence.

Then Lytharion looked at Alpha Grimfang; his voice came out low. So low...it was almost a whisper.

"...You."

The Grimfang growled.

GRRRRRRRR...

Lytharion’s expression changed; the calm Lord of Darkness was gone, the lazy deity was gone and the husband who teased Kael was gone. What stood before them now...was Darkness itself.

His golden eyes burned like two dying suns; the shadows behind him rose, thousands of them. Tendrils of pure darkness stretched toward the heavens.

The mountains trembled, the clouds twisted, and the moon disappeared behind a wall of black.

Every knight froze and choked with the intense pressure of sandalwood. Cedric’s sword slipped slightly within his trembling hand.

Lucein stared in horror as his voice barely escaped. "What...what kind of power is this?"

Grand Duke Lior’s wolf form lowered instinctively; even the strongest Alpha wolves in the Imperial army felt their bodies screaming at them to submit.

Lytharion took one step forward.

BOOM.

The entire forest shook; he took another.

BOOM.

Several Grimfangs stumbled backward; the alpha Grimfang snarled and released another surge of pale lightning.

KRAAAAAAAACK!!!

The lightning struck Lytharion directly. It disappeared, not blocked, not deflected, simply...erased. Lytharion didn’t even blink; his eyes remained fixed upon the creature. Then his voice exploded across the mountains.

"HOW DARE YOU..."

The sky cracked.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Every knight dropped to one knee, every wolf lowered its head. The Grimfangs recoiled. Lytharion’s black aura erupted around him.

"...ATTACK MY MATE?!"

His voice carried through the mountains, across the forests, and across the northern territories. The very earth trembled beneath the authority of the Shadow King.

The Grimfangs roared, hundreds of them, but their combined roar was swallowed by the darkness. Lytharion raised one hand, his fingers slowly curled.

The shadows responded.

FWOooooooooosh!!!

Black chains erupted from the frozen earth, and they wrapped around the legs of the Grimfangs, then their bodies, then their throats as the creatures screamed.

ROOOOOAAAAARRRR!!!

One Alpha Grimfang attempted to tear itself free. It couldn’t. Lytharion’s eyes burned brighter as he stepped forward.

"Do you know...what happens...when something touches what belongs to me?" The ground cracked beneath his feet. "You disappear."

He closed his fist.

BOOOOOOOOM!!!

A massive wave of darkness swept across the battlefield; the Grimfangs were thrown backward as though they weighed nothing, trees shattered, snow erupted into the air, and mountains echoed with the force of the impact.

Several Imperial Knights covered their faces. Cedric stared through his arm. "He’s...not fighting them."

Lucein swallowed. "Then what is he doing?"

Cedric looked toward the battlefield. "...Punishing them."

Lytharion turned toward Kael; the moment his eyes landed upon his wounded mate...the fury in his expression faltered, only for a heartbeat, and then he moved. One instant, he stood among the Grimfangs; the next, he was beside Kael.

He dropped to one knee, his hands hovering over Kael’s bloodied body. For the first time...his fingers trembled.

"My Queen..." His voice was barely audible; he touched Kael’s cheek, cold and his golden eyes darkened. Behind him...the Grimfangs began to rise. Lytharion slowly turned his head and the entire battlefield froze.

His expression became terrifyingly calm.

"You hurt him, now..." The darkness behind him rose higher. "I shall erase every existence of you."

Grand Duke Lior stared at him for a moment, then immediately stepped forward. Lytharion turned toward him, the fury in his eyes softened by the smallest degree. He carefully lifted Kael from the bloodied snow and placed him into Lior’s arms.

"Take him back to the tent." Lior tightened his hold around his son. "Now."

One word, and it was quiet and absolute. Lior understood; he lowered his head. "I’ll protect him."

Lytharion’s gaze remained on Kael for another heartbeat; his fingers briefly brushed across Kael’s blood-stained hair, then his eyes returned to the Grimfangs.

"Start treating him."

Grand Duke Lior nodded, and without another word, he turned and rushed toward the imperial tent, carrying Kael against his chest.

Cedric immediately followed. "Protect His Majesty!"

The remaining knights surrounded them, but nobody dared look back. Because behind them...the Lord of Darkness had begun to unleash himself.

The Grimfangs stood scattered across the snow, hundreds of enormous beasts. Ancient predators that had terrorized wolf clans for centuries. They should have been terrifying. Instead...they were trembling.

Lytharion lowered his head; his black hair fell across his face and his golden eyes disappeared beneath the darkness.

Then—

CRACK.

Something changed; his body began to expand, his robes dissolved into shadow. Black smoke erupted around him, his bones shifted, his silhouette stretched, his claws lengthened and his teeth became enormous.

The darkness surrounding him became so thick that even moonlight could no longer penetrate it.

Then—

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

An enormous black wolf emerged from the darkness. Larger than any ordinary wolf. Larger than the Alpha Grimfang. Its fur looked like living night, swallowing every trace of light that touched it.

Its golden eyes burned through the darkness; the Imperial Knights stared from afar. Grand Duke Lior stopped at the entrance of the tent for half a second; he looked back, and he understood why the ancient texts called Lytharion the Lord of Darkness.

The enormous black wolf opened its jaws as a roar erupted.

"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRR!!!"

The mountains shook; snow cascaded from distant cliffs. The Grimfangs staggered; some tried to flee. Lytharion’s eyes narrowed as the shadows beneath every Grimfang suddenly opened.

FWOOSH!

One after another they disappeared, dragged beneath the earth, dragged into darkness. The beasts clawed desperately at the frozen ground.

SKRRRRRCH!

Their claws left enormous marks across the snow, but the darkness continued pulling. The Alpha Grimfang roared and released another massive surge of lightning.

KRAAAAAAAACK!!!

Lightning struck the enormous wolf; the black wolf didn’t move. The electricity crawled across its fur...then vanished into the darkness.

The Alpha froze. Lytharion raised one enormous paw.

BOOM.

The earth collapsed beneath it as a wave of darkness swept outward. Every Grimfang caught within it was dragged into the shadow realm. Their roars echoed for a moment and then disappeared.

One after another, they were gone.

The battlefield became empty, but Lytharion wasn’t finished. His enormous golden eyes turned toward the northern forest.

There were still Grimfangs hiding beyond the trees; his ears twitched as he could hear them. He could smell them. He could feel every heartbeat.

The enormous wolf opened its jaws, and the darkness around him expanded.

FWWWWOOOOOOOOSHHHHH!!!

The entire forest was swallowed by blackness; trees vanished, snow vanished, and light vanished. For several terrifying seconds...there was nothing.

Then the darkness receded, and the forest stood empty; not a single Grimfang remained. Lytharion stood alone beneath the darkened sky.

His enormous chest rose and fell, and and his claws dug into the frozen earth, and yet...his rage had not disappeared because all he could remember was Kael’s blood.

His mate’s blood.

The Shadow King’s gaze turned toward the imperial tent, and his expression became strangely still.

"No one..." His voice rumbled through the mountains. "...dares to harm what’s mine."

The enormous black wolf turned toward the tent, and for the first time since the Grimfangs appeared...the battlefield was completely silent because every Grimfang had been erased from it.

***

[Imperial Camp — Medical Tent — Moments Later]

THUD.

The enormous black wolf stepped into the camp; every Imperial Knight immediately straightened, and every knight dropped to one knee. No one dared meet the Shadow King’s eyes. Lytharion walked through them without saying a word; his footsteps were slow and heavy.

The air itself seemed to bend around him.

Then—

FWOOSH!

"CAW..."

Veyrith landed upon his shoulder. Lytharion stopped; his golden eyes shifted toward the raven. For several seconds...he said nothing, and then he reached up, his fingers closing around Veyrith.

The raven’s wings fluttered frantically.

"Caw—!"

Lytharion’s voice was dangerously quiet. "Didn’t I tell you to protect him?"

Veyrith froze. Lytharion’s eyes narrowed.

"Then explain something to me." His grip tightened, not enough to injure the creature, but enough to make his displeasure unmistakable.

"Why is my mate bleeding?"

"C-Caw..."

Veyrith lowered his head. Lytharion stared at him for another moment.

"You were created from my own shadow. You carry my power and yet you allowed something to reach him."

Veyrith’s feathers drooped. Lytharion finally released him.

"Consider that your punishment."

The raven immediately vanished into a swirl of shadow.

FWOOSH.

Lytharion watched the empty space for a moment and then turned toward the medical tent. The moment he stepped inside, his entire expression changed.

There, on the bed. Kael lay peacefully beneath several layers of blankets; his side was wrapped tightly in fresh bandages, and his face was pale, but he was breathing.

Lytharion stopped; for several seconds, he simply stared. The terrifying deity who had just erased an entire species of beasts stood completely motionless.

Grand Duke Lior, Cedric, and Lucein were gathered nearby; the moment Lytharion entered, they all bowed. Lytharion didn’t acknowledge them; his eyes never left Kael.

Finally, his voice came.

"How is he?"

"He is stable." Lytharion’s gaze shifted toward him as Grand Duke Lior continued carefully. "The physician has treated the wound. The Grimfang’s lightning caused considerable damage, but thankfully...the attack did not strike any vital organs; he needs rest."

The Shadow King gave a small nod, and silence settled over the tent. Then Cedric spoke cautiously.

"There is something strange, my lord."

Lytharion’s golden eyes moved toward him; Cedric swallowed. "The Grimfangs attacked the camp first...but they ignored almost everyone."

Lucein continued.

"They weren’t interested in the knights. They weren’t interested in the horses or supplies; they were interested only in His Majesty."

Lior’s jaw tightened. "I witnessed it myself. Every single Grimfang kept its eyes on Kael."

Cedric nodded. "And when the Alpha attacked...it went directly for him."

Lytharion said nothing. Lucein’s voice lowered. "It felt as though they were being controlled."

Someone had awakened the Grimfangs. Someone had driven them toward the northern territories and now...someone had directed them toward Kael.

Lytharion slowly walked toward Kael’s bedside; he sat beside him. His hand reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair away from Kael’s forehead.

Kael didn’t wake. Lytharion’s thumb lingered against his skin; his golden gaze softened by the smallest degree, but behind that softness...something ancient was awakening.

The tent fell silent. Outside, the northern wind howled through the trees and beside the sleeping Emperor...the Lord of Darkness remained awake, watching and waiting.