Chapter 380: Why are you injured?
It was loud as it reverberated through the entire building, the force of it shaking the walls and rattling the windows in their frames. Dust drifted from the ceiling beams as the echo rolled through the halls.
It was loud enough for Aria and Rymora to scramble to their feet, instinctively sticking closely to each other.
The three lords instantly attacked, seeing that it was just one Zygon beast.
They pulled out their swords at the same time and advanced without hesitation, blades flashing under the dim candlelight even as the Zygon beast dashed forward—huge, grotesque, and ugly. Its claws glinted wickedly as it swiped at them, sparks flying as steel met hardened talons.
But three against one wasn’t a fair fight.
No matter how strong the Zygon was, there was no real fear that they would have any problems disposing of it.
But with confidence came negligence.
They didn’t press the attack aggressively. Instead, they waited for the beast to strike again, like beasts always did. It was their nature to lunge mindlessly at their enemies.
Which was why it was astounding when, instead of attacking them head-on, the beast swooped right past them like a violent gust of wind.
For a split second, none of them moved.
Then the implications set in.
They all saw where it was headed.
Lord Drehk saw literal red as he bolted forward that very instant, realizing that the beast was heading straight for Rymora and Aria, who stood behind them near the dining table.
He moved almost immediately.
But it quickly became clear that he wasn’t going to be fast enough.
It was going to reach them before he could.
Savira had been positioned at the center and slightly behind them. She reacted instantly, attacking with her cain—which might as well have been a sword judging by the metallic sound that rang through the hall as it clashed with the beast’s claws.
The beast defended halfway, blocking part of the blow while deliberately allowing the rest to slam into its body.
The impact should have sent it backward.
Instead, it used the force to propel itself forward, shortening the distance between it and its target.
Rymora and Aria saw it clearly.
But they had no weapons.
Rymora instantly stepped forward, fully aware that she had an aggressive healing ability when it came to wounds.
Aria didn’t.
Aria would die.
Especially since she had yet to fully heal from the wounds she already carried.
Still, Rymora didn’t want to die.
Her heart thumped violently in her chest as she stared at the beast, noticing how much larger it appeared up close. Which meant its power was just as immense as its size suggested.
I can take the hit, she told herself, jaw tightening.
She had just made up her mind to attack before it got any closer—
When the beast opened its mouth.
Flames burst outward in a violent stream.
She heard her own scream tear from her throat before she was slammed hard to the side by the force of it. The heat scorched the air around her as she twisted instinctively, doing everything she could to ensure her stomach did not slam directly into anything.
Moreover, she was a werewolf.
Her baby would be fine.
Even as she hit the ground in pain, breath knocked from her lungs, her mind was focused solely on Aria.
Aria could not heal from another severe wound.
Her eyes barely fluttered open long enough to catch sight of the beast swiping its claws forward—
Directly at Aria’s neck.
Her mouth opened in a silent gasp as tears blurred her vision, preventing her from seeing the immediate aftermath.
All she could make out were blurred figures of the lords descending upon the beast in a frenzy before it could make another move. They slashed at its neck, its torso, its limbs—cutting it into pieces with ruthless precision before quickly setting what remained on fire.
The stench of burning flesh filled the mansion.
Aria, on the other hand, was already on the ground.
Savira knelt beside her with a deadly expression on her face—one mixed with immense concern—as she pressed a piece of cloth tightly against the area just below Aria’s neck.
The beast had missed her throat by mere inches.
Drehk had thrown his sword the moment he realized he wouldn’t reach her in time.
The blade had struck.
But not before the claws had torn into her flesh.
Blood was already pooling out beneath her, spreading across the polished floor.
Aria lay there, her breathing uneven, her voice carrying a tired edge as Savira tried to get her to remain still.
"Is it bad?" she asked, hearing the pounding of her own heart echo loudly in her head.
Instead of answering immediately, Savira pressed harder against the wound, visible concern etched deeply into her features.
"It’s not," Savira responded.
But the look on her face told a completely different story.
She continued pressing firmly against the wound just below Aria’s neck, speaking in a soothing tone that didn’t match the tension in her eyes.
Aria was bleeding much more than she should have been.
Savira gestured sharply toward her bag.
Rymora, despite the ache in her body, hurried to drag it to Savira’s side.
Aria looked pale.
Rymora looked just as pale as she stared at her.
Aria couldn’t stop the racing of her heart.
She knew she was badly injured.
She could see it clearly written across all their faces as the lords moved closer once the Zygon beast had been completely destroyed.
"Is there a way... a way for me to temporarily get my powers back?" Aria asked Savira, her eyes fixed on her face as Savira frantically searched through her bag for something that might help.
But Aria had barely finished speaking when—
The tension in the room doubled.
It shifted so abruptly it felt suffocating.
Everyone lifted their gaze toward the door at the same time.
A shared expression of fear passed between them.
Aria didn’t need anyone to tell her who had arrived.
It was Zyren.
Unlike usual, he wasn’t wearing his coat. His shirt was torn in multiple places, black blood staining his chest and streaking down his torso. His pants were mostly intact, but that hardly mattered.
His gaze was steady.
Too steady.
He stepped fully into the mansion.
And in the blink of an eye, he appeared right beside them from the main entrance.
Aria could see his face clearly now.
And she didn’t like what she saw there.
There was no visible panic.
No relief.
No warmth.
He opened his mouth to speak.
"Why aren’t you healing yourself?"
His voice was too quiet.
Quiet in a way that usually spelled danger.
Everyone except the lords and Savira instinctively moved farther away from him.
