Paths Beyond (Under Rewrite)

Chapter 15: The Price of Blood

But amidst the chaos, Keen didn't hesitate.

There was no warning, no signal—just motion. Keen shot forward like a thunderbolt, his spear flashing in the blizzard's dim light. His speed was unnatural, his presence a force of nature tearing through the storm. The blizzard howled around him, frost creeping at his heels, but he didn't falter.

The old man's pale blue eyes narrowed slightly, his skeletal hands rising in fluid, deliberate gestures. Walls of jagged ice erupted from the ground, thick and crystalline, forming barriers between him and Keen. But Keen didn't stop. His spear met every wall with unrelenting force, shattering each icy defense into glittering shards. Each step drove the old man further back, his frail frame weaving sigils in the air with furious precision.

The storm's rhythm shifted. The barrage of falling spears paused, the chaos stuttering for just a moment.

Grey, panting, his breath fogging in the freezing air, lifted his head and squinted into the storm. And then he saw it—a space amidst the chaos.

An absence.

A spot where the storm didn't rage, where the green energy didn't gather. The air was still, clear—a fragile calm surrounded by devastation. The place where the old man had once stood.

"There!" Grey's voice cracked as he pointed. "Where Keen's pushing him! That's the only way out! MOVE!"

Wild grabbed Daunt, practically dragging him by his collar. Fleet, Root, and Charge each hauled up an unconscious squadmate, their faces streaked with sweat and frost.

Serene, her arms trembling, clutched Shot's arm tighter as Grey helped pull her forward.

"Keep going, Serene! Don't stop!" Grey urged.

Brawl, shielding the rear, moved last. His massive frame absorbed smaller shards of flying ice, but the pain was wearing him down. His burned shoulders bled freely now, his scorched flesh cracking with every motion. The giant hunter staggered, teeth clenched against the unbearable pain, but he didn't stop moving.

The storm was fighting back.

Icicles burst upward from the ground, narrowly missing Fleet's legs. Charge shoved a squadmate out of the way just as a shard speared the air where their chest had been moments before. Wild tripped, her boots catching on uneven ice, and Daunt had to drag her up again.

Serene's boots skidded on slick ice as Grey pulled Shot along, her leg leaving a bloody trail across the frostbitten earth. Grey's silver eyes flicked upward, his breath quickening as he saw the spears trembling again, green light pulsing within them.

The safe spot was getting closer—but the ice was faster.

A loud, guttural roar erupted behind them.

Brawl, just feet from the clearing's center, froze mid-step. A spear of ice had slammed into his shoulder, punching through his charred flesh and bursting out the other side. His massive form staggered, steam rising from the wound, blood pouring in thick rivulets. With a snarl, he reached up with trembling hands and wrenched the shard free, roaring through clenched teeth.

He stumbled forward, falling to his knees at the edge of the eye of the storm before dragging himself fully into the calm space.

Finally, they were there—breathless, bloodied, and broken.

The howling storm formed a swirling prison around them, jagged ice walls shimmering with emerald light. Outside, Keen and the old man clashed like titans, each strike sending shockwaves through the frost-choked battlefield.

The old man's icy shields cracked and shattered under Keen's relentless strikes, but new ones formed just as quickly. His pale blue eyes were alight with fury.