The forest was silent—a silence so oppressive it made the soldiers'' skin crawl. They trudged onward, their eyes scanning every shadow, every rustling leaf, for signs of the eldritch beast they sought.


    The air seemed heavier now,den with the faint hum of distant mana, and their breaths feltbored as if the atmosphere itself resisted their presence. Chapter Continue:


    Lucas motioned for the group to stop, his hand raised in a silentmand. He crouched low, his eyes narrowing as he peered through the dense underbrush. The soldiers followed suit, holding their breaths as they strained to listen.


    Then they saw it.


    It was enormous, farrger than anything they had encountered before. Its body glistened with an unnatural sheen, its surface appearing both solid and fluid as if it were a living mass of mercury. Its six legs ended in ws that seemed to carve into the earth with every step, leaving behind faintly glowing marks that pulsed with eldritch energy.


    Its head was grotesque—abination of angr, alien features and jagged spikes that framed its glowing, lidless eyes. The eyes were orbs of pure energy, shifting and swirling with a malevolent light. A deep rumble emanated from its chest, a sound that resonated in their very bones and made their hearts pound.


    "That''s it," Lyerin muttered, his voice barely audible. "That''s a true eldritch beast."


    The soldiers stared in awe and terror, their instincts screaming at them to run.


    Before anyone could move, the beast''s head snapped in their direction. Its glowing eyes locked onto them, and for a moment, the air seemed to freeze.


    "Did it see us?" one soldier whispered, his voice trembling.


    "Shut up," Lucas hissed.


    But it was toote. The beast let out an earth-shattering roar, a sound that tore through the forest and sent birds scattering into the sky.


    "It saw us!" another soldier cried, his voice breaking with panic.


    Lyerin''s expression darkened. "Run!"


    Chaos erupted as the soldiers bolted, their training momentarily forgotten in the face of pure terror. They crashed through the underbrush, branches pping against their faces and tearing at their clothes. The beast gave chase, its massive form barreling through trees as if they were nothing more than twigs.


    Its roars grew louder, each one vibrating in their chests like the toll of a death knell. The ground shook beneath their feet with every step the beast took, and the air was thick with the acrid scent of burning mana as the creature''s presence warped the environment around it.


    "Move! Faster!" Lyerin barked, his voice cutting through the chaos.


    One soldier tripped, his foot catching on an exposed root. He hit the ground hard, his cry of pain barely audible over the beast''s roar. Lucas skidded to a stop, grabbing the soldier by the arm and hauling him to his feet.


    "Go, go, go!" Lucas shouted, shoving the soldier forward.


    The group scrambled over a fallen log, their breathsing in ragged gasps. The beast was closing in, its massive form looming closer with every passing second.


    Lyerin suddenly veered left, leading the group toward a steep incline. "Up the hill! Now!"


    The soldiers didn''t hesitate, scrambling up the rocky slope as fast as they could. The beast hesitated at the base, its massive ws digging into the ground as it roared in frustration.


    But it wasn''t deterred for long. With a single, powerful leap, it began scaling the hill after them, its ws gouging deep grooves into the earth.


    "We''re not going to make it!" one soldier cried, his voice breaking with panic.


    "You will," Lyerin snapped. "Keep moving!"


    As they reached the top of the hill, Lyerin turned, his hand glowing faintly with an eerie light. He muttered a chant under his breath, the words sharp and guttural. A burst of energy shot from his palm, striking the ground at the beast''s feet. The explosion of light and sound momentarily disoriented the creature, giving the soldiers precious seconds to flee.


    "Go! Don''t stop!" Lyerin shouted, his voicemanding and unyielding.


    The soldiers ran, their legs burning and their lungs screaming for air. The beast roared behind them, its fury palpable, but it didn''t give chase.


    Finally, they stumbled into a dense thicket, the thick foliage concealing them from view. They copsed to the ground, their bodies trembling with exhaustion and adrenaline.


    For a long moment, the only sound was their ragged breathing.


    "Did... did it stop?" one soldier asked, his voice barely above a whisper.


    Lyerin peered through the foliage, his eyes narrowing. The beast was still at the top of the hill, its massive form silhouetted against the faint glow of the moon. It roared one final time before turning and disappearing into the forest.


    "It''s gone," Lyerin said, his tone clipped.


    The soldiers let out shaky breaths of relief, some of themughing nervously, others too stunned to react.


    "That... that was almost it for us," Lucas said, his voice hoarse.


    "Almost," Lyerin agreed. He turned to the group, his expression hard. "But not quite. And that''s all that matters."


    The soldiers exchanged weary nces, the weight of their near-death experience sinking in.


    "Let''s move," Lyerin said, his tone brooking no argument. "We''re not done yet."


    Reluctantly, the group got to their feet, their bodies aching but their resolve unbroken. The hunt wasn''t over—not yet.


    The group had barely recovered from their frantic escape when Lyerin suddenly stopped. His usuallyposed expression was tinged with an unusual mix of weariness and thoughtfulness. He turned back, his sharp eyes scanning the dense forest behind them where the eldritch beast had disappeared.


    The soldiers, still catching their breath and leaning on trees or crouched low, exchanged uneasy nces.


    "Why are we stopping?" Lucas asked, his voice taut with tension.


    Lyerin let out a slow breath and looked at them, his gaze colder than they were ustomed to. "You all can go back to the camp," he said tly. "Leave me here."


    The soldiers froze, stunned into silence. Then murmurs of confusion broke out among them.


    "Leave you?" one of them echoed, incredulous. "What are you talking about?!"


    "You''re joking, right?" another added, his voice tinged with nervousughter.


    "I don''t joke about survival," Lyerin snapped, his tone cutting through their objections like a de. He straightened, his presencemanding as always, though now there was an edge of finality in his voice. "That thing is still out there. If it tracks us back to the camp, it''s over for everyone. I''ll make our trail invisible, ensure it doesn''t follow us."


    The soldiers were stunned into silence again, the weight of his words sinking in.


    "But... you can''t fight that thing alone," Lucas protested, his brow furrowed.


    "I can handle it," Lyerin said evenly, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of something deeper—calction, maybe even doubt. "What I can''t handle is it finding us all clustered together and taking out everyone in one strike."


    One soldier''s voice cracked as he spoke. "You mean... you''d let it find you instead?"


    Lyerin''s smirk was sharp but hollow. "If ites to that, yes. I''m the only one it would hesitate to strike outright."


    The soldiers erupted in protest, voices ovepping in a chaotic din of disbelief and defiance.


    "We''re not leaving you behind!"


    "That''s suicide!"


    "What kind of leader abandons his group like that?!"


    Lyerin raised a hand, his palm glowing faintly with mana, and the soldiers fell silent, cowed by the sheer authority in his gesture.


    "Listen to me," he said, his voice calm but firm, like steel wrapped in silk. "You all havee this far, worked hard, and proved yourselves more than just soldiers. You''re survivors. But this... this is beyond what you can handle. I''m not asking for your opinions. I''m giving you an order: Go."


    "But why?" one of the younger soldiers asked, his voice trembling. "Why don''t we all just move together? Can''t you—"


    "No." Lyerin''s response was curt. "If you stay, you''ll only slow me down. And worse, you''ll witness something you''re not ready to see."


    The soldiers exchanged puzzled looks, but Lucas''s gaze narrowed. "What do you mean by that?"


    Lyerin''s lips pressed into a thin line, his usual mask of detachment slipping slightly. He knew what they thought of him—a leader whomanded powerful creatures and controlled his environment through sheer intellect and strategy. They respected him, even admired him, but only because they didn''t fully understand the depths of his power.


    "Don''t make me repeat myself," Lyerin interrupted, his voice like ice. "This isn''t about trust or loyalty. It''s about survival. Go back to the camp. Now."


    There was a long, agonizing pause as the soldiers wrestled with the impossible choiceid before them. Finally, one by one, they began to retreat, their steps hesitant and filled with reluctance.


    Lucas lingered, his fists clenched at his sides. "You bettere back," he said, his voice shaking with suppressed emotion.


    Lyerin gave a faint, wry smile. "I always do."


    As the soldiers disappeared into the forest, their footsteps fading into the distance, Lyerin turned his gaze back to the shadows where the eldritch beast had been. The smirk fell from his face, reced by a grim expression.


    "Let''s see if you''re as strong as you think you are," he muttered, his voice low andced with both challenge and resignation.


    He stepped forward, the air around him shimmering faintly with mana, and prepared for what he knew would be the fight of his life.