Junho turned Shingo’s receiver in his hand. The dot on its small screen pointed beyond the village, toward the rocky ridges the cat had described. As he stepped away from the tree, the fruit’s light quickly faded behind him.
JunhoIt’s heading toward Jirrex’s home.
ShingoBe careful. It’s incredibly fast.
Junho nodded and Ruby checked the path ahead. Minjeong and Namjeong gathered the others and followed. Before they could continue searching for Durgan, they needed to protect the light keeping this village safe. Junho hurried before the dot could slip away again.
Junho: It’s heading toward Jirrex’s home.
Shingo: Be careful. It’s incredibly fast.
The village rooftops had barely disappeared behind the trees when blue light erupted beyond the ridge. A thick bolt of electricity tore beneath the clouds and washed the forest white. The thunder reached them a moment later, loud enough to make Junho flinch and the loose stones beneath his feet tremble.
JunhoOver there! Hurry!
Ruby lowered his body and broke into a run. Junho tightened his grip on the receiver. Whatever was happening, someone was fighting. Another explosion rolled through the footsteps behind him, and the group scrambled up the slope as branches whipped past their arms.
Junho: Over there! Hurry!
The forest below the ridge was scorched in patches. An enormous Jirrex crouched among broken branches. Junho hesitated at the sparks still jumping from its body, but the sound that followed was no roar. Jirrex was staring into an empty hollow between the rocks, sobbing so hard it could barely breathe.
JunhoWhat happened?
JirrexMy son… It took Jiji!
Tears ran from Jirrex’s eyes as it raised its head. Its forepaws clutched the ground as though trying to hold on to something already gone. When Junho asked who had taken him, Jirrex turned toward the woods where it had lost the trail.
Junho: What happened?
Jirrex: My son… It took Jiji!
Jirrex struggled to steady its breathing. A large black wolf had appeared beside its son. By the time the father turned, Jiji was already hanging from the creature’s jaws. When Jirrex tried to close the distance, the wolf’s body had unravelled into black smoke.
JirrexA black wolf. It vanished into smoke, then appeared somewhere else.
Every bolt of electricity struck the smoke left behind. Whenever Jiji’s small body appeared in another direction, Jirrex chased after him, only for the wolf to reappear farther away. The father lowered its head, unable to finish.
JirrexPlease. Help me find him.
Junho looked down. The darting dot had stopped inside the forest. He showed Jirrex the screen, and the creature rose before its tears had even dried.
Jirrex: A black wolf. It vanished into smoke, then appeared somewhere else.
Jirrex rushed ahead, changing course whenever Junho called out a correction. Branches shook as its huge body pushed between the trees. Near a small clearing on the far side of the ridge, the distance on the receiver finally closed.
Jiji lay beside a low rock. His body was green like his father’s, but curled on the ground he seemed smaller than one of Jirrex’s forepaws. The blue crystal at the end of his tail had caught among the grass. Jirrex called out before Junho had even stopped.
JirrexJiji! Daddy’s here!
Jiji did not move. As his father hurriedly lowered its head, a blast of dark wind struck its exposed side.
Jirrex: Jiji! Daddy’s here!
Jirrex lurched sideways. Before it could steady its feet, another impact hit the opposite shoulder. Scratches marked its cheek and flank; its eyes tightened in pain as one foreleg buckled. Junho turned to find the attacker, but the body that had appeared a moment earlier was already dissolving into black smoke. Before that cloud cleared, another dark shape materialized several paces away and struck again.
JirrexWhat did we do to deserve this attack?!
The father spread its legs to keep from falling toward its son. Electricity leapt from its back, but the dark traces moved faster. The others could not rush blindly into the fight. Junho crouched toward Jiji’s rock and listened for where the next blow would land.
Jirrex: What did we do to deserve this attack?!
The drifting smoke gathered in one place. Black paws touched the ground, and violet eyes emerged beneath a wind-tossed mane. This was more than a wolf with dark fur. Its body was larger even than Jirrex’s, with layers of sharp, sweeping fur from its shoulders to its tail and smoke circling around it. Jirrex drew in its wounded shoulder and looked up at the immense face.
ArkanDid you have a reason for killing Lulu?
Junho froze. Ruby looked up at the wolf’s face. Jirrex could only repeat Lulu’s name under its breath. The black wolf did not look away. Every breath slipping between its bared teeth carried anger.
Arkan: Did you have a reason for killing Lulu?
Arkan stepped closer, as though even Jirrex looking back at its son was more than he could bear.
ArkanLulu was the only family I had.
He said he had sought out Darkness after losing Lulu and gained the power to take revenge. Now he no longer had to cower behind someone else or watch helplessly while a friend fought for him. Jirrex’s eyes widened. Something in those eyes beneath the black mane recalled the small wolf trembling behind Lulu.
JirrexYou… You’re Neukgu.
ArkanI’m Arkan now. Every pet that tormented me is going to die.
Junho tried to step forward, but a ribbon of black smoke crossed his path. Jirrex shook its head. It was a misunderstanding, it insisted. First, Arkan needed to hear why it had gone looking for Lulu.
Arkan: Lulu was the only family I had.
Jirrex: You… You’re Neukgu.
Jirrex’s account was different from the one Junho had heard from Neukgu. Its story began with a sick son. Jiji had been weak from birth, exhausted by even a little movement. Keeping watch beside him had done nothing to make him better.
JirrexJiji was weak from birth.
JirrexI needed life water to cure his illness.
Life water could treat his condition. Then the pet shop collapsed, and a rumour spread that Lulu had escaped carrying its supply. Jirrex searched the woods, clinging to that news. It said that when it finally found Lulu, it had been relieved: at last, there might be a way to save Jiji.
Jirrex: Jiji was weak from birth.
Jirrex: I needed life water to cure his illness.
In Jirrex’s account, Lulu was standing beside a tangle of roots. The father had hurried toward him, then slowed when the small monkey recoiled. It began explaining that its son was ill and asked about the water.
JirrexCould you spare a little life water?
LuluI don’t have any! None!
Lulu’s voice had immediately turned sharp, Jirrex said. Instead of offering a bag or explaining what had happened, he began attacking to keep the larger creature away. Junho tried to fit the two accounts together. Neukgu had said Jirrex attacked without reason. Now Jirrex was saying Lulu struck first when asked about life water.
Jirrex: Could you spare a little life water?
Lulu: I don’t have any! None!
Jirrex explained that its body released electricity automatically when it was struck. The same thing had happened that day. The crystals along its back lit up at the first blow, and by the time it tried to turn away, the discharge had already begun.
JirrexNo! Stay back!
In its memory, the cry vanished beneath the flash. Lulu had been too close. The shock knocked him down and left him gravely injured. Jirrex’s voice sank as it described that moment.
JirrexI didn’t go there to kill Lulu. I only wanted to save my son.
Junho could not immediately decide which account was right. Before Jirrex could say anything more, the smoke around Arkan’s paws began to swell violently.
Jirrex: No! Stay back!
Arkan could not accept Jirrex’s explanation. Hearing that Lulu had attacked first sounded like an excuse that placed the blame on a friend who could never return. He bared his teeth across the clearing, and the smoke around his paws began to churn.
ArkanStop lying! You’ll lose what matters most to you, too!
His gaze moved past Jirrex to the little lizard beside a low boulder in front of his father. A broad stretch of empty ground still separated Jiji from the wolf. Junho saw Arkan lower his body as if measuring that distance. The moment he understood the look in those eyes, he ran toward Jiji.
Arkan: Stop lying! You’ll lose what matters most to you, too!
Jirrex saw where Arkan was looking. He planted an injured forefoot and tried to block the way to his son as the crystals along his back lit blue. Lightning burst straight toward the wolf.
JirrexStay away from Jiji!
The bolt struck the rock where Arkan had been standing. Only unraveling smoke remained. Almost at the same instant, a separate cloud rose beside Jiji, revealing a massive jaw and forepaws. The open distance had vanished in a blink. By the time Jirrex turned his head, Junho was sprinting the last few steps toward Jiji, reaching out to shield him.
Jirrex: Stay away from Jiji!
Junho seized Jiji and struck the ground on his knees. He supported the tiny head in the crook of his arm, curved his back, and put his own body between the little creature and the open jaws. There was no time to look for somewhere safer.
JunhoNo! Don’t touch Jiji!
Arkan’s mouth stopped just short of Junho’s shoulder. Black smoke brushed his jacket, but the teeth never touched him. Junho kept his eyes open and drew Jiji closer. He heard Ruby approaching behind him, yet the wolf had already halted.
Junho: No! Don’t touch Jiji!
The sight of Junho’s back brought another place before Arkan’s eyes. The dark clearing gave way to a sunlit riverbank. Sero had raised a hoof after blaming him for losing the silver fruit, and Junho had gathered the small wolf he used to be into his arms.
JunhoStop! Don’t hurt Neukgu!
The voice returned with the memory. The blow he had expected above his head had never landed; someone else’s back had stood in its way. Arkan looked at the present again. The arms around Jiji and the back blocking his teeth were the same. Slowly, the tension eased out of his open jaw.
Junho: Stop! Don’t hurt Neukgu!
If he pushed Junho aside, Arkan could reach Jiji. He lifted a forepaw, then stopped. He tried to imagine sinking his teeth into the arms that had once protected him, but he could not take that last step.
ArkanI can’t hurt Junho. He protected me.
Yet the memory of Lulu’s final moments would not leave him either. His gaze slowly moved away from Junho and settled on Jirrex, who was trying to reach his son. Jirrex turned his head and met the wolf’s gaze. The lifted paw returned to the ground. His jaws closed in front of the boy, but his fury found another target.
ArkanThen I’ll kill Jirrex instead.
As the wolf turned, Junho tucked Jiji deeper into his arms. He had hoped that moment of hesitation might spare them all. Arkan was already looking only at Jirrex.
Arkan: I can’t hurt Junho. He protected me.
Arkan: Then I’ll kill Jirrex instead.
Jirrex did not look away when the wolf turned toward him. Retreating would drive the fight toward Junho and Jiji. Instead, he angled his body away from them and raised the crystal at the tip of his tail. Blue electricity gathered inside it.
JirrexTail Crystal Shot!
He whipped his tail and sent sharp crystal shots racing toward Arkan’s chest. They pierced black smoke and buried themselves in the rock behind it. Jirrex immediately looked higher. The wolf stood on another boulder, smoke still breaking away from his paws. He had not run out of the way.
Jirrex: Tail Crystal Shot!
From the boulder above the missed shots, Arkan swept a forepaw sideways. Dark wind gathered along his claws, narrowed, and curved toward Jirrex like a blade.
ArkanShadow Gale!
Jirrex raised his forelegs over his chest. The crescent struck his scales and scored a long groove through the earth beneath him. Pain burst through his existing wounds as the force shoved him sideways. Before he could steady himself, the wolf’s outline was dissolving into smoke.
Arkan: Shadow Gale!
Jirrex dug in his hind feet to stop himself sliding. Before Arkan could vanish again, he swung his long tail, intending to cut through the entire rock beneath the wolf. Electricity spread from its tip into a thin, broad blade.
JirrexLightning Tail!
The blue crescent sliced through the place Arkan had occupied. As the boulder split, the wolf was already standing on a higher ledge. Jirrex turned without taking his eyes off him. Wherever Arkan appeared next, he meant to strike first.
Jirrex: Lightning Tail!
Jirrex stayed on guard after the electric crescent split the rock. But when Arkan dissolved on the ledge above, the next cloud rose directly in front of Jirrex, within reach of a single forepaw.
ArkanShadow Blink!
There had been no approach to follow. A paw emerged from the black cloud and raked his shoulder once. Jirrex flinched and struck back, but the wolf withdrew its claws and vanished again. Electricity cut through an empty cloud.
Arkan: Shadow Blink!
Jirrex groaned as the claws left his shoulder, but held his ground. A shot from one direction could not keep up with the wolf. He drew a short breath and lifted four crystal scales from his back into the air.
JirrexDorsal Crystal Blades!
The four blades spread like a fan. Arkan appeared a short distance away, and Jirrex sent them converging on him from separate angles. As the wolf crouched, four blue trails closed around his escape routes.
Jirrex: Dorsal Crystal Blades!
The crystals collided in a burst of blue light and shattered stone. What tore out of the center was smoke, not fur. Jirrex turned his head before he could even recall the blades.
A new black cloud gathered on empty ground beside the blast. Arkan had not squeezed between the four blades; he had left the encircled space entirely. As Jirrex tried to aim again, the wolf crouched low.
Wind split into two streams beside the reappearing wolf. Their dark ends hardened into long, pointed fangs and opened toward Jirrex.
ArkanFangs of the Void!
Before Jirrex could choose a way out, the fangs closed from both sides. Their pressure squeezed the breath from his chest. He spread his legs to hold his ground and fired electricity outward, but Arkan scattered into smoke before it reached him. Even after the jaws of wind loosened, Jirrex could not move at once.
Arkan: Fangs of the Void!
When the fangs of wind loosened, Jirrex released the breath trapped in his chest. He forced his aching legs straight and lined up three crystals before him. If scattered shots could not catch Arkan, perhaps a current wide enough to burn through the whole path could.
JirrexConductor Focus Cannon!
Electricity gathered between the crystals and surged into a thick beam. Dust blew aside as the blast reached straight toward Arkan’s boulder. The edges of the wolf’s body began to waver, but Jirrex kept firing.
Jirrex: Conductor Focus Cannon!
The cannon pierced the boulder. Stone glowed blue and split, and the smoke left where the wolf had stood unraveled inside the beam. Jirrex tried to lower his aim, but Arkan was already taking shape on lower ground beside the blast.
The wolf crouched beneath its path. When the current stopped, a brief silence opened across the clearing. Before Jirrex could call another crystal into position, dry leaves began turning in circles around his feet.
The small circles soon pulled at the loose earth as well. At first only dust and dry leaves moved, but then black clouds rose from the ground around Jirrex’s ankles. Winds rotating in different directions knotted into one.
ArkanNight Tempest!
Arkan remained at a distance, crouched low as he drew the wind upward. The small vortices climbed slowly to Jirrex’s knees and chest. Jirrex tried to step toward his son, but stones and broken branches lifted first around the claws he had dug into the ground.
Arkan: Night Tempest!
The storm grew taller than the trees. Layer after layer of dense cloud climbed across the sky, and violet flashes briefly revealed Jirrex inside. He had not even escaped the place where he first stood; he could only crouch as the wind tightened around him.
Electricity tore upward from his back, splitting clouds without reaching Arkan outside them. The wind compressed and burst, flinging broken stone across the clearing. Jirrex caught himself on his forefeet and barely stayed upright. Through the thinning cloud, he saw the black wolf’s eyes again.
Firing wildly inside the storm had brought Jirrex no closer to hitting Arkan. He swallowed a ragged breath and watched for the next appearance. Each time the wolf returned, all four paws touched the ground for one brief instant. That was the opening he needed.
Every crystal along his back lit at once. Instead of scattering the current, he compressed it into one point before his face, forming a huge lance of light. Three crystals steadied its base.
JirrexJirrex’s Plasma!
A black forepaw touched the boulder beyond the cloud. Jirrex did not wait for the wolf’s face to appear fully. He fired the lance at that spot.
Jirrex: Jirrex’s Plasma!
This time, the smoke did not unravel first. The blue lance struck Arkan squarely in the shoulder just as he became solid. Electricity spread across black fur, and his huge body recoiled.
ArkanGah!
Jirrex clenched his jaws and kept driving the light forward. Arkan’s paws slipped on the boulder, and a small patch of shoulder fur singed. This was no empty space he had struck. But the crystals holding the current were fading quickly. When the beam broke off, the scattered smoke began drawing back toward the wolf.
Arkan: Gah!
Arkan lowered his head and shook the last blue sparks from his shoulder. His eyes moved from the stinging patch to Jirrex. Being struck by an attack that had failed to keep up with him until now enraged him more than the pain.
ArkanThe days of letting others hurt me are over.
Smoke coiled thickly around his paws. Small stones rose from the ground, and his mane bristled in a violent gust. Jirrex began gathering electricity again. Any relief at finding an opening vanished before the deepening darkness.
ArkanThis ends now!
Arkan: The days of letting others hurt me are over.
Arkan: This ends now!
Jirrex gathered what strength remained and fixed his eyes on Arkan. If he could catch the moment the wolf became solid again, perhaps he could stop another attack. But this time Arkan drew up a denser cloud. His body broke down into black smoke from the paws upward.
ArkanSevenfold Shadow Hunt!
By the time the words ended, his face had vanished too. Jirrex lowered his stance. Wind pulled at the clearing from several directions, and then smoke began gathering into a solid shape just in front of one shoulder.
Arkan: Sevenfold Shadow Hunt!
The first strike came with teeth. Arkan appeared beside his shoulder and closed his jaws almost in the same instant. Jirrex twisted away, but could not escape the impact.
Electricity burst from the crystals along his back. The jaws that had struck him were already disappearing into loose smoke. As he turned toward that empty space, a new black cloud rose on the opposite side.
The second strike was a claw from the opposite side. Jirrex had to turn away from the direction of his own counterattack. Before his body followed, Arkan’s forepaw knocked aside his guard and swept across his flank.
Blue light followed too late. It split the empty smoke without catching a single strand of black fur. Jirrex lowered his head, searching for the next movement. The shadow directly in front of him suddenly deepened.
The third teleport ended directly in front of Jirrex. Arkan drove against the ground with his hind paws and swept a forepaw upward into the guard beneath his chest. The impact forced Jirrex’s raised forelegs apart.
Electricity kept firing as his head jerked back. But the wolf that had stood before him was gone. Empty ground opened in front of Jirrex, and a sharp disturbance came from behind his flank.
For the fourth strike, the wolf’s whole body crashed into him. Arkan appeared behind his flank and rammed him with a lowered shoulder. Jirrex’s hind feet slid, pushing him away from the rock he had hoped to lean against.
He stretched his tail to keep from falling. By the time the lightning in front of him could turn, the wolf that had charged was already breaking apart. Only pain and smoke brushing the ground remained.
The fifth shape turned low on the opposite side. Compressed wind curved along Arkan’s long tail, drawing a sharp black line across Jirrex as it swept past.
Jirrex strained to avoid falling toward his son. His counterbolt chased the wolf’s back, but scattered only smoke again. Before he could draw another breath, the sky above him darkened.
The sixth strike fell from above. As Jirrex looked up, Arkan’s forepaws burst through black smoke and drove down toward his shoulders. The legs holding him upright buckled, and the ground shuddered.
Jirrex poured his remaining electricity upward. Blue bolts pierced the place where the wolf had appeared, but that weight was already gone. Arkan was reforming from another direction. After trying to answer six strikes, Jirrex had no time even to recover his stance.
For the last strike, the dark wind gathered into enormous fangs. Arkan appeared at an angle in front of Jirrex and opened his jaws; the wind around him closed in with them. Jirrex’s lightning pierced the smoke left overhead and vanished.
JirrexAaargh!
The seventh impact drove his massive body into the ground. A black shockwave swept across the clearing, and the last spark from his tail snapped out in empty air. Jirrex tried to lift his head toward his son, then lowered it helplessly. Arkan appeared again on a rock a short distance away.
Jirrex: Aaargh!
Junho kept Jiji in his arms and looked toward Jirrex. The badly injured father could not rise. Black smoke began circling slowly beneath Arkan’s paws again. When Ruby stopped beside Junho, the wolf looked from one of them to the other.
ArkanStand in my way again, and even you will not be forgiven.
Junho started to call his name, but Arkan turned away. The dark mane and tail loosened into smoke until nothing remained on the rock. Junho could not follow. He could not leave the small body in his arms or the fallen father before him.
The two memories of that day had never met. The smell of smoke lingered in the woods, and Shingo’s receiver pressed cold against Junho’s hand.
Arkan: Stand in my way again, and even you will not be forgiven.