The Alphas Reincarnation Stats of a Wolf

A Descent Into Shadows

The staircase spiraled downward into an abyss, each step feeling less like progress and more like surrender. The weight of the Citadel pressed heavier with every moment, as if the labyrinth itself was growing impatient with their survival.

Zephyr's hand clutched the ornate box they had claimed from the last chamber. Its surface felt cold and faintly pulsed beneath his fingers, almost as if it were alive. The crystal, now dimmed, lay strapped to his belt, offering no more than a faint flicker of guidance.

"Another descent," Ryu muttered, his claws flexing out of habit. "I'm starting to think we're rats in a maze."

Kierra glanced over her shoulder at the darkness swallowing their steps behind them. "No," she said, her voice cold. "We're mice in a trap. The difference is, it already knows where we'll end up."

Zephyr didn't respond. He was too focused on the box, its weight far greater than its size. The Citadel hadn't given it to them as a reward—it was a burden, a promise of greater trials ahead.

The staircase leveled off into a narrow corridor, the walls etched with the same jagged runes as before. The air here was colder, thicker, as though it carried the whispers of something vast and ancient. The dim light cast long, flickering shadows on the walls, and every sound—every breath, every step—seemed to echo endlessly.

They moved in silence, tension coiling in the space between them. Zephyr kept his senses sharp, his gaze darting to every shift of shadow. The Citadel wasn't done testing them; he could feel it in the way the walls seemed to pulse with energy, the faint vibrations in the floor beneath their boots.

Then they entered the next chamber.

The room was vast and circular, its ceiling lost to darkness. The walls were lined with towering statues, each one carved from obsidian and shaped into grotesque forms: twisted humanoid figures with clawed hands, hollow eyes, and faces locked in eternal screams.

In the center of the chamber stood a massive, circular platform, its surface covered in intricate runes that pulsed faintly with a sickly green light. Suspended above the platform, hanging in midair, was an orb of pure darkness. It writhed and pulsed like a living thing, tendrils of shadow spiraling outward before retreating back into its core.

"What is that?" Kierra asked, her voice tight.

"A focus," Zephyr said grimly. "Or a seal. Either way, it's important."

"Important for what?" Ryu growled, his golden eyes narrowing.

The moment the words left his mouth, the statues came to life.

The sound was deafening—stone grinding against stone as the grotesque figures moved, their hollow eyes glowing with an unnatural light. They stepped down from their pedestals, their movements slow but deliberate, like predators stalking prey.

There were dozens of them.

"This feels excessive," Ryu muttered, his claws flexing as he dropped into a fighting stance.

"Focus!" Zephyr snapped, unsheathing his blade. The weapon hummed faintly in his grip, resonating with the energy in the room. "They're constructs. Their movements will follow a pattern."

"Then figure it out fast," Kierra said, her daggers flashing as she prepared to strike.

The first construct lunged, its massive claws raking through the air. Ryu met it head-on, his claws slashing through its arm with a burst of force. The construct stumbled but didn't fall, its movements unnervingly precise as it adjusted to the blow.

"They're regenerating," Ryu growled, dodging another strike. "This is going to take forever!"

Kierra darted past him, her daggers striking at the joints of another construct. Her strikes were precise, aimed at weak points, but the construct barely faltered.

"It's the orb," Zephyr said, his voice sharp with realization. "It's feeding them. We have to sever the connection."

"And how do we do that?" Kierra asked, leaping back as another construct's claws raked the air where she had been standing.

Zephyr's eyes locked on the runes covering the platform beneath the orb. The patterns were familiar, similar to those on the box he carried. They weren't just feeding the constructs—they were tethering the orb to the room itself.

"Buy me time," he said, moving toward the platform.

"Buying time means not dying," Ryu growled, catching a construct's arm and ripping it clean off. The stone limb crumbled to dust in his grip, but the construct kept moving, unbothered by the loss.

Kierra let out a low curse but fell into position, her movements precise and deliberate as she drew the constructs' attention away from Zephyr. Ryu, meanwhile, tore into them with reckless ferocity, his claws glowing faintly with energy as he carved through their ranks.

Zephyr reached the platform and knelt, his fingers brushing against the runes. They pulsed faintly under his touch, their rhythm chaotic, unstable. The box in his hand began to hum, resonating with the energy of the platform.

"Almost there," he muttered, his focus narrowing to a single point. The runes were a puzzle, their sequence designed to protect the orb. But every puzzle had a solution.

The constructs began to close in.

"Zephyr!" Kierra shouted, her voice sharp with urgency.

"I'm working on it!" he snapped, sweat dripping down his temple.

The box's hum grew louder, its vibrations syncing with the runes. Zephyr felt a surge of energy ripple through him, his mind connecting with the pattern. The Citadel wasn't just testing his resolve—it was testing his willpower, his ability to see through the chaos and find the thread of order.

The moment came in a flash of clarity. Zephyr moved his hand over the runes, tracing their pattern with the box. The platform shuddered, and the runes flared bright green before fading to black.

The orb let out a low, otherworldly shriek as its tendrils of shadow were severed. It pulsed violently before collapsing in on itself, leaving nothing but silence in its wake.

The constructs froze, their movements halting mid-strike. One by one, they crumbled to dust, their forms disintegrating as the energy that had animated them was extinguished.

Zephyr rose to his feet, his breaths ragged, the box still faintly pulsing in his hand.

"Didn't think you'd pull it off," Ryu said, his tone grudgingly impressed as he brushed dust from his shoulders.

"Neither did I," Zephyr admitted, his voice low.

Kierra sheathed her daggers, her expression unreadable. "We're still alive. That's all that matters."

The chamber began to shift, the walls trembling as another doorway opened in the far wall, revealing yet another corridor descending into darkness.

Zephyr didn't hesitate. He stepped forward, the box clutched tightly in his hand.

The Citadel had more trials waiting. And they were ready.