The Alphas Reincarnation Stats of a Wolf

The Abyss Beckons

The doorway yawned open, a gaping maw of obsidian shadows. Zephyr hesitated at its threshold, the weight of the black blade in his hand more than physical. It pulsed faintly, its cold energy threading through his veins like a second heartbeat, reminding him of its presence with every step.

Kierra and Ryu followed silently, their unease palpable. Ryu's claws flexed at his sides, his golden eyes darting to every flicker in the gloom. Kierra's daggers remained unsheathed, her grip steady despite the tension coiled in her movements.

The corridor beyond the door was unlike the others. The air was heavier here, pressing down on them with an almost suffocating weight. The walls were etched with runes that glowed faintly, their jagged lines writhing as though alive. Every step echoed unnaturally, the sound twisting and distorting as it disappeared into the darkness ahead.

"It feels… different," Kierra murmured, her voice barely audible.

Ryu snorted softly. "Different? It feels like we're walking into a damn trap."

Zephyr didn't respond. He couldn't. The blade in his hand tugged at him, not physically, but with a strange, insistent pull that resonated in his mind. It was leading him deeper, and resisting it felt as futile as fighting the tide.

After what felt like hours, the corridor opened into another chamber. This one was vast, its walls vanishing into darkness. The floor was smooth obsidian, polished to a mirror-like finish that reflected the faint light of the runes above.

At the center of the room stood a massive construct—a figure of stone and shadow, its form humanoid but grotesque, its limbs elongated and twisted. Its head was featureless save for a single, massive eye that glowed with a malevolent crimson light.

As they stepped into the room, the construct stirred. Its movements were slow at first, deliberate, as though it were waking from a long slumber. The crimson eye locked onto them, and a deep, rumbling voice filled the chamber.

"The blade chooses, but the choice is incomplete. Prove your worth, or be consumed."

Ryu bared his teeth. "Great. Another trial."

The construct moved with terrifying speed. One moment it was standing still, and the next it was upon them, its massive arm sweeping through the air with enough force to shatter stone.

"Move!" Zephyr shouted, diving to the side.

The floor cracked where the construct's arm struck, shards of obsidian flying in every direction. Ryu was already charging, his claws glowing faintly as he slashed at the construct's leg. His strikes left shallow gouges in the stone, but the creature barely seemed to notice.

Kierra darted in from the opposite side, her daggers flashing as she aimed for the joints in the construct's limbs. Her movements were precise, calculated, but even her attacks seemed to have little effect.

Zephyr gripped the blade tightly, its cold energy flaring in response. He could feel it urging him forward, demanding that he act. He hesitated for only a moment before stepping into the fray.

The construct's eye flared as it turned toward him, and a beam of crimson light erupted from its center. Zephyr barely managed to raise the blade in time, the light striking the weapon with a deafening roar.

To his shock, the blade absorbed the energy, its surface glowing faintly as it drank in the construct's power.

"Zephyr!" Kierra shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos.

He didn't have time to process what had happened. The construct was moving again, its massive fist descending toward him like a falling meteor. Instinct took over, and Zephyr swung the blade upward.

The weapon cut through the air with a sound like tearing fabric, its edge glowing with the energy it had absorbed. When it connected with the construct's arm, the stone shattered, fragments disintegrating into shadows before they hit the ground.

The construct let out a deep, guttural roar, its movements growing more frenzied.

"It's working!" Ryu shouted, his claws tearing into the creature's other leg. "Keep going!"

Zephyr didn't need to be told twice. The blade felt lighter now, more responsive, as though it were an extension of his own will. He darted forward, the weapon cutting through the construct's defenses with ease.

But the creature wasn't done. Its eye flared again, and the chamber trembled as tendrils of shadow erupted from the floor, coiling toward them like living things.

Kierra moved like lightning, her daggers slicing through the tendrils with surgical precision. Ryu tore through them with brute force, his roars echoing in the vast chamber.

Zephyr focused on the construct, his vision narrowing until all he could see was the crimson eye. The blade pulsed in his hand, its energy resonating with the rhythm of his heartbeat.

He moved without thinking, his body guided by the blade's will. Each strike was precise, each movement purposeful. The construct's form began to crumble, its stone limbs shattering under the relentless assault.

Finally, with one last swing, Zephyr drove the blade into the creature's eye.

The chamber was silent for a moment, the only sound the ragged breaths of the three warriors. Then the construct let out a final, echoing roar before collapsing into a heap of shadows and stone.

The blade pulsed once in Zephyr's hand, its energy fading as the construct dissolved into nothingness.

Kierra approached him cautiously, her expression a mix of relief and concern. "You okay?"

Zephyr nodded, though his hands were trembling. "Yeah. I think so."

Ryu let out a low whistle, inspecting the remains of the construct. "Whatever that thing was, it wasn't holding back."

The chamber began to shift, the walls rippling like water. A new doorway appeared on the far side, its edges glowing faintly.

Zephyr sheathed the blade, his jaw set. "Let's keep moving."

As they stepped through the doorway, the shadows seemed to whisper around them, their voices faint but persistent.

The Citadel wasn't done. And with each step forward, its trials grew more brutal, more personal.

But so did their resolve.