The Alphas Reincarnation Stats of a Wolf

Fractures in the Veil

The silence that followed the creature's destruction was not comforting—it was heavy, tense, as if the room itself was waiting for something. Zephyr's breath was shallow as he gripped his blade tighter, his mind replaying every strike, every movement the creature had made. Each step forward in this labyrinth didn't just test their abilities—it stripped away layers of naivety, forcing them to confront the limits of their understanding.

Kierra broke the silence, her voice low. "That wasn't just another test." She wiped a streak of blood from her cheek, her gaze fixed on the now-dimmed pillar. "It felt… personal. Like it was studying us."

"It was studying us," Zephyr replied, his voice laced with grim certainty. "That thing moved like it knew our weaknesses. It didn't just react—it countered."

Ryu let out a frustrated growl, the sound echoing in the vast chamber. "So what? We keep playing along, letting this place toy with us? There's no end to this if it keeps getting smarter."

Zephyr didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stepped closer to the shattered remnants of the creature, kneeling to inspect the faint traces of its energy. The air still shimmered faintly where it had stood, the remnants of its presence like a whisper lingering in the void.

The runes that had spiraled through the air were now scattered across the obsidian floor, dim and lifeless. Yet, as Zephyr's fingers brushed against one, he felt a faint pulse—a fleeting connection to something vast and unknowable.

The Citadel wasn't just a fortress. It was alive, a sentient construct that thrived on their struggle. Every step, every trial, was part of a greater purpose—one it hadn't yet revealed.

"We can't afford to think like that," Zephyr said finally, standing and turning to face the others. "If we let this place break us, it wins. We've made it this far because we've adapted. We'll keep adapting."

Kierra nodded, her expression resolute. "We're learning too. The Citadel isn't the only one that can evolve."

Her words settled in the air, a small spark of determination in the oppressive darkness. But even as Zephyr nodded, his mind raced. The creature had been more than a test. It had been a warning—a glimpse of the kind of challenges they'd face deeper within.

As if on cue, the room began to shift. The obsidian floor rippled like water, the edges of the chamber stretching and folding in on themselves. The pillar sank into the ground, its light fading completely, and the runes scattered across the floor dissolved into mist.

"Another transition," Ryu muttered, his claws flexing. "I hate these."

Zephyr tightened his grip on his blade, his eyes scanning the shifting walls. "Stay close. We don't know what's coming next."

The room folded into itself, collapsing and expanding at the same time, until the trio found themselves standing on the edge of a vast, open expanse. The ground beneath their feet was no longer smooth obsidian but jagged stone, uneven and treacherous.

Above them, the sky was a swirling vortex of dark clouds, streaked with veins of crimson lightning. The air was thick, charged with a static energy that made the hairs on Zephyr's neck stand on end.

And in the distance, towering over the horizon, was a colossal gate.

It wasn't like the previous doors they'd encountered. This one was massive, its surface carved with intricate patterns that seemed to shift and writhe as they stared at it. The gate radiated a sense of foreboding, as though it were a living entity, watching and waiting.

"That's where we're headed," Zephyr said, his voice steady despite the unease settling in his chest.

Kierra frowned. "And what's stopping us from getting there?"

As if in answer, the ground beneath their feet trembled. Cracks spread across the jagged stone, glowing with an ominous red light. From the fissures emerged figures—twisted, half-formed shapes that resembled the creature they'd just fought.

But these weren't as polished. They were incomplete, their bodies fragmented and unstable, as though they were prototypes of the abomination they'd faced before.

Zephyr's eyes narrowed. "More of them… but weaker."

"Weak or not, there's a lot of them," Ryu said, his claws glinting as he took a defensive stance.

The figures advanced, their movements erratic but purposeful. Each step they took sent vibrations through the ground, the glow from their bodies growing brighter.

Zephyr's mind worked quickly, analyzing their movements. They weren't coordinated—they lacked the precision of the first creature. But their sheer numbers made up for their lack of strategy.

"Kierra, stay mobile. Pick them off from the edges. Ryu, hold the line with me," Zephyr ordered, his voice calm and firm.

Ryu grinned, his earlier frustration replaced with anticipation. "Finally, something to hit."

Kierra was already moving, her daggers flashing as she darted into the shadows, her form blending seamlessly with the darkness.

The first wave of creatures reached them, their fragmented bodies pulsing with unstable energy. Zephyr met them head-on, his blade humming as he slashed through the closest figure. The creature exploded in a burst of red light, the force pushing him back a step.

"They're volatile," he warned, glancing at Ryu. "Don't let them get too close before you take them out."

Ryu responded with a feral snarl, his claws tearing through two of the creatures in one swift motion. Their bodies disintegrated, but the resulting shockwave barely fazed him.

"They go down easy," he said, his voice filled with grim satisfaction.

Zephyr didn't respond. His focus was on the larger picture—the pattern behind the creatures' movements, the way the cracks in the ground seemed to guide their emergence.

This wasn't just another wave of enemies. It was another test, another layer of the Citadel's twisted design.

And as he fought, he couldn't shake the feeling that the gate in the distance was watching, waiting for them to prove themselves worthy of whatever lay beyond.

The Crimson Threshold

The jagged battlefield was alive with chaos. The fragmented creatures surged forward in waves, their misshapen bodies glowing with volatile energy. Each step they took sent a tremor through the ground, their forms pulsing as if ready to explode.

Zephyr's blade gleamed under the flickering red light of the cracks beneath his feet. His focus narrowed, every fiber of his being locked on the battle unfolding around him. His mind worked furiously to decipher the rhythm of the creatures' movements—the way they seemed to emerge from the ground in clusters, their paths converging toward the group like predators cornering prey.

He took a breath, steadying his racing pulse. This wasn't just a fight—it was a puzzle. The Citadel wasn't testing their strength. It was testing their ability to adapt.

One of the creatures lunged at him, its limbs contorting unnaturally as it reached for his throat. Zephyr sidestepped, his blade cutting clean through its torso. The creature's body exploded in a burst of crimson energy, the shockwave forcing him to dig his heels into the ground to keep his balance.

"They're unstable," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "They're designed to punish recklessness."

From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Kierra moving through the shadows like a wraith. Her daggers flashed as she struck from the edges of the battlefield, each precise attack dismantling a creature before it could react.

"Keep them on the perimeter!" Zephyr called out, his voice cutting through the din of battle.

Kierra nodded, her movements fluid and purposeful. She vanished into the darkness, her silhouette barely visible against the shifting red glow.

Ryu, on the other hand, thrived in the heart of the chaos. His claws tore through the creatures with brutal efficiency, each swipe leaving a trail of disintegrating energy in its wake. Despite his size, he moved with surprising agility, his strikes calculated and devastating.

But the creatures weren't mindless. As the fight dragged on, their movements became more coordinated. They began to adapt, their attacks coming in tighter, more synchronized waves.

Zephyr gritted his teeth. "They're learning," he said, his voice low but filled with urgency.

The ground trembled violently, the cracks beneath their feet widening. From one of the fissures emerged a larger figure—a creature more complete than the rest. Its form was still fragmented, but its movements were deliberate, its glowing eyes fixed on Zephyr.

It was a sentinel.

The moment their gazes locked, Zephyr felt the weight of its presence. It wasn't just another enemy. It was a challenge, a direct confrontation from the Citadel itself.

The sentinel moved with terrifying speed, closing the distance between them in an instant. Zephyr barely had time to raise his blade before the creature's clawed hand crashed down toward him. He deflected the blow, the impact sending a jolt of pain up his arm.

The creature's strength was overwhelming. It wasn't just attacking—it was testing him, probing his defenses, searching for an opening.

Zephyr's mind raced. He couldn't match its raw power head-on. He needed to outthink it.

He shifted his stance, his movements becoming more fluid, more unpredictable. He began to lead the sentinel, guiding its attacks toward the jagged terrain. Each time it lunged, he sidestepped, forcing it to strike the uneven ground.

Bit by bit, he chipped away at its form, his blade finding weaknesses in its fragmented body. But the sentinel wasn't going down easily. Its strikes grew more ferocious, its glowing eyes burning brighter with each missed attack.

"Ryu! Kierra!" Zephyr called out, his voice sharp. "Focus on clearing the smaller ones. I'll handle this!"

Ryu hesitated for a moment, his claws poised mid-strike. But then he nodded, a fierce grin spreading across his face. "Don't die on me, Zeph."

Zephyr didn't respond. His focus was entirely on the sentinel. He could feel the weight of its gaze, the silent challenge it presented.

The creature lunged again, its clawed hand slicing through the air with deadly precision. Zephyr dodged, his movements guided by instinct and calculation. As the creature's momentum carried it forward, he saw his opening.

With a swift, deliberate motion, he drove his blade into the fissure at the center of its chest. The sentinel let out a deafening roar, its fragmented body convulsing as crimson energy erupted from within.

Zephyr staggered back, his chest heaving as he watched the sentinel collapse. Its form disintegrated into a cloud of glowing particles, the energy dispersing into the air like embers caught in the wind.

But there was no time to celebrate. The ground beneath them began to shift again, the cracks glowing brighter. The gate in the distance pulsed with a deep, rhythmic light, as if responding to their progress.

"We're not done yet," Zephyr said, his voice steady despite the exhaustion creeping into his limbs.

Kierra emerged from the shadows, her daggers still at the ready. "The creatures are thinning out, but the ground's becoming more unstable. We need to move."

Ryu joined them, his claws retracting as he surveyed the battlefield. "That thing you just took down—it was different. Stronger."

Zephyr nodded. "And there'll be more like it the closer we get to the gate."

The three of them stood together, their gazes fixed on the towering structure in the distance. The gate loomed like a monolith, its intricate carvings shifting and writhing as if alive.

It wasn't just a destination. It was a threshold, a promise of greater trials—and greater rewards—waiting on the other side.

Zephyr tightened his grip on his blade. The Citadel wasn't just testing their strength. It was shaping them, forcing them to grow with every step they took.

And he was determined to prove himself worthy of whatever lay beyond.