Chapter 418: The Call Beneath the Stone

Sophia’s lungs burned.

Every breath came out in short, ragged bursts, her chest rising and falling too fast, too shallow, as if the air itself had grown thin and heavy around her. Sweat clung to her skin beneath her clothes, strands of hair sticking to her temples and neck. Her legs trembled each time she shifted her weight, the dull ache in her muscles screaming for rest she didn’t have the luxury to take.

The battlefield around them was a wreck of torn earth, broken stone, and fallen beast bodies.

Trihydras lay scattered across the clearing — some still twitching weakly, others completely still, their massive frames collapsed in awkward angles. The sharp metallic scent of blood saturated the air, mixing with the snow and damp earth and the faint sulfuric tang that always followed those creatures.

Sophia tightened her grip on her weapon, forcing her aching fingers to hold steady.

She couldn’t stop yet.

Not when the danger wasn’t fully gone.

A sudden hand touched her arm.

"Sophia."

She turned, breath hitching slightly as Orion moved closer to her, his expression taut with concern. His eyes flicked quickly over her posture, the way she favored one leg, the faint tremor in her hands.

"You need to rest," he said firmly. "You’re pushing yourself too hard."

She shook her head immediately. "I can’t. Not yet. I need to make sure everyone’s—"

"Sophia." His voice softened but carried authority beneath it. He gently turned her shoulders so she was facing the wider clearing. "Look around."

She hesitated, then let her gaze sweep the area.

The others were still fighting, but they had defeated most of the beasts. There was only a little to do now. And Ronan and the others... they were alive.

Orion’s hand tightened slightly on her shoulder. "We’ve taken most of them down. The people we came for are safe. You’ve done more than enough."

Sophia swallowed.

"I’m okay," Ronan told her with a soft smile. "The rest of us are okay too."

Her body finally allowed the exhaustion to surface fully now that her mind acknowledged the truth. Her arms felt heavy. Her legs threatened to buckle if she stayed standing too long. Her already twisted ankle ached more.

"You need to breathe," Orion added gently. "If you keep forcing yourself, you’ll collapse. And you promised me not to get hurt."

Sophia smiled softly. "I’m sure we already know I failed to keep the promise."

Orion smiled. "Yes, but at least don’t hurt yourself more, shorty. Get some rest. Ronan and I can take the other ugly beasts."

"Especially that one that looks like a bug," Sophia told him.

Orion chuckled. "Honestly, I don’t even know what that beast is... it’s new. But anyway, rest, shorty."

She exhaled shakily.

For a moment, she almost nodded.

Almost.

Her eyes drifted unintentionally across the clearing again — and then they stopped.

A dead Trihydra lay several meters away, its massive head twisted unnaturally to one side, lifeless eyes staring blankly toward the sky.

Sophia’s breath caught.

The world tilted subtly.

She was reminded of the first day she saw a Trihydra and the eyes that had stared back at her. The dreams she started having after that stare.

Her stomach tightened.

Her fingers curled instinctively against her palm.

Something cold slid down her spine, and she swallowed nervously.

But then she heard it.

At first, she thought nothing of it, but then it came again.

It sounded like someone was calling to her.

Her head lifted slowly, and her gaze shifted toward the cave that stood patiently.

There was no one around it.

Yet something about it pulled at her attention with an invisible hook.

Her heart began to pound faster.

A strange pressure formed behind her eyes, the same unsettling awareness she had felt before.

"Sophia?" Orion called softly, noticing the sudden stillness in her posture. "What’s wrong?"

She didn’t answer him immediately.

The sound came again.

Her skin prickled.

Her stomach twisted with dread.

And then—

A scream tore through the air. It was sharp and raw, filled with terror.

Sophia’s head snapped fully toward the cave.

Her blood turned cold.

Without thinking, she bolted.

"Sophia!" Orion shouted.

She didn’t slow.

Her boots slammed against the snow-filled ground as adrenaline flooded her system, pain temporarily erased by urgency. Every instinct screamed that someone inside that cave was in danger — that time was already slipping through their fingers. She couldn’t waste time, especially if it was a pack member.

"Sophia, wait!" Orion shouted again.

She heard rapid footsteps behind her.

The air shifted abruptly as Orion shifted mid-run, his human form dissolving into Noctis in a smooth blur of shadow and muscle. The massive wolf surged forward with powerful strides, closing the distance between them within seconds.

Sophia didn’t hesitate.

She leapt.

Her hands caught into Noctis’s thick fur as she swung herself onto his back in one fluid motion. He adjusted his balance effortlessly, never breaking stride as he shot toward the cave entrance like a living storm.

The shadows swallowed them as they crossed into the cave mouth.

Cold, damp air rushed against Sophia’s face.

The darkness pressed close, thick and heavy with the scent of stone, old moisture, and something darker — something metallic and wrong.

They barely had time to adjust to the low light when a figure burst toward them from deeper within the cave.

One of the cloaked figures.

He screamed as he ran past them, nearly colliding with Noctis’s shoulder before veering sharply and bolting straight out of the cave.

Sophia barely had time to register his face — the terror etched into every line — before he disappeared into the daylight beyond.

Her heart slammed violently.

"What—" she breathed.

Noctis didn’t stop.

He surged deeper into the cave, claws scraping lightly against stone as his massive body navigated the uneven floor. A low, dangerous growl vibrated from deep in his chest.

Sophia tightened her grip.

They moved further, and then she saw it.

Blood... lots of blood.

Two bodies lay crumpled on the stone floor — still, broken, lifeless. The metallic scent hit her, clogging her throat and tightening her lungs.

There were half-drawn symbols on the floor... drawn with the blood from the cloaked figures.

Her breath caught painfully.

Noctis’s growl deepened, vibrating through his entire frame, hackles rising as his gaze locked onto the figure in the cave.

A beast. It was chained, and it looked like it was embedded halfway into the ground.

Radiating an oppressive presence that made the air feel thick and unstable.

Sophia slowly slid off Noctis’s back, her boots touching stone carefully as her eyes scanned the horrific scene. Her stomach churned violently as the reality of what had happened here sank into her bones.

Her gaze lifted.

And met the beast’s eyes.

Something about them struck her with immediate, unsettling familiarity. The eyes looked familiar — extremely so — but they did not have the slits she was used to. They reminded her of the last ones she had seen in the shrine with Eldric, and it filled her with dread again as it watched her, rooting her in place.

Noctis shifted slightly, placing himself in front of her, muscles coiling tight with restrained aggression, his growl deepening into a warning rumble that echoed faintly through the cave walls.

The beast didn’t look at him, though.

His gaze remained fixed on Sophia with unnerving focus.

Slowly, a smile curved across his lips.

"So," the beast said calmly, his voice resonating through the cave. "You exist."

Sophia felt a chill crawl down her spine.

His eyes flicked briefly over her — measuring, assessing — before returning to her face.

"It’s nice to finally meet you."