ShadowBound: The Need For Power-Chapter 608: Aftermath

For a long, suspended moment, no one spoke as the Burrowmaw’s massive body lay sprawled and lifeless across the shattered earth, its grotesque form finally still. What had once been a relentless, circling predator was now nothing more than a ruin of flesh and stone-scarred hide, half-buried in the crater it had torn open itself.

Steam hissed violently where Linda’s lingering ice met the scorched ground beneath, the sudden clash of extremes giving rise to thick fog that curled and drifted upward like a funeral shroud. The mist clung to the Burrowmaw’s corpse, wrapping around its broken frame as though attempting to hide the violence of its end. Lily raised an arm to shield her eyes as the last traces of blinding light faded from her vision, her breath uneven and shallow while she struggled to calm the frantic pounding in her chest.

The forest, which only seconds ago had been roaring with chaos—splintering earth, roaring myst, and shrieking fury—seemed to draw inward now, recoiling into an uneasy, unnatural silence, as if even nature itself needed a moment to comprehend what had just unfolded.

Liam landed a short distance away, his boots skidding slightly as they scraped across loose dirt and fractured stone, absorbing the recoil of his own devastating attack. The faint glow lingering in his eyes dimmed gradually, flames retreating back into his core as he straightened his posture and released a slow, controlled exhale through his nose. Heat still clung to him, distorting the air around his frame in subtle waves, but his stance loosened just enough to signal that the immediate danger had passed.

Nearby, Yuriel finally lowered his hands from the ground, his fingers trembling faintly as the strain of sustained earth myst caught up to him all at once. His shoulders sagged, a quiet grunt escaping his throat as he swallowed hard and stared at the Burrowmaw’s lifeless body. Disbelief flickered across his face, quickly followed by something quieter and far more complicated—relief, pride, and a gnawing sense of inadequacy tangled together in his chest.

’This thing didn’t even take ten seconds to kill after Edith’s signal,’ he thought, his breathing still labored. ’And yet... it felt like forever.’ His mind replayed the moment again and again, recalling how he had continued channeling his myst even as the Burrowmaw surfaced, forcing the earth to harden and resist, if only slightly, just to make sure the creature couldn’t retreat as the others executed their roles. His jaw tightened as the memory settled. He had done his part—he knew that—but standing here now, the difference in power was impossible to ignore.

His gaze shifted toward Liam, who stood a short distance away, drawing slow, measured breaths through his mouth as though grounding himself. ’I knew he was a monster,’ Yuriel admitted inwardly, watching the aftermath of that single, overwhelming strike. ’But seeing him do that up close... it makes him seem even worse.’ A bitter huff escaped him. ’Tch... what I’d give to be that talented.’

Meanwhile, Edith finally released the Whisper spell, the invisible thread that had bound their minds together dissolving as she pressed two fingers against her temple. A long breath left her lips—one she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding—as her heightened perception withdrew from the ground beneath them. The tremors were gone now. No more subtle vibrations. No more circling hunger lurking just below the surface, waiting to strike.

"Now that was something," she said aloud at last, her voice steady despite the exhaustion weighing heavily on her shoulders. She glanced toward the corpse, eyes sharp as ever. "To think killing a regular creature like this could feel almost the same as fighting a magical beast... or even a demon."

Linda took a cautious step back from the frozen remains, frost cracking and melting off her arms as she dismissed her spell completely. She grimaced at the sight, then turned her head toward Liam, eyes wide with a mix of awe, disbelief, and leftover adrenaline that refused to fade. "You didn’t have to go that hard, you know," she muttered, though there was no real complaint behind her words. "What if we got caught in the blast?"

"That wasn’t going to happen," Liam replied calmly, rolling one shoulder as he worked through the last remnants of tension in his muscles. His tone was flat, almost casual. "I promised I wouldn’t let anything happen to you guys, after all."

Linda blinked, taking in his words with a quiet sense of awe she didn’t bother hiding. Before she could respond, a low, familiar sound drew her attention. From the shadows at the edge of the clearing, the wolf-like creature padded forward, its four blue eyes glowing softly as it emerged fully into view. Smoke shook ash and fragments of shadow from its spiked fur before trotting toward Liam, its form already beginning to unravel into drifting darkness with each step it took.

Lily watched it go, a small, lingering smile touching her lips. Only after it vanished completely did she push herself to her feet, brushing dirt from her clothes as she also replayed Liam’s words in her mind.

That was when her gaze lingered on him—and she noticed the dark stain spreading across his attire.

Her eyes widened slightly as she took in the long cut slashed across his arm, blood soaking into the fabric. "Uh... are you okay?" Lily asked, genuine concern slipping into her voice and catching Linda off guard. "You’re, um... you’re cut. On your arm." She gestured toward the wound as if pointing made it more real.

Liam followed her gaze, looking down at his arm with a faint frown as he finally acknowledged the injury. The cut wasn’t deep, likely carved by one of the Burrowmaw’s legs when it erupted from the ground, but it had bled enough to soak through his sleeve.

"Yeah. I’m good. Don’t worry about it," he said evenly. Placing a hand over the wound, he summoned a controlled flicker of flame, the heat searing the skin as it burned the cut closed. His jaw clenched briefly at the pain, but he made no sound as the flames receded, leaving only the faint smell of scorched fabric and cauterized flesh behind.

As Liam finished tending to his wound, Edith straightened and rose fully to her feet. She brushed dirt from her knees and turned slowly, her gaze passing over each of them in turn—Linda still shaking frost from her fingers, Lily regaining her composure, Yuriel standing quieter than usual, and finally Liam at the edge of the clearing, already looking as though his thoughts were several steps ahead.

"We took that thing down because of coordination," Edith began, her voice calm but firm. "Liam’s plan gave us the opening, but it only worked because every single one of you played your part exactly when it mattered." Her eyes lingered briefly on Yuriel, then on the girls. "That was clean execution with no hesitation or panic. And that’s what matters."

She paused, letting the words settle before continuing. "This is a win. A real one. But we can’t afford to linger here."

Her gaze dropped briefly to the shattered earth and the massive corpse still steaming behind them. "The noise, the myst surge, the blood—this will draw attention. There’s a high chance other predators are already moving toward this area. If we stay, we risk another fight, maybe worse, and that costs time we don’t have."

Edith inhaled once, steadying herself. "I know you’re tired. Anyone would be after that. But there’s no room for rest right now. We stay on track and head for the center point. We move before something else decides to test us."

There was no immediate protest.

Yuriel was the first to respond, giving a short nod. The usual edge of arrogance was missing from his posture, replaced with something more subdued and thoughtful. "Yeah," he said quietly. "Makes sense."

Linda sighed, rolling her shoulders as if easing lingering tension from her muscles. "Guess sitting around would just make it worse anyway," she muttered, though there was no real resistance in her tone.

Lily nodded as well, her earlier fatigue pushed aside by a renewed sense of focus. "We’re good to move," she said, surprising even herself with how steady her voice sounded.

Edith took that in, her eyes noting the shift in all three of them. The Burrowmaw hadn’t just tested their strength—it had tempered them. Something had changed, subtle but undeniable, and for the first time since this trial had begun, they felt less like individuals thrown together and more like a unit.

Liam gave a short nod of agreement from the rear. "No objections."

"Good," Edith replied. "Form up."

They moved quickly, falling back into formation without needing further instruction. Edith took point once more, her focus sharpened. Yuriel positioned himself just behind her, alert and grounded. Lily and Linda settled into the center, closer together than before, and Liam drifted to the rear, his presence quiet but watchful.

As they began to move, Liam lifted two fingers briefly, shadow stirring at his feet. Smoke emerged soundlessly, coalescing into its familiar lupine shape before padding ahead. With a subtle mental command, Liam sent him forward, the shadow-beast gliding through the terrain nearly two hundred meters ahead, its glowing eyes already searching for movement, danger, or anything out of place.

The group pressed on.

As they walked, the forest gradually reclaimed its presence around them—branches creaking softly and leaves whispering underfoot. Linda, walking beside Lily, noticed something after a few minutes. Every so often, Lily’s gaze drifted backward, subtle and fleeting, toward the rear of the formation where Liam followed at a measured distance.

Linda smirked.

"Well now," she murmured, leaning slightly closer. "Is that a crush I’m sensing in the air?"

Lily flinched as if startled, nearly tripping over a root. "W–What? No!" she blurted, her face heating instantly as color rushed to her cheeks. "Don’t be ridiculous."

Linda raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Uh-huh. Sure. I know you better than anyone, you know. And that look? That’s not nothing."

"I said no," Lily insisted, a little too quickly, her voice lacking the confidence she clearly wanted it to have. She looked forward again, lips pressed into a thin line. "I’m not having a crush. Just... drop it."

Linda studied her for another second, then shrugged. "If you say so." A teasing grin lingered on her face, but she let it go. "Your secrets are your problem."

Lily exhaled softly, grateful and embarrassed all at once, and the group continued forward, their footsteps steady as they pushed deeper toward the center point.