Kael was ready, fully prepared to support Enta in battle. His body was tense, his muscles firm, and his breathing controlled, although inside, adrenaline coursed through every fiber of his being. He was about to step forward when the guardian approached him with a firm stride and spoke to him in a deep voice.

  “Go inside the orphanage and evacuate the children and the wounded...” Enta ordered, without taking his eyes off the wizard.

  Kael immediately frowned, indignant.

  “Don't be ridiculous! You need help to fight that wizard!” he replied, raising his voice.

  Enta placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. The contact was firm, heavy. When Kael looked up, he found himself looking at a face completely different from the one he knew. It was not the understanding guardian or the patient protector. It was the face of a wild beast. His eyes shone with a savage, dangerous intensity.

  “Listen to me, Kael,” Enta said in a low but threatening voice. “You've already made too many mistakes...”

  I won't let you put yourself in any more danger. Get inside the house or I'll hit you so hard I'll knock you unconscious.

  // -- no right of reply, idiot... obey or it will be worse for you... -- //

  For the first time, Kael felt the full force of Enta's fierce aura. It wasn't just power. It was instinct. It was territory. It was an animal ready to tear apart anyone who threatened his own. The guardian who understood and cared for him the most was now behaving like a true wild beast protecting his young.

  Kael swallowed hard and nodded, realizing there was no room for argument. He turned around and quickly entered the orphanage in search of Abel.

  It was just in time.

  The wizard, who had already struggled to his feet, finished standing up. His expression contorted in rage.

  “So you are Enta, lord of the beasts...” spat the wizard, wiping the blood from his lip. “That means that dwarf prodigy must be the heir to the Sungleys... So his name is Kael...”

  The pressure in the air changed.

  Enta flew into a rage.

  Wind magic began to swirl around him, kicking up dust, leaves, and small fragments of debris. In a single blink, he disappeared from where he stood.

  He reappeared behind the wizard.

  The impact was brutal. A sharp blow with his elbow to the back of the neck. The sound was like the crack of breaking wood. The wizard was thrown against surrounding walls, causing a burst of stone and a shower of debris that covered the street.

  “Don't you dare mention the young master's name with your filthy, disgusting mouth... you miserable freak of nature...” Enta growled, his fangs clenched.

  The wizard struggled to his feet. His body trembled, not from the blow, but from the fury boiling inside him.

  “Freak of nature...?” he repeated, with a bitter laugh. "Believe me, you're not the only one who's said that to me... Ever since I was a child, as soon as I discovered my magic, everyone told me that... Even the people I loved most... My parents.

  Enta looked at him without a shred of compassion.

  “I don't care about your damn life story.”

  The wizard smiled, but his eyes were completely empty.

  “Of course not... Since our dark magic was born, to the world we are nothing more than trash that must be eradicated... How fortunate for me that I will be able to slaughter one of Taratios' strongest guardians.”

  Suddenly, the ground cracked.

  A huge number of black tentacles emerged from the earth, writhing with a wet, slimy sound. They spread out like living shadows, seeking to envelop and pierce.

  Enta dodged them with almost supernatural agility. His movements were precise, feline. The wind propelled him forward as he spun around and advanced.

  When he tried to use his maximum speed again to appear behind the wizard, the wizard was already waiting for him.

  Tentacles sprouted from his own back like black thorns.

  Enta didn't have time to react.

  He was caught.

  The tentacles wrapped around his torso and limbs, growing rapidly, squeezing him until they lifted him into the air.

  Then they slammed him against the ground again and again, as if he were a weightless doll. The impact echoed through the empty streets.

  Enta gritted his teeth.

  He concentrated even more magic into his body. The wind began to compress around him, forming an invisible layer that strengthened his muscles. His figure widened slightly, his musculature becoming more brutally defined.

  With a stifled roar, he released the accumulated energy.

  The tentacles exploded into pieces of black magic.

  He landed on his feet.

  This time he would not insist on direct physical combat.

  Enta unsheathed his rapier with a clean metallic sound and took up a fighting stance. His posture changed. It was no longer just brute force: it was technique, lethal precision.

  “Don't think I'll let you attack me the same way twice,” spat the wizard.

  Enta tilted his head slightly.

  “That's to be expected... Don't worry. The attacks to come will not be repeated twice... because one will be enough to kill you, worm.”

  He pointed his rapier.

  He lunged into the air.

  The wizard moved instinctively, understanding the danger.

  Enta's attack was not a simple thrust. He concentrated his wind magic on the blade of the rapier, and as he executed the thrust, the compressed wind shot out from the tip at supersonic speed, the exact size of the blade.

  The invisible projectile pierced the wizard's shoulder.

  The perforation was clean, brutal.

  The wizard barely felt the impact before he realized that more projectiles were coming at him. Tentacles crossed in front of his body like shields.

  The guardian was now in serious mode.

  “Well, it's time to unleash more power,” growled the wizard.

  The dark magic ceased to manifest itself only as tentacles. Dense clusters began to take shape. Almost human, deformed figures made of compact darkness emerged from the ground and the air itself.

  They moved on their own.

  They attacked in perfect coordination, surrounding Enta, seeking to wear him down.

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  Enta understood the plan instantly. The wizard wanted to tire him out. Exhaust him. Force him to make a mistake.

  He increased his speed even more. Hitting these creatures would be useless; they were pure magic. He jumped high, looking for a clear angle to execute another attack.

  The wizard smiled.

  That was exactly what he was hoping for.

  “HAHAHAHA! You fell, you damn animal!”

  A shower of tentacles rose from the ground, stretching into the air like black spears.

  Enta showed no panic.

  His expression turned cold.

  He concentrated an enormous amount of wind magic under his feet. Part of that energy exploded downward, generating a compact base of air. An invisible floor.

  He used it as momentum.

  He lunged straight at the wizard.

  The wizard barely managed to tilt his body. The rapier missed his torso... but managed to pierce his thigh.

  Dark blood fell to the floor.

  The wizard was losing.

  And he knew it.

  .

  .

  .

  .

  Inside the orphanage, the atmosphere was completely different, but no less tense.

  Kael tried to move Abel carefully. The woman was unconscious, her breathing weak but steady. The interior of the building smelled of dust, old wood, and smoke. Some windows were broken; shards of glass covered the floor, and the structure creaked with every distant impact from the battle outside.

  “Come on... come on...” Kael muttered under his breath as he tried to settle her on his shoulder.

  Suddenly, a window frame burst inward.

  A well-known young man landed awkwardly on the wooden floor. He was wounded, his uniform torn and his face covered in soot, but his eyes remained steady.

  “Brother, thank goodness you came,” Kael said when he recognized him. “Where is everyone else?”

  The young man was breathing heavily, but he replied with determination.

  “We managed to take refuge in a safe place. Everyone is safe. Only you two were missing. I came to help!”

  Kael clenched his teeth.

  “There's a lot of danger... A very powerful wizard is outside. I need you to take Mrs. Abel and leave. And don't come back!”

  The young man looked at him in disbelief.

  “But what will happen to you? Come with us!”

  Kael shook his head firmly, even though his heart was pounding.

  “I already told you... We are here to protect and serve the people of Cautares. Now please go. And if the lady wakes up, tell her that everyone is fine.”

  The young man hesitated for a second. His hands were shaking, but he finally nodded. He approached, took Abel carefully, and without saying another word, left through the broken window.

  Silence hung in the air.

  Kael closed his eyes for a moment.

  Kael thought: With this, the mission should be complete... We've rescued all the children...

  // -- because they just left and nothing happened... -- //

  Kael frowned.

  Kael thought: Does that mean there are more children involved? ... It's true!!! The forest!!!

  The air inside the orphanage became heavy, as if something invisible was watching him.

  // -- Something is wrong... this is not going according to plan... -- //

  Kael felt a chill run down his spine.

  Kael thought: So those emotions and feelings I felt... weren't just from the children here...

  // -- What exactly did you feel? -- //

  Kael clenched his fists.

  Kael thought: I felt terror... confusion... abandonment... But above all, a feeling of being in a very gloomy and distant place... As if someone were completely alone... lost...

  // -- Gloomy and distant... damn it... it's definitely in the damn Untamed Forest... again... -- //

  The name of the forest weighed like a sentence.

  Kael thought: Well, it's all or nothing... We've already risked too much. We have to do something...

  Meanwhile, outside, the battle continued with increasing violence.

  With great effort, the wizard managed to concentrate a massive attack. The dark energy accumulated in front of him like a miniature black sun. Then he launched it.

  The impact was devastating.

  A shockwave of dark energy struck Enta, who was surrounded by summoned creatures and tentacles. The ground fractured, the walls vibrated, and a cloud of dust and debris covered the entire area.

  The wizard, panting, raised his face.

  “Finally, you miserable beast...” he spat with a laugh. "Now die already! I'll give you one last quick attack so you can die.

  The dust began to clear.

  A silhouette remained standing.

  Enta.

  His body was covered in cuts and bruises. His clothes were almost completely destroyed. The fabric hung in tatters, revealing tense muscles marked by battle.

  But he was still standing.

  And his gaze... was no longer that of a knight.

  “It can't be...” whispered the wizard. “How did you withstand such a powerful attack?”

  Enta dropped his rapier. The weapon hit the ground with a dull thud.

  His voice was low but firm.

  “Let's end this... I will no longer be the polite knight... Now I will be the being you said I was... the lord of the beasts.”

  The wind began to swirl violently around the place. The atmospheric pressure changed; even the wizard took a step back.

  “Get ready,” Enta continued, “because I will unleash the animal inside me.”

  The air became extremely heavy.

  An enormous amount of wind magic emerged from Enta's body, enveloping him in a whirlwind that tore up the ground and ripped stones from nearby facades.

  His muscles expanded.

  His shoulders broadened.

  His hands began to transform, taking on curved, lethal claws.

  The structure of his body took on the silhouette of an anthropomorphic leopard, agile, powerful, deadly.

  He was not a knight.

  He was a predator.

  A true wild beast that had only its fangs, claws, and speed to kill.

  From a window, Kael swallowed hard.

  The sight of Enta in his purest form was both impressive and terrifying. He was an animal willing to die to defend his territory.

  “It's time to die, you damn worm,” growled the beast.

  He disappeared.

  In an instant, he reappeared behind the wizard.

  “You won't make me fall for that again, you bastard!” shouted the wizard, summoning tentacles from his back.

  But this time Enta did not back down.

  He lunged at him.

  His claws cut through the air, and with them, a sharp wind split the tentacles in two, as if they were dry branches.

  The cut reached the wizard's back.

  The claws tore his skin, leaving deep gashes.

  The wizard took a desperate leap forward and summoned a large number of creatures and more tentacles to try to stop the beast man.

  But Enta was no longer where he thought he was.

  The leopard moved at a speed that the human eye could barely follow.

  It was too late.

  With a single bite, he tore off an entire arm.

  The scream was heart-wrenching.

  “AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGRRR! DAMN YOU!

  Enta, still holding the arm in his mouth, spat it out with contempt.

  ”It's too late... It's time for you to die... and I won't be the one to do it.

  The wizard, disoriented, looked up at the sky.

  A huge wave of water descended like a liquid guillotine.

  At the same time, a solid fist of magic rock fell.

  The explosion was brutal.

  The ground sank.

  The air vibrated.

  Next to Enta, Laret and Caria stood up, enveloped in fury. Behind them were several armed soldiers, and Holley and Ken, equally tense.

  Ken wasted no time.

  “Soldiers! Go surround the entire district! Don't let any suspects escape!”

  “Yes, sir!” they replied in unison, dispersing.

  Enta, still in beast form, turned his face toward the young lords.

  “This whole situation is my fault...” he said in a deep voice.

  I take full responsibility for losing the young master.

  Laret stepped forward.

  “Is he okay?”

  “He's inside the orphanage... waiting.”

  Caria clenched her fists, magic vibrating around her.

  “Well, he'll pay for this disobedience later...” she said coldly. “Now let's slaughter this damn disgusting dark wizard.”

  From the window, Kael watched his parents' angry glances.

  // -- buddy... did you see how they looked at you... they looked at you like the parents of your girlfriend after you got her pregnant, without finishing school... you're finished... -- //

  Kael did not look away.

  Kael thought: Even so, I'm not afraid of them... but of that damn wizard... I can't help feeling uneasy... we're still not in control...

  The dust stirred.

  Slowly, the wizard rose from the rubble.

  He was covered in blood, missing an arm, his body torn apart... but he was still standing.

  And he was smiling.

  The wizard slowly raised his face. His breathing was irregular, heavy, but his eyes burned with unyielding madness. Dark blood dripped from the stump of his torn-off arm, mixing with the dust and debris at his feet.

  He stared at the newcomers.

  He knew he couldn't beat them.

  He knew it with absolute clarity.

  But he had no intention of giving up his prize.

  “Damn bastards...” he spat with a twisted smile. “You think you can beat me...? I AM IN CONTROL! I WILL WIN!”

  His voice echoed with a distorted echo, as if something else were speaking through him.

  And then it happened.

  An explosion rocked the interior of the orphanage.

  The side wall burst outward, sending fragments of wood and stone flying through the air. A being made of dark magic, with the grotesque shape of a gargoyle, emerged flying through the smoke.

  Its wings were vibrant black membranes, and in its claws it carried Kael.

  The two heroes and the three guardians froze for a second, stunned by the speed of the event.

  The creature was already soaring toward the sky in the direction of the Untamed Forest.

  From the air, Kael shouted at the top of his lungs:

  “STAY CALM! I'LL BE FINE!”

  The wind carried his voice throughout the district.

  Caria was the first to react.

  “GUARDIANS! GO AFTER KAEL! HIS SAFETY IS THE PRIORITY!”

  There was no discussion.

  Enta, still in his beast form, turned his body instantly. The other guardians activated their magic without hesitation and launched themselves in pursuit, following the trail of dark energy left behind by the gargoyle.

  The wizard raised his head and shouted in desperation:

  “Where do you think you're going? I'll kill you all! No one here will touch my prize!”

  Tentacles and creatures began to emerge from the ground again, forming a black wall in front of the heroes.

  But a slash of water, as thin as a blade and as powerful as a storm, descended in a straight line and severed every single summoning.

  It was Laret.

  Her face was hardened with rage.

  “You will die at our hands, you cursed monster,” she said coldly.

  Caria took a step forward, the earth trembling beneath her feet.

  “No...” she replied with a dark smile. “He will die at my hands, tortured and torn apart. Every damn dark mage will die at my hands.”

  And so, the three guardians set out in pursuit of the kidnapping of their young master, while two angry parents unleashed their fury on the mage who had orchestrated all this.