Alpha Instinct

The leirions surged across the north bridge, outstripping the guards' attempts to cut it down. They were a large pack of lycanthropes, Trasgorian in origin, the most feared of all such hunting beasts. In mere seconds, the bridge was theirs.

Though some lycanthropes were ensnared in traps, many more broke through, with still more arriving.

The guards fought desperately to defend the bridge, but the sheer number of invaders was overwhelming—ten lycans for every guard in the village.

The lycans' claws, some eight to ten centimeters long, could slice through steel like cardboard. Some towered ten feet tall, their ferocious attacks sending fragments of flesh and limbs scattering like a butcher flinging scraps.

The guards were swiftly overwhelmed, and despair gripped the village. Once the alarm was raised about the north bridge's fall, the western guards immediately cut their ropes, destroying their bridge.

These guards hadn't anticipated such a swift and brutal invasion. The possibility of the north blockade falling so quickly hadn't even crossed their minds, and in doing so, they inadvertently sealed off the village's only safe escape.

The platform became a slaughterhouse with no way out. Leaping into Lake Zafir was practically suicidal. The fall was over twenty meters to a death field of jagged rocks below. Besen's pillars weren't deadlier natural barriers now, but their damnation.

Those caught in the open were instantly subjected to a ruthless attack. Screams of pain and despair echoed through the village, intensifying. The central area became a bloodbath, littered with human remains—a truly miserable scene.

A sudden silence descended upon the village after only a few minutes of the invasion. All those caught outside their homes had met their end. The lycans began sniffing the air with frenzied intensity, howling at Humbra's moons.

One by one, the houses were breached. Each crashing door was followed by fleeting screams, then an unsettling silence.

Leo was in his room, his mind racing with a sickening dread. Where were his parents? What had become of them? Should he try to find them? And Mia, was she safe? Each question was a hammer blow against his already crumbling resolve.

The sounds of splintering doors, howls, and screams pulled him back to his senses. He cautiously rose and peered through a narrow gap between the wooden planks of his window.

A massive lycanthrope, five meters tall with white fur, stood feeding on a woman's head. The sight stole Leo's breath, his stomach churning. A choked gasp escaped his lips.

The alpha lycan looked directly at Leo at that very instant, dropping the head and turning toward the house. Leo's father, Noah, was in the living room, his face grim, a kitchen knife clutched in his hand, ready to defend his family and buy them time to escape.

As the lycanthrope smashed through the door, a sweeping slash of its claws obliterated everything in the room. The blow cleaved Noah in two, his body falling in a gruesome heap amidst the shattered dining table and chairs.

Leo recoiled, a silent scream trapped in his throat. He staggered back, his legs trembling, and fell into the corner of his room. He was paralyzed by fear. He couldn't think nor even breathe. The stench of raw and metallic blood filled the air, choking him.

Seconds before the leirion burst into his room, a hand grabbed his arm, pulling him from his terrified trance.

"Run, my son...!" Leah, Leo's mother, whispered through tears.

They both jumped out the bedroom window and fled blindly. The albino lycan gave chase, along with two others nearby. They had covered about 40 yards when Leah spotted a water reservoir built beneath the platform, hoping to find shelter within.

Leah quickly helped Leo into the compartment. The heavy, thundering footsteps grew closer. As Leah positioned herself in the reservoir's small opening, a peculiar chill ran down her spine, followed by a sharp pain in her right leg that rapidly intensified.

The lycanthrope had reached her. With a predatory leap, it savagely tore off Leah's right leg.

In retaliation, Leah mustered her remaining strength and punched the lycan in the snout with such force that a sonic boom echoed through the village. BANG! The impact sent it flying backwards fourteen meters, crashing into a nearby warehouse.

"A Neumond?" the alpha lycan thought, its snout throbbing with pain.

The other two smaller lycans that were accompanying the alpha felt the reverberation of Leah's blow and scurried in fear.

While most lycans were driven by instinct, some evolved leirions—alphas, chieftains, and other mystical creatures—retained a degree of intelligence.

With some time bought, the mother and son hid in the elevator. Their combined weight snapped the rope, sending them plummeting to the bottom of the cylindrical reservoir, but they were lucky that day. The well was nearly empty, with only a few inches of water due to the lack of rain and constant use.

Leo's gaze locked onto his mother's wound. Blood pulsed from the ragged stump where her leg had been, staining the muddy water a sickening crimson. Bone gleamed white amidst the mangled mess of flesh.

Despite the well's depth, the high moons of Humbra cast a faint twilight glow inside.

"Son, I need you... to... to help me," Leah said through gritted teeth, forcing a smile.

Leo nodded, tears streaming down his face.

"You have to be strong, my little prince! Can you do that for me?" She asked, her voice strained but her gaze warm.

Leo swallowed hard, his throat tight with unshed tears. He knelt beside his mother, who leaned against the reservoir wall. He knew she had given everything to save him. He owed her this.

"Cut a strip from your... shirt... a thin one, please, baby." Leah requested.

Leo hesitated for a moment, his gaze fixed on the tattered remains of his shirt, before he ripped a long strip of cloth from the worn fabric.

"Now… I need you... to be strong! You are my prince... Tie it with all... all your strength around mom's leg. Please…" Leah's strength was fading as she spoke.

Leo's hands trembled as he looked at his mother's mangled leg, the raw bone gleaming in the dim light. Bile rose in his throat, but he forced it down. He would be brave for her, but he was just a child.

"Courage, son... I... I don't have much time. Mom will help you…!" Leah pleaded.

For a boy of ten years old, it was an intolerable nightmare. His father was gone, the village was a tomb, and Mia… he couldn't begin to think about it.

All he knew was that he had to be strong; his mother needed him. The lycanthropes' snarls and howls echoed above them, terrorizing them with their reminder of the danger they were in. He had to endure.

Leo took the strip of cloth and, with trembling hands, carefully wrapped it around his mother's leg as she whimpered in pain. She instructed him to tighten it with all his strength on a count of three.

"One... two... three... AHHHRG!" Leah cried out in agony as both tightened the tourniquet.

Leah had lost a lot of blood and was exhausted. She pulled Leo close, hugging him tightly, her body shaking. They remained silent in the dark well in the cold night.

Gradually, the lycans' howls faded, leaving only a heavy silence and a crushing sadness. Leah knew she didn't have much time; her wound was too severe.

"Son, listen..." Leah said, her gaze full of love.

"Yes, Mom."

"What I'm going to tell you is very serious, so listen carefully."

"Okay…" Leo confirmed cautiously.

"Soon Mom will go to meet Dad." Leah was interrupted.

"NO! No, Mom… I don't wanna be alone!" Leo implored. His voice cracked with despair.

He was the smartest boy in the village, had studied since he was very young, and fully understood the situation, but he didn't want his mother to confirm it.

"There is no other way, my son. Mom has lost too much blood, and there's no way for us to get out of here."

She looked up at the narrow opening, a faint circle of moonlight far above. Leah knew the walls were solid wood, and the reservoir was cylindrical; climbing fifteen meters to the top without help would be impossible for Leo.

They could attempt to break through the reservoir's bottom and escape into the lake. The drop was only four or five meters. However, she lacked the strength to break through the solid wooden floor. It was impossible.

They were trapped… condemned and trapped.