Chapter 104. Victory in the Trial

Eryndor’s POV

We faced each other on the outskirts of the training grounds, an assortment of weathered stone pillars jutting upward like ancient sentinels. Dry dirt crunched beneath my boots, and the late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the clearing. Sylin’s voice rang out, sharp and demanding:

“Eryndor, is that the best you can do?” she shouted, frustration lacing her tone. “My elder siblings told me you fought like a god of battle back then. Show me! If you won’t, how can anyone trust their life to you?”

Her words struck a nerve. The idea of me as some grand hero irritated me more than I cared to admit. I wasn’t a hero—only a hunter on a mission. Deep inside, a familiar hunger stoked itself, a low growl of power that reminded me of my confrontation with the werewolf on Dolly’s farm.

I answered with a shout, furious and raw. In one swift motion, I tore the arrow from my shoulder and hurled the wolf that had clamped onto my other arm into the du