Renegade's Dominion

Braham was slow. Agonizingly so.

Had Ty been leading the charge, he would have long surpassed their current position by several miles. The wait, the drag, it was unbearable.

By any conventional standard, Braham was a speedster. His pace exceeded that of the fastest terrestrial creatures found on Earth by at least fivefold. An impressive feat on paper. But through the lens of Ty's transformed wolf form, that speed was a crawl. Maddeningly sluggish. Like trudging through mud in a lightning storm.

Yet despite the frustration bubbling in his veins, Ty kept his complaints to himself.

He had no other choice.

Only Braham knew the exact destination. Only Braham could guide them there. And Ty, despite his overwhelming urgency, trusted that the wolf male was giving everything he had to shorten the time it would take to reach Kaiden and the others. Braham wasn't slacking. Ty knew that much.

Still, patience was wearing thin.

Then, something stopped him mid-stride.

A foul stench, thick and putrid, invaded his nose like a violent wave of decomposing filth. Ty's paws skidded against the forest floor as his body came to a sudden halt. The odor was so noxious, so profoundly vile, that it eclipsed anything he'd ever smelled, like meat that hadn't just rotted, but had transcended decay and curdled into something worse.

Braham slowed behind him, evidently struck by the same wave of disgust.

As Ty turned his gaze toward the man, Braham met his eyes with a grim look. The expression said it all, they were close. The repugnant aroma wasn't just drifting from the distance. It was emanating straight from the location they were headed for.

So this was their enemy.

Not only had it been strong enough to overpower three Blumund Wolves including an Alpha, but it now flaunted a stench that made carrion smell like perfume. Whether this reek was a natural affliction or something supernatural, Ty didn't care to find out.

He had no intention of engaging directly.

There had to be another way.

He shifted back into his human form and positioned himself against the wide trunk of a tree, finding a stable place to rest his back. "Watch over my body. Don't let anything happen," he instructed firmly, his tone brooking no room for debate.

Braham nodded.

Ty inhaled once, steadying his nerves. Then, he let go.

"Out of Body Experience."

His consciousness detached, dissolving from his body in a ripple of energy, and reformed as a tiny wisp of light, small enough to rest in the palm of a hand. Weightless and swift, he darted into the air, surging toward the corrupted battlefield.

It didn't take long.

From above, Ty saw it, chaos unfolding.

Kaiden was locked in a brutal skirmish. It wasn't with another Goblin or beast. No. It was a bear, no, a monster. Towering over three times Kaiden's size, the creature stood upright, its body a tapestry of muscle and malice. Its presence radiated fury, a primal rage made manifest.

Kaiden was fast, agile. Ty watched as the wolf blurred into action, dashing behind the beast and sinking his teeth into the thick flesh of its neck. It was a clean strike, deadly even. The force of the bite would've crippled anything short of a monster.

But the bear barely flinched.

Instead, it reached behind with terrifying ease and gripped Kaiden by the neck. Like one might handle a twig, it flung him across the clearing. His body crashed into a tree with a sickening thud, splinters scattering like shrapnel.

Ty's gut clenched.

The fight was a massacre in slow motion.

Kaiden didn't stand a chance.

Scanning the area, Ty spotted the Goblins keeping a cautious distance. They weren't cowering, but they weren't foolish either. Their eyes were sharp, waiting for a moment, for Kaiden to create an opening they could exploit.

Smart.

But futile.

Kaiden wouldn't last long enough to provide that opening. The sheer gap in strength and scale was overwhelming. The bear wasn't just powerful, it was dominant, in every way a battlefield commander. Kaiden was barely a distraction.

Ty grimaced.

He felt it now, an odd aura radiating from the beast. Not just physical menace, but something else... something off. But there was no time to explore that mystery. Not when lives were on the line.

He moved closer.

The plan was simple: take control of the bear's body. Kill it from within. Not pleasant. Not clean. But necessary.

Even if it went against every part of him that still clung to his humanity.

He hated this, this responsibility to choose life or death. Killing never sat right with him, no matter how justified. But this wasn't about comfort. It was about survival. His morals could wait.

As Ty neared the beast, he prepared for possession.

And then—

[Notice! You have used Astral Possession on the bro—]

[You are on the verge of getting corrupted!]

A searing shockwave detonated through his mind. An explosion of agony cracked through his skull as if a thousand thunderclaps erupted in unison.

His wisp form convulsed violently, stretched thin, distorted, twitching with spasms as an alien force rejected his entry. Not just rejection, outright expulsion. He was forcefully ejected from the bear's body before he could even latch on.

And it didn't stop there.

His very essence began to unravel, vibrating uncontrollably. Sanity slipped through his metaphorical fingers. His form twisted like static caught between frequencies, and for a fleeting moment, Ty feared he'd be lost, forever a formless thought drifting in the void.

Desperately, he fought against the collapse, struggling to find his way back to his physical vessel.

His wisp tumbled back toward the forest where his body sat slumped against the tree.

And finally—

Contact.

His soul slammed back into his chest, forcing his body into a violent jolt.

"Uhfu! Uhfu! Uhfu!"

He gasped for air, choking, wheezing. His heart thundered inside his ribs, and sweat drenched his clothes. It was like being birthed from death.

"What the hell was that?!" he whispered, voice hoarse, eyes wide with horror.

It was close.

Too close.

Had he hesitated even a second longer, he would've shattered, mind, memory, soul, gone. Left a hollow wisp with no identity, no will. Just drifting. Nothing.

The fear slithered into his core and wrapped itself around his thoughts.

The idea that he might never again be himself... it paralyzed him.

He clenched his fists, forcing his breath to even out.

Across from him, Braham stood silently, eyes flickering with concern. He hadn't seen what had happened, but he had seen enough to be alarmed. Ty's sudden breakdown had shaken him.

And for Ty? Recovery was underway.