WHILE on the northern part of Axum, Helga gave another pair of winter clothing to Malaika. She found Malaika inside her late daughter’s room while gently brushing her long, wavy hair. “Thank you, Helga.” Malaika smiled, and she looked back at her reflection in the mirror beside the fireplace. She only wore her underpants and covered her body with a fur cloak. Malaika had just finished her warm bath. It had been three days since she was here, and her energy returned after she rested well. And she felt comfortable. Malaika always expressed her gratitude to the couple for helping her despite being a stranger.“May I do that?” Helga stretched her arms, reaching for the comb. “Sure.” She handed her the hairbrush, and then she removed her cloak. Exposing her bare skin. “I like your body markings, Mala. You’re a warrior indeed.” Helga appeared to amaze a

 ALLEKI waited until every member of his squad ran in a different direction. They had to take cover for now since it was the most sensible to do than fighting with all these magic users. He knew it would be a suicide considering their small numbers.Yulli stood beside the commander. They only moved until Kane and Luan passed from sight. It appeared that Luan was assisting the whale shifter, since his attribute was useless on this battlefield. Kane had to rely on the speed of his ride, unlike Luan, who could immediately shift into his lion form in case something happened to his halan cheetah.“Let’s go!” Alleki commanded before the swarming enemies reached them. He was in a defensive position before moving. They ran with the cheetahs and vanished into the thickness of the Vergifa forest. After an hour, they were regrouped as planned. All were startled to witness the heavily torn land bridge on their way. As if an exp

 THE generals of two territories fought with the swarming of enemies near the Bridge on the border of Hala and Axum. The Halan guards on border patrols were dumbfounded by sudden attacks coming from the other side.General Iljun of Hala immediately came to the rescue when the shifter from Valin’s squad, who happened to be one of the aerial guards of the delegates, reported that they were ambushed only an hour after they had sent the warriors to the border. They even assumed that the representatives led by Commander Alleki were in danger as they traveled to Baraf. The aerial squad did not cross the Bridge since they didn’t have a proper invitation to go to Axum. They were severely wounded, and Iljun’s army tended them until they fully recovered. “Let’s finish this, General Rikrus,” Iljun murmured to the elf general who stood beside him.Rikrus had already been fighting when he arrived along

 “FIGHT!” the announcer was more hyper than usual when he gave the signal to start the skirmish. The crowd was delighted at placing higher bets on the two champions. At a glance, they presumed that the challenger teams were weak because they were not as muscular as the shifter defeaters. Darkis attempted to fight, but Seti held his arms to stop him. He slowly lay down his sword.“You are getting us killed, Lioness!” There was a panic in the horse shifter’s eyes. “This is going to be over quick. Don’t move.” Seti was confident. “You are right, lady. This match will be over in a blink of an eye. We will ravish your body to satisfy our thirst, then you and your companions’ blood will spill here along with these weaklings!” said one of their opponents with a towering height. Probably around seven feet. He pointed out the dead bodies inside the cage, with their still

 MALAIKA and Frode reached Ethera after two days of travel. He suggested dropping by the market before proceeding to the stadium where the fight would be held. “Stay here. We can’t attract crowds in this clothing.” Frode jumped down from the saddle of his elk. He walked towards her and helped her remove her thick fur cloak. “Thanks. Please hurry. I’m getting impatient.”Frode nodded. They traveled continuously with only minimal rest to reach here immediately. However, Frode would train her magic control along the way. And she was glad to learn the basics of manipulating the water to harden it.Malaika looked at Xoxo, who was asleep, curling in her neck. The magical creature had been a great help to her. The lady who gifted it was so generous. She must be an ancient cave-dweller, and her magic remnants remained. She noticed the temperature in Ethera was warmer yet colder compare