The Return Of The Exiled Villain

After almost two hours of pushing through the freezing forest, all four of them were tired, half-numb, and more than done with the cold.

Their breaths came out in thick white clouds, their boots sinking deep into the snow with every step.

Clunch... clunch...!

Ahead of the three of them, Selina slowly walked through the thick snow, muttering in annoyance.

"If we don't find a cave soon, I'm gonna—"

FWUMP!

She suddenly vanished.

"SELINA?!" Lyra shrieked.

Gray rushed forward, only to see Selina's legs sticking out of a huge mound of snow as she kicked wildly.

"WHAT THE—GET ME OUT OF HERE!" she yelled, her voice echoing strangely.

Gray grabbed her ankles and pulled her backward. Selina slid out, coughing snow, but behind her… the hole she made opened into a dark space.

"Wait… that's—" Selene blinked.

"A cave," Gray finished.

They brushed away more snow, and a hidden entrance slowly took shape, a small cave mouth completely buried under a thick layer of packed snow.

Without Selina's fall, they would've walked right past it.

"Ow… at least it was useful," Selina groaned, rubbing her shoulders lightly.

"A lucky find," Gray nodded.

They stepped inside the cave.

The cave wasn't too big, but big enough for all four of them to sit, move around a little, and even had a little space to make a fire.

The walls blocked the wind almost completely. It was still cold, but the air didn't cut like knives anymore.

"This is perfect… finally," Lyra hugged her fur tightly.

"We can make this work. We can put the fire here, in the center, and we can then put the meat in the snow," Selene added as she took a look around.

"I'm not moving for at least two minutes," Selina sat down heavily.

Gray dusted snow off his coat and turned to them. "Alright. Now that we have shelter… we need wood for the fire and meat."

"Figures."

"But," Gray continued, raising a hand, "before anyone steps outside, I'll check the surroundings first. I'll plant traps with my strings."

His eyes swept along the walls of the cave.

"And I want to see if there's anything useful inside here. Or anything dangerous hiding."

"I'll help you look," Lyra nodded quickly.

"I'll… rest for a second. Then I'll help gather wood." Selina lifted a hand at his words

"Mhm...!" Selene stretched her arms before finally speaking, "I'll stay near the entrance and watch for movement."

Gray nodded to them before they moved further into the small cave, eventually following a very narrow passage that was barely wide enough for both of them to squeeze through.

Their footsteps echoed softly, and the air was surprisingly getting warmer and less harsh as they advanced.

After a short walk, the passage suddenly opened up.

Both of them stopped.

"…What the hell?" Gray blurted out in complete surprise.

A massive underground chamber stretched out before them.

The ceiling glowed faint pink from the crystals stuck to the walls with long, sharp shards that gave the space a soft, otherworldly light.

On the ground, patches of green grass grew in small clusters, alive and fresh despite the freezing world outside.

And scattered everywhere…

Chunks of ore.

Black ore, silver ore, violet ore that pulsed lightly, and even gold-like stones mixed in between. Dozens of types... or maybe even more!

Lyra blinked in awe.

"This… this place is amazing…"

Gray crouched beside a cluster of stones and ran his fingers across one.

The surface was smooth and even, quite warm.

"These ores look expensive… very damn expensive…" His eyes shimmered with instant greed as he wanted to put them into his dimensional storage.

However, he didn't have the tools to do so... but maybe, his rapier would work. Besides, his attention was then caught by something else.

Past the ores, in the far corner of the chamber, a lake glimmered with pure, crystal-clear water that reflected the pink glow of the crystals overhead.

Mist rose lightly from its surface.

Lyra grabbed Gray's sleeve.

"Look… the water is clean!"

They walked carefully toward the lake, the grass brushing against their boots. Gray crouched down at the edge, scooped a handful of water into his palm, and took a slow sip.

He exhaled softly, the tension leaving his shoulders.

"Perfect. We have a water source now."

Then his expression twisted.

"…Which is pretty useless since we have Selina's spells."

"It's not useless! We can take a bath here!" Lyra puffed her cheeks.

"A bath?" Gray lifted an eyebrow.

"A warm bath… after all this cold… it would feel amazing," Lyra nodded eagerly.

Gray's lips curled slowly.

"Oh, really? I wouldn't mind sharing a bath with you three…"

Lyra's face turned bright red.

"H-Hey!" She stomped her foot lightly on the grass. "You can only share it with me, you idiot! Don't even think about the other two!"

"Relax. I was joking," Gray smirked and stood up.

Her cheeks puffed even more as she crossed her arms.

"No, you weren't…" she muttered.

They spent a few more minutes checking every corner of the huge inner chamber, touching the grass, checking the crystals, even tapping the walls to make sure there wasn't some hidden monster waiting to ambush them.

Everything stayed still and calm.

It really was the perfect spot for a small camp

Gray and Lyra exchanged a small look, both knowing they had found something far better than expected.

"Let's go get the other two," Gray murmured.

They turned back toward the passage, starting to walk out, but they didn't even take three steps before their blood ran cold.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

The screams ripped through the cave.

CRACKLE!

Instantly, Lyra bolted forward at full speed, golden sparks exploding from her feet.

Gray followed right behind her, calm but fast, his eyes narrowing as he let his strings unwind behind him.

They burst out into the main chamber and froze.

Selina and Selene were backed into a wall, both pale and trembling, while a full pack of Silver Wolves circled them with their silver fur raised and their eyes glowing like cold steel.

Eight of them.

Gray's expression tightened.

"Shit…"

Silver Wolves… monsters at the intermediate Master-realm.

He didn't waste another second.

Fwish!

Threads shot out of his fingers instantly, weaving into a thick web barrier in front of Selina and Selene.

The silver wolves snarled as the strands snapped into place, forming a tight wall between predator and prey.

"Stay behind that!" Gray shouted.

Crackle!

Lyra blurred past him, golden lightning bursting in all directions.

She leaned her body forward, feet barely touching the snowy cave floor, her hair whipping behind her as she summoned a long spear of pure lightning.

"GET AWAY FROM THEM!"

She slammed the spear down.

SPLURT!

One Silver Wolf didn't even have time to yelp. It exploded into neat, sliced chunks of meat, so clean it almost looked carved.

Everyone, Gray included, blinked at the violent precision.

But Lyra wasn't done.

CRACKLE!

She exploded forward, her body turning into a streak of gold as the lightning burst under her feet.

The moment Lyra reached the pack, she twisted her body to the side, dragging her golden spear through the air and carving a glowing arc.

CRACK!

The lightning-coated spear hammered into the first Silver Wolf's skull with a deafening snap. Its head shattered apart, dissolving into neat, flattened slices of meat that scattered across the snow.

The remaining six jerked back, their silver fur bristling, fangs bared, low growls rumbling in their throats.

Lyra didn't give them time.

Crackle!

She vanished again, leaving only a trail of thin golden sparks marking her movement.

She reappeared above the second wolf, body twisting into a tight spin as she brought her heel down like a falling meteor.

BOOM!

The ground cracked open beneath the force.

The wolf's spine folded unnaturally, its legs giving out as its body slammed into the snow, twitching once before going still.

The rest lunged all at once.

Two from the front.

Two from the left.

One circling around to strike at her exposed back.

Lyra slid her foot back, eyes narrowing. Electricity gathered around her arms, forming thin blades of light.

"ROOAARRRR!"

The first wolf jumped at her throat.

She crouched, then dashed under its leap, then, the moment she passed beneath, she dragged the lightning blade straight through its belly.

SHLRT!

The beast split open with a clean, wet rip, collapsing into two neat halves.

Two more came from the left, jaws wide.

Lyra planted her foot, pivoted sharply, and thrust her arm forward. A long spear of golden lightning formed in an instant.

CRACK–WHSHH!

She skewered the first cleanly through the mouth, the lightning burning a hole out the back of its skull.

Without removing the spear, she spun with it still embedded, using the pinned body like a whip.

The corpse slammed against the second wolf, knocking it off balance.

Before it could regain its footing, she snapped her fingers.

BZZT—BOOM!

The spear exploded, blowing both wolves into shredded chunks.

Only two remained, circling her now with cautious steps.

Fwip!

One suddenly rushed in with surprising speed, its claws slashing upward in a diagonal line aimed at her ribs.

Lyra leaned back, letting the claws pass just inches over her stomach, and she slid her leg between its front paws.

THUD!

The wolf collapsed on its side with a surprised yelp.

CRACKLE!

Then, before it could stand, Lyra rammed her knee into its jaw, dislocating it, then grabbed its muzzle and twisted sharply.

CRACK!

Neck snapped.

The last wolf broke and tried to flee.

Crackle!

Lyra smiled lightly at this and rushed forward as if she had become lightning itself, chasing the beast in a streak of gold.

The ground tore up behind her, snow spraying everywhere as she overtook it easily. She jumped, spun mid-air, and brought both hands together.

The golden light gathered between her palms, swelling into a heavy, spear-like mass.

FWOOOOOM!

She hurled it, the spear ripped through the air with a piercing whistle before sinking into the wolf's back.

KRRRRRACK!!!

An explosion of golden bolts burst outward, vaporizing the last Silver Wolf entirely.

Silence fell.

Snowflakes drifted back to the ground, settling gently over the shredded remains.

Selina and Selene slowly lowered their trembling arms, still wrapped in Gray's web trap. Their chests rose and fell rapidly, eyes wide with leftover panic.

Lyra walked back toward them, lightning fading from her skin, her breathing steady despite the carnage she had just unleashed.

Gray finally stopped strolling and let out a low sigh.

"…You really didn't even let me play a little?"

"They scared the girls. That's enough reason to kill them fast." Lyra huffed, wiping a bit of blood from her cheek.

Her words were firm, yet she still shot him a sideways look, that little jealous spark always hiding in her eyes.

Gray stepped beside her, glancing over the neatly carved battlefield.

"Well… at least we got meat," he muttered before flicking his fingers.

His strings spread out, cutting a few larger pieces into proper chunks for carrying.

"Let's clean the area. Then we get back to the cave."

Selina and Selene nodded shakily.