"Wait, the academy's that way," Maya pointed in the opposite direction.

"No time. Too far," he said in a single breath. He held her in a firm grip as they ran, taking the crossbow from her hands, relieving her of its weight.

It was difficult for Maya to keep up with his strides, but when his hand suddenly released her to push her forward with desperate urgency, it felt like losing her sturdy anchor. He ordered her to continue running as he pivoted, ready to counter vampires closing in.

Maya listened and continued to sprint with all her might. But where was she heading?

Her heartbeat echoed in her ears, matching her frantic pace. The unforgiving terrain threatened her balance, the slippery ground causing her to lose her foothold and often fall to her knees.

Thankfully, he followed closely behind. His presence was a reassuring force at her back, aiding her when he could. However, his pace faltered as he struggled to load another bolt into the crossbow. Suddenly, a vampire leapt at him, toppling him over a fallen tree.

"B-Bane!" Maya's voice hitched as she skidded to a halt, aware it wasn't his real name but had nothing else to call him. Her instinct to help him was overpowering her fear. Even though he was a stranger, he was on their side.

"Just run, goddamnit. Don't look back!" he yelled out and cursed to himself as he struggled against the relentless foe.

A second vampire lunged, brushing past the distracted Bane and hurtling towards Maya. With impeccable timing, Bane reached out, snagging the vampire's ankle. The creature tumbled, its face meeting the mud with a squelch right before Maya.

The intervention, however, came at a price; Bane's guard lowered for a vital second, allowing the vampire atop him to sink its fangs into his arm.

A horrified gasp tore from Maya's lips, her eyes wide with terror. She couldn't discern if the bite had penetrated his jacket.

There seemed to be no end to them. Another one followed and charged towards Maya.

Suddenly, Elena burst forth from the shadows behind him, a wild fury blazing in her eyes. She leapt on the vampire's back, plunging a knife beneath his collarbone, all while grunting and screaming curses in Russian.

"Chtob ty sdokh, zver' otvratitel'nyy!"

Elena was a force of nature—unpredictable and utterly terrifying. If Maya had unknowingly encountered her in these woods, she would have been petrified. But the vampire managed to throw Elena off, causing her to tumble onto another vampire already on the ground, shoving his face back into the mud.

Absolute chaos was unfolding before Maya, and she wondered how on earth she was still unscathed.

Bane hurled off the vampire atop him, only for another to leap in, howling a battle cry. They seemed particularly driven toward him.

However, in that same instant, Bane seized the crossbow and shot a bolt at him, still in mid-air. It settled deep within the chest of the vampire, his lifeless shell collapsing onto Bane, who promptly discarded the husk to face yet another foe.

At this point, Maya was starting to question where they were coming from. It must've been the reinforcements.

Bane then turned his attention to the female vampire who was attacking him. With a powerful swing, he struck her across the face with the crossbow, the impact echoing with a shattering sound as both crossbow and vampire broke under the force.

Maya noticed the fresh batch of vampires was armed with an assortment of weapons, ranging from sharp blades to something as crude as a baseball bat. To Elena, this variety presented a wealth of opportunities she could turn against their owners, as not even vampires were as fearless with handling them as she was.

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Elena was in the thick of the fight, wrestling with one vampire in the mud while another strained to extract a knife embedded in his chest.

Maya wished she were better at using magic in a crisis. They both had their hands full, and she had to fend for herself. She was a wielder of four elements, and surely one of them should prove useful in this predicament.

But the ground was too moist and fuzzy for her skill level, nor could she draw water from it the way Elena could so easily. Fire was out of the question without the spark. None of it mattered as the Air was the only element that even crossed her mind.

"Maya, run! This way!" Anastasia materialized, her voice saturated with urgency. But Maya didn't want to leave her companions.

Then an ice spike erupted from the muddy ground, skewering the vampire that charged at Elena. This sent a ripple of shocked pause through those present. Control over ice was not often seen, less so instinctively manifested by a vampire, no less.

Elena's eyes widened in disbelief. The habit of manipulating elements was so deeply ingrained within her that, even after death, she hadn't yet shaken it off. But it shouldn't have worked.

A dangerous glint sparked in her eyes, causing the surrounding vampires to instinctively recoil as she prepared to overpower them with magic. However, there was no outcome this time, making her movements look foolish as no onslaught of ice followed her.

Elena cursed, and the chaos resumed, the fastest fist decking her in the face.

Both Elena and Bane were on the ground, incapacitated. Maya was overwhelmed by the grim situation. There was no more time for hesitation. If she didn't act now, none of them would see tomorrow.

'It's good they're low.'

She focused, taking in a deep breath, then unleashed a fierce shockwave. It threw everyone on their feet a dozen meters away, even catapulting some vampires into treetops, instantly clearing out the scene.

Bane's voice shouted for her to run once again, and she didn't hesitate to listen. He quickly whistled, and both he and Elena followed suit, running after Maya, guided by unseen Anastasia.

Elena's groan from behind made her falter, but Bane swooped in to continue pushing Maya further and prevent her from attempting to assist Elena. Maya gritted her teeth, regretting Elena being left behind, but she felt that even if she tripped and lost her footing, he would continue to drag her along.

Her shockwave didn't do much but give them a quick start. Several vampires were aiming to cut them off in their path already. However, they halted and redirected their focus ahead.

From the very direction they were sprinting towards, the sound of rustling leaves and snapping branches echoed ominously. The ground beneath their feet quivered subtly as if anticipating the heavy, rapid strides of an approaching entity.

A massive wolf pounced from the darkness, its jaws clamping onto the shoulder of a vampire. It hurled the vampire to the ground and began tearing into its prey with savage ferocity.

Before Maya could even formulate a scream at the horrifying spectacle, Bane seized her hand and hastily whisked her away.

From what she could see in the darkness, the wolf was enormous, unlike any she had ever seen. It was the size of a pony, its height nearly reaching her shoulders, with a jaw that looked like it could bite off a head in one swoop.

'It's like vampires weren't enough… This was all a huge mistake.'

Bane shouted, directed behind them. Maya couldn't make out the words, but the direction suggested it was aimed at the wolf.

'Could they be allies?' she wondered.

Undeterred, the vampires were closing the gap. Bane was forced to slow his pace to fend them off, granting Maya a fleeting chance to escape.

She noticed the wolf running in sync with her, its path mirroring hers. She was unsure if it was accompanying her or pursuing her. Either way, her only option was to keep running.

The wolf lagged behind, presumably to confront a vampire trailing them. Maya couldn't confirm this as she dared not glance back. The fear of something being right on her tail spurred her on, pushing her to her limits.

Maya had never run as much in her entire life. Suddenly, she realized she was hurtling towards a looming cliff wall. Barely stopping herself, just in time not to crash headfirst into a rock, she found herself at the bottom of a cliff, feeling her heart pounding, trying to escape her chest.

There's nowhere to go. The forest was dense in this area, and a massive pine tree blanketed with vines towered above her. Its tendrils reached out, draping from the cliff wall and cascading from its branches down to the forest floor.

Shortly after, Bane appeared by her side. Showing no sign of surprise at the abrupt cliff, he swiftly took control of the situation. He grasped her arms, positioning them securely around his torso.

"Hold on tight," he commanded, his hand seizing a thick vine that hung nearby. His other arm encircled her protectively.

Before she could register his actions, a rush of motion propelled them through the air, leaving Maya with the sensation of weightlessness.

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