Page 87 of Court of Aether and Shadows

I understood his concern.

If the Weaver continued to warp reality around us, even his most powerful shields might not be enough to protect Sparrow.

We needed to end this quickly.

Fenris seemed to reach the same conclusion.

The massive wolf gathered himself and launched into a full attack, his form becoming almost liquid shadow as he moved — fluid yet precise. His claws left trails of silver fire in the air, his teeth glowing with power as he tore into the Weaver's defenses.

For a moment, it seemed to work.

The ancient creature reeled back, dark ichor spraying from wounds that smoked with wolf-fire. But then those eight terrifying eyes focused on Fenris, and the air itself seemed to freeze.

“Ah.”

The Weaver's voice took on a new note — something almost like satisfaction.

“The Guardian Twilight Wolf. The Between-Walker. Your presence here is... interesting.”

Before either Fenris or I could react, the Weaver unleashed a new attack.

Hundreds of void-black threads erupted from its body, not just from its spinnerets but seeming to tear their way out of reality itself. They moved with terrible purpose, weaving a complex net that began to close around Fenris like the walls of a collapsing universe.

The wolf fought magnificently, his power flaring bright enough to illuminate the darkened cottage like daylight. But each thread he broke was replaced by ten more, each snap of his glowing jaws met with a dozen new attacks.

It wouldn’t be long before any form of attack was relentless with how our enemy multiplied in countered grace. I could see Fenris’ movements beginning to slow, the silver streaks in his fur dimming as the endless assault drained his strength.

I sent my own power to aid him, shadows sharp as razors slicing through the Weaver's threads. But the creature's attention was now focused entirely on Fenris, and its attacks were becoming more precise and devastating. It was as if it had identified him as the greater threat — or perhaps, I realized with growing dread, as if he was its true target all along.

“Your kind was meant to guard the boundaries, wolf.”

The Weaver taunted as its web grew ever tighter.

“Not cross them. Not love what was never meant for you.”

Fenris snarled in defiance, but I could see the toll the battle was taking. The edges of his form were beginning to blur, his massive body flickering like a candle in the wind.

He was fighting not just the Weaver now, but his own nature — struggling to maintain his wolf form against forces that sought to tear him back to human shape.

In a vulnerable state that would be slayed with one single thread of the Weaver’s assault.

The cottage door burst open with a surge of power that momentarily distracted all of us — even the Weaver.

Moira stood on the threshold, her frail appearance belied by the ancient magic that crackled around her form. Elenore and Finn flanked around her, their own powers flaring to life in response to the chaos before them.

"Vash'nor thy'leth!"Moira's voice carried the weight of ages as she cast her power into the fray. But even as her magic joined mine, I could see the miscalculation in their arrival.

The Weaver's web of void threads began to spread, now attempting to encompass all of us.

"No!" Finn shouted, his untrained power flaring wildly as he instinctively tried to create a portal to safety. The surge of his raw talent collided with the Weaver's reality-warping magic, creating dangerous ripples in the fabric of space.

A dangerous mistake.

“Foolish children.”

The Weaver's discordant voice echoed with cruel amusement.

“More threads for our web.”

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