The chamber shuddered as the last fragments of the witches' spell shattered.

The Minotaur bellowed, the sound reverberating through the labyrinth like the groan of a collapsing mountain. Its massive frame rose to full height, muscles swollen with rage, stone dust rolling off its body.

The cuts Damien had made to it's Achilles tendons already healing.

For a breathless moment, none moved but then chaos erupted.

The wolves were first, Tanaka gave a sharp growl, a signal and Ethan darted forward, his speed carrying him beneath the Minotaur's guard. Claws flashed, raking across its side, but the creature barely flinched.

Nathan followed, aiming higher leaping at its shoulders, but a sweep of the Minotaur's arm sent him crashing into the stone floor.

His cry cut short as he rolled, blood streaking his temple.

"Hold the flanks!" Tanaka roared, diving in himself.

The werecats slashed from the shadows, Malric and Jenric moving with uncanny precision, but even their speed faltered against the beast's sheer power.

A backhand swing caught Jenric mid strike, sending him flying against the wall. He crumpled, coughing blood, but raised a hand to show he still breathed.

The vampires struck next. Lucien blurred into motion, flashing a blade he found in arcs of silver light, carving shallow cuts along the Minotaur's chest. Each strike landed true, but none sank deep enough to truly hurt it.

Selene chanted behind him, weaving threads of magic to amplify his speed, her eyes glowing.

Helena a werecat moved opposite of him her attacks timed to match his own. The Minotaur answered with a roar and a downward stomp that cracked the floor, shockwaves flinging Helena and Lucien aside like rag dolls. Both hit the ground hard, groaning, but alive.

The witches fought to regroup, their earlier ritual disrupted. Nyssa shouted more orders, while others dragged their wounded comrades out of striking distance.

Selene's voice rose, the cadence of her chant shifting, threads of magic sparking in the air again.

Alex stood frozen at first, heart pounding in his ears, eyes locked on the beast, he was still terribly frightened of the beast and he could do little to help.

The chains still clung to its form, glowing faintly as though the remnants of the binding tried to hold, but they were breaking, splintering apart from it's sheer strength.

"Don't just stand there, boy!" Marcus hissed, grabbing Alex by the arm and shoving him aside as the Minotaur's horned head swung low, nearly goring him.

Alex stumbled, catching himself on the broken floor but as he rose, his gaze caught something on the mural.

The beast struck again, forcing him to move, but the thought burned in his head.

It's not the body… it's the soul.

"Tanaka!" Alex shouted, voice raw. "We've had it wrong. We're supposed to bind it's soul"

"What are you talking about?" Tanaka snapped, barely dodging the creature's massive fist.

"The man!" Alex yelled, eyes locked on the flickering runes. "It's cursed! The chains are holding the soul, not the beast! We can't kill it we have to bind it again but only this time it's its soul instead and before it breaks free completely!"

For a heartbeat, doubt flickered across every face. Then the Minotaur's roar silenced all hesitation, its clawed hand closing around Marcus's side and hurling him across the chamber. He slammed into the wall, crumpling, breath ragged but still alive.

"Orin!" Selene barked, catching Alex's words. "Shift the incantation! Not the body, the soul!"

Orin's chanting faltered, then rose stronger, his tone changing, weaving new threads of power. The other witches joined, their voices clashing and then aligning, their combined magic resonating through the chamber like a storm gathering force.

"Keep it still!" Tanaka roared. "Let's buy them time!"

The wolves and cats surged forward again, reckless but desperate. Kira darted low, slashing at the beast's knees, while Nathan staggering back to his feet despite blood soaking his shirt — leapt onto its back, digging claws deep into its shoulders to anchor it. The Minotaur bellowed, thrashing violently, trying to shake him free.

Lucien appeared at its flank, blade plunging deep into the creature's side. This time the strike drew a guttural cry of pain, black blood spilling across the stone. The beast swung at him, but Sara and Helena struck from opposite sides, forcing it to divide its rage.

Alex's chest heaved as he watched, powerless to help in anyway. He could see it more clearly now the chains glowing brighter as the witches' spell shifted. But it wasn't enough. The Minotaur was breaking free faster than they were binding it.

"We're losing our grip" Selene cried, sweat streaming down her face. "We need more power!"

"Could you draw power from us?" Alex asked Selene.

"Yes" she said as she looked up at him " but you alone won't be enough"

"All those wounded come and link with me. We need to share our power with the witches, let them draw more power from us to fuel the spell?" Alex shouted.

But everyone just turned stunned that this kid was giving orders.

"Do it!" he roared and all thise who couldn't fight anymore scrambled to get to the witches.

"What now?" Kira asked Alex.

"Sot down and link hands and hold onto me, I'll channel your energy" Orin replied and they quickly did as he said and immediately Alex could feel the spell gaining more power.

For a heartbeat, the chamber held its breath. Then Selene and Orin's voices rose in unison above all others, ancient words vibrating through stone and marrow alike. Magic flared, brilliant and searing, threads of light wrapping the Minotaur's chest.

The beast howled, a sound of agony and despair, and for the first time it spoke. Not words, not fully, but a broken, guttural cry that was unmistakably human.

"Help… me…"

The factions froze, eyes wide. And in that pause, the witches' spell surged. The chains blazed like fire, wrapping tighter, sinking past flesh into something deeper. Nathan clung to its back until the glow seared him, forcing him to drop, skin blistering where the light touched.

"Hold it!" Tanaka barked, gripping its arm with every ounce of his strength. Malric and Jenric joined, claws buried deep, their bodies straining as though against a mountain.

Lucien drove his blade deeper, pinning it against the floor as Damien and Sara forced its head down.

Tanaka pressed his hands to the chains, pain lancing through him as if the curse itself tried to tear him apart but he held on, teeth gritted, pouring every shred of his will into the binding.

The chamber trembled.

The air grew thick with the weight of magic, of fury, of something ancient breaking and remaking itself. The Minotaur thrashed, but the more it fought, the tighter the chains drew, glowing until the light consumed its form.

Then, with a sound like gurgling blood, it collapsed.

The beast fell to its knees, bound in glowing chains, its breath ragged and shallow. Its horns drooped, its muscles slackening, and for a moment, its eyes cleared, they were no longer that of a beast but that of a man.

A man's sorrow, a man's plea, flickered there.

Then his head bowed, chains tightening, and silence filled the chamber.

No one moved, no one breathed. The battle was over but the weight of it lingered.

Alex staggered back, legs shaking, collapsing to one knee. His chest heaved, his vision swimming, but his mind burned with the echo of that broken voice.

Help me.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.