Giants!

*Morpheus pov* 

I ducked behind a fallen log, wiping the sweat from my brow as the heavy footsteps approached once again. The air was thick with magic, the ground trembling more violently as the giants closed in. My breathing was steady, but each inhale felt like a gulp of the muggy, humid air that clung to the forest.

"Now comes the game of cat and mouse," I muttered to myself, gripping my wand tighter. The sharp wood pressed against my palm, grounding me in the moment. My heart pounded as I glanced back toward the treeline. "And I so hate being the mouse."

The first giant lumbered into view, its enormous head swinging from side to side as if sniffing the air for me. Stupid beast. It stepped forward, and I saw its massive foot slam down on the first trap. The explosion was instant, a brilliant flash of orange fire erupting from the ground, followed by shards of ice and jagged bits of metal. The giant roared, a sound that shook the very sky, clutching its leg as the freezing hex took hold, turning the skin blue and stiff.

Another giant stormed into the clearing, only to trigger the second trap. This time, the ground beneath it split open, a shockwave of force throwing it off balance. It teetered for a moment, arms flailing, before crashing into the ground with a thunderous boom. More roars. Good. Let them feel fear.

But they were giants, after all—relentless, stubborn, and impossibly strong. The one that had taken the brunt of the first trap was already recovering, limping toward me with fire in its eyes, blood trickling down its massive leg. I could see the hatred burning there, and it gave me pause. I wasn't dealing with mere mindless brutes. These were trained, or at least had been instructed to kill, no matter the cost. I've only seen giants carry this expression during war. 

A rock the size of a small carriage came hurtling through the air toward me. I barely had time to Apparate, the sound of splintering wood filling my ears as the log I had been hiding behind was obliterated into a thousand pieces. I reappeared on the opposite side of the clearing, panting heavily. Fucking wards inhibited my movement, but it is within my expectations still. 

"Alright," I hissed, gritting my teeth. This was getting too close for comfort. The traps would only buy me so much time. The giants were bleeding, yes, but still moving—still enraged. If I let them close the gap, it was over.

Another flick of my wand, and I sent a powerful blasting curse straight at the nearest giant. The spell struck its chest, and for a moment, I thought I'd succeeded. But the giant merely staggered back, shaking its head as if clearing away cobwebs, before charging once more.

Damn it. That spell should have killed it easily what haven't I seen? 

I bolted deeper into the woods, Apparating in short bursts again to keep the goblin wards from snagging me. The giants followed, smashing through trees, boulders, anything that stood in their path. My lungs burned, my legs screamed, but I couldn't stop. Not yet.

There—just ahead—a steep drop. A cliff. I smiled grimly. One last trap.

Skidding to a halt at the edge of the precipice, I spun around, wand raised, and waited. The giants were almost upon me, their massive forms crashing through the trees like a freight train of muscle and fury.

"Come on," I whispered through clenched teeth. "Just a little closer." 

The first one stepped forward—and I cast the spell. The ground beneath their feet shattered, crumbling away as the cliff edge collapsed. The giants roared in surprise, their colossal weight working against them now as they tumbled into the abyss below, arms flailing helplessly.

I watched them disappear, the echoes of their roars fading into the distance, before collapsing onto the ground in exhaustion. My entire body trembled, the adrenaline still pumping furiously through my veins.

"Well," I muttered, catching my breath, "that was fun."

Now, to have a word with Igor. Oh, I was still going to kill him of course but, I need to know what changed. These giants are far more resistant than normal. 

"Not going to come out yourself Igor?" I shouted knowing my voice reached his ears 

"You barely managed to kill my weakest soldiers Morpheus, why do I need to come out myself!" he shouted back his tone was mocking in a way 

Walking through the forest I found one of the dead giants and knelt beside his body. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, it was perplexing, to say the least. 

Finally, I decided to use the 'savage' way of examining a body. Tipping my finger in some of the giant's blood I looked at it intently before tasting it, instantly I felt my body scream in pain but I couldn't help the laugh that escaped my lips, "Of course that wench approached you!" I bellowed 

the trees around me rustled in anger breaking and falling to the ground, "Do not call mother a wench!" Igor shouted in rage his voice noticeably deeper 

Everything made sense now, the damn forest and these stronger giants. Gaia had a hand in this. 

"Your father knew her for what she was Igor!" I retorted, "A liar and a bitch! She is not your mother she didn't create you, magic did!" 

"My father was a fool!" 

Now how did she manage to integrate her magic seamlessly into the giants? Obviously, it is because their fundamental magic is similar. Nature and earth but, she hasn't done this before. 

Now that I know what was making them stronger this will be a lot easier. Putting my wand away I took out my dagger and made a large gash across my forearm to my palm, to most this would look suicidal but to a ritualist this was typical for a heavy ritual. 

Thinking about my words carefully I let my blood drip to the floor. My magic flowed to my vocal cords preparing them to use the voice of the world. My mind conjuring the outcome I desire, "C̴̺͉̝̗̖̾͌́̈̅o̵̩̘͉̽̆́̃͗r̵̢̦͊̒̀̈́r̵̳̿̆̋͝o̷̱̤̻̬͌́̈́́͘s̵̨͕̟͐̾̓̒͒i̵̖̾̎̚͝͝ố̶̻͔̹n̸̨̡̛̼̲͈̓̈́͠" I whispered, my voice echoing unnaturally in the stillness of the forest.

Instantly, the effect began. The ground where my blood touched turned black, dark veins spreading out from the droplets like cracks in the earth. The trees around me shuddered, their bark splintering, decaying, as if eaten from the inside by an unseen rot. Leaves withered, turning brown and crumbling to dust in mere seconds. Vines and grasses curled, their green vitality draining into brittle husks. It spread, fast and relentless, like a disease, corrupting everything it touched.

The power surged through me, but with it came the toll. My body trembled as the magic coursed through my veins, pulling from my life force, weakening me with every passing moment. The blood continued to flow, faster now, and I could feel the exhaustion creeping in, the weight of the spell pressing down on me like a vice.

But I held firm. This was necessary.

The plants around me collapsed, the very life sucked out of them as they decayed into blackened mush. The air became thick with the stench of rot and death, and the earth groaned under the strain. My knees wobbled, my breath coming in ragged gasps, but I didn't stop. I couldn't stop. The corruption had to spread. It had to take root, or all of this would be for nothing.

Suddenly, I felt it. A presence. Igor.

He was close—closer than I'd anticipated. I could feel his magic pressing against mine, a wall of force moving through the decayed forest. His aura was overwhelming, a maelstrom of dark energy that rivaled the chaos I had unleashed. And then I heard him, the unmistakable sound of his boots pounding against the forest floor as he rushed toward me.

I barely had time to react before he was upon me, a blur of motion in the corner of my vision.

And then I felt him-Igor. His presence was unmistakable, a dark wave of power surging toward me. His magic was strong, dangerous, but not invincible. Not now. Not with the land crumbling around us. The reinforcement be got from Gaia wasn't enough. 

He burst through the decayed treeline, a twisted grin on his face as he rushed toward me. "You've gone too tar, Morpheus!" His voice was a growl, laced with fury and desperation. "You can't control it!"

I could barely stand, my legs shaking as the weight of the ritual bore down on me. But I had enough left for one more move. I could feel the corruption clinging to me, creeping up my legs, a cold, numbing sensation as it sought to devour me as it had everything else.

But I wasn't the target.

As Igor lunged toward me, I reached out with the last of my strength and seized his arm, locking my hand around his wrist. "You're wrong," | rasped, my voice barely more than a whisper. "I'm in control."

The corruption surged from me into him. I watched as the black veins spread from my hand to his, crawling up his arm with terrifying speed. His grin faltered, replaced by a look of shock, then fear.

He tried to yank his much bigger arm free, but it was too late-the rot had taken hold.

"No!" Igor roared, his magic flaring as he tried to fight it off. But the corruption was relentless, feeding on his strength just as it had fed on mine. The dark veins spread across his chest, crawling up his neck, turning his skin a sickly gray. His power faltered. 

I stumbled back, nearly collapsing from the effort, but I kept my eyes on Igor.

His body convulsed as he struggled to fight off the inevitable, his magic flickering like a dying flame. He dropped to one knee, gasping for breath, his hands clawing at the black veins crawling up his throat.

"Stop!" he croaked, his voice hoarse and broken.

I shook my head, my breathing ragged.

"You wanted power, Igor. Now you're drowning in it."

The corruption spread faster now, swallowing him whole. His body trembled, his face contorted in pain as the rot consumed him. The once-mighty giant crumbled before me, reduced to little more than a twisted husk, his strength sapped, his life force draining away into the cursed earth.

And then, with one final, choked gasp, Igor collapsed. His body hit the ground with a dull thud, the black veins still writhing over his skin like worms. The land around him was silent, the air thick with the smell of decay.

It was over.

I dropped to the ground, my body barely able to hold itself upright. The toll of the ritual had nearly drained my reserves but I had won. 

The corruption, now that Igor was gone, receded, leaving behind a wasteland of blackened earth and dead plants. I could feel the magic settling, the violent storm calming as the last remnants of life were drained from the land.

Panting heavily, I looked down at Igor's lifeless body. "I told you," I whispered through cracked lips. "I'm in control."

Stepping around his body I went further into the forest curious to where the other giants were. 

Surely they would have come to help Igor? 

—

A/N: I am leaving this here because I can already see the "if he struggled against this then how will he face the gods in the future!!". Or "How did he struggle against this but fought demons and gods before!". I would like to say Igor was significantly stronger than all previous enemies we have seen, being buffed by Gaia is not a small buff. I will get into the names gods and their power soon. Again most are still alive why? Read more. Morpheus is NOT feared by his strength as I said in the first or second chapter he is feared for his abilities in divination and rituals as well as his planning. Unfortunately, his flaw is he plans too big sometimes and makes mistakes on the small steps like we saw with the vampires.