Silence returned to the clearing little by little, as if the forest reclaimed the space after combat’s brief intrusion. The flames remained stable, though lower. The group stayed alert, but initial tension dissipated with each second without movement among the trees.

Gerald didn’t let himself fall completely this time. He remained seated on the rock’s edge, leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees. His eyes weren’t on the fire, but beyond, in the darkness.

Something didn’t fit.

He adjusted his glasses with an automatic gesture.

"This... wasn’t an isolated attack."

Marlon raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

Gerald took a second to respond. His mind ordered the pieces.

"There were too many for a single small group... and they retreated too soon."

Lyria crossed her arms.

"Are you saying that...?"

"That there might be more camps under attack."

Silence fell again, this time heavier.

Bīng Xuě tilted his head, interested.

"Then let’s go."

Gerald raised his gaze toward him.

"What?"

"Let’s go find another," he responded naturally. "If they’re in trouble, better they’re not left alone."

Aku observed the scene without intervening. His gaze passed from Gerald to the forest’s darkness.

Kenji spoke from his position.

"Makes sense. If they’re dispersed, we’re easier targets."

Lyria nodded.

"If we move together, we increase options."

Gerald took a deep breath. He hesitated a second. Then stood up.

"Okay... let’s go."

He turned toward the rest.

"But we don’t run without thinking. We go as a group, closed formation."

He pointed with the staff.

"Aku, rear again. Marlon and Kenji on the sides. Lyria at the front with me."

Bīng Xuě smiled.

"And me?"

Gerald looked at him.

"Wherever you want, but don’t get far."

"Perfect."

They extinguished the fire quickly, covering embers with dirt until they stopped glowing. The shelter remained behind, silent, as if never used.

The group entered the forest again.

Darkness was denser now. Without the fire’s light, visibility reduced considerably. The artificial star barely provided clarity under the trees’ cover. Sounds amplified. Each step, each brush, each breath.

Gerald advanced carefully, marking the rhythm.

"Listen," he murmured. "If you hear anything, warn. Don’t get ahead."

The group moved with more cohesion now. Distances were short, positions clear.

Several minutes passed without finding anything.

Until they heard it.

A scream.

Short, muffled, followed by a dry blow.

Everyone stopped.

Gerald raised a hand.

"That way."

He pointed left.

He didn’t wait for confirmation. He changed direction and advanced, maintaining formation.

The sound repeated. This time clearer. Voices. Movement. Combat.

The group accelerated slightly, without breaking coordination.

Trees began opening.

And then they saw it.

Another clearing.

But this one wasn’t organized.

Fire was half out, reduced to weak embers. Shelter, partially collapsed. Several students retreated, trying to maintain distance.

And the monsters...

There were more.

Many more.

The same quadrupedal creatures, but in greater number, moving more aggressively, more coordinated. Some were already inside the perimeter, forcing students to disperse.

"Shit..." Gerald whispered.

He didn’t hesitate.

"We go in."

He ran the last meters and raised his voice.

"Group up! Don’t disperse!"

Some students looked at him without recognizing him. Others reacted from pure instinct.

"Form a line! Use fire as center!"

Lyria and Marlon advanced, entering direct combat. Kenji covered the opposite flank, intercepting two creatures trying to circle.

Bīng Xuě launched without restraint, hitting the first beast he found with a lateral kick that made it roll several meters.

Aku appeared at the rear, blocking three creatures’ advance with an azoth mass extending like a liquid and dense surface, forcing them to retreat.

Gerald moved among the other group’s students.

"Don’t run! If you run, they hunt you!"

He pointed at positions.

"You, with the spear, to the front! You, cover his right side!"

Little by little, chaos began ordering itself.

Students stopped acting separately and began regrouping. Monster pressure remained strong, but they no longer found gaps so easily.

A figure moved among them with different precision.

Fast. Controlled.

A black-haired girl appeared on a low rock, descending with a light jump. Her face was covered by a smooth white mask, without expression. Her eyes, visible through the openings, moved calmly.

She extended a hand toward the ground.

The surface changed.

Earth became irregular, undulating, as if it had lost consistency. One of the advancing creatures slipped immediately, losing stability.

The girl turned her wrist.

Texture changed again. This time, more rigid. The creature was trapped on a surface hardening around its paws.

Gerald saw her.

"...Noelia?"

The girl turned her head toward him.

She recognized him instantly.

"Well... the literature critic," she said, her voice muffled by the mask. "Didn’t expect to see you here."

"We ran into your camp," Gerald responded without stopping moving. "You need to regroup."

Noelia observed the field a second.

"I can see that."

Her gaze briefly passed over Bīng Xuě.

"And you..."

Bīng Xuě smiled, dodging a charge.

"Yes. This time I’m not going to lose so easily."

"We’ll see."

Noelia refocused on combat. Her hands moved with precise gestures, altering terrain under creatures, creating slippery zones, hardening others to block movements.

Coordination began yielding results.

Monsters retreated little by little, forced to yield terrain before combined pressure.

Gerald didn’t stop giving orders.

"Push outward! Don’t let them surround!"

"Stay together!"

The line advanced.

One step.

Another.

Creatures began dispersing.

Then...

The forest fell silent.

Suddenly.

The remaining monsters stopped.

One by one, they retreated.

They disappeared among shadows without offering resistance.

The group didn’t advance further.

No one spoke.

Something had changed.

Aku was the first to raise his gaze toward the darkness beyond the clearing.

His gaze fixed on a specific point.

Trees didn’t move.

Air didn’t sound.

But something was there.

A creak.

Slow.

Heavy.

Shadows among trunks deformed.

A figure emerged.

Tall.

Too tall.

Its body hunched to pass between trees, as if space was too small for it. Its skin seemed formed by overlapping plates, but they didn’t fit well. Some moved with delay, as if they didn’t quite belong to the same body.

It had multiple limbs. Some long and thin, others thick, ending in structures that weren’t exactly claws or hands.

Its head...

Didn’t have a fixed form.

It opened and closed in different directions, showing layers of teeth and internal structures that didn’t follow a clear pattern.

It advanced one step.

Ground creaked under its weight.

No one moved.

Gerald felt his fingers tense around the staff.

"...That wasn’t here before..."

Noelia tilted her head slightly.

"No."

Bīng Xuě smiled.

But this time, it wasn’t a light smile.

Aku didn’t look away.

The creature took another step toward the clearing.

And the air seemed to become heavier.

Combat still wasn’t over.