The word "Quest Unlocked" didn't disappear.
It hovered in front of my eyes—
bright.
Unavoidable.
Real.
My heartbeat slowed… then quickened again.
Mastering martial arts. Lightning-fast reflexes.
This wasn't normal.
This wasn't training anymore.
This was something else entirely.
Something… unnatural.
"Rose?"
Kat's voice pulled me back.
"You okay?"
I blinked. The screen vanished.
"Yeah," I said, forcing my voice steady. "Just… thinking."
Thinking?
No.
Hiding.
Because if what I just saw was real—
then I wasn't like the others anymore.
And in a place like this…
being different could either save you—
or get you killed first.
The tunnel ahead breathed like a living thing.
Dark.
Narrow.
Endless.
Each step echoed louder than it should have.
No one spoke.
Even the air felt heavy—
like it didn't want us there.
"Stay close," Kat whispered.
I tightened my grip on the laser glisk.
For the first time since entering this world—
I felt it.
Not excitement.
Not curiosity.
Fear.
A faint sound broke the silence.
Drip… drip…
Water?
No.
Too… rhythmic.
"Stop."
Kat raised her hand.
Everyone froze.
We listened.
Drip…
Step.
My breath caught.
"That's not water," Karl muttered.
Something moved in the shadows.
Not clearly.
Not fully.
Just—
there.
Then—
a sudden flicker of movement.
Fast.
Too fast.
Before anyone could react—
Xiara screamed.
"Aah—!"
Something brushed past her—
not attacking.
Not yet.
Just… circling.
"Show yourself!" Kat shouted.
Silence answered.
But the air changed.
It felt like we were being watched from every direction at once.
My wrist vibrated again.
The screen flashed.
Target nearby.
Eliminate.
My fingers tightened around the glisk.
This was it.
The alien.
Another movement—
this time behind us.
I turned—
just in time to see a shadow detach itself from the wall.
Tall.
Distorted.
Not fully human.
Its limbs bent at angles that didn't feel right.
Its head tilted—
slowly.
Like it was studying us.
No one moved.
No one breathed.
Until—
it smiled.
"NOW!" Kat shouted.
Everything exploded into motion.
Karl fired first.
The blast hit the wall.
Missed.
The creature—
was already gone.
It reappeared above us.
Clinging to the ceiling.
Watching.
Waiting.
Hunting.
My mind went blank.
Then—
sharp.
Clear.
Focused.
Like something inside me had switched on.
It lunged.
Straight at Xiara.
Too fast.
Too sudden.
Too late—
No.
Not this time.
Before I could think—
my body moved.
Faster than ever before.
I stepped forward—
spun—
and struck.
The glisk lit up.
A flash of blue light cut through the darkness.
The creature shrieked—
a sound that didn't belong to this world.
It stumbled back.
Not dead.
But hurt.
Everyone stared at me.
Not at the creature.
At me.
"What… was that?" Karl whispered.
I didn't answer.
Because I didn't know either.
The creature straightened.
This time—
it didn't smile.
It charged again.
Faster.
Angrier.
Deadlier.
And this time—
I knew one thing for sure.
This wasn't just a mission anymore.
This was a hunt.
And we were no longer the hunters.