The creature didn't hesitate this time.
It came straight for me.
Fast.
Too fast.
But something inside me had already adapted.
The moment it moved—
I moved.
"Rose, MOVE!" Kat shouted.
Too late.
The creature was already inches away—
its claw aimed straight for my throat.
I ducked.
Barely.
The air sliced above me as its claw missed by a fraction.
I rolled to the side—
grabbed the glisk—
and struck again.
This time—
it dodged.
A blur.
A shift.
Gone.
"Left!" Adrien shouted.
I turned—
but it was already behind Karl.
"NO—!"
Too late.
The creature's arm pierced through him.
Clean.
Silent.
Deadly.
Everything froze.
For a second—
no one moved.
No one breathed.
Karl's body dropped to the ground.
Lifeless.
Empty.
Gone.
"No…" Xiara whispered.
Her voice broke.
"NO!"
The creature tilted its head again.
Watching us.
Learning us.
That's when it hit me.
It wasn't just attacking.
It was studying.
Rage burned inside me.
Hot.
Sharp.
Uncontrollable.
"Stay together!" Kat ordered.
But the formation was already broken.
Fear had done what the creature couldn't.
My wrist vibrated again.
The screen flashed:
"Adapt or die."
I clenched my jaw.
"Everyone listen to me!" I shouted.
They looked at me—
hesitant.
Uncertain.
"It's watching us," I continued. "Learning our moves. If we attack randomly—we lose."
"So what do we do?" Adrien asked.
His voice was steady—
but his eyes weren't.
I took a breath.
Fast.
Sharp.
Focused.
"We stop thinking like prey."
A pause.
"We hunt it back."
For a second—
no one spoke.
Then Kat nodded.
"Positions."
This time—
we didn't panic.
We waited.
The tunnel went silent again.
Too silent.
Then—
a sound.
Behind.
Above.
Everywhere.
It attacked.
But this time—
we were ready.
Adrien blocked.
Xiara distracted.
Kat struck.
And I—
finished it.
The glisk cut through the air—
clean.
Precise.
Final.
The creature let out one last distorted scream—
before collapsing.
Silence.
Heavy.
Unreal.
My wrist vibrated.
Again.
"Mission Completed."
"Challenge 1 Progress Updated."
But no one celebrated.
No one moved.
Because Karl—
was still lying there.
Xiara dropped beside him.
Her hands trembled as she tried to shake him awake.
"Get up… please… just get up…"
He didn't.
Kat turned away.
Adrien looked down.
I couldn't look at all.
This was the first time.
The first real loss.
And suddenly—
everything felt different.
This wasn't a game.
This wasn't training.
This was survival.
And survival—
had a cost.
We carried Karl back in silence.
No words.
No sounds.
Just footsteps.
Heavy.
Broken.
As we stepped out of the tunnel—
my wrist flickered again.
A message.
Different this time.
"Other teams detected nearby."
"Threat level: Unknown."
Below it—
a second line appeared.
Slowly.
Like it wanted me to notice.
"One target has been observing your team."
My heart skipped.
Observing?
Since when?
I looked around instinctively.
Shadows.
Buildings.
Silence.
Nothing.
But the feeling remained.
We weren't alone.
And somewhere—
someone—
was watching us.