The campfire crackled softly under the blanket of night. Most of the group had settled into quiet conversation or sleep, but Joshua remained awake, his eyes fixed on the flames. Kweku Ananse lounged nearby, legs crossed, his many eyes subtly watching everything at once.
Footsteps approached.
Nelson glanced up and spotted Mary and Henry returning from the dark edge of the trees.
"Oh, you're back," he said, his tone light but curious. His eyes shifted to Mary, lips curling into a small smirk. "I hope he didn't do anything stupid."
Mary gave a tired smile. "Not stupid. Just... complicated."
Henry walked past them without a word, heading straight for his bedroll. His expression was blank, but something in his aura had shifted—like the weight on his shoulders had taken a different shape.
Nelson watched him for a beat longer before muttering, "That's new."
Mary sat near the fire and stretched out her legs, her eyes lingering in the shadows, dancing beyond the circle of light.
The night continued, but something in the camp had changed—silent and unseen, but present.
---
Morning came quietly, with only a pale light cutting through the canopy of trees. The group had already packed up, the fire was long dead and the campsite cleared. Boots crunched softly on the forest floor as they began their trek.
Joshua walked near the front, eyes darting around at the trees, the fog, the cool wind brushing his skin.
He yawned, rubbing his eyes. "So... how far is Kaslank City, anyway?"
Nelson, who was leading the group at a steady pace, glanced back with a raised brow. "Far."
Joshua frowned. "Far like… a day or two?"
Nelson scoffed. "Try a week."
"A week?!" Joshua nearly stumbled. "Walking?!"
"You think we've got flying beasts waiting around for you?" Henry muttered from behind, his tone sharp as ever.
Joshua shot him a look but bit his tongue.
Nelson's voice cut through the tension. "It'll take seven days if we stay focused and don't run into trouble. But this is the Unknown World. Trouble tends to find you whether you like it or not."
Joshua's shoulders sagged. "Great."
Beside him, Kweku Ananse chuckled. "It's good training." Builds character.
"Or kills you," Henry added under his breath.
The group pushed on, the road ahead long and uncertain, swallowed by trees and shadow.
Kaslank City waited somewhere beyond the horizon. And so did whatever fate had in store for them.
---
The journey carried on through the forest, the morning light slowly gaining strength but never fully breaking through the dense canopy overhead. The trees stood tall and dense, their trunks gnarled with age, forming a maze of shadows and silence. Mist clung to the undergrowth, and the path ahead felt more like a tunnel carved through the wild than an actual trail.
Joshua walked near the middle of the group, boots crunching softly on the damp earth. His eyes kept darting toward the edges of the trees, scanning for movement. Though the earlier excitement of seeing Kaslank City still lingered in his chest, the deeper they ventured, the more uneasy he felt.
No birds. No insects. Just the wind, whispering like a warning.
---
After a while, the forest opened up slightly, revealing a stream cutting across their path. The group paused, letting the cool water refresh their senses. Mary knelt by the bank, her fingers brushing the surface as thin roots slithered from the ground, coiling around her hand like curious pets.
Henry stood nearby, forming small spikes of earth between his fingers before crushing them to dust. Beside him, Nelson's skin shimmered faintly with heat, the surrounding air pulsing ever so slightly.
Joshua stood quietly, eyes alert. The forest still felt strange—alive in a way he couldn't quite explain. He glanced at Kweku Ananse, who stood a few paces back, arms folded, gaze sweeping across the treetops.
Then it happened.
A low hiss echoed from the thickets ahead.
Everyone froze.
---
From the brush ahead, slithering bodies emerged—low to the ground but long and thick, covered in dark, scale-like skin that shimmered faintly in the dim light.
Their heads rose first. Not just one… but many.
Some had two heads, others three, and a few even four. Each head moved with unsettling independence, tongues flicking, eyes gleaming with a cold hunger. They twisted unnaturally, muscles coiled tight like springs ready to snap.
The more heads they had, the faster they moved—darting with shocking speed across the forest floor, weaving through roots and rocks like shadows come to life.
"Vunko," Nelson muttered under his breath, already stepping forward, the ground beneath his feet starting to crackle with heat.
---
Without needing a signal, the group launched into battle.
Nelson stepped forward, heat rising from his body like a mirage. "They're fast, but not that strong," he said, eyes scanning the swarm of multi-headed beasts. "Low shade creatures—except the ones with four heads. These are almost middle shade level. Don't let your guard down."
A three-headed Vunko lunged—lightning-quick. But Nelson was faster. Flames exploded from his palm, slamming the creature midair. It hit the ground with a hiss, writhing as fire consumed it. He didn't stop. In a blink, he closed the distance and drove his burning fist into its chest. The creature let out a shriek before crumbling into a pile of scorched flesh.
To his left, Mary raised her hand. Thick vines erupted from the earth, lashing around a four-headed Vunko that darted through the trees. The creature thrashed violently, snapping at the restraints, but Mary's vines responded with a vicious pull—tightening until bones cracked and heads fell limp.
Henry knelt low, pressing both palms to the ground. A tremor rolled out beneath him. Jagged stone spikes exploded upward, piercing two charging Vunko through their bellies. He turned sharply, summoning a tidal wave from the stream. It crashed into a third beast, slamming it back into a tree with a bone-crunching thud.
Belinda—the other female warrior—vanished from sight.
But her strikes spoke for her.
A two-headed Vunko screeched in pain as fresh wounds opened across its side, the air around it rippling with each invisible strike. She moved like a ghost—silent, unseen, but deadly with every blow.
Samuel flashed through the mist like a streak of lightning. His movements were too fast for the eye. He delivered rapid strikes—knees, elbows, spinning kicks—knocking one Vunko unconscious before reappearing behind another and sweeping its legs out from under it.
From the edge of the fight, Ben exhaled a deep breath—and smoke poured out in thick clouds, covering the clearing. The battlefield transformed into a fog-choked maze. Shapes moved in and out of the haze, shadows clashing in bursts of motion. Growls, gasps, and muffled impacts echoed everywhere.
---
And in the middle of it all, Joshua stood frozen, eyes wide.
His heart pounded—not from fear, but from something else. A thrill. A pressure rose inside his chest.
He could barely breathe.
Sweat beaded on his forehead, but his limbs didn't tremble. They felt… alive. Buzzing.
The heat of the battle, the speed, the power—they all awakened something deep within him.
He clenched his fists. The fog curled around his feet, cool and dense.
Then, a flicker—barely noticeable—passed through his eyes. A red shimmer, gone in an instant.
His breath slowed. His fingers tingled.
The storm inside was no longer just stirring. It was rising.
And it wanted out.