Morning came faster than Zane would've liked.
Which was unfair, really—considering he'd spent half the night fighting Night Mira.
Also known as:
The Nightmare Hugger.
The Suffocator.
The Relentless.
The Reason His Back Hurt.
By the time sunlight filtered into the inn, Zane was already awake, staring at the ceiling with the dead eyes of someone who had lost an important battle.
The others, unfortunately, looked… fine.
Mira stretched, completely refreshed.
Luna yawned softly, rubbing her eyes.
Celeste hummed while tying her hair.
Asher cracked his neck like a man ready for adventure.
Zane glared at all of them.
"Unbelievable," he muttered. "I fight for my life every night and you people wake up glowing."
Mira glanced at him innocently. "You slept well."
"That was not sleep," Zane replied. "That was a hostage situation."
They geared up quickly.
Daggers, light charms, spare tools—everyone prepared properly.
Everyone except Zane.
He pulled on his hoodie, adjusted it once, and called it a day.
Asher raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"
Zane picked up the map and shrugged. "I've survived worse with less."
He tapped the parchment with a finger.
"We just need to get one thing right," he said lazily. "Capture or kill the winged owl. That's the mission. Then we go home."
Asher frowned. "That's… really it?"
"Yes," Zane nodded. "Which means something will definitely go wrong."
They set off shortly after.
The walk was longer than expected, and with every step, the atmosphere shifted. The air grew heavier. The sounds of the town faded behind them, replaced by an eerie silence broken only by distant rustling and the occasional call of something that didn't sound entirely natural.
The forest ahead was dark—too dark for morning.
The trees were thick, their canopies blotting out most of the light. Mana lingered in the air, thick and unsettled, like something was watching.
Even Luna felt it.
Then they saw it.
A cave.
Not just any cave.
It was massive—its mouth wide and jagged, like something had clawed it open. Mana poured out of it in waves, strong enough that even those without refined senses could feel it press against their skin.
Celeste narrowed her eyes. "That's… a lot of mana."
Zane studied the map again.
"The map stops here," he said slowly. "Big, dramatic X and everything."
He glanced up at the cave.
"Either that owl is hoarding mana stones," he continued, "or it's ranking up."
Asher swallowed. "Both sound bad."
Celeste smiled, far too calm. "This should be fine."
Zane looked at her.
Then at the cave.
Then back at her.
"…You're definitely the kind of person who says that right before things go terribly wrong."
She grinned.
Without another word, all five of them stepped forward—
And entered the cave together.