Jimmy stood still, heart steady but senses sharp. The fog swirled like silk around their ankles, beginning to thin. But instead of clarity, it brought something else—
Footsteps.
Too many.
Dozens.
Marching, pacing, circling. Not wild or chaotic — precise. Controlled.
The mist shifted again, drawn by something unseen.
Then, like a veil lifting, the glade ahead became visible.
Seven players.
Not random. Not lost.
Each one poised in calculated stillness — sitting on tilted stones, crouching on crooked branches, leaning against mossy trunks with their Whisps close by.
It wasn't a camp.
It was a watchpost.
Jimmy and Luna didn't move.
The scene ahead unfolded like a silent storm.
From the leftmost side:
Binny (A15)
A sharp-eyed, restless boy with a faint scar running along his chin, crouched low with one hand on the earth. His messy hair was tied loosely with a red cloth.
Beside him:
His Whisp: Pyrorine
A radiant firebird with gleaming orange-plumed wings, body arched like a phoenix reborn. Flames curled from its tail and shoulders, its shriek slicing through the air as it dive-bombed nearby with a trail of sparks. Its feathers left scorch marks even in the damp grass.
Next to him, seated half-hidden behind the branch of a dead tree:
A1 — The Veiled Girl
She wore a long grey shawl that concealed her face, save for one visible eye marked with a violet sheen. She sat in composed silence, fingers folded.
Her aura was cold.
Her Whisp: Glacireine
An Ice-type of regal bearing — tall, with crystal-lined limbs and a furred collar of frost. Its coat shimmered like morning snow, and every breath woven from its nostrils became drifting flakes. She stood beside her partner, unmoved by the clashing flames.
To the left:
Malo (D12)
Lean, wiry, and cocky. His arms crossed, he spoke with smirking confidence as if the battle were a game beneath him. A silver ring dangled from his left ear, catching firelight.
Beside him:
His Whisp: Fellcape
A wind-type with fluid motion — like cloth turned predator. Its wings resembled fluttering scarves that slashed through air. It zipped through the glade in high arcs, cutting through falling leaves and slipping past fire whips like a whisper.
Next to Malo:
Serra (D13)
Stocky and square-shouldered, her body tensed like a spring. Her stance was low, eyes locked forward. She had war paint streaked along her cheekbones, tribal and thick.
Her Whisp: Emberail
A fire serpent. Its long, coiled body writhing with molten heat. It lunged between rocks with jet-like bursts, spiraling trails of fire in its wake. Its eyes burned white-hot as it snapped at Fellcape's tail.
From a higher ridge to the side:
C13 – Daro
He sat astride a crooked tree trunk, one foot hanging down. Calm, unreadable. His gloved hands rested atop his knees, as if he were a knight between battles.
Behind him, flaring like a comet:
His Whisp: Braequinox
A horse-shaped Fire-type with a mane and tail made of pure flame. Its body glowed like fire-warmed obsidian, and when it snorted, embers danced in the air. Silver bracers glinted on its legs, and its hooves burned soft trails into the mossy earth.
B19 – Lavi
A soft-spoken girl with delicate hands and a gaze like flowing ink. She wore glasses with wide rims and boots caked with mud. Her coat was dotted with pinned feathers.
Her Whisp: Papilyra
A butterfly-like Whisp, delicate yet strangely mechanical. Its wings resembled stained glass, reflecting patterns of wind currents. It hovered in perfect silence, sending shimmering dust trails that distorted sight — illusions twisting light like glass lenses.
And finally:
A05 – Gorran
Tall. Wide-shouldered. He stood like a carved tree stump with arms crossed and expression unmoving.
His Whisp: Grashrog
A massive green grasshopper-like Whisp, armored in overlapping jade plates. Its antennae crackled with static. With every jump, it released a thunderous hum, and its bladed legs tore shallow gouges into stone.
Jimmy's eyes scanned the scene.
This wasn't a team.
This was a collection of predators.
Each from a different section. Different codes. A strange alliance.
No words were spoken between them, but the energy swirled heavy. Whisps clashed mid-air as if sparring, not attacking — testing limits, showing off. Tension and control.
Jimmy stepped back half an inch.
Luna did too.
Then Eloa whispered behind him, breath tight, "W-who are they?"
Jimmy didn't answer right away. He looked back down at his watch —
No signals. No beacons. Only time ticking naturally again.
Finally, he spoke softly, eyes never leaving the circle of power ahead:
"…The ones who stopped running."
.....................
Jimmy looked at Eloa and gave a quick nod.
She caught it, eyes wide, and whispered, "This way!"
But instead of the hole they had prepared earlier, she veered sharply left—deeper into the mist-covered woods. Jimmy didn't hesitate. He grabbed her wrist, Luna kept pace beside them, and Bear climbed up like a shadow, clinging to Jimmy's coat as they bolted downhill.
Jimmy hissed under his breath, "Run faster. Don't stop."
Behind them, the forest stirred.
Branches cracked. Leaves shuffled. Footsteps—many of them.
Jimmy glanced over his shoulder. "They're chasing. Seven of them."
Eloa gasped, "We won't outrun them like this."
They sprinted for fifteen seconds, ducking under branches and leaping over stones, but Jimmy could sense it—Luna was starting to slow.
Her pace faltered. Sparks around her legs flickered and dimmed.
She finally stopped at a root-tangled clearing, panting, steam rising off her body. Her coat was soaked from her volt-charged dash. She breathed hard, trembling.
Jimmy knelt. "What happened, Luna?"
She shook her head weakly and let out a soft growl. Her strength was dipping—too many bursts, not enough recovery.
Jimmy swung his bag off and rifled through it.
Empty.
No berries. He turned to Bear.
Bear glanced down guiltily and muttered, "Sorry. I… I ate them."
Jimmy sighed but patted the small Whisp's head. "It's okay. You didn't know. But now we fight."
Eloa opened her own pack quickly. "Here. I've got some!" She handed over two small fruits—red and speckled.
Luna and Bear snapped them up gratefully.
Eloa tossed two more to Luna. "Eat. You'll need every thing so that you can hold."
Jimmy gave Luna a nod. "No more running. We hold our ground here."
Eloa hesitated. "You sure? They outnumber us."
Jimmy replied through Luna, his voice calm, low. "We don't need to outnumber. Just outlast."
Eloa looked around the clearing—low boulders, tangled roots, a slight slope downward, mist curling like faded breath.
She nodded. "Alright. We make a stand here."
Two minutes passed.
The woods trembled.
A crashing of leaves and stamping feet burst through the mist—
Seven figures emerged.
Malo, Serra, Binny, A1, and the others—now joined by three more.
A boy in crimson armor—C13—strode in with a flame-maned Whisp beside him: Infermane, a horse-like creature with molten hooves and fire flickering from its mane and tail. Its breath left embers in the air.
Next came a pale girl with flowing robes, badge code B19. Her Whisp fluttered beside her—a massive, pastel-hued butterfly called Shymora, wings trailing luminescent powder.
Last, A05, a tall, lanky student with tangled hair and a feral grin, stepped forward. His companion, Thornhopper, was a giant green grasshopper Whisp with razor-sharp forelegs and thorn-like joints, constantly twitching with tension.
Jimmy stepped forward slowly, Luna beside him, sparks beginning to pulse from her paws.
Eloa stood just behind, her hand on Bear's tiny head, her breath steady now.
The others slowed.
Binny cocked his head. "You two? The only ones left?"
Malo smirked. "They look half-dead already. This'll be quick."
Jimmy didn't respond.
Instead, Luna took a step forward and growled.
A static pulse rippled from her hooves into the ground.
..........................................
Lets fought not because we thought we'd win, but because we knew that when they look back—they'll remember the two who never ran.
To be Continued...