An hour into their journey, the carriages approached a town just three hours from Galica when they suddenly halted. The horses, trembling with fear, refused to move forward. Alarmed passengers disembarked to investigate, their unease growing as the animals balked, sensing something amiss about the town ahead.
"What's wrong? We're almost there," a passenger grumbled. "If the horses are tired or hungry, we can rest in town."
Nathaniel, curious, joined the group at the front of the convoy to uncover the cause. Aibara, noticing his apprehension, grew suspicious. "They're scared to enter the town," she muttered, though from their vantage point, the place appeared peaceful, with no visible signs of danger. The crystals protecting the road should have warded off any monsters, leaving no trace of hostile presence.
As Nathaniel circled the area, his eyes caught a large boulder a few meters off the path. Melon emerged from his hood, perching on his head, and whispered a warning. "Be careful. Something's hiding behind those rocks."
"What? Really?" Nathaniel replied, startled.
"It's masking its presence well," Melon continued. "I can't gauge its strength, but it's waiting for the carriages to pass before attacking. You need to leave this place now."
Harik noticed Nathaniel's unease and approached. "What's wrong?"
Nathaniel hesitated, unsure how to explain the danger without revealing Melon's insight. "We need to get out of here," he urged.
Aibara scoffed. "What's your problem now?"
"There's something hiding behind those rocks, ready to attack any moment," Nathaniel insisted.
Aibara rolled her eyes, sensing no presence herself. "You're paranoid." She stepped toward the boulders, but Nathaniel grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Let go!" she snapped, yanking free.
"Listen, I know it's hard to believe, but we're in danger if we confront it," Nathaniel pleaded. Without Melon's warning to back him up, convincing them was proving difficult.
Aibara brushed him off. "As adventurers, it's our job to ensure safe travel. Besides, this is the only road to Galica. We can't just leave."
She moved toward the rocks again, but Melon's urgent voice echoed in Nathaniel's mind. "If she gets closer, she's done for." Desperate, Nathaniel lunged, tackling Aibara to the ground.
Furious, she shoved him off and kicked him away. Springing up, she aimed her bow at him. "What's wrong with you, creep? Do that again, and I'll kill you!" she roared.
Harik and Masaw rushed to intervene, shouting for them to stop. As Aibara prepared to fire, Masaw paused, spotting a figure emerging from the rocks. "Wait… a little girl?"
A young girl with long blue hair, about ten years old, stepped out, dressed in a delicate blue gown and clutching a wooden staff. "Have you seen my mama?" she asked softly.
"That's what you were scared of? A lost kid?" Aibara sneered at Nathaniel.
Assuming the girl was harmless, Aibara approached to offer help. Melon leaped onto Nathaniel's head again, whispering urgently. "Something's wrong. Thousands of spirits are converging on her. She's not human—she's hiding her true nature in a human form to avoid detection."
Nathaniel, still doubtful, questioned Melon. "How can you be sure? She looks like a normal girl."
"Don't you trust me?" Melon snapped. "I sense spirits, remember? I can pinpoint any creature's location by its essence."
Masaw, meanwhile, stepped closer to the girl, asking if she was lost and how she ended up there. Aibara offered to help find her parents in the nearby town.
"Stop her, Nathaniel!" Melon urged telepathically. "Attack the girl with Kula's power to prove she's dangerous."
Nathaniel recoiled. "Attack a kid? I can't do that!"
"If you do nothing, you'll save no one," Melon warned. "Her true form will kill them."
Nathaniel hesitated, paralyzed by the thought of harming an innocent child. If Melon was wrong, he'd be a murderer. "It's not that simple," he protested.
Melon grew exasperated. "If you can't trust me, I'm done. Run while you still can."
Nathaniel's mind churned with doubt, torn between Melon's warning and his fear of making a fatal mistake. But the thought of regret if he did nothing pushed him to act. Summoning Kula's power, he channeled energy through the crystal in his arm, flames igniting in his hands. With a shout, he hurled a fireball at the girl.
"Yahhh!" he cried.
The fireball struck, sending the girl tumbling, her body engulfed in flames. She writhed, screaming as the fire consumed her. The others froze, horrified. Nathaniel stood paralyzed, terrified he'd killed an innocent.
"What did you do?" Aibara screamed, charging at him. "Why would you attack a child?"
Her fist connected with Nathaniel's face, knocking him to the ground. "You're heartless! Monsters like you deserve death!" she spat, aiming an arrow at his head, ready to execute him for his crime.
Stunned and guilt-ridden, Nathaniel stared blankly at the arrow, unable to respond. His gaze fixed on the burning body, his mind reeling. "Did I just kill an innocent girl?"
Before Aibara could fire, Masaw cast a weak spell to restrain her. "Stop! You can't just kill him!" he shouted.
"Are you defending this criminal?" Aibara raged. "Is it because he gave us food?"
"That's not it!" Masaw countered. "We're not Galica's enforcers. We swore not to kill humans. We're warriors fighting to survive, not heroes doling out justice."
Aibara accused him of bias, but Masaw insisted they stay neutral, avoiding matters outside their responsibility. Their argument escalated, neither noticing the burning girl's body stirring.
"Stop it, both of you!" Harik yelled, trying to intervene. As he approached, he saw the girl raise her staff, a blinding light emanating from it. "Dodge!" he shouted, leaping in front of them and swinging his axe at a torrent of water shaped like a three-foot piranha.
Despite his effort, the water's force overwhelmed him, sending him crashing to the ground. The group gasped, rushing to check on Harik. "Are you okay?" Masaw asked.
"I'm fine, but she negated my attack," Harik groaned.
They turned to the girl, now surrounded by floating water orbs. Her charred body regenerated, restoring her pristine appearance as if untouched. Her staff pulsed with energy, multiplying the water around her. Over twenty water piranhas formed, hovering menacingly.
"Your souls are mine now," the girl declared, her voice cold and otherworldly.
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