We were deep in the forest now—tall trees all around us, branches weaving a dense ceiling overhead. Shafts of golden light pierced through the leaves, dancing across the ground as we walked over dry twigs and cracked leaves. I could hear the distant chirps of strange birds and occasional rustles in the undergrowth.
All six of us brothers were moving together with Riri, who guided us like she'd done this a hundred times before.
"So we have to hunt the creatures shown on that board, right?" Rudransh asked, his eyes scanning the dense brush.
Riri nodded. "Yes. There are all kinds of monsters here. But it's risky to take one on alone—that's why most people form hunting groups. That way, you can watch each other's backs."
Ayush grinned. "We already have the upper hand. We're brothers—and we've got some pretty cool powers."
Jatin added, "Yeah, except I don't even remember what I did back then. I might lose control again and end up fighting you instead of a monster."
Rudransh scoffed. "Then work on it. Train. Get control over your powers before you hurt someone."
I sighed inwardly. There he goes again, acting like a leader. Always bossing others around when he's the one who never listens.
Suddenly, a web net shot out from the trees. Before we could react, it wrapped around Jatin and Ayush, pinning them against a tree trunk.
Jatin shouted, "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!"
We all turned toward the direction of the attack.
Perched high on a tree branch was a Megarachne—a massive spider with a thick, hairy body, and glowing red ruby-like eyes. Its legs twitched menacingly as it glared at us.
Riri raised her hand immediately, muttering an incantation. A fiery orb of flame formed over her palm and shot straight toward the beast.
The Megarachne leapt to another tree, dodging the fireball with frightening speed.
Shon gasped. "It's fast."
Ayush, still stuck, called out, "Whoa! That was awesome! You can control fire?!"
"I told you, I study fire magic at the Sorcery University," Riri replied without taking her eyes off the spider. "Now less talking, more hunting."
Rudransh sprinted toward the tree where the creature sat.
"My turn," he said, and punched the trunk with full force. The tree cracked and fell, but the Megarachne jumped again, hopping swiftly to another branch.
Rudransh growled, "Bastard's too fast."
Nearby, Rizu looked helplessly at Shon. "My powers are useless in a fight like this. And we don't even know what your powers are."
Shon shook his head. "Let's just stay back for now. If that thing attacks us, we'll only get in the way."
Jatin muttered, "Maybe I should try transforming into that monster again."
Ayush, horrified, said, "No—please don't! I'll be your first target again if you do!"
Jatin chuckled. "Relax, I'm kidding. I don't even know how to transform again."
"Then concentrate on your actual powers!" Ayush said. "Even stuck like this, maybe you can still use them!"
Closing his eyes, Ayush focused. The ground trembled slightly, and a group of nearby rocks lifted into the air, launching themselves at the spider with high velocity.
Bam!
They hit the creature mid-jump and it crashed to the ground.
"Yes! It worked!" Jatin cheered.
Ayush smirked. "Told you. I'm improving."
Rudransh dashed toward the grounded spider. "Ritvik!" he shouted back. "Are you gonna keep spectating or admit you're a coward with a useless power?!"
I stayed rooted to the ground.
There it is again, I thought bitterly. He's always waiting for a chance to badmouth me. I'm three years older than him, and yet, he shows me no respect. I'm the only one he's blood-related to, and I feel like I'm the one he hates most.
Riri conjured another fireball and aimed at the Megarachne. But before she could release it, the spider flung a web and web-swung to another tree, bouncing between branches to escape.
Rudransh shouted, "It's running! Don't let it escape!"
He, Riri, Shon, and Rizu took off after it through the forest.
I stayed back, my legs refusing to move.
Am I scared? Is that why I'm not doing anything? What can I even do? I'm not like them. I can't shoot fire or throw boulders or punch like a tank. I can only run fast. My powers are purely defensive—meant to pull others out of danger. But do they even need me?
Ayush interrupted my spiral. "Ritvik! Go help them! They need you!"
Jatin added quickly, "No! Stay here with us. What if another monster shows up? We can't even move!"
Ayush shot back, "I can still fight with my powers. They need Ritvik more—especially Rizu and Shon. They can't survive if something happens!"
"Don't listen to him," Jatin said. "Stay. Please."
I looked at both of them, annoyed. "Calm down. I'll decide what I need to do."
I turned toward the direction they had gone, bent my knees slightly, and channeled my energy. Blue arcs of electricity started sparking and floating around my body.
And in an instant—I vanished from where I was standing.
"Yeah," I could hear Jatin mutter faintly behind me, "we're doomed."
When I arrived, I saw the others frozen in place—Riri, Rudransh, Rizu, and Shon—all staring upward in horror.
I followed their gaze.
High above us, a young girl was trapped in a cocoon of web, dangling from the top of a massive tree. She had white hair, bright red eyes, and a terrified expression on her delicate face. She was crying.
The Megarachne was pulling her closer with one of its long limbs, the web tightening around her body as she screamed.
"No! Please! Help me!"
I froze, heart pounding.
I can't… I can't stand still anymore. If I do nothing now… someone dies.
I can't hold back any longer.
Or we're all going to die.