It had been two years since the death of his mother. But in those two years, things haven't been easy.
A blade carved into the stone wall of a mountainside, cracking it with force. Sparks scattered as Ash drove the edge deeper, anchoring himself before reaching up with his free hand. His arms trembled, not from weakness, but from something heavier. The climb continued, slow and steady, rage burning behind his eyes.
He had been climbing for a few minutes now. He still didn't know how the others were doing up there.
A crooked branch jutted from the cliffside just ahead, wind blowing on the leaves.
Something landed on it.
A crow.
But not a normal one.
Its body shimmered like oil caught in moonlight, feathers shifting unnaturally with each movement. Five eyes stared out from its face. Each eye glowed white. They didn't move. They just watched him. The creature tilted its head, not afraid, not curious. Or maybe just confused.
Ash swung.
The blade swept through the branch.
The crow vanished before it struck.
He watched it fly into the sky, silent, and sadly... untouched.
He didn't know if he missed because he was too tired from the climbing or because the thing was too fast. He didn't care.
His jaw clenched.
"Damn creature."
He kept climbing, fingers scraping stone.
Near the edge, something leapt at him from above. It looked like it had been waiting.
Ash had already seen the movement before so he wasn't shaken.
The glint of bone, the gaping jaws. A creature with a skull-shaped head lunged forward, teeth like stone needles aiming for his throat.
But he remembered that face.
This was the same thing that had thrown him off the cliff before. The reason for his climb.
He moved faster.
His hand caught the creature's head, fingers pressing into the hollows where eyes were supposed to be. He didn't hesitate. He slammed it down the cliffside with all the strength he could summon.
The creature screamed all the way down until its voice couldn't be heard anymore.
Ash pulled himself over the edge and paused only long enough to breathe. His gaze moved across the field in front of him.
Then he saw it.
The creature towered above the others. It's shaped like a mantis, but twisted. Its wings were made of black glass, its claws like bones sharpened to a point. Dozens of eyes scattered across its body twitched constantly, each watching something. The hissing never stopped. Even with one leg missing, it fought like nothing mattered.
Ash narrowed his eyes.
Fire crashed down from the sky and struck the monster. It raised an arm and blocked the blast, its body holding firm against the flame. A loud screech tore from its mouth. It wasn't just sound. The pressure hit like a strike, a shockwave of noise that bent the air.
Another fireblast spun through the sky, cutting above the screech.
The one who fired it dropped from the air.
Keal.
His body twisted in midair. His Hair is black and wild. A single streak of red cut through it like a flame refusing to die. His grin was sharp, like he was having fun in the middle of a storm.
He dropped fast and struck the creature's stomach with his fist. The impact shook the field. The monster doubled over.
And vomited.
Three large eggs spilled from its throat and rolled onto the earth.
Keal's grin faded.
"Not this nonsense again. So annoying."
His eyes flicked toward the eggs. That hesitation cost him.
The monster's claw slammed into his side and threw him into a broken boulder nearby. The stone crumbles beneath him.
The creature turned back to its eggs.
They pulsed.
Split.
Then hatched.
Three new horrors pulled themselves free. Each one stood like a man, but moved like an insect on four legs. Wings clear as ice. Faces that looked like skulls stolen from the dead.
They didn't waste time.
They turned.
Not toward Keal who was slowly getting himself together. But toward the side.
Behind the twisted fence, a group of people stood frozen. They were silent, tense. Faces pale, backs straight.
They were not screaming or thinking of running either. And of course, they were not calm. They knew what they were looking at.
They were all Tier 1s, some even Tier 0s.
And that huge abominable standing in front of them, sending its children towards them to feed was a Tier 5.
No one needed to say what that meant. Everyone knew.
Tier 1 creatures are nothing when facing a creature of a similar race or higher in Tier 5.
When the weak met something that was far above them, it was already over.
But luckily for them, they weren't alone.
Team Vortex had come.
That's what they told themselves.
That someone would help.
That they would be saved.
But the creatures kept coming.
One flew.
Another crawled.
The last crept low along the ground, eyes locked on its prey.
Then a blast tore through the side of the field.
One of the insectoids was hit in the ribs. The impact shattered its body. It dropped, lifeless.
The others turned towards where the blast came from.
Their hunger hadn't faded.
Only their direction.
A man stood behind the rising smoke. Arm raised, fingers shaped into a barrel. His body was wrapped in a sleek futuristic suit of black plates, and a curved helmet covered his face. Smoke curled from his palm.
The mantis screamed again. Angry over the loss of one of its dead children.
A high-pitched screech that cracked the dirt and split the clouds. A beam of raw sound surged from her throat, a lance of pressure aimed straight at the shooter.
The armored man moved sideways, fast. The beam carved the earth where he'd been.
He fired again. Then again. Bursts of light slammed into the mantis.
The remaining newborns turned towards him. Their wings snapped open as they charged.
They struck him mid-step. One drove him down. The other followed. Its claws raised, one ready to strike this armored man out of his suit.
Ash's heart clenched. He had been watching this scene. He could have joined sooner, but he needed to let his body rest a bit. He stepped forward, rage still rising in his chest.
"Shit, Max."
Ash shifted his weight, ready to move.
Then something rose behind him.
Wings buzzed—fast and sharp. A shadow closed in. The creature he threw down a few minutes ago finally came back.
And it was coming for him.