"So, you're crazy, Cedric, eh?" Van smirked.
"This is the worst day of my life," Cedric muttered.
"No time to waste then. Come at me, boy!" Van dropped into a low stance, hands tucked behind his back.
Cedric narrowed his eyes. "That's a martial artist's posture."
"Less talking, more fighting," Van warned.
"If I don't?"
Van's face hardened. The sudden shift in his eyes sent a spike of adrenaline through Cedric.
Cedric went for his waist, whipping a lethal, razor-edged shuriken from his belt. Without a second thought, he flicked his wrist and hurled it. The blade spun through the air, whistling toward Van's throat.
Van didn't flinch. He casually clapped his hands.
Crack.
The deadly steel vanished, replaced by two falling peanuts. Van caught them in his open mouth, chewed loudly, and rubbed his stomach with a satisfied grin.
"I'm full," Van said.
"You ate my weapon!" Cedric threw his hands up, pacing the dirt. "I don't know whether to be angry or terrified. You're going to die! You just swallowed forged steel!"
"Relax, kid. Remember my GA? I weave the illusion, then push it into reality. Simple."
Cedric blinked. "I understood none of that."
"He traded the properties," Ben interrupted, adjusting his glasses. "The shuriken became completely edible the moment Van clapped. It's basic logic, assuming you have the raw power to back it up."
Van pointed at Ben. "Smart kid."
Is he just smart, Van wondered, studying the boy, or is he tied to the Wishmaker? No, impossible—
"Mr. Van!" Cedric's scream shattered his thoughts. "We've got a problem!"
"What is it?" Van snapped back to attention.
"A scream," Ben said, tilting his head toward the tree line. "Deep in the woods. That way."
Merlin frowned. "How can you possibly pinpoint the direction from that distance?"
"Big ears," Cedric muttered.
"Hilarious," Ben dryly replied.
"Move out, boys!" Van bolted into the brush, the trio hot on his heels.
They tore through the dense forest, boots trampling the sharp undergrowth until the trees abruptly gave way to a wide glade.
The group froze.
In the center of the clearing stood a monstrosity. It possessed the massive torso of a horse, but it walked on eight skittering spider legs. A jagged eagle's beak snapped where its muzzle should be, framed by heavy, midnight-dark wings. Beneath its terrifying shadow lay a bleeding young woman.
"Stay back," Van breathed, slipping forward without making a sound. He kept his weight balanced on the soft soil, knowing a single snapping twig would draw its gaze. His mind narrowed to a single goal: catch it in an illusion.
Suddenly, the woman groaned and stirred.
The monster shrieked, a piercing call that echoed through the canopy. Within seconds, the sky darkened as six smaller winged beasts tore through the branches, tilting their heads before diving.
Beaks ripped down. Blood splattered across the dirt.
Cedric and Ben didn't hesitate, drawing their weapons and charging into the fray. Merlin hesitated, his boots glued to the floor. The ghosts of his past, the confrontation in the basement, the failures, heavy on his chest. If I stay back, they die, he thought. If I move forward, I suffer.
"Merlin, help us!" Cedric yelled, dodging a snapping beak.
Merlin forced his eyes shut, took one ragged breath, and sprinted into the clearing. Cedric flashed him a wild, relieved grin. "He's back!"
The flock turned their gaze to the new intruders, while the massive alpha locked eyes with Van.
"What the hell are these things?" Cedric shouted over the din of battle.
"Sehorders!" Van shouted back, dodging a sweeping wing. "Dark mythical trash born from nightmares! Watch your flanks!"
Cedric checked his empty belt, cursing Van for eating his ammunition, and resorted to pure evasion. Behind him, Ben pulled his bowstring taut, exhaling as he lined up a shot. Mashed up or not, they're still beasts. They have the same anatomy.
An arrow pierced the beast's left eye socket. It roared, still standing. Ben seamlessly notched a second arrow, pulling back and burying it deep into the monster's neck. The creature crashed heavily into the dirt.
"Nice shot!" Cedric cheered, leaping over a stray claw.
On the other side of the glade, Van saw his opening. He brought his hands together in a thunderous clap. Heavy, illusion-born iron chains materialized from thin air, wrapping tightly around the remaining creatures and slamming them into the earth.
They rushed toward the fallen woman. Her shoulder and leg were shredded, blood pooling fast in the dirt.
"Is she going to make it?" Merlin asked, his voice tight with guilt.
"Only if we get her to a healer," Van said, conjuring a crisp white stretcher on the ground. "Grab an end, boys."
Van took the front, Ben took the back. With a flick of Van's wrist, thick smoke erupted behind them, condensing into a metallic, glowing elevator door right there in the middle of the primitive forest.
Cedric stared, completely bewildered. "An elevator? Are you even from this world?!"
Van offered a grim smile as the doors slid open. "I was born here, kid. But I have an associate who's exceptionally good at explaining modern innovations. Now get in."
"His name?" Merlin asked.
"Arthur."