We hadn't walked five minutes deeper into the forest before the air grew heavy, like the trees themselves were holding their breath. Every sound. Rustling leaves, snapping twigs sounded like it carried a threat.
Sakura was the first to break the silence. Of course.
"So, leader," she said, practically skipping along beside me. "What's the plan when we run into monsters? Smash first, ask questions later?"
I shoved my hands into my pockets. "That depends. Do you want to fail immediately, or after embarrassing yourself first?"
She gasped in mock outrage. "Hira-kun, that's so cruel! I'll have you know I'm an excellent fighter. Just not…" She paused, thinking. "...excellent at strategy."
"No kidding."
Mikio walked silently behind us, but the fire-script he scribbled into the air told us what he was thinking:
'She will rush in no matter what. Factor that in.'
"See? Mikio gets me," Sakura said proudly, sticking out her tongue at me.
I groaned. "That's not a compliment. That's a warning."
Before Sakura could argue back, the ground ahead of us shifted. Leaves scattered as a hulking, mist-like wolf stepped out from behind a tree. Its body flickered like it wasn't fully solid, eyes glowing faint violet.
Sakura's grip on my sleeve tightened. "So creepy… but kinda cool."
I raised an eyebrow. "You want to pet it too?"
"No! Well...maybe…"
The wolf snarled, cutting her off. Its growl reverberated like it came from the forest itself.
Mikio wrote quickly:
'Test opponent. Observe.'
"Fine." I stepped forward, aura humming under my skin. "Let's see how tough it is"
Before I could move, Sakura shot a burst of fox-fire right at its face. The blast tore through the wolf's chest, scattering its misty body into fragments.
She pumped her fist. "Yes! One shot, one kill!"
The mist swirled back together. The wolf reformed, snarling louder than before.
"…One shot, zero brain cells," I muttered.
"Hey! It was worth a try!"
The wolf lunged at us, claws like smoke-forged blades. I stepped in, swinging my fist through its chest. This time, the mist shredded apart for good, fading into sparks.
Sakura pouted. "You're such a show-off."
"No," I corrected, "I'm effective."
Mikio clapped once, the sound echoing like thunder through the trees. He pointed at the fading sparks, writing in fire above us:
'Weak to sound. Physical damage finishes them.'
"Good to know," I said.
But then the forest floor trembled. From deeper in the woods, more growls echoed. Dozens, maybe hundreds. Eyes glowed between the trees like scattered lanterns, surrounding us.
Sakura's fox-fire flared, lighting the shadows around us. "Oh no. Oh no. Oh no." She grinned nervously. "Leader? Permission to panic?"
I cracked my knuckles. "Denied. Formation, Squad Zero."
Mikio drew another fire-script in the air, short and clear:
'Pack incoming.'
"Figures," I muttered.
The first wolf burst from the underbrush. Then another. And another. The pack was here.
And for Squad Zero… survival was about to get very real.
The forest canopy filtered the sunlight in shifting streaks, casting moving shadows across the ground as Squad Cloud Nine advanced.
Fuji walked at the front, quiet and calculating, his shadow stretching faintly with each step. Behind him, Mikasa adjusted her glasses, the faint glow of her Spirit Eyes visible even through the lenses. She scanned their surroundings with sharp, nervous focus. Mikasa, however, trailed a little behind them, arms folded, his expression cool and unreadable.
"This area is crawling," Mikasa whispered. "Aura traces everywhere. Some weak, some… not so weak."
Fuji gave a nod, keeping his voice low. "We stick together. Don't split unless we have to."
Talia smirked. "You sound like you've done this before."
Before Fuji could reply, a branch snapped ahead. From the shadows of the trees, two beasts emerged. Lean, wolf-like creatures with glowing eyes. Their snarls broke the forest silence.
Fuji stepped forward, swords rising at his feet. "I'll slow them down." The swords stretched like spears, stabbing at the wolves.
"Tch. Not strong enough yet…" he muttered.
Mikasa steadied herself. "Then I...I'll mark them." Her glasses glinted as her Spirit Eyes sharpened on the target, reading the flow of aura through its body. She raised her hand, and in a burst of glowing energy, a pistol of aura formed. Her hand trembled slightly as she aimed. Bang! The bullet shot through, striking the wolf's leg.
The beast howled, stumbling. " I actually Got it!" she gasped.
The other wolf lunged at her from the side. Mikasa moved then wings spreading as she shot upward with speed. Fuji's blades flashed, striking downward in a single fluid arc that forced the beast back. "Don't lose focus," he said flatly.
Fuji seized the opening. His sword whipped forward,striking the staggering wolf. With a grunt, he pushed until it dissipated into fragments.
The last one growled, circling warily. Mikasa descended. Fuji's swords at the ready. "My turn." His blades crossed, wings beating once. "First Dance.Dance of Hell." A clean strike severed through, dispersing the final beast.
Silence fell again. Mikasa lowered her pistol, breathing hard, her arms trembling faintly. Fuji looked over his shoulder at her. "You okay?"
She nodded quickly, forcing a nervous smile. "Y-Yeah. Just… using too much already."
Fuji sheathed his blades, his tone casual, almost mocking. "If this is the pace we're keeping, we'll burn out before sundown."
Fuji's shadow rippled faintly beneath him. His eyes narrowed, calm but firm. "Then we adapt. That's what this test is for."
The three continued deeper into the forest, their silent tension saying more than words.
The forest path was eerily still, broken only by the faint crunch of leaves beneath their boots.
"This silence…" Suki muttered, her sharp eyes darting across the treeline. "It feels staged."
Yuki tilted her head, already matching her twin's stance. "Staged or not, we'll handle it."
Jackson walked behind them, his expression calm, almost detached. His gloved hand flexed idly at his side, as if itching for something. "Don't worry. If it bleeds…" his lips curled into a faint grin, "…it's mine."
A metallic screech cut through the silence. From the underbrush emerged hulking constructs shaped like gorillas, their bodies forged from steel and bark. Their fists pounded the ground, sending tremors through the soil.
"Of course…" Suki groaned. "They gave us the heavy-hitters."
"Then let's dance," Yuki shot back.
The gorillas charged, trees snapping in their wake. The twins darted forward, their aura-boosted speed turning them into streaks of motion. One gorilla swung down, but Yuki slid beneath the blow, slicing her hand across its knee joint. Suki appeared at its back instantly, driving her elbow into the weakened joint, toppling the beast.
Meanwhile, Jackson stayed rooted where he was. His pupils thinned, and his veins pulsed as he whispered:
"Crimson Bind."
A thin trail of blood snaked from a cut across his palm, lashing outward like a whip. It coiled around the arm of a charging gorilla, seizing tight. With a flick of his wrist, the blood hardened, spikes bursting through the construct's metal frame. The gorilla shuddered, sparks bursting from its chest before collapsing.
But Jackson's hand trembled faintly. He clicked his tongue. "Too much output already…"
"Then pace yourself," Suki barked as she vaulted over another gorilla's swinging arm.
The twins attacked as one, their coordination flawless. Yuki swept the legs, Suki struck the head, and the beast fell in a shower of sparks. Their breathing was even, their movements sharp. They moved not like individuals, but like mirrored halves of a single blade.
Jackson, however, grew more feral as he fought. Another gorilla lunged, and he slashed his palm deeper. "Blood Scythe."
His crimson aura hardened into a curved blade, slicing through the gorilla's chest. The recoil jolted through him, his vision flashing white for a moment but the enemy fell in two neat halves.
When the last construct hit the ground, the clearing was thick with smoke and metallic stench.
Yuki and Suki stood shoulder to shoulder, barely winded.
Jackson leaned against a tree, wiping blood from his hand with a dark smirk. "Not bad for warm-up."
Yuki crossed her arms. "You're burning yourself out too fast."
"Better to burn out…" Jackson muttered, eyes narrowing, "…than to be useless."
The twins exchanged a look but said nothing. Instead, they pressed forward into the forest, their survival trial far from over.