The forest had become too quiet.
The kind of quiet that makes your skin crawl.
Henry slowly lifted his head from behind the tree, his breathing still heavy from the chase. Lily stood beside him, gripping the bark tightly as she tried to calm her racing heart. Twilight and Chris were a few steps away, trying to catch their breath as well.
Then the ground trembled.
At first it was subtle—just a vibration beneath their feet.
Then came the sound.
GROOOAAARRRRR.
A massive shadow moved between the trees.
Everyone froze.
Branches snapped as something enormous pushed through the forest, revealing itself under the pale moonlight. The creature was gigantic—easily twice the height of a man. Its body was twisted with unnatural muscles, its skin dark and cracked like burnt stone. Long claws dragged across the ground, leaving deep marks in the soil.
Its glowing eyes scanned the forest.
Henry's voice came out in a whisper.
"What… is that thing?"
The monster roared again, louder this time.
Lily felt her stomach drop. "That's… definitely not normal."
For a moment none of them moved.
They were too stunned.
And that was the moment the guards took.
Two dark figures rushed from the shadows.
Before anyone could react, one guard grabbed Chris from behind while the other seized Twilight by the arm.
"Hey!" Henry shouted, lunging forward.
But the monster suddenly turned toward him.
Its eyes locked on Henry and Lily.
Then it charged.
The ground shook as the creature rushed toward them, trees cracking under its weight.
"Run!" Lily yelled.
She grabbed Henry's arm and pulled him away just before the monster's claw smashed into the tree behind them, splitting it in half.
Henry tried to turn back.
"Chris! Twilight!"
But the guards were already disappearing into the darkness with them.
The monster roared again and began chasing Henry and Lily instead.
Heavy footsteps thundered behind them.
Branches shattered.
The beast was fast.
Too fast.
Henry looked back for a split second.
The monster was almost on top of them.
Then—
SLASH.
The sound cut through the night like lightning.
Henry blinked.
The monster stopped.
Its massive body froze mid-step.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then the creature slowly split apart.
Piece by piece.
Its enormous body collapsed into dozens of sliced fragments that crashed onto the forest floor.
Silence followed.
Henry and Lily stood frozen.
A figure stood behind the fallen monster.
Black coat.
Black sword.
And the unmistakable mask.
The Mask Guy.
Before either of them could say anything, he moved.
Fast.
In one swift motion he grabbed Henry and Lily—lifting them both like they weighed nothing.
"What the—?!" Lily gasped.
Henry barely had time to process what was happening.
Behind them, several more monstrous growls echoed through the forest.
More creatures were coming.
The Mask Guy didn't waste a second.
He ran.
The world around them blurred.
Trees streaked past like shadows. Wind roared in their ears as the masked man sprinted through the forest with impossible speed. His movements were smooth and controlled, but unbelievably fast—like a storm tearing through the night.
Henry's eyes widened.
"How is he moving this fast?!"
Lily couldn't even answer.
The speed made her dizzy.
Within minutes the forest began to change, the trees growing taller and thicker as they reached deeper into the wilderness.
Finally, the Mask Guy stopped.
They had arrived at a large tree house hidden high among the branches of an ancient tree. It looked old but sturdy, built carefully among the thick limbs.
He placed Henry and Lily down gently on the wooden floor.
The masked man scanned the surrounding forest carefully, making sure nothing had followed them.
Then he turned slightly toward them.
"You both are safe here," he said calmly.
His voice was deep but steady, reassuring.
Lily immediately stepped forward.
"But our friends were there too," she said anxiously. "Chris and Twilight—they took them."
The masked man nodded slightly.
"Don't worry," he replied. "I'll get them."
Henry was still stunned.
He had never seen anyone move like that before.
Not even close.
Before they could ask another question, something suddenly jumped through the open window of the tree house.
A small orange fox landed lightly on the wooden floor.
The Mask Guy looked at it.
"Take care of these two," he said.
The fox nodded.
Actually nodded.
Then the masked man turned toward the open window again.
Without another word, he leaped down from the tree house and disappeared into the dark forest below, moving so fast he was gone within seconds.
The fox watched him leave.
Then it turned its sharp eyes toward Henry and Lily.
It carefully scanned them both.
Henry crouched down slightly, studying the animal.
"Isn't it cute?" he said with a small smile.
Lily immediately shot him an annoyed look.
"Our friends are in danger and you think this fox is cute? Really?"
She crossed her arms and turned away from him.
Henry scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
He noticed the tension between them.
With a sigh, he leaned back against the wooden wall.
"I think that mask guy will save them," he said quietly while staring at the floor.
Lily didn't look at him directly, but she was listening.
"Maybe he will," she replied calmly. "But sitting here doesn't feel like we're helping them."
Henry nodded slowly.
"Yeah… maybe it doesn't feel right to just sit here while they're in danger," he admitted. "But sometimes we can't do anything to save people."
For a moment the tree house fell silent.
Wind rustled through the leaves outside.
Then a third voice suddenly spoke.
A small, childlike voice.
"Then maybe you can help me in scanning the forest, would you?"
Both Lily and Henry froze.
Slowly… they turned their heads.
The fox was looking directly at them.
Its eyes were glowing faintly.
Henry blinked.
Lily's jaw dropped.
"Wait…" Henry said slowly.
"You can speak?"
The fox tilted its head.
"Yes?" it answered simply.
The two friends stared at it in complete disbelief.