"Run… hurry… Shuuun!"
The man's voice cracked through the crowded street.
But the little kid didn't move.
He just stared at the thing tearing the town apart — a creature so tall it dwarfed the city walls.
Its bark-like skin cracked with every movement, roots writhing around its limbs like an armor.
Its glowing green eyes sent chills through anyone who dared look up.
All around its body, hundreds of small green orbs drifted in the air.
Its screech ripped through the whole town.
SCREEEECH!
The sound punched through the whole town. Windows rattled.
People clapped their hands over their ears and bolted in every direction.
BOOOOM!
A blast went off behind the monster, shaking the ground. Dust shot into the air. A roof collapsed somewhere to the left.
"SHUN! GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE!" the man yelled again, almost tripping as he shoved through the crowd.
"Woaa… explosion…" Shuun whispered, grinning like he was watching a festival show instead of an attack.
"SHUUUN!"
The man pushed through fleeing townsfolk, sprinting straight at the kid.
Shuun saw him coming… and then, with the most annoying grin, turned and playfully ran in the opposite direction.
"This god damn child—!" the man barked, chasing after him.
Up ahead, the monster swung its massive limb, roots snapping like whips. A full Links of Seekers closed in—swordsmen charging from the left, mages lining the roofs, archers firing from every angle. Magic burst like fireworks in every direction.
The monster reared back and unleashed a wide, sweeping blast of energy.
The street lit up, houses cracked open, stalls shattered, and debris rained across the road.
"DEFENSIVE STANCE!" one of the Seekers screamed.
Shields slammed into the ground.
Others sprinted, dragging civilians as far away as they could.
"Here—get up! Go! RUN! Don't look back!"
"Thank you—thank you!" someone cried as they were pushed toward safety.
the monster grinned—a horrible, bark-splitting smile. The glowing orbs floating around it suddenly drifted downward.
And then…
Plop.
Plop.
Each orb sank into the dirt.
the ground puffed out, and something pushed up—small, pale mushrooms with thin limbs and twitching caps. Dozens of them. Then hundreds.
"What the—?!"
The mushroom creatures burst free and lunged straight at the closest creature it came across, their shrill squeaks cutting through the smoke. Seekers slashed them down, cutting through the soft bodies with little resistance.
"Easy kills!" someone shouted.
But the moment the creatures died, their caps split open and belched out a thick, sweet-smelling smoke. A cloud rolled across the street like a slow wave.
A few Seekers staggered back, eyes going wide and glassy. Their breathing slowed. Then their faces twisted—confused, scared, violent.
Everyone around them suddenly looked like an enemy…
A monster…
And the monster figures kept smiling.
A cluster of mushroom monsters skittered toward little Shun—fast, frantic, hungry.
Shun?
Still laughing. Still weaving through debris trying his best to run as far away from the man chasing him.
"SHUUUUN, you little—!" the man barked, voice cracking under panic.
He'd seen it happen—the moment those things died, the smoke twisting people's minds. No way in hell he was letting the kid breathe any of that.
He ducked under a leaping mushroom, pivoted around another, then shoulder-checked a third aside.
He didn't fight.
Didn't kill.
Didn't even slow down.
His whole world narrowed into one thing: get the damn kid.
But Shun stopped on his own—because he bumped straight into one of the monsters.
The mushroom tilted its cap. Shun tilted his head back.
"Ow…"
Then bright, innocent: "Hi."
He dug into his pocket. "Here. A gift."
Before anyone could scream at him to run, Shun handed the creature a tiny box. The mushroom accepted it with its little twiggy hands, curious, almost… grateful.
It began to open it.
Shun calmly sat down on the dirt, palms on his ears.
BOOOOOM.
A blast erupted upward, taking the mushroom with it and vaporizing two more around it. Dust rippled across the street. One surviving mushroom stood nearby, confused by the sudden carnage.
Shun stared at his palm, tracing invisible lines with his finger, whispering, "Explosion's off… but it's pretty though…"
The remaining mushroom crept up behind him, limb raised to strike.
Before it could move—
SLASH.
The man's blade carved it down. He covered his mouth with his sleeve and slapped a hand over Shun's face.
"Stop breathing. Now."
He scooped the kid up like luggage and sprinted away from the smoke.
"We're going home, Shun."
"Hold on— hold on— I'm not done watching those explosions yet," he whined.
"Fuck off," his brother said, dragging him up by the collar. "You and your freak hobbies."
They climbed into the carriage and rolled north, A few minutes passed before Shun finally stopped sulking.
"But we didn't even see their blacksmith techniques," Shun muttered, leaning close with a grin. "Don't tell me… you're scared, dear older brother?"
"Shut up."
The man didn't look at him, eyes fixed on the road.
"We came here during a damn disaster, and on top of that, you pulled the most unacceptable bullshit— running off instead of staying beside me, you little shit."
"Hehe…" Shun snickered.
"But seriously… Why are we even here, brother? Father only mentioned learning some blacksmith tricks."
"You'll know when you're old enough," the older one said.
"Eh? You're gatekeeping now? Booo... Boo!"