The forest did not feel the same after the Core fragment was stolen.
Kai stood still, staring at the torn earth where the fragment had been. The ground was cracked. Burn marks spread in a circle. The masked man had vanished like smoke.
Bouncy wobbled beside him, unusually quiet.
Renn broke the silence. "So we just got robbed."
Theo adjusted his glasses, voice tight. "That was not a normal vessel. His control was precise. He knew exactly when to strike."
Aria scanned the trees. "We need to move. If he had backup, they will circle back."
Kai finally turned. His mind was racing, but his face stayed calm. "He did not come to kill us."
Renn frowned. "That makes it better?"
"He came only for the fragment," Kai said. "That means he knew we would find it."
The air grew heavier at those words.
Theo swallowed. "You think someone is tracking us?"
Before Kai could answer, Bouncy suddenly bounced high and smacked into Kai's face.
"Hey!"
The slime slid down his cheek and pointed with a tiny wobble.
Rustling.
Aria reacted first. "Incoming."
Three figures burst out from the trees wearing dark uniforms marked with a silver claw insignia.
Renn groaned. "Of course. More trouble."
The lead man smirked. "Hand over whatever you found in the cave. The masked lord does not like loose ends."
Kai's eyes sharpened. "So you work for him."
The man did not answer. He snapped his fingers.
A wolf beast lunged forward, lightning crackling across its fur.
"Scatter," Kai ordered.
The wolf struck the ground where they stood. Dirt exploded.
Renn summoned his armored bear, blocking a second attacker. Aria's hawk shot into the sky, slicing downward with sharp wind blades.
Theo stepped back, activating a support array on the ground. Light patterns spread under their feet.
Kai focused.
No fragment.
No boost.
Just Bouncy.
"Ready?" he whispered.
The slime vibrated excitedly.
The lightning wolf charged again. Faster this time.
Kai waited.
Three steps away.
Two.
"One."
Bouncy expanded suddenly, turning rubbery. The wolf hit the slime and bounced backward with a yelp, slamming into a tree.
Renn blinked. "You are kidding me."
"Elastic surface," Kai said calmly. "Learned something new."
The lead attacker cursed. "Break through!"
Another beast appeared, a long snake covered in metal scales. It darted low toward Kai.
Aria shouted, "Left!"
Kai rolled aside. The snake's tail smashed the ground.
Theo's array flared. "Kai, three seconds boost."
Warm energy surged through him.
Kai placed a hand on Bouncy. "Rotation layer."
The slime began spinning rapidly like a blue wheel.
"Now!"
Kai kicked.
Bouncy launched forward, spinning hard. It struck the metal snake and drilled through its defense, sending it flying.
The attacker staggered.
But the lead man did not panic.
He smiled.
Suddenly, more footsteps echoed around them.
Ten.
No.
Fifteen.
Figures stepped out from every direction.
Renn swore. "We are surrounded."
Kai felt it then.
This was not random revenge.
They had been followed since the cave.
The lead man raised his hand. "You are more interesting than expected. The masked lord was right to be cautious."
Theo whispered, "We cannot win this head on."
Kai's eyes moved quickly, scanning terrain. Trees tight together. Rocky slope to the east. A narrow stream behind them.
He lowered his voice. "We do not fight to win. We fight to escape."
Renn grinned. "Finally, something realistic."
Aria nodded. "On your signal."
The attackers advanced together.
Kai breathed slowly.
"Bouncy. Split."
The slime trembled.
Then, for the first time, it divided into three smaller blobs.
Renn stared. "You never said he could do that."
"I did not know," Kai replied.
The small slimes bounced in different directions.
Confusion spread among the enemies.
Kai shouted, "Go!"
Renn's bear slammed into one side, creating an opening. Aria's hawk blinded two attackers with wind dust. Theo's array pulsed again.
They dashed toward the rocky slope.
Behind them, shouting erupted.
"After them!"
Lightning bolts struck trees. Branches fell. The forest turned chaotic.
Kai felt his chest tighten.
They were not just being chased.
They were being tested.
As they reached the stream, a powerful aura dropped from above.
The masked man.
He landed silently on a rock in front of them.
"No more running," he said.
His voice was calm, almost bored.
Renn growled. "You again."
Kai stepped forward despite his racing heart. "Why take the fragment?"
The masked man tilted his head. "Because you are not ready."
Aria's eyes narrowed. "Ready for what?"
"For what is coming."
Before anyone could react, the masked man raised his hand.
The stream water rose into the air, forming sharp blades.
Kai's breath caught.
Control over elements without visible beast manifestation.
Impossible.
The water blades shot forward.
Kai shoved Aria aside. Renn blocked with his bear but was forced back.
Theo's array shattered.
Kai felt the pressure crushing down.
He gritted his teeth. "Bouncy, mirror layer!"
The slime stretched thin in front of them like a shield.
The water blades struck and split in half, deflecting sideways.
The masked man paused.
"Interesting."
More attackers were closing in behind them.
Kai realized something.
The masked man was holding back.
Testing.
Watching.
The man suddenly looked past Kai, deeper into the forest.
A faint whistle echoed.
The attackers froze.
Retreat signals.
One by one, they withdrew into the trees.
Renn blinked. "They are leaving?"
The masked man stepped back toward the shadows.
"Grow stronger," he said quietly. "Or the next time, I will not stop them."
"Who are you?" Kai demanded.
The man's eyes seemed to glint behind the mask.
"A guardian."
Then he vanished.
Silence returned.
Only the sound of water flowing remained.
Theo collapsed to his knees. "That was not an execution attempt."
Aria nodded slowly. "It was pressure."
Renn looked at Kai. "So what did we just become?"
Kai stared at the empty rock where the masked man stood.
"We became targets."
Scene Shift
Far away, in a dim stone chamber lit by blue crystals, the stolen Core fragment floated above a circular altar.
The masked man knelt before another figure cloaked in white.
"You let them escape," the cloaked figure said.
"They survived as predicted."
"And the boy?"
The masked man's voice lowered.
"He adapts faster than records suggested."
A long silence filled the chamber.
The cloaked figure finally spoke.
"Good. The Rift stirs earlier than expected. If he cannot handle hunters, he will never survive what comes next."
The fragment pulsed faintly.
Outside, thunder rolled across distant skies.
Back at the forest edge, Kai clenched his fist.
He had entered this journey to grow stronger.
Now he understood something else.
Someone had been watching him long before he ever found the first fragment.
And whatever was coming next…
It was bigger than a stolen piece of power.