The morning light filtered through the trees of the Mythara Forest, painting the ground with patches of gold and dancing shadows.
The forest, with its blend of mysticism and deceptive tranquility, echoed with the crunching of dry leaves under unknown feet.
A figure moved between the ancient trunks, almost like a whisper.
Rina...
Her eyes, a mix of feline yellow and constant alertness, blinked as her vision shifted between the human spectrum, the flow of mana, and distant heat sources.
It was instinct that moved her feet, hunger that guided her steps. Her semi-human figure was a natural camouflage among the bushes and undergrowth.
From the safety of the shadows, her eyes locked on two elves who were hurriedly working on a broken fence.
"Come on, hurry up! I don't want to be here when that thing comes back!" shouted one of the elves, his voice cracking as he threw a nervous glance toward the nearby bushes.
His breathing quickened as he remembered what he had seen the night before: two yellow eyes glowing in the dark, fixed on him like a predator stalking its prey.
"Shut up and let me concentrate!" panted his companion, adjusting the tool with trembling hands. "Don't mention those damn eyes again… I barely slept thinking about them!"
The air around them felt heavier, charged with the memory of that gaze and the fear that it might appear at any moment.
Both elves worked frantically, as if their hands could protect them from what they knew was lurking nearby: something bigger, smarter, and too silent to be just an animal.
"They say it's a livestock devourer," murmured one of them, lowering his voice as he cast a nervous look toward the forest. "The elders believe it's an ancient beast that punishes those who don't protect their land properly."
"For the gods' sake, don't talk about that now!" snapped the other, gritting his teeth as his hands worked faster. "Whatever it is, I don't want my cows to be next."
The rumor had grown in the village, fed by fear and the imagination of the farmers. For the earth elves, anything that threatened their livestock or crops was a threat to their way of life—and that made it an even more terrifying enemy.
Rina watched them from the top of a tree, her tail now visible, swaying cautiously.
She had tried to steal food from one of their farms the night before, but the magical alarm placed on the perimeter had given her away.
"Too noisy… elves move," she murmured, her voice rough from lack of use, barely a whisper audible even to herself.
With a mix of caution and necessity, Rina adjusted her stance, her gaze fixed on the elves' nervous movements. She knew she needed food, but she also knew she couldn't afford to be detected again.
She descended from the tree with a swift movement, slipping between the shadows toward a clearing where the elves usually worked.
There she stopped, her eyes watching every detail from the shadows: how they planted, how they repaired fences, how they worked in silence.
"This is how they do it…," she thought as her stomach growled in protest. Her gaze shifted to a small animal crossing between the bushes.
"Food… don't lose control… hunt something smaller," she whispered, her words broken as her stomach roared louder.
Rina closed her eyes for a moment, adjusting her senses to find nearby prey. She didn't want to bother the elves more than necessary, but hunger didn't wait.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forest, a man in an impeccable black suit and a disturbingly calm smile walked among the shadows.
Hans Versalles, the assassin of Netheria, held his crossbow up.
His eyes, cold as blades, shone with a spark of admiration as he lifted a gray feather. He held it delicately, as if it were a work of art.
"A unique piece, no doubt…" he murmured to himself as he stored the feather in his bag.
He stopped in a clearing, his boots barely leaving prints on the soft forest floor.
He looked around, bending down to carefully inspect the marks on the ground and a few claw marks on the trees.
"You may be hiding your presence, but your tracks are clear…" he said softly, as if speaking directly to his prey.
With a calculated movement, he caressed the wood of his crossbow, as if tuning an instrument before a concert.
"What an exquisite performance awaits me… It's time to raise the curtain!" he declared with theatrical drama, his lips curling into a smile full of anticipation.
Suddenly, a rustle in the underbrush interrupted his monologue. Hans looked up and focused his gaze in the direction of the sound.
A faint smile curved his lips, a reflection of his absolute confidence.
Far from that tense and inevitable encounter, a few days had passed since the group led by Yuna arrived at the Aeris tribe after their journey through Durkheim.
Yuna's father was guiding the group toward Miss Cherri's auditorium.
At the center of her hall, Cherri, the dryad of the great sakura tree, awaited them with a solemn expression and a request that would change their path.
"Thank you for coming," said Cherri, her voice melodic but filled with concern.
"I need you to investigate a creature. It's been causing trouble in the earth elves' territory."
Yuna raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms thoughtfully.
"You mean the creature that has been eluding us for years?"
Cherri sighed and nodded.
"The very same. Apparently, according to Terram's report, it has been more active lately. But it's very elusive—they haven't been able to catch it."
"Any casualties? Any elves hurt?" asked Thalindra seriously.
"The report only mentions attacks on livestock, but it's frightened the locals," replied the dryad.
"I see… if it's avoiding the elves, that means it's not as savage as we thought," said Thalindra, connecting the dots.
Haruto's eyes narrowed, his mind already analyzing the situation.
Kizuna, floating beside him, giggled softly.
"This sounds fun, Haruto-kyun! A new adventure awaits us, Kizu!" she said, fluttering around with excitement.
Thalindra cracked her knuckles, making it clear she was ready for whatever came next.
"Finally, some action. I was starting to worry this would be a boring mission, but now I'm intrigued," affirmed the dwarf with a confident grin.
The Mythara Forest, however, already had other plans for them.
And in the shadows, a hunter and his prey were preparing to meet.