[KATXU'S POV]
"Aaaaaah—" I groaned, arms reaching toward the sky as my spine popped like old wood.
We stood in the center of the dome. Again. Because Arkhos has no concept of rest.
This was the start of the third exam. And even though my body looked fine—healed, steady, breathing—on the inside? I still felt like I got dragged behind a stampede of ogres and then licked by a cursed goat.
Thankfully, Danryu's healing magic and one of his mushroom-flavored potions patched me up before the others noticed how wrecked I really was.
He kept throwing side-eyes, though. Like he knew something didn't add up.
And he wasn't wrong.
I don't remember everything about last night. But I remember enough.
The pain. The voices. The chains.
Danryu just thinks I got attacked by some unknown enemy. Which, technically, isn't a lie. And I'd like to keep it that way—for now.
I still don't know what those masked examinees did to me that night.
It felt... wrong. Like they were trying to pull something out of me. I don't know what it was, but I'm sure they didn't succeed.
At least—I think they didn't.
There's one thing I keep seeing in my head. I don't know if it was real or just some twisted dream. But in the middle of the darkness, I saw a box. Chained. Heavy. And it was moving—like something inside it was trying to break free. Black smoke, or maybe fire, seeped out through the cracks. Whatever it was... it was being pulled. Dragged. I don't know by what. The masked examinees? Maybe. But the scariest part wasn't them.
It was the pain.
Not just mine—but something else. I could feel whatever was inside that box. Its rage. Its agony.
And somehow, I knew...
Something is sealed inside that box.
I need to know what it was. Is it something sealed inside me? Some part of me I've never known? I can feel it—this isn't just a random vision. This could be the key to everything.
To who I really am.
I've never believed I was just a Normal dumped at the temple and kept locked up for no reason. They restricted me. Watched me. Protected others from me. I just didn't know why.
The Grandmaster always said the same thing—"Find your truth. The answers will come at the right time, with the right people. Calm yourself, and wait."
But I can't wait anymore.
I need answers. And I'm sure that night wasn't just a failed kidnapping. It wasn't just a mistake. I am really the one they are looking for. Those masked examinees knew something. I need to face them again. I need to look them in the eye and figure out what the hell they were trying to get from me—or to do to me.
That's why I haven't told anyone. Not yet. Not even Danryu. Not even Poco. Only Dairon knows, and I asked him to keep it quiet. He didn't say anything... but I think he understood.
Until then, I have to be careful. I have to keep moving.
One step at a time.
***
The arena shimmered around us, glowing faintly under the morning light. Everyone was on edge. Not just from the exams, but from each other.
Only 40 of us left. The air was heavy.
Danryu cracked his knuckles beside me, eyeing me like he was still waiting for me to collapse.
"You sure you're good?" he muttered.
"Good enough to outlive your snoring," I muttered back.
Poco, crouched nearby sketching something into the dirt with a stick, didn't even look up. "You coughed blood this morning."
I blinked. "You were watching me sleep?"
"I was studying you," he said calmly, adjusting his glasses. "There's a difference."
Danryu snorted. "Same difference when it's Poco."
Kelly, quietly feeding Ren a biscuit, glanced up nervously. "W-We're not going to die today, right?"
I opened my mouth.
Danryu raised a hand to stop me. "Don't answer that. Especially you."
"What? I was going to say 'probably not.' That's optimistic!"
Poco sighed. "I don't trust your optimism. You once said 'We'll be fine' right before you cooked that explosive soup that turned your stomach into a stampeding rhino herd."
I scoffed. "That was experimental cuisine. And it worked. Just... a little too well."
Kelly whispered, "You screamed so loud, I thought we were under attack..."
Dairon stood a short distance away, arms folded, face as unreadable as ever. His sword was strapped to his back, and that golden-eyed death stare of his hadn't left me since morning.
I didn't mind.
It was his way of checking in, probably.
Maybe.
Okay, probably not. He just liked looking like he was about to stab someone. That's just him.
I sat down on a flat rock and let out a long sigh. "So. Any guesses for what this next exam is gonna be?"
Danryu shrugged. "Hopefully something simple. Like... lying down until everyone else gives up."
Poco glanced at him. "That's called laziness."
"I call it strategy," Danryu said proudly.
Kelly raised her hand hesitantly. "Maybe we'll work in teams again? I don't want to go alone..."
"Same," I said. "Without you guys, I might actually have to think."
Poco smirked. "Heaven forbid."
Danryu leaned closer to Poco. "You think they'll separate us?"
"Probably," Poco replied flatly. "They like watching us suffer."
A beat of silence.
"...We are the entertainment, huh?" I muttered.
"Oi," Danryu said, pointing at me with narrowed eyes. "You didn't answer my question earlier."
"Which one?"
"The one where I asked what the hell happened to you last night."
I paused. Glanced at Dairon, who didn't even blink.
"...I got jumped," I said casually. "Some freaks tried something weird. I fought back. Dairon pulled me out."
Danryu looked like he wanted to press. "You passed out cold. That wasn't just a 'jump.'"
I shrugged. "Ask your healing potion. It fixed me, didn't it?"
Danryu grunted but didn't say more.
Poco, still scribbling something on his floating parchment scroll, added, "If you collapse mid-exam, we're throwing you at the enemy as a distraction."
"I accept that," I replied.
Kelly frowned. "Wait, really?"
"Of course. I'd make a great bait. Flashy, unpredictable, and loud."
Danryu smirked. "Like a magical raccoon."
I gasped. "Rude."
Poco nodded. "Accurate, though."
The tension lifted slightly.
For a moment, we were just... us again.
Laughing. Bickering. Pretending we weren't standing on the edge of something terrifying.
Then Kelly asked the question we were all avoiding.
"...What if we have to fight each other?"
Everyone went quiet.
Poco stopped drawing. Danryu lowered his arms. Even Grimm stopped chewing.
Dairon's gaze finally moved—locking onto me. No expression.
Poco answered first. "Then we do what we must."
Danryu muttered, "Tch. I'm not throwing hands with a teammate unless they ask for it."
I grinned. "You say that now, but the second I land a hit, you'll lose it."
Danryu smirked darkly. "Only if you survive the first punch."
Poco looked between us. "That's cute. You two are flirting again."
"WE'RE NOT—"
"Let them be," Kelly said softly, smiling. "It's how they say 'I care.'"
Danryu groaned. "If I cared, I'd throw him off a cliff... gently."
"I'll take it," I muttered.
Danryu folded his arms, scowling at the dome like it owed him money. "Tch. We keep making jokes, but this place? It's not playing around."
The mood dropped.
Even I didn't have a smart remark for that.
Poco nodded slowly, still scribbling something on his scroll. "It's designed to break people. Not just their bodies. Their minds, too."
Kelly hugged her teacup a little tighter. "I... I keep thinking about the people from the first exam. The ones I talked to. Some of them seemed nice." She hesitated. "They're just... gone now."
I clenched my jaw. The masked ones. That sealing freak. Even the terrain was trying to kill us.
I tried to keep the tone light. "I mean, technically, I almost died twice. So statistically, I'm due for a win now."
Danryu gave me a look like he wanted to slap the probability out of me. "That's not how survival works, moron."
Poco smirked. "He's right. That just means you're the easiest to eliminate. Like the weakest goblin who gets killed in the opening scene."
"Wow. Thanks, friends," I said, hand over heart. "This support is overwhelming."
"Overwhelmingly honest," Danryu muttered.
Ren, who had been mostly quiet as usual, spoke up from beside Grimm. "This place doesn't care if we're ready or not. The dome will keep spinning, and if we stop, it'll grind us up."
I swallowed hard, then forced a smile. "Alright, no more gloom. Let's make a deal."
Poco raised an eyebrow. "A deal?"
I stood up and dusted off my pants. "Yeah. If any of us get out of this... the exams, the hell-games, all of it... we meet again. Somewhere safe. Somewhere far from domes and crazy monsters."
Kelly blinked. "Like... a promise?"
Danryu scoffed. "Hah. What's the point? What if we're not the same people by the end?"
My smile softened. "Then we meet again as strangers. But at least we'll meet."
For a few seconds, no one answered.
Then Poco broke the silence. "Fine."
Kelly nodded. "Yes. Let's do it."
Ren gave the smallest nod.
Danryu stared at me a moment longer... then sighed. "Tch. I'll think about it."
"That's a yes," I said smugly.
***
BOOOOOOOOOOM.
The horn shattered the stillness, deep and thunderous like the roar of a dying god.
Every examinee stiffened.
Even the wind seemed to pause.
Then—she appeared.
Floating down from above the arena like a shadow cast by the sky itself.
No one dared speak.
Even Dairon stood still, his brows slightly furrowed. If he was tense, then something was serious.
The man's voice echoed without him opening his mouth.
Like it came from inside our own heads.
"Examinees. You made it through the first and second trials. Others gave up. Others were taken out. But you? You're still standing."
She slowly descended to the ground.
"I am Sigrid, the Head of Arkhos Academy."
My spine straightened. The Head. The one who made the rules. The one who decided who belonged and who didn't.
She didn't look at us like students.
More like tools.
"Your third exam begins now."
A glowing rune expanded beneath our feet—massive and intricate, its lines shifting like living veins.
I didn't even have time to scream.
FLASH.
In an instant, the world changed.
When my eyes adjusted, my jaw dropped.
We weren't in the arena anymore.
We stood inside a dome so huge it felt like an entirely different world. The sky was a soft gold, clouds swirling unnaturally. Landscapes stretched in every direction—glittering crystal lakes, black mountains, endless swamps, sun-scorched sand, ruins, forests, even floating temples suspended in the sky.
"...Where the hell are we?" Danryu muttered beside me.
Poco's eyes glimmered. "We've been moved into a biome-based battlefield."
Kelly looked up. "It's... huge..."
Then her voice boomed from above, echoing through the sky itself.
"This exam is called: Wristband War – Hunt or Be Hunted."
"Forty of you remain. But not all will survive this round."
I swallowed.
"Each of you has been assigned three roles."
"One target—your real prey."
"One decoy—a false target."
"And one hunter—someone coming for you."
A flickering screen appeared in front of every examinee. Transparent, floating—projected from a glowing rune now etched onto our wrists.
I squinted at mine. The interface read:
Objective: Retrieve your real target's wristband.
Inventory: Empty.
Danger Pulse: Inactive.
"You're only allowed to take one wristband," she said. "And it has to be from your real target. If you grab the wrong one—even your hunter's or your decoy's—you fail. Simple as that."
Whispers spread.
"Wait, how are we supposed to know who's the real one?"
"Can we switch bands?"
"What if our hunter gets eliminated?"
Crowe's voice silenced all doubt.
"Your interface will not reveal who is your real target or who is your hunter. You must determine that yourself."
"This dome contains shrines, monsters, and traps. Scattered throughout are advantage cards—powerful, single-use abilities."
"Monsters drop cards. Stronger monsters drop stronger cards."
"There are also hidden shrines that allow you to craft or fuse cards—if you survive long enough to find them."
Someone from the other side of the field raised their voice. "How long does this trial last?!"
She answered without looking.
"Five days. On the fifth day, the dome closes. Those who fail to retrieve their real target's wristband by then are eliminated."
Gasps followed.
"FIVE DAYS?!"
"We'll starve!"
"Good," Danryu muttered. "I hope it weeds out the loud ones first."
Crowe raised a hand.
"You may leave the dome at any time through a Verdict Altar. But if you exit with the wrong wristband..." He paused.
"You're done."
The dome darkened slightly as his final words echoed through the golden sky.
"This is not a test of survival. It is a test of clarity."
"Know who to trust. Know who to fight. Know who to fear."
And then—she vanished.
Just like that.
Dead silence.
Then chaos.
Like startled crows, the examinees burst into motion—scattering across the vast dome. Some sprinted toward the forest, others vanished into the silver mist above the crystalline lakes. A few reckless ones charged toward the jagged obsidian temples like moths chasing lightning.
Danryu clicked his tongue. "Well. That's new."
Kelly hugged Grimm tight. "S-Should we split up too?"
Poco was already studying his glowing interface. "Not yet. Not until we scout. Everyone's chasing the early cards, trying to be the first to find a legendary. But if we rush, we'll just end up being someone else's bait." He tapped his screen twice. "The best move right now... is to wait."
I looked down at my own interface.
Two names hovered in soft silver text:
TARGETS:
1. Elara 2. Faith
The only thing I knew for sure—one of them was my real target. The other was bait.
But I didn't know which was which.
And the worst part?
I couldn't tell anyone.
Poco glanced at me without lifting his head. "Don't say it out loud."
I blinked. "Huh?"
"Your targets. Keep them to yourself," he said. "Everyone should. We don't say a word. Not even to each other."
Danryu raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"
"Because," Poco said calmly, "one wrong word and you're hunted. You might think someone's your teammate—and they might be your assigned hunter. Or you might be theirs."
Kelly's face paled. "Y-You mean... we could already be enemies?"
Poco didn't respond.
He didn't have to.
Danryu muttered, "Tch. Let them try."
But the usual sharpness in his voice... wasn't there.
I looked back at my screen.
Two names. Two paths. One truth.
And I wouldn't know which until it was too late.
"Alright," I said, clearing my throat, "so... we scout?"
Poco nodded. "We split into pairs. No more than two. Safer. Faster."
Kelly raised her hand quickly. "C-Can I go with Poco?"
"Sure," Poco said, already adjusting his gear. "We'll head toward the ruins. I want to check if the crafting shrine is active."
Danryu looked at me. "Guess that leaves us again, huh?"
I grinned. "Just like fate intended."
Danryu muttered, "Fate's an idiot."
Then we all turned.
Ren.
He hadn't said a word yet. He stood near the edge of the group, Grimm perched quietly on his shoulder.
He looked at each of us—me, Danryu, Poco, Kelly—then finally at Dairon, who was already walking alone toward the mountains.
"I'll go with him," Ren said softly.
Kelly flinched. "With... Dairon?"
I looked at Dairon's back.
He hadn't turned once.
Yet the second Ren started walking after him... Dairon slowed. Just slightly.
Like he'd been waiting.
Grimm hopped down beside Ren, its stubby legs padding along in silence.
Poco adjusted his glasses. "We regroup here before nightfall. If anyone's missing..."
No one needed him to finish.
Kelly nodded, holding her bamboo staff tighter. "Be safe..."
I gave a thumbs up. "If we die, make me a cool statue."
Danryu scoffed. "I'm carving you with a stupid face."
We split.
***
The wind here smelled different.
Sharp. Clean. A little like metal, like rain just waiting to fall. I couldn't quite place it. But whatever this place was, it wasn't part of our world anymore. This dome was bigger than the others—far bigger. The sky overhead wasn't even blue, but a soft golden hue that shimmered like a memory. The terrain shifted under our feet with every mile—ruins one second, tangled vines the next. It felt alive. Like the whole dome was watching us breathe.
We were walking through someone's dream.
Or someone's prison.
Danryu was a few steps ahead, his posture relaxed—but his fingers were curled just close enough to his needles. He didn't trust this place. Neither did I.
"You feel it too, right?" I asked.
He didn't turn. "Feel what?"
"That we're being watched."
That got his attention. He slowed for just a second. Then resumed his pace.
"...Yeah," he said. "It's not the kind of watching you can see. More like... the world is leaning closer. Like it wants to hear what we'll say."
I nodded, my eyes scanning the glowing trees overhead. "Think the audience can still see us?"
"Of course," Danryu replied. "They wouldn't let this kind of game go unwatched."
I kicked a loose stone off the path. It bounced twice before disappearing into fog.
"You know," he said after a moment, "I still don't get how you were living at Soju Temple."
That caught me off guard. "Huh?"
"I've been to that temple a lot. Back when I was younger. I knew most of the monks by face. But you?" He glanced over. "Never seen you once."
I scratched the back of my neck. "Yeah... they didn't let me out much. I mostly stayed behind the third courtyard."
"Locked in the back, huh? Why?"
I shrugged. "Maybe I annoyed them too much. Or maybe they just didn't know what to do with me."
Danryu gave me a long, skeptical look. "You? Annoying? Nooo..."
I held up a hand, mock solemn. "I was a menace. True story. I once rearranged the monk statues so it looked like they were playing cards."
He blinked. "You're serious?"
"I got temple-chores for a month."
He let out the ghost of a laugh and shook his head.
"That sucks."
I kicked at a root poking out of the ground. "...Still, I used to wonder."
"About what?"
I didn't look at him. "Why I was even there. Why I was the only one who didn't get answers. Everyone else had a reason to be in Soju. Training. Healing. Devotion."
Danryu was quiet.
"I didn't even know who left me there. The monks avoided the question every time I asked. Kept saying I belonged to 'a path unseen.' Whatever that means."
I forced a laugh. "It's a nice way of saying, 'You're not supposed to ask.'"
Danryu didn't reply. But he wasn't mocking me either.
We kept walking.
We reached a grove where the air felt cooler—like the whole place was holding its breath. Lantern-like flowers hung from the trees, glowing faint green. I bent down to poke one. It retracted like a shy creature.
Danryu crouched by a crooked tree stump, quietly digging a root out of the soil with his knife.
"Hey," I said, still staring at the flower, "you ever seen anything like that?"
He glanced over. "No. And I don't trust anything that glows and reacts."
"That's half the people we know."
He snorted lightly, but didn't argue.
I plucked a petal. It crumbled into powder.
For a while, we didn't say much.
Then, as he stood up, brushing off dirt from his palms, Danryu glanced at me sideways. "Back in the dodgeball trial..."
"Hm?"
"When you picked up Poco's AE."
"Oh," I said. "That."
He stared at me. "What was that?"
"I don't know," I said honestly. "I panicked. Reached for the nearest thing. It was heavy, but not in the way I expected. It didn't push back."
Danryu narrowed his eyes. "It should've. An AE is like your soul drawn out into a weapon. It's not just something you lend out."
"Yeah. Poco said the same thing."
"And you didn't just hold it," he went on. "You used it. Swung it. That stone pillar's not exactly subtle."
"Tell me about it. My shoulder still hurts."
He didn't laugh this time.
"...You sure you didn't awaken something? Some hidden skill?"
I shrugged. "If I did, it's hiding really well."
Danryu frowned. "You're not supposed to be able to use someone else's AE. Like, that's not a thing. No temple, no academy, no one's ever done that." He pointed at me. "If people could just grab someone else's AE like that, the whole system falls apart. You basically broke the rules."
"Then maybe I'm just a fluke."
He looked at me. "Or something else."
I didn't answer that.
Danryu leaned on the stump and crossed his arms. "Let me ask you something, then. And don't give me a fake answer."
I raised an eyebrow. "Do I ever?"
"Why are you even here?" he asked. "You don't have an AE. You didn't awaken properly. You're a Normal."
"Thanks for the reminder," I said.
"I'm serious. You know what people say about Normals joining the Arkhos exams. Everyone sees them as cannon fodder."
I nodded slowly, then said, "Why do you sound like you're trying to talk me out of it after we survived two exams?"
He rolled his eyes. "Because I want to understand what makes you tick. Most Normals would've quit by now. Or died."
"I'm not most Normals."
He gave me a look. "Clearly."
I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. "I don't know, Danryu. Maybe I'm just stupidly stubborn. Maybe I've got something to prove. Maybe I'm looking for answers I can't even name yet."
He tilted his head. "What answers?"
I opened my mouth.
Closed it.
"...Like I said," I muttered. "I don't know."
We moved again, ducking under a low stone arch covered in glowing moss. The shadows bent oddly here. Like they didn't want to leave us alone.
The air had changed again—cooler now, and thinner. As if this part of the dome had fewer rules than the rest.
Danryu hadn't said anything in a while, which usually meant he was thinking too hard or planning someone's downfall. But as we pushed through a curtain of hanging vines that smelled faintly of burnt herbs, he finally spoke.
"...What really happened that night?"
I paused mid-step. The question hung in the air like one of those glowing petals from earlier—delicate, quiet, waiting to fall.
He didn't look at me. He just kept walking, like he hadn't asked it at all.
"You were out for hours," he added. "When I checked your mana... it was all over the place. Like it didn't know what shape to take."
"I don't know," I said quietly.
Danryu glanced back.
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one I've got."
I stopped walking and sat on a low rock, arms resting loosely over my knees.
"...I remember pain," I said. "Not the surface kind. Deeper. Like something inside me was splitting in two. My own body didn't feel like mine anymore. Every breath felt like it was caught between two fights—one trying to break out of me, and one trying to keep it all in."
Danryu sat nearby, elbows on his knees, watching the moss shift in the wind.
"There was... pressure. Like I was being crushed from the inside, and the only way out was to stop existing for a bit. And then... chains."
"Chains?" he repeated.
I nodded slowly. "I remember being bound. My arms. My chest. Even my mind felt tied down. Like I was trapped in my own head. Something was crawling around my ribs—pulling at something that didn't want to be pulled."
Danryu stayed quiet.
Then, almost hesitantly, he asked, "Do you think it was an Awakening?"
I shook my head. "It didn't feel like one. It didn't feel like power unlocking. It felt like I was being... peeled."
"...You don't remember who did it?"
"No."
"No faces?"
"Just masks. And laughter. Cold, distant—like they were performing something, not doing it to me personally. I wasn't a person to them. Just... a part of whatever they were trying to open."
Danryu muttered under his breath, "Freaks."
I chuckled weakly. "I remember thinking I was going to die. Then Dairon showed up."
Danryu made a face. "Of course he did."
I turned to him. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh nothing," he said flatly. "Just noticing how your tone softens every time you say his name."
"Tone—what tone? I don't have a tone."
Danryu leaned back and looked at me like I was a badly written scroll. "You said his name like he's your favorite poem."
I groaned. "Don't be weird."
"I'm not the one getting flustered."
"I'm not flus—!" I cut myself off, dragging a hand down my face. "I'm not doing this with you."
"You already are."
"I am grateful, okay? He saved me."
"Right," Danryu said, lips twitching. "Grateful. Sure."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "You're enjoying this way too much."
"Maybe," he said. "You deserve a little payback for all the times you mocked me for being called 'Back Princess.'"
I sighed, dramatic. "I knew bringing you along was a mistake."
Danryu stood up. "Too late now. You're stuck with me."
"Only until the dome ends."
"Or until you and your shadow prince ride off into a golden mist."
I tossed a pebble at him. He didn't even dodge.
We walked a bit more. The air shimmered now like heat rising from cold stone.
Then Danryu said, almost too casually, "You sure you're okay?"
The question hit different.
I didn't answer right away.
"...No," I admitted. "But I'm still on my feet. That's gotta count for something."
Danryu nodded once. Like that was enough.
Maybe it was.
We kept walking.
The shadows didn't pull at us anymore.
***
We managed to enter the forest we spotted earlier from the ridge.
At first glance, it looked like any other forest—tall trees, uneven roots, patches of moss clinging to stones like little green blankets. The light barely reached the forest floor, filtered through a canopy that was too dense, too perfect. But something felt... wrong.
The air was too still.
The kind of still that comes after something moves.
The trees didn't sway with the wind. Their branches creaked on their own, like they were adjusting, watching. Even the sounds of the forest—birds, bugs, wind—were missing. Like the whole place was pretending to be a forest, and not doing a great job.
It didn't help that the deeper we went, the more the shadows seemed to follow us, curling slightly at our heels like smoke that didn't want to be seen.
"You know..." I said, voice quiet under the pressing silence, "I really want us to survive this exam."
Danryu raised an eyebrow. "You mean the team?"
"Yeah."
A pause.
"...Even Dairon?"
I looked down, then scratched my cheek, my voice dipping awkwardly.
"I mean... he did save my life. And he's not always creepy."
Danryu's smirk widened. "Wow. That's practically a love confession."
"What? No! I'm just saying—he's not as bad as he acts."
"Uh-huh."
"I said shut up."
"You're blushing."
"I am not—! It's the forest humidity!"
Danryu chuckled, actually chuckled. "Must be real humid near your ears then."
I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. "Why do I talk to you."
"Because you're hopeless."
We walked a little more, ducking under low-hanging branches. The deeper we went, the darker it got—not because of the light, but because the shadows just didn't want to leave. They clung to the trees, thick and long, stretching the wrong direction from where the sun should've been.
I stayed quiet for a bit, then said, "...That's why I want us to survive."
Danryu gave me a sideways glance.
I kept walking, eyes forward.
"This team. You. Poco. Kelly. Even Ren and... yeah, Dairon. I've never had anything like this."
He didn't say anything, so I kept going.
"I was the only kid in the temple. Just the monks, the Grandmaster, and me. No other students. No kids to play with. No one to sneak food with or pull dumb pranks on. It was always quiet. Too quiet."
I exhaled through my nose. "So... yeah. I'm really thankful I met you guys."
"...Even me?" Danryu said, exaggeratedly skeptical.
I gave him a look. "Well. Mostly you."
He held his heart dramatically. "Tch. I'll pretend that's enough."
"I mean it," I said more seriously. "You're insufferable. And a back princess. And possibly the most sarcastic human being I've ever met. But you stayed."
Danryu didn't respond right away.
Then, quieter: "Yeah. I did."
We walked a little more in silence.
Then he added, "You're not so bad either, idiot."
I grinned. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."
"Enjoy it. You won't get another one."
I bumped my shoulder into his. "I'll frame it."
We were still joking a little when the forest changed.
It wasn't gradual.
It was like something blinked.
A deep whoosh echoed around us—and the light vanished.
Mist spilled out from between the trees like smoke bleeding from old wounds. The air turned heavy, thick like syrup. I could barely see past ten steps.
I stopped. "Danryu...?"
Nothing.
"Danryu?"
Still nothing.
Then I heard it—a squelch, followed by a low grunt.
I spun around and sprinted toward the sound.
That's when I saw him.
Danryu was waist-deep in the ground, struggling to move. A pit of slick, mud-black quicksand had swallowed him up in seconds, branches curled around his arms like they were holding him still.
"Stay there," he growled. "Don't move."
"That's not happening."
I darted forward.
Something snapped behind me.
I turned just in time to see a tree root move.
It didn't just twitch. It lunged.
I threw up a talisman—"Stone Wall!"—
The root smashed through it like paper.
"Shit!"
I jumped back, grabbing another talisman from my belt—Wind—and slammed it to the ground.
"Gale Force!"
The blast shoved me backward just before another vine struck the spot I'd been standing on.
The forest wasn't waiting.
Branches twisted. Vines hissed. The trees weren't just moving—they were hunting.
And they wanted me to stay lost.
I dodged left, "Phantom Step!"—twisting midair as a vine nearly impaled me.
One of the roots caught my leg, yanked me back into the air, and slammed me into a trunk. I coughed blood, vision spinning.
"Katxu!" I heard Danryu yell—but his voice was farther now. He was sinking.
No time to waste.
I pulled two talismans from my belt, one in each hand. Fire. Wind.
"Fire Dragon!"
The serpent of flame erupted, hissing through the air and lighting up the mist with a burst of orange heat. It burned through two tree limbs coming at me from the left, but three more were already closing in from the right.
I dropped to the ground, rolled under a low vine, and dashed toward Danryu.
Roots lashed at my arms, my back—one caught my side, ripping through cloth and skin. I staggered, blood soaking my shoulder.
My fingers were numb.
Stamina dropping fast.
Mana bleeding out with every hit.
Even my talismans were crumbling before I could finish the words.
Still—I kept moving.
I reached the edge of the pit.
Danryu was almost chest-deep now, gritting his teeth, trying to channel a spell.
But the vines were clamped tight around his wrists.
They were absorbing him.
Like they were feeding off his mana.
"Verdant—Tch—Verdant Needl—dammit!" he cursed.
"Hold on!" I gasped, stumbling toward him. I pulled out the last talisman I had—Earth—and slammed it down to form a stone platform under my feet.
It wobbled under the shifting ground, but it held.
Barely.
I lunged forward and grabbed Danryu's arm, yanking hard. "Come on, princess. You're not dying in mud."
He looked at me, breath ragged.
"Katxu—run."
"No."
"You're gonna die if you stay."
"Then I guess I'll make a stupid statue out of both of us."
Vines slashed across my back. I hissed. My arm shook, blood slipping down to my elbow. My fingers were going cold.
"Let go!" Danryu shouted.
I growled through my teeth. "Shut up and pull."
"You idiot—!"
"You're the one stuck in dirt soup!"
A massive root cracked the ground behind me.
I felt it coming—
But I didn't move.
My grip was slipping.
One hand clenched around Danryu's arm, the other yanked backward by a thick tree vine wrapped around my wrist. The bark felt like teeth, grinding down, draining me. Behind me, more vines whipped across my back—over and over—sharp, fast, like they were punishing me for staying.
Danryu was almost under.
I was being torn in two.
"Damn it...!" I hissed.
Then I heard him.
"Oh god—I've really been avoiding using this technique, especially in a situation like this," Danryu muttered, teeth clenched.
"What technique?!"
"Lifebite Seed."
I looked at him.
His eyes began to glow faint green—soft at first, then brighter. He chewed down on something in his mouth, and suddenly, a small seed pushed out from behind his lips, glowing with faint veins of emerald light.
He held it gently between his teeth.
"Eat this. Quick," he said, voice tight but firm.
"How? I'm holding you!" I shouted, still gripping his arm with one hand, the other pinned by the vine.
Danryu narrowed his eyes. "Then just—eat it however you can!"
Another vine coiled around my leg.
No time.
No room to hesitate.
So I leaned in.
Our faces were barely a breath apart. I bent forward, close enough to see the panic hiding behind his eyes, and reached for the seed with my lips.
They touched—just for a second.
Warm. Quick. A little clumsy.
But enough.
I bit the seed away and pulled back, lips tingling.
Danryu immediately looked away, ears flushing deep red. "Swallow it, idiot," he mumbled, voice pitched lower than usual. "It'll boost your stamina and start healing your wounds. It's temporary—so move fast."
I couldn't help it.
Even in all the chaos, I smiled.
Just a little.
I swallowed the seed.
Warmth spread through my chest instantly, trailing down my limbs like fire laced with honey. The pain in my side eased. My vision sharpened. My muscles stopped screaming.
"...Better," I said.
The vine holding my arm tugged again, but I gritted my teeth and grabbed it with my newly healed fingers.
I squeezed.
Hard.
It snapped.
A pulse echoed through the trees like a startled breath.
The roots shook.
And for the first time, the forest pulled back.
I turned and grabbed Danryu's arm again with both hands.
"Don't you dare sink now."
He blinked up at me, still slightly stunned.
"I'm heavier than I look," he muttered.
"You're full of hot air. It balances out."
And with a deep breath, I pulled.
Hard.
The quicksand gave way with a wet gasp, and Danryu's body lurched upward. He tumbled onto the stone platform beside me, gasping, coughing mud.
I dropped beside him, panting, blood still dripping from my side—but smiling.
"You good?" I asked.
He didn't answer.
Just stared at me.
Then looked away, cheeks still pink.
Danryu lay beside me, panting, covered in mud and scratches. His arm trembled slightly, still tense from the pull.
"Next time," he muttered, breath low, "you let me drown."
I didn't laugh this time.
But I gave a quiet smile. "Not happening."
His eyes flicked toward me. We held the stare for just a second too long.
Then the branches rustled again.
Danryu sat up fast. "Tch. Not over."
He slammed his palm to the ground. "Vines Army!"
The roots beneath us pulsed green—and then erupted. Dozens of vine strands burst from the soil, thicker and faster than before, coiling through the air in synchronized spirals. They weren't just random lashes—each one twisted with intention. Defensive. Offensive. A living net that danced around us like a coordinated battalion.
It was the same move I saw him use in the cave—but stronger. Controlled now.
The vines weaved together mid-air to deflect a dozen incoming roots, then stabbed downward to pierce a charging tree stalk through the center. Another one spiraled around my waist—gently—and pulled me back just as a spike burst through the ground where I'd been standing.
"Not bad," I muttered.
Danryu smirked. "Don't slow me down."
I grinned. "You love it."
We moved in sync—him weaving his vines through openings, me slapping talismans across trees like paintbrushes dipped in chaos.
"Stone Wall!"
"Wind Boost!"
"Fire Fang!"
Each move flowed into the next. I ducked under a lunging root, then rolled forward as Danryu's vines snared its base and snapped it back with a violent crunch. Flames spun around us, lighting up the thick branches like twisted torches. The forest screamed.
With my boosted strength and clearer vision, I spotted something the chaos had hidden before—out beyond the nearest line of trees, everything was still. Unmoving. Perfectly still.
No trees attacking. No shadows creeping.
Just fog.
"Danryu!" I shouted. "I think it's the mist! That's what's making the trees move!"
Danryu glanced at me. "You sure?"
"Only one way to find out."
I yanked a wind talisman from my pouch. My fingers trembled—blood loss, maybe—but I forced my grip steady and slammed it to the ground.
"WIND TORNADO!"
The force tore upward, violent and fast. Wind spun around us in a rising spiral, sucking in mist and throwing it outward like a storm burst. The trees near us shuddered violently—some cracked, others split—and what remained fell away into the now-clear air.
Silence followed.
Then stillness.
No more vines attacking.
No more shadows moving.
We stood in the middle of a clearing—dead center of the spiral left behind by the wind. A perfect circle of peace carved from chaos.
Danryu wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. His cloth was half-torn, his face scratched and flushed.
He gave me a look.
"Next time you tell me what you're about to do before you try to launch me into the stratosphere."
I blinked. "...You were in the blast zone?"
"I nearly got a tree in the face."
"My bad."
He let out a long breath. "Gods... this forest is cursed."
"No kidding. But at least now we know what's messing with it."
Danryu turned slowly, scanning the now-still trees. "Something's channeling through the mist. Controlling this whole section like a puppet."
I looked around. "Yeah... and it was trying to keep us in."
Danryu crouched by a still-smoking vine. "That tornado disrupted whatever was feeding it."
We fell quiet again. The danger had passed—for now.
But of course, Danryu couldn't help himself.
"...You literally kissed me."
I froze.
Slowly turned.
"No, I bit a seed from your mouth. That's survival."
"That was lips on lips, Katxu."
"There was urgency. You were dying."
"You could've just used your teeth."
"I did!"
"Did not."
"Oh my gods, you're still red."
"I'M FLUSHED FROM FIGHTING!"
I smirked, walking past him with a bloody arm and a smug face. "Yeah, yeah. Next time, you hold the seed."
He muttered something under his breath and followed, still glaring at the ground.
But he didn't argue anymore.
"Shhh!" I whispered, one hand raised.
Danryu stopped beside me, eyes narrowing.
"What?" he asked.
"I think someone's watching us."
I scanned the treeline—nothing moved, but I felt it. Not like the earlier mist. This was... sharper. Like a thread pulled tight and ready to snap.
Danryu didn't question it.
He knelt down and placed both palms against the dirt. "Verdant Pulse."
A soft green glow spread from his arms into the forest floor. It ran through the roots, vines, even the grass, humming like a heartbeat. I could feel it beneath my boots, rippling outward.
His eyes flicked open. "There."
He pointed behind us.
I turned—and saw them.
Four small glowing marbles floated inside the nearest bush, bobbing gently. Round, soft yellow light. They blinked in a slow rhythm.
"...What is that?" I asked, stepping cautiously forward.
Before I could reach them, Danryu threw his arm in front of me. "Don't."
I froze just in time.
From the bushes, two small creatures emerged. Furry. Fluffy. Ears perked up like tiny horns. They looked like dogs—but not quite. Their fur shimmered faintly, and their tails glowed where the light orbs had been.
"Ohhhh look at these two cuties," I said, my guard lowering just a bit. "They look like marshmallow puppies—hey there, little guy—"
As I reached toward one of them, it tilted its head—
—then suddenly, both of them spun in place, launching themselves like wheels.
"What the—!?"
They rolled toward us at lightning speed, collided in the air—and burst.
FWOOOSH—!!
Thick smoke exploded around us in all directions, swallowing the clearing in a flash of gray.
"This idio—!" Danryu shouted, his voice cut off mid-word.
"Danryu!" I called, coughing. "Danryu?!"
The air chilled instantly.
Then I saw it—the mist.
Not just smoke anymore.
That same black mist from before... but this time, denser. Heavier. Colder.
It seeped in like it knew me.
"Danryu!!" I shouted again.
But he was gone.
I ran.
The mist pulsed around me like a living thing, curling against my skin, seeping into my lungs. My voice echoed back at me, quieter than it should've been.
"Danryu!!"
Still no answer.
Nothing moved. The forest was death-still again.
Except—
Footprints.
I stopped.
Clear, glowing green prints shimmered ahead on the forest floor—one after the other, trailing off behind a crooked tree.
My breath caught. I recognized the boot shape. The stride. Even the scuff on the right heel.
Danryu's.
He was close.
I sprinted forward. "Hold on, I'm com—"
Snap.
A branch to my left twitched.
I froze.
Wait.
Those weren't... new footprints.
They were repeating.
Looping.
My eyes narrowed. The same set of tracks circled the tree once, then again. The exact same print. Exact same scuff.
Too perfect.
My heart sank.
"Oh no."
I stepped back—
And the forest exploded.
FWUMP—!!
A shape lunged from the dark.
It moved like a blur, landing hard in front of me, cracking the dirt. Muscles coiled like a predator mid-strike.
It looked like a wolf—but it wasn't.
It was larger than any real one. Easily shoulder-high. Its entire body was covered in overlapping silver-blue scales, glistening like wet stone under the mist. Each scale shimmered slightly, pulsing like it was breathing. The way it shifted, I could hear them—like tiny lungs expanding and closing.
Its eyes glowed dull orange. No pupils. Just hunger.
It opened its mouth—and out poured a low growl, mixed with a gurgling breath like water rushing through pipes.
This wasn't a wolf.
It was a creature built from flesh, but shaped like something unnatural.
The glowing footprints behind it faded.
It had lured me here.
With Danryu's steps.
"...Clever freak," I muttered.
The Scaled Wolf moved instantly.
I barely dodged its first pounce—using Phantom Step to twist away mid-air—but its claws still scraped my shoulder, tearing cloth and skin.
I skidded back, slamming a Fire Talisman into the dirt.
"Fire Dragon!"
The flame serpent erupted, twisting through the air toward the wolf—
But the beast sidestepped it. Clean. Smooth. Too smooth.
It had studied me.
It knew the delay between talisman and cast.
It lunged again.
I jumped, barely flipping over its back, landing rough.
I reached for a Wind Boost, slapped it down—launched myself sideways into the brush.
The wolf missed—but not by much.
It turned fast, letting out another breathy growl that rippled the ground around it.
This wasn't working.
Its scales were like armor. My fire barely singed them.
I had to think.
I crouched, panting behind a tree. The glow of the mist dimmed for just a second.
Then I saw it.
Its scales... they moved.
Like they were rotating.
I squinted—there. A brief shimmer on its side. One patch didn't shift in rhythm. A tiny flicker of flesh between the scales.
A weak point?
It darted again.
I grabbed a Stone Talisman and tossed it behind me—"Stone Wall!"
The wall rose, blocking the wolf's lunge.
But this time, I was already moving.
"Gale Force!" I shouted, launching myself at the beast, sliding under its neck, and drawing a blade from my boot.
I slashed upward, straight at the flickering patch—
And struck flesh.
The beast howled, stumbled, and thrashed violently. Mist burst outward like blood.
But it didn't fall.
It turned to me—raging now—and opened its mouth.
Another glow built in its throat.
No.
I couldn't give it time.
I pulled my last two talismans—Fire and Wind—and slapped them together.
"Let's end this."
Fire Dragon—boosted by Gale.
The combined force erupted into a spinning, screaming vortex of heat.
The dragon wasn't a serpent this time.
It was a spear.
And it hit the wolf dead in the open wound.
BOOM—!!
Fire swallowed the clearing.
I hit the ground, rolled, coughed once—then twice.
The mist was gone.
And where the wolf stood...
Was only smoke.
And ash.
And a small, square object glowing faintly in the dirt.
I limped over, bloodied and half-burning.
A card.
Trail Spark – Reveals recent footprints nearby.
I picked it up, chest still heaving.
"Well..." I whispered. "That was not Danryu."