Valea teeth gritted "Vortex Edge!"

  Two razor-sharp crescents of wind magic spiraled through the air toward me like twin blades of death, the sheer force roaring past my ears.

  I moved.

  Not a step. Not a stumble.

  But a sharp slide—low to the ground, my body arcing beneath the slashes as they screamed just inches over me, close enough to slice a strand of hair clean off. The grass beneath me was scorched by the wind's fury as I slid, twisted, and flipped back to my feet in a crouch—my hand pressed to the earth, panting.

  The blades crashed into a tree behind me—

  CRACK!

  The trunk split in half with a thunderous snap, the top crashing down in a storm of leaves and dust.

  I stared, eyes wide. "...Damn. I would've been died if I was even a second slower."

  Valea rushed over, concern in her voice. "You okay, Aries?"

  I stood, brushing off the dirt, and gave a breathless nod. "Yeah… barely."

  From the sidelines, Eren gave a slow nod. "He's improved."

  Nico folded his arms with a grunt. "Gotta admit… the brat's got some potential."

  Cedric clapped his hands, drawing our attention. "Alright, so listen up—" We all leaned in.

  "Before we head to Kaelenor… there's a beast in the outskirts, a rare one—"

  "Haah! Not again!" Valea threw her hands up. "You always care about the beasts! Aren't you happy with Kivi? Just look at her."

  Kivi, the fluffy silver-scaled creature, sat beside Valea… and immediately drooped her head, eyes shimmering like she was about to cry.

  "Oh no…" Eren muttered. "She's faking it again."

  Valea pointed dramatically. "See? She's heartbroken!"

  Cedric's eye twitched. "Uh-umm… no, no, I mean—"He glanced at Kivi, now letting out the most pitiful little whimper. Sweat trickled down his temple. "It's not about that—"

  "What a scum," Nico said, deadpan.

  "That crossed the line!" Cedric barked, looking genuinely offended.

  After a long sigh, he straightened his back.

  "What I actually meant is that this beast is unique. Friendly, even… and I thought one of you could keep it."

  "I'M IN!" Valea, Nico, and Eren shouted in perfect unison.

  I raised an eyebrow. "So, uh… what does this magical beast look like, Gramps?"

  Cedric's expression turned sly. "Ah… that's the thing."

  He crouched slightly, "Picture… a palm-sized creature covered in tiny crystal feathers. It has two ribbon-like tails that float in the air, not drag. And instead of legs—it hops on little bursts of wind magic. Its eyes… are shaped like crescent moons, glowing faintly in the dark."

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Valea's jaw dropped. "That's… that's illegal levels of cute."

  "Sounds like a plush toy," Nico muttered.

  Eren frowned. "If it's so adorable… why is it rare?"

  Cedric smirked. "Because it steals mana from anyone it touches, without them even noticing."

  That shut everyone up. The only sound was Kivi's dramatic "hmph" in the corner.

  ______________________________________________________

  Wood creaked softly under our boots. The air was still, save for the distant calls of forest birds and the faint rustle of leaves.

  "It's… so quiet without that barking dog Nico around," Valea muttered, eyes scanning ahead.

  --Back earlier…

  Cedric gathered us around, leaning on his staff. "Alright. That beast won't find itself. We'll split up." His gaze swept over us. "Aries and Valea, Nico and Eren… I'll take Kivi."

  Kivi immediately wagged her ribbon-like tail, looking smug as if she'd already claimed victory.

  Eren folded his arms. "You just don't want Nico near you."

  Cedric gave a half-shrug. "You are kids, so you must have at least two people in a duo, whereas I don't need one cuz I'm older than you"

  --Now…

  I stifled a laugh. "You really need to stop being cold to Nico like that, Valea."

  She turned her head, still walking. "Oh, come on, not you too, Aries. You taking that dumb dog's side?"

  "I didn't say that—"

  "You meant it."

  I sighed. "…Anyway, how deep do we go?"

  "I agree it feels my legs are gonna break down" She let out a little groan of tiredness, then suddenly brightened, clasping her hands together as she walked.

  "What if we find it? Just imagine… a tiny crystal-feather cutie sitting in my palms, staring at me with those glowing crescent eyes, maybe even making that little fwip-fwip hopping sound—ahhh!" She twirled slightly as she walked, lost in her daydream, cheeks faintly pink from excitement.

  I glanced at her, my eyes narrowing with a small, awkward smile. "You're really gone, huh…"

  Then—

  CRUNCH.

  A sudden branch snapped under heavy weight. The sound was low, close, and fast.

  Valea's reflexes kicked in — she shoved me to the right, spinning left herself, our boots scraping against the wooden bridge-like path. From the shadows ahead, three massive, high-ranked beasts — like armored elk with molten cracks in their antlers — charged forward, eyes glowing crimson.

  They didn't slow. They plowed straight through the center where we'd just been, the wind from their passing nearly knocking me off balance.

  I caught Valea's silhouette in the chaos — she was already signing with her hands, You okay?

  I raised my hand back in quick gestures, I'm fine.

  But the beasts split us unintentionally — their aggressive path forced me deeper to the right while Valea was pushed left in the dense forest swallowing our line of sight.

  Valea, almost to herself: "Just be safe, Aries… I'll come back to you once this is over."

  Running.

  The sound of my own boots pounding against the earth echoed in my ears. My breath came in short bursts — huff… huff… My chest burned from the sprint.

  Then, ahead, I spotted the black maw of a cave, half-hidden by vines and jagged stone. Without thinking, I darted inside, pressing myself against the cool wall.

  "Huff… huff… man… that was close."

  My breathing slowed. The air here was colder, heavier. Water dripped from somewhere deeper inside, the sound echoing softly.

  I moved further in, each step careful. The walls began to widen, the floor sloping down until I entered a vast chamber.

  "…Woah," I whispered.

  The further I walked, the more the air seemed to pulse with energy

  Strange markings lined the stone — curling symbols that seemed to hum faintly with mana, their shapes unrecognizable but… oddly alive.

  "what are those symbols? what do they-"

  Then—

  A sound ripped through the stillness.

  A voice. A man's voice. Shouting. In pain.

  It wasn't far.

  My heartbeat spiked, echoing in my ears as I bolted toward the sound. The narrow tunnel ahead widened into a jagged chamber, my boots skidding slightly on damp stone.

  There—slumped against the wall—was a man. His clothes were shredded, dark with blood, his breaths coming in shallow, shaky gasps.

  "Hey—sir! Are you—" I dropped to one knee beside him, my words stumbling over themselves. "What happened to you? Who did this—?"

  He flinched at my voice, his unfocused eyes struggling to lock onto mine. His lips moved, trying to speak, but only a strained groan escaped.

  Something was… wrong.

  The cave light caught his face — his features sharp, almost too sharp, his skin pale under the blood. And then I saw them.

  Two curved, jagged horns rising from his head.

  My breath caught. My body froze, every instinct screaming at me to move — but I couldn't. I could only stare.

  And his eyes… those weren't human eyes.