The world felt wrong that morning. It was a subtle difference, like a shift in the air, but it was enough to make everything feel unfamiliar. The warmth of the campfire and the ughter that had filled the night before now seemed like distant memories, fading quickly with the rising sun. The Azure Bdes—Arvek, Maelis, Priya, Jorn, and Lirien—had spent the night celebrating their test victory, but as dawn broke over the forest, that energy had dissipated. The morning was eerily still, as if the forest itself had become a different pce.

  Lirien couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she felt the change in the air. The sharpness of the morning, the cool breeze that whispered through the trees, made the world feel distant, almost unreal. The scent of damp earth, moss, and pine filled her nostrils, grounding her in the moment—but the sensation didn’t fully settle. Something about the silence unnerved her.

  The Azure Bdes had gathered at the edge of the Great Forest, preparing to embark on another journey. The trees, tall and ancient, stood like silent sentinels around them, their thick trunks and gnarled branches reaching toward the heavens. Sunlight filtered through the canopy above, dappling the forest floor in pools of gold. The forest seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for something.

  Lirien inhaled deeply, the fresh air filling her lungs as she walked alongside her comrades. Arvek, the strong and dependable leader, was at the front, his gaze scanning the horizon as if expecting danger. Maelis, ever the shadow, was a step behind him, her movements fluid and graceful. Jorn, the towering tank of the group, trailed just behind, his heavy footsteps echoing in the stillness. Priya, the healer, was close to Lirien, her soft presence a calming force in the tense air.

  For a brief moment, Lirien allowed herself to bask in the pride of their recent success. The thrill of victory still lingered in her chest, a warmth that contrasted sharply with the unease building inside her. Her eyes flicked between the towering trees, feeling the pressure of the silence. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

  Something isn’t right. She couldn’t quite name it, but the forest felt different. Heavier, almost as if it were aware of their presence, watching them with an unblinking eye. Lirien stole a gnce at her companions. None of them seemed to feel it—their chatter and ughter had faded, repced by the quiet, steady rhythm of their journey—but she couldn’t shake the unease gnawing at her gut.

  The forest seemed to close in around them as they moved deeper into the woods. The wind whispered through the leaves, but it no longer carried the comfort it once did. The usual serenity of the Great Forest was absent, repced by a profound stillness. Lirien’s heartbeat quickened with each step, and she found herself gncing nervously over her shoulder.

  Why does it feel wrong today? she thought, her mind racing. Is it just me, or is the forest... watching us? The thought sent a shiver down her spine, and her grip tightened on her bow.

  “Rex, Lirien,” Arvek’s voice broke through her thoughts, firm and steady. He had noticed her tense posture and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “This is what we’ve trained for. We’ve faced worse, haven’t we?”

  Lirien nodded absently, though her eyes remained fixed on the twisting trees around them. She wanted to believe him, to convince herself that it was just nerves, that the feeling would pass. But it didn’t. The tension, thick and heavy, refused to lift. She had faced countless dangers before, but there was something different about this pce. The air felt charged, as though the forest itself were waiting for something—something dark.

  Maybe I’m just overthinking it, she reasoned. Maybe it’s the quiet, the stillness that’s making me uneasy. But deep down, she knew it wasn’t just the quiet. The forest was different today. And she could feel it.

  A low growl broke the silence, a deep, rumbling sound that seemed to reverberate through the very ground beneath their feet. Lirien’s heart skipped a beat, her body tensing instinctively. This wasn’t the growl of any creature she recognized. No, this was something worse, something older.

  “What was that?” she whispered, her voice barely audible, even to herself.

  Arvek’s hand instinctively went to the hilt of his sword, his eyes narrowing. “Stay alert. That wasn’t anything normal.”

  Before anyone could react, the trees ahead parted with an unnatural grace, and from the shadows, a massive figure emerged. The Shadow Bear. It was colossal, its fur bcker than the darkest night, absorbing the light around it as though it were a part of the very shadows that clung to the forest. Its eyes gleamed with a malevolent, almost sentient intelligence, glowing faintly in the dimness.

  Lirien’s breath caught in her throat as she froze in pce. Its presence felt wrong—unnatural, like something born of nightmares. It was like no beast she had ever seen. This wasn’t just a predator; this was something far more dangerous, something beyond comprehension.

  “Spread out!” Arvek shouted, his voice cutting through the stillness like a bde. His sword was already drawn, gleaming in the faint light. “Stay alert! This one’s different.”

  The battle began in an instant.

  Maelis vanished into the trees, her movements so fluid they seemed almost inhuman. She appeared and disappeared, striking at the bear’s massive form with her daggers, but the creature didn’t even flinch. The blows gnced off its thick fur like water off stone.

  Jorn charged forward, his massive shield raised high to block the bear’s deadly swipes. The sound of the bear’s cws cshing against Jorn’s shield echoed through the forest, each strike vibrating through the air like thunder. The bear’s growl reverberated through the trees, a deep, guttural noise that made Lirien’s heart race with dread.

  Priya stood behind, murmuring prayers as she summoned healing light to mend their wounds. Her magic flickered with each injury she tended to, a lifeline to keep them standing just a little longer.

  Lirien, heart pounding in her chest, notched an arrow to her bow and took aim. She released the string with a sharp snap, her shot flying true toward the Shadow Bear’s massive form. But the arrow didn’t pierce its fur. It sank into the bckness of its pelt, only to be absorbed as if the creature was made of shadow itself.

  What is this thing? Lirien’s mind raced. Her frustration bubbled up. I can’t even touch it. Her arrows weren’t enough. It was like trying to fight a nightmare made flesh.

  Suddenly, the earth trembled beneath their feet, and from the ground, a spike of pure shadow shot up. It was jagged, bcker than the night itself, its tip sharp and deadly. Lirien’s stomach churned with dread as she saw Priya stumble forward with a strangled cry. The shadowed spike impaled her, sinking deep into her body, the dark energy flowing into her as if it were poison.

  “Priya!” Maelis screamed, her voice full of raw panic, but her words were drowned out by the bear’s next horrific attack.

  Without warning, another massive cw shed out, faster than Lirien could react. It struck Maelis’s side, tearing through her with brutal force. Maelis’s body crumpled to the ground, lifeless before it even hit.

  Lirien felt her world shatter in that moment. The shock of it hit her like a punch to the chest. Priya... Maelis... No. This couldn’t be happening.

  Her breath caught in her throat. The reality of the battle, the cold finality of it, sunk into her bones. It was over. The bear’s monstrous power was too much.

  “Jorn!” Arvek’s voice rang out, full of fury and desperation. “Get out of here! Go! Warn the guild! We’ll hold it off!”

  But Jorn wasn’t listening. His massive shield raised high, he charged forward, his voice a bellow of defiance. “No! I’m not leaving you!”

  Arvek’s face twisted in a mix of anger and urgency. “Get back to the guild! Tell them about the Shadow Bear! Warn them! Go!” he ordered, his voice harsh.

  Tears blurred Lirien’s vision, but before she could protest, Arvek’s command cut through the fog of her mind. “Run, Lirien! Go!”

  Her legs moved before her mind could catch up. The command was clear, and without hesitation, she turned and ran.

  Her footsteps pounded against the earth, a frantic rhythm that matched the frantic pounding of her heart. The forest around her blurred into a whirlwind of color and shadow, each stride carrying her farther away from the chaos. But as she ran, the quietness of the forest, the oppressive silence that had gripped her earlier, seemed to swell. The trees loomed over her like towering giants, their branches twisting into grotesque shapes. The shadows reached out with each step, stretching and warping in ways that made her feel like she was being hunted.

  She couldn’t stop. She couldn’t slow down. She had to get away.

  A sharp pain shot up her left foot as she stumbled, her foot striking a jagged rock hidden in the underbrush. Her body pitched forward, but she caught herself, panic surging through her veins. Keep

  moving, she told herself, pushing through the pain.

  But then, the ground beneath her shifted. A searing pain exploded through her foot as a spike of shadow erupted from the earth, impaling her. Her scream was swallowed by the forest, her body going numb as the venomous darkness spread through her veins. Her vision blurred, and she struggled to free herself, but the spike held her fast.

  The forest seemed to close in, suffocating her. Her body trembled with the effort to break free, but it was useless. The pain was unbearable.

  Then, out of the shadows, a figure emerged. A woman, tall and commanding, her presence like a bde cutting through the darkness. Her eyes locked onto Lirien, and for a brief moment, their gazes met—then, without a word, the woman turned to face the Shadow Bear.

  Lirien watched in awe as the woman drew a gleaming sword, its edge catching the dim light of the forest. Her movements were swift and precise, the sword slicing through the air with a deadly grace. The very air around her seemed to hum with power.

  Hope flickered in Lirien’s chest, weak and fragile but present nonetheless. Her final thoughts before the blood loss takes her are of the hope that the new comer will be her savior and that at least her guild mates are avenged by the death of this monster.