“Time to prove that you’re not useless, Naash.” Monty raised his right hand, and while chanting a word, he forcefully slammed the ground.

“TERRA HAUSTUS!”

“...”

“......”

“.........”

Moments of staying in the same embarrassing pose, and a full minute of awkward silence, nothing happened after Monty said the Words.

Monty had to replay the same action. Mad, he repeated the Words, “TERRA FUCKING HAUSTUS!”

“...............”

“Uhm… Is something supposed to happen?” Triggs uttered with a big question mark on his face.

“Damn it, Naash! You’re useless as ever!” He argued with Naash, “What the hell do you mean ‘no’?......... Huh!? You and your ‘timing-nonsense’ again, Naash!......... Ugh! This is why I hate you! You always use ‘timing’ as an excuse!”

Meanwhile, while still holding on to her magic, “Guys. Please hurry up, I can’t hold it much longer.”

Monty had to abandon what he was trying to do. Triggs drew his one-handed sword, and Zaine his karambit pairs.

Rushing like foot soldiers, Triggs and Zaine locked onto their targets and attacked the enrooted Sigbins in swift motions.

SLASH! SPLASH!

Blood sprayed onto the lushness as Zaine ensured every strike would hit a vital spot. In a short span, 2 Sigbins dropped like flies in Zaine’s karambits.

SPLAAANK!!!..... SPLAAANK!!!!

On the other hand, Triggs did his part classically; without any fashionable moves, he went straight to his targets and maimed their hearts using his blade. Carefully and smoothly, he slew the remaining 2.

Blood pooled on the forest floor, flooding the body of the half-eaten body of the dead Sigbin.

Seeing that the creatures were already taken care of, Lae lax herself and with her arm, she wiped the sweat forming on her forehead.

Monty teased Zaine. “Slash this! Slash that!” he blabbered while mockingly reenacting Zaine’s moves. “So many unnecessary movements! Is that how you fight?”

“You contributed what?” Zaine rebutted.

“Tch! Grow up!”

As the 2 of them argued, Lae noticed something.

“This is really strange,” she uttered worriedly.

Triggs glanced at her with a questioning face.

Lae explained, “Sigbins don’t usually go in packs. They are solitary creatures; they always hunt alone.”

After hearing the statement, speculation suddenly formed in Triggs’ head. “Hmm… Could it be that there is something behind this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Could it be that they’re working with the Tambaloslos?” Triggs hunched. “I don’t know - this is just an assumption I formed based on what I heard yesterday. I don’t have much knowledge about these creatures. Sorry if it sounds dumb:

“Hmm…” Lae murmured. “If it is true, it’s the first time I’ll encounter such. But nothing is impossible in the time we’re living in…….”

SWEESH - SISH….

In the middle of their conversation, a faint noise was again heard nearby.

Reflexively, the team simultaneously crouched their bodies like raccoons trying to hide themselves from the limelight.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“Stick together,” Lae whispered.

With few hand signals and head turns, they moved silently in the direction of the noise, leaving the dead Sigbins behind. Moving together, with Lae leading the way, they lurked deeper into the forest.

CREEK - CRACK!! CREEK - CRACK!!

SWEESH - SISH….

The rustling of the leaves became louder, signifying that they were getting closer to the target. A few steps later, Lae suddenly jerked her palm upward. The team stopped in their tracks.

With wide eyes and a shocked face, “What are those?” Triggs murmured. “Are those the Tambaloslos?”

“No, they look like real people,” Lae answered.

A few meters ahead they saw an image of 2 persons standing in the shadows of the trees. From the team’s position, it appeared that the mysterious people were busy talking with each other.

Lae signaled the team to move forward. After securing a shrouded spot, they finally had a clearer view of the strangers.

Like them, the strangers were also wearing cloaks. One person was slightly taller than the other, and judging by his body frame - broad shoulders, thick jawline, and clean-cut hairstyle - it could be assumed that he was a man.

The other was slightly shorter than the first. This person had all female features: wide hips, slim shoulders, and a rounded face with small cherry-colored lips. Her hair was shadow-black and it dangled up to her neck.

Both of them were wearing silver-colored masks, with jades embedded on the forehead area. However, their masks had features different from one another.

The lady’s mask only covered her forehead and the area around her eyes, leaving her lower face exposed. The jade on the forehead was also crescent-shaped.

On the other hand, the man’s mask covered the forehead, the area surrounding the eyes, up to his right cheek. His mouth and his left cheek were naked, and the jade was half-circle in shape.

The masked people seemed unaware that Trigg’s team was spying on them. Although it was obvious that they were conversing, what they were discussing was still inaudible.

A few moments later, the masked people started moving, walking in the direction opposite to the team’s location.

“They’re moving,” Triggs’ whispered.

At that moment, Lae’s inexperience as a leader began to show up; she was tense, unable to come up with a quick decision.

“What should we do, Lae?”

“I… Sorry, I haven’t planned for this yet…” she mumbled. “I don’t know. Should we follow them?”

Monty rolled his eyes. “Tch! Come on, let’s go.”

“Monty, wait!”

Ignoring Lae, Monty sneaked forward, stalking the masked people. The others had no choice but to follow him.

As the team tailed their target, something bizarre suddenly happened.

“Is it just me, or is the path starting to look blurry?” Triggs said while rubbing his eyes.”

“Where the fuck did they go!?” Monty uttered as he lost sight of the masked people.

They turned their heads around, trying to scan the area around them, finding where the strangers had gone. Abruptly, a strong breeze blew across them, prickling their skin with an ominous aura.

KEEHIHI!! GAHAHA…….

Cautious, Zaine quickly drew his karambits. “It’s happening,” he stated while assuming an attentive stance.

Anxious, Lae stated, “Guys, whatever happens, just stick together. We can handle this.”

KYAHAHA!!!! KEEHIHIHI!!!!!!

“There!” Triggs uttered as he suddenly pointed his finger to a human-shaped silhouette across them.

CHROOK!!!

Zaine threw a karambit in the direction of the silhouette. However, as the weapon landed, the image suddenly faded and turned into a normal tree.

The deceit made Zaine lose his cool, he rushed to get his weapon lodged in the bark of the tree.

“Zaine! Stay here!” Lae urged.

BLAAAM!!

Suddenly, an invisible force knocked Lae out of the formation, isolating her from the team.

“Aww…” Lae grunted while rubbing her forehead.

All of a sudden, a thick mist formed around her, enshrouding her vision.

KEHEHE!! GAHAHA!!!!! GAHAHA!!! KEEHIHI……

The impish laughter became louder, coming from every direction. Engulfed by the mist, Lae’s legs started to tremble like a helpless little lamb.

KYAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

“Go away!” she muttered while covering her ears from the unbearable noises.

The noises began to sound like a human, mocking Lae’s condition, “HAHAHAHA!! You’re trapped little girl… Outside… and in the inside…”

Lae felt a deep terror, penetrating her very psyche. She closed her eyes and pleaded. “Let me go!”

To her surprise, the voice suddenly changed. From a strange fiendish voice, it turned into the voice of someone very close to her.

“Micah…”

Hearing the familiar voice, Lae opened her eyes. She was shocked to see the man standing in front of her.

“Dad? Wha… How?” she uttered in bewilderment.

“Why are you here, Micah? You’re avoiding responsibilities again, aren’t you?”

“Wa-Wait, Dad! No! I thought Lola Vega explained it to you?” Lae responded with a shaky voice.

“Tsk! That old woman always lets you get away with your laziness when you should be focusing on your studies instead!”

“But, Dad, I…”

The voice became angrier, echoing the place.

“No more excuses, Micah! You’re already a year behind in school! And it’s all because of your nonsense! Your cousins have already graduated, earned their degrees, started their businesses, and are enjoying their vacations. And you? What are you doing with your life?”

Another image appeared. This time, it was a woman.

“Micah…”

“Mom…”

“Why don't you be a good girl already and listen to what your parents say?”

“Mom… All my life, I’ve been always listening to you.”

“Hmm? I’m not seeing that. You always tell us you're listening, but still, here you are. If only you had followed the plans we made for you, you'd already been successful… like your cousins.”

Lae began to get emotional; tears swelled in her eyes.

The woman sighed. “You're lucky we had our connections. If it weren't for us, you wouldn't be running for Latin Honors.”

After hearing the last statements, Lae snapped into fury.

“Mom! Don't you ever invalidate my efforts! I put my best to be in that position! It's never because of your connections!”

“Oh, is that so? Did you forget that you weren't technically eligible for honors because you’re a shiftee student*? We just used our connections to keep you in that position.”

“Mom! You’re the one who forced me to shift courses! I was doing great in my previous course, but you forced me to study Biology because that's what you want! It's always about what you want!” Lae expressed.

Then, she started murmuring, “This is why he left us…”

“What did you say, Micah?”

“This is the reason why Kuya Melvin left us,” Lae repeated.

“How dare you mention that ungrateful child again!?”

Lae mumbled, “It’s true… It was your fault…”

“YOU INSOLENT CHILD!!”

SLAP!!!

Tears started to roll from her eyes. “You never really cared about us…”

SLAP!

SLAP!!

SLAP!!!

Sobbing, Lae just closed her eyes as she endured all the beatings.