The forest tonight? Yeah, it wasn’t just weird. It was super duper extra weird. Like someone had cranked up the spooky level to the max.

Everything felt wrong, like the air itself wanted to give you chills. Shadows? Twisting around like they were in a haunted yoga class. Usual nighttime critter noises? Totally gone.

It was like the whole forest was holding its breath. You know, like before something really bad happens.

Finn, a certified small fast guy, zipped through the bushes like a squirrel on a sugar rush. Lyra was all fired up, zooming after him like she was chasing her next crazy business idea. Darius moved like a grim statue come to life, one hand hovering over his sword. Zane… well, Zane was already in “complain mode” at full volume.

“Whose idea was this?!” Zane asked, stumbling through the bushes. “Middle of the night. No light. No snacks. And for what? A spooky bedtime story about some monster? Please!”

Lyra shot back a grin. “Come on, Zane! This isn’t just any creature… It’s a legend! Think of the stories we could tell! Maybe even sell some cool merch!”

Zane rolled his eyes. “What’s our plan anyway? Sit down and have tea with it? Maybe ask it to autograph my shoe?”

Darius cut in. “MagicBeasts are smart. If we can understand what it wants, we might be able to talk to it.”

Finn looked back. Half-scared. Half-excited. “But... what if Granny’s right? What if it’s too strong? What if we can’t handle it?”

Lyra ruffled his hair. “Finn, every adventure comes with a side of ‘what could go wrong?’ And if things get messy, we’ve got Darius to do the sword stuff, Zane to whine it to death, and me? I’ll charm it. Easy peasy.”

Finn giggled.

Even Zane cracked a reluctant smile. “Yeah, we’re doomed.”

The forest got thicker. The air felt heavy. Like they were heading into a boss fight they definitely weren’t ready for.

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And then... they felt it. Or more like, they stopped feeling it.

Gravity that is.

“Whoa!” Finn yelped, hopping and finding himself hanging in the air for a second. It was like the forest had turned into a giant trampoline.

Lyra reached for a branch. But it just floated away, drifting up. Leaves weren’t falling. They were just floating, like they had nothing better to do.

Zane, though, was not enjoying it. “Why?! Why are we floating?!” He flailed around like a crab in the air. “Where’s the ground?! Why isn’t it grounding?!”

“Embrace the chaos, Zane!” Lyra laughed, spinning through the air like she was trying out for a magic circus.

Darius stomped down, trying to stay grounded. “The magic here is unstable. Everyone stay alert.”

Roots started rising, twisting lazily. Rocks floated by in a zero-gravity dance. The air had a strange hum, pulling them towards a glow in the distance.

“It’s... magical,” Finn whispered, both scared and amazed.

“Or a weird fairytale where I’m the clueless main character,” Zane said, swatting away a floating leaf. “Why does everything have to float? I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR SPACE CAMP!”

Gravity was all over the place. One moment they were pulled up. The next they dropped. It was like riding a confused rollercoaster made of air.

Suddenly, it all stopped. Leaves fell. Roots sank back. Rocks dropped with little thuds. Everything seemed normal, but the air still buzzed. Almost like it was watching.

Finn pointed ahead at a clearing. “I saw shadows move. Granny said... on full moons, magic works differently.”

They moved forward quickly. Hearts pounding.

The clearing buzzed with a different energy. Older. Colder. The kind that makes you go quiet without even thinking about it. Even Zane stopped complaining.

Shadows twisted. Dark and shifting.

Something rose from them. High in the sky. Glowing. Swirling. Galaxies spun across its form. Claws, long and crackling with energy. A tail, sharp enough to kill.

Then—its eyes. Snapping open. Staring. Right at them. Through them.

image [https://i.imgur.com/OG8U0Js.png]

Before they could react, they were pulled high into the sky.

“Did someone order the deluxe, extra-crispy legendary beast special?!” Zane yelled. “Weren’t we supposed to start with easy stuff! You know, rats and slimes! Not... whatever THIS is!”

Lyra grinned like it was the best day ever. “Now, that is impressive!”

Darius held his sword tightly. “Lyra, if you have any magical items for fighting celestial beings, now would be a good time.”

“Magical items?” Lyra scoffed. “Do I look like a wizard’s workshop? Just enjoy the moment, Darius!”

The air buzzed. Louder. Something was coming.

Finn’s stomach flipped. He glanced down.

Clouds beneath them. The ground, far away. Too far.

Then gravity struck.

They fell. Hard. Fast.

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Chapter 11 Video/Audio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS-0YEtgzg8