The moon hung high over the darkened woods outside Windmere, casting long shadows across the trees and painting the forest floor in hues of silver and black. The wind was thick with tension, a storm of chaos barely contained beneath the surface. Yasmin's fiery red hair gleamed under the moonlight as she dashed through the trees, her butterfly wings shimmering with streaks of glowing orange and yellow. The pack of jade-tier beasts had surrounded her and her sister—fifty or more, snarling and snapping, their eyes glowing a sickly green.
Yasmin grinned, her amber eyes gleaming with excitement. The heat of battle coursed through her, filling her with a kind of wild energy that made her body hum with anticipation. She could feel the power of fire and thunder crackling under her skin, ready to be unleashed.
"Fifty of them? Really? Couldn’t they have brought a hundred?" she quipped, spinning around to face the nearest beast. Her wings fluttered behind her, catching the moonlight as she flung out her hand. Fire sparked at her fingertips, growing into a swirling ball of flame.
"Yasmin, focus!" came Yucca’s calm voice from behind, the silver-haired sister darting in and out of sight as she weaved through the trees with perfect precision, shards of glass spinning around her like a glittering halo. "We’re a little outnumbered here."
"Outnumbered?" Yasmin laughed, ducking as one of the beasts lunged at her from the side. Its claws swiped through the air where her head had been just a moment before. "More like out-entertained! These puppies are big, but they’ve got no brains."
With a flick of her wrist, Yasmin summoned her Boom Blossom. The fireball bloomed like a flower, exploding outward in a fiery shockwave that sent the creature flying backward. The explosion rippled through the trees, setting the air ablaze with heat and sending a wave of crackling energy across the battlefield. The beast hit the ground hard, its fur singed and smoking, but it scrambled back to its feet with a snarl, already preparing for another attack.
The werewolf-like beasts—hulking creatures covered in dark, bristling fur—snapped and growled, their long claws scraping against the earth as they charged relentlessly. They moved fast, much faster than Yasmin anticipated for their size, but they were all muscle and no brains. Wild and reckless, they attacked without coordination, relying on sheer strength and numbers.
Yasmin darted to the side as another one of the creatures charged her. "Oh, come on, at least pretend like you’re trying!" she shouted, spinning on her heels with a dancer's grace. She launched a quick Ember Gale, sending a whirlwind of fire and embers toward the beast. It howled as the flames licked at its fur, knocking it off balance and giving Yasmin just enough time to follow up with a spinning kick that sent the beast crashing into a tree.
"You’re playing with them," Yucca noted dryly, her voice as cool and collected as ever. She stood a few meters away, her wings shimmering with pale light as she raised her hand. Glass Shards shot out from her fingers, a barrage of razor-sharp glass cutting through the air with deadly precision. The shards sliced into one of the beasts, sending it howling in pain as it staggered back, bleeding from dozens of tiny cuts.
"Playing? This is what I call having fun!" Yasmin laughed, her fiery personality radiating in every movement. She ducked under another swipe, rolling gracefully before landing on her feet with a flourish. Her wings shimmered as she unleashed Thunder Pyre, a rotating storm of fire and thunder that circled her body, crackling with energy. The nearest beasts were hit by the swirling fire, their snarls turning into howls of pain as the flames licked at their fur. The thunder rolled through the air, knocking them back with its force.
But the pack was relentless. For every beast that was knocked down, two more seemed to take its place. They came from all sides, surrounding the sisters, snapping and lunging with sharp teeth and claws. Their glowing green eyes reflected the moonlight, making them look like something out of a nightmare.
Yasmin glanced over at Yucca, who was weaving through the chaos with the same effortless grace she always had. Where Yasmin was all heat and energy, Yucca was calm and collected, a silent force of precision. She twirled in place, her wings shimmering like stained glass as she unleashed Molten Sands, a wave of molten glass that surged forward, trapping several of the beasts in its fiery grasp. The glass stuck to their fur like molten tar, burning through their thick hides.
"Don’t tell me you’re actually worried," Yasmin teased, ducking under a wild swipe from another beast. She jumped backward, spinning through the air as her wings caught the light. "I thought you liked things a little rough."
"Just making sure you don’t get overconfident," Yucca replied smoothly, flicking her fingers as another wave of Glass Shards shot forward, cutting down another beast in mid-lunge. "We’re not invincible, Yasmin."
The words barely registered in Yasmin’s head as she reveled in the heat of the battle. Another beast lunged, but she was ready. Her Boom Blossom exploded once again, sending fire and shockwaves through the trees, knocking several of the creatures off their feet.
She loved this. The adrenaline, the chaos, the sheer power coursing through her veins. This was where she belonged—right in the middle of the storm.
"Alright, you overgrown mutts!" Yasmin yelled, the excitement bubbling up in her chest. She raised her arms, calling forth the full power of her Crescendo Clash. Thunder crackled in the sky as the air around her began to hum with energy. The beasts hesitated for a split second, sensing the shift in the air, but it was too late. The thunder roared, and with a final, devastating explosion, Yasmin unleashed all the stored energy in a massive burst. The explosion shook the ground, sending shockwaves through the trees and scattering the beasts like leaves in the wind.
Several of the creatures were thrown backward, their bodies hitting the ground with heavy thuds. Others were caught in the blast, their fur singed and smoking, while the rest scrambled to regroup.
Yasmin landed gracefully, her wings fluttering as the last remnants of the thunder crackled in the air around her. She turned to her sister, a wide grin on her face. "Now that’s what I call an explosion!"
Yucca gave her a small smile, though her eyes remained focused on the remaining beasts. "Don’t celebrate yet. There’s more coming."
Yasmin sighed, flipping her hair back as she turned to face the rest of the pack. "They just don’t know when to quit, do they?"
The beasts circled them, snarling and growling, but their movements were less coordinated now, more hesitant. The two sisters had cut through their numbers, and the relentless onslaught had slowed. But they were still far from defeated, and Yasmin could feel the tension in the air.
"How many do you think are left?" Yasmin asked, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Enough to make this interesting," Yucca replied calmly, summoning her Mirrored Shield to block a sudden attack from one of the beasts. The glass barrier shimmered, reflecting the creature’s snarl as it bounced harmlessly off the shield and staggered back.
"Good," Yasmin said, her grin widening. "I was hoping for a challenge."
With a flick of her wrist, she called forth her next spell. Inferno Nova. The air around her heated up as fire and thunder began to coalesce, gathering in a radiant ball of energy that swirled with power. The beasts sensed the impending attack and snarled, but Yasmin was already in motion. She unleashed the nova, sending out a wave of fire and thunder that erupted across the battlefield.
The explosion rocked the forest, setting trees ablaze and sending shockwaves through the ground. The beasts closest to her were thrown back by the blast, their fur singed and their bodies convulsing as the thunder coursed through them. Flames danced in the underbrush, casting an eerie glow over the scene.
Yasmin laughed, her wings shimmering with the heat of the flames. "You see that, Yucca? That’s how you make an entrance!"
Yucca rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide the small smile tugging at her lips. "And that’s how you start a forest fire."
The remaining beasts, though battered and singed, still circled them, their glowing eyes filled with rage. They were fast, strong, and relentless—but they lacked the one thing the sisters had in spades: strategy.
Yasmin cracked her knuckles, fire dancing at her fingertips as she prepared for the next round. "Alright, big puppies. Who’s next?"
But before she could launch into another attack, the ground shook. A low, rumbling growl echoed through the trees, deeper and more menacing than anything they had heard from the pack so far.
Yasmin’s grin faltered slightly as she exchanged a glance with Yucca. "That… doesn’t sound good."
From the shadows, a massive figure emerged, towering over the other beasts. Its fur was darker, its eyes glowing with a more intense green light, and its muscles rippled with power. It was clear that this wasn’t just another pack member—this was their leader.
"Well," Yasmin said, her grin returning, "looks like the big boss finally showed up."
Yucca’s voice was calm, but there was a new tension in it. "Be careful, Yasmin. This one’s different."
Yasmin’s wings fluttered behind her as she crouched slightly, ready for whatever was coming next. "Good. I was getting bored."
The forest crackled and hissed as flames spread through the underbrush, ignited by Yasmin’s explosive attacks. Trees swayed and groaned under the heat, their leaves curling into blackened husks. The once serene woods outside Windmere were now a battlefield, alight with the furious glow of fire and the bloodthirsty howls of the werewolf-like beasts. The leader of the pack stood before the sisters, towering over them, his muscles rippling beneath thick, dark fur, eyes glowing an intense, sickly green.
Yasmin’s fiery grin faltered for the briefest moment as the creature roared, its voice a guttural, bone-rattling sound that seemed to shake the very earth beneath her feet. She glanced at Yucca, whose expression remained calm, though the tension in her wings betrayed her worry.
"Careful," Yucca murmured, her voice steady despite the inferno that raged around them. She raised her hands, and shimmering discs of glass formed in the air before her, swirling and catching the light from the flames. "This one isn’t like the others."
Yasmin’s fiery red hair whipped around her face as the wind shifted, and she nodded, rolling her shoulders. "Big guy thinks he can take us, huh?" she said with a wink, though her voice held a note of seriousness. "Let’s see if he’s right."
The pack leader lunged, its massive claw swiping at Yucca with terrifying speed. But she was faster, sending one of her glass discs hurtling toward the creature. The disc spun like a razor-sharp buzzsaw, colliding with the beast’s arm and shattering into a thousand glittering shards. The beast howled in pain, but before it could react, the shards of broken glass swirled through the air like a storm of deadly needles, embedding themselves into the beast’s fur, cutting deep into its flesh.
Yucca wasted no time, sending another glass spear flying at the creature, this one aimed at its chest. The spear glinted under the moonlight, straight and true, but the pack leader batted it aside with a powerful swing of its arm, the glass shattering once again into smaller, lethal pieces that sprayed out, some lodging into the beast’s face, some embedding into the ground.
Yasmin watched in awe as her sister weaved her magic with such elegance, her movements precise and controlled. But the pack leader was relentless, shrugging off the glass shards as it charged forward again, its claws aimed directly at Yucca’s chest.
"Yucca!" Yasmin shouted, but her sister was already moving. Yucca sidestepped the attack, her wings shimmering as she created a swirling barrier of glass around her, each shard spinning with deadly intent. The beast’s claws scraped against the barrier, but it couldn’t break through. Yet it was fast—too fast—and before Yucca could launch her next attack, the creature feinted to the left and slammed into her from the side.
The impact sent Yucca crashing to the ground, her glass shards shattering and falling around her like broken stars. She gasped in pain as the beast’s claws raked across her arm, blood seeping into the dirt as her concentration faltered.
"Yucca!" Yasmin’s voice rang out, panic flashing in her amber eyes. Without a second thought, she leapt into action, flames bursting to life at her fingertips. She flung out her hand, summoning an Ember Gale that roared across the battlefield, a fiery whirlwind of embers and sparks. It collided with the pack leader, knocking it back and sending the smaller beasts scattering in all directions.
But the damage was done. Yucca struggled to her feet, clutching her wounded arm, her face pale. Yasmin rushed to her side, shielding her with a wall of fire as the pack regrouped, their snarls filling the air.
"You okay?" Yasmin asked, her voice tight with worry.
"I’ll be fine," Yucca replied, though her voice was strained. She glanced at her arm, blood still trickling from the gashes. "But this isn’t looking good."
Yasmin’s heart pounded in her chest as she scanned the battlefield. The leader was still standing, snarling through the flames, its eyes locked onto them with deadly intent. The other beasts were circling, waiting for the chance to strike. They were strong, fast—but mindless. And yet, they had numbers, and they had power. Yasmin and Yucca were formidable, but even they had limits.
Yasmin gritted her teeth, her fingers twitching with the need to unleash more fire, more thunder. "We’re not going down like this," she said, more to herself than to Yucca.
But just as she prepared to summon another Thunder Pyre, the pack leader surged forward, faster than before, closing the distance in an instant. Yasmin barely had time to react before the creature was on them, its massive claw slashing toward Yucca once again.
Without thinking, Yasmin threw herself in front of her sister, taking the brunt of the attack. Pain exploded across her side as the beast’s claws raked through her, tearing through her armor with ease. She staggered, her vision blurring for a moment, but she held her ground, refusing to fall.
"Yasmin!" Yucca gasped, but Yasmin waved her off, gritting her teeth against the pain.
"I’m fine," Yasmin growled, though her voice was shaky. She wasn’t fine. Blood dripped from her side, staining the ground beneath her, but she forced herself to stay upright, her fire still burning hot in her veins.
The pack leader roared, sensing victory, and Yasmin knew they were on the verge of losing. Her fire was spreading, the trees around them beginning to catch as the flames licked higher and higher. The smoke was thickening, the heat almost unbearable, but Yasmin welcomed it. The fire was hers, her power, and she would not let this beast take her or her sister down without a fight.
Just as the pack leader was about to lunge again, a new presence entered the battlefield.
The crackle of flames and the snarls of the beasts seemed to fade as something else cut through the chaos—a slow, deliberate rhythm. Footsteps. Heavy, measured, purposeful.
Yasmin’s eyes widened as she saw a figure emerging from the burning trees, walking toward them with an eerie calm. A skeletal figure, clad in tattered rags, its bones gleaming in the firelight. It summoned two strange weapons—blades that shimmered like liquid steel, long and flexible, almost like whips. The skeletal warrior moved with an unnatural grace, unbothered by the flames that swirled around it, its empty eye sockets glowing with a faint, unearthly light.
Yucca, still clutching her wounded arm, took a step back, her glass shards hovering defensively around her. "What… is that?" she whispered, her voice filled with both awe and fear.
"I don’t know," Yasmin replied, her voice hushed as she watched the skeleton approach. "But I’m pretty sure it’s not on our side."
The pack leader seemed to sense the new threat as well. It snarled, turning its attention from the sisters to the skeletal figure that now stood before it. The beast hesitated for a moment, then roared and charged, claws outstretched.
The skeletal warrior moved with terrifying precision. Its twin blades—Urumi swords—lashed out, the flexible steel whistling through the air. The pack leader deflected the blow, but one of the blades wrapped around its arm like a serpent. The beast snarled in surprise, yanking back with all its strength. The force was enough to tear the flesh from its own arm, but the skeletal warrior, its grip on the swords unnaturally tight, was sent hurtling through the air.
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The skeleton crashed into a nearby tree with a sickening thud, its bones rattling as it hit the ground. For a moment, it lay still, the firelight casting long shadows over its body.
Yasmin blinked, her breath catching in her throat. "What the hell…?"
But the distraction was enough. The pack leader’s attention was now split between the sisters and the fallen skeleton, and Yasmin saw her opportunity. She pushed past the pain, her amber eyes narrowing with determination.
"Yucca," she said through gritted teeth, "I’m going in."
Yucca’s eyes widened. "Wait—Yasmin, don’t—"
But Yasmin was already moving. With a burst of speed, she sprinted toward the pack leader, fire blazing at her fingertips. The beast snarled, turning toward her just as she reached it. Its massive jaws snapped open, teeth bared, but Yasmin was faster.
With a fierce grin, she shoved her hand into the creature’s mouth, her palm crackling with power. "Boom."
Boom Blossom exploded from within the beast’s skull, a massive burst of fire and thunder that erupted outward, taking the creature’s head with it. The force of the explosion sent Yasmin staggering back, her vision swimming as the pack leader’s body crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
She stood there for a moment, panting, her body trembling from the exertion. The forest was still burning, the flames casting wild shadows across the battlefield, but the pack leader was dead. The remaining beasts hesitated, their snarls fading as they looked to their fallen leader.
Yucca limped over to Yasmin, her face pale but her eyes sharp. "Are you okay?"
Yasmin laughed weakly, her knees threatening to give out beneath her. "I think so. That was... close." Yasmin stood over the lifeless body of the pack leader, her hand still tingling from the explosive magic she’d unleashed. The adrenaline slowly drained from her veins, leaving her legs weak, her body trembling from the exertion and pain. Yucca, breathing heavily beside her, gingerly touched the wound on her arm, her glass shards hovering protectively in the air around her.
The fire raged on, crackling through the trees, embers floating into the night sky. The remaining beasts, leaderless and confused, let out a few disoriented howls before turning and fleeing into the deeper woods, their massive shapes disappearing into the thick darkness. The battle was over, and the sisters had won. But the scene wasn’t quite as triumphant as Yasmin had imagined.
"That was close," Yasmin panted, forcing a grin through the pain in her side. "I’m still standing, though."
Yucca glanced at her arm, blood still seeping from the deep gashes. She shrugged, always the calmer of the two. "I’ll get this healed later. But… that skeleton…"
They both turned toward the figure that had flown through the air and crashed against a tree during the fight. The skeletal warrior, the same eerie figure that had walked so ominously through the flames, was no longer lying in a crumpled heap where it had fallen. Instead, it was… running.
Yasmin blinked, watching the skeleton flee with surprising speed, its ragged robes flapping in the wind, bones clicking with each step. It moved with awkward urgency, clearly trying to put as much distance between itself and the two sisters as possible.
"Is it… running away from us?" Yasmin asked, wide-eyed, her voice filled with disbelief.
Yucca tilted her head, her expression unreadable. "It seems more afraid of us than we are of it."
"Seriously?" Yasmin let out a sharp laugh that quickly turned into a wince as the pain in her side flared up again. "I’m used to people running toward me when I blow stuff up, not away."
The sisters exchanged a glance before turning back to the fleeing skeleton, its bony legs carrying it toward the far edge of the burning forest.
"Should we chase it?" Yucca asked, her tone as calm as ever despite the strange circumstances. She glanced around at the growing blaze, the flames licking higher and higher, consuming everything in their path. "It’s… unusual, to say the least."
Yasmin shrugged, though her amber eyes glimmered with curiosity. "Eh, I mean, they usually send a clean-up crew to deal with the mess I make anyway. Someone will be here soon to put out the fires. And the pack? Well, we took care of most of them. Whoever’s left is running scared."
Yucca raised an eyebrow, looking around at the destruction. "You’re sure they knew the pack was this close to Windmere?"
Yasmin waved her hand dismissively. "Yeah, they knew there was a pack. They just didn’t know how many or that they were camped so close to the city. But," she winced again, touching the torn and burned leather of her armor, "I think we’ve handled it… mostly."
Yucca sighed, glancing at the flames, her face tightening just slightly as she saw the damage spreading. "You think they’ll mind the fire?"
Yasmin smirked. "Nah, I’m sure the Windmere guard will appreciate the dramatic effect. Gives ‘em something to talk about." She took a few steps forward, eyes still locked on the skeleton that was almost out of sight. "But let’s deal with that skeleton first. You don’t just see a walking, talking skeleton every day."
Yucca nodded, though her face betrayed little emotion. "It did help, in a way."
"Help?" Yasmin scoffed, though she couldn’t hide her own fascination. "It got tossed around like a ragdoll! But still… we’ve got to figure out what it is." Yasmin grinned, the pain momentarily forgotten. "Besides, I want to see if it talks. Maybe it has a story."
Yucca’s wings fluttered softly as she followed her sister, her glass shards gathering at her side in neat, defensive formations. "Let’s just be careful," she said, though Yasmin was already bounding forward, her fiery hair catching the light of the flames as she darted through the burning trees.
The skeleton continued to flee, its pace frantic but unsteady. It ducked under low-hanging branches, stumbled over roots, and nearly tripped as it glanced over its shoulder, only to find Yasmin and Yucca gaining on it.
Yasmin laughed, the sound light and mischievous despite the exhaustion she felt. "Hey, bony! Where’re you running off to?" she called out, her voice carrying through the smoke.
The skeleton didn’t respond, its empty eye sockets reflecting the firelight as it kept running, almost as if it could still feel the fear of being pursued.
Yucca, more measured in her movements, kept a steady pace beside her sister. "Do you think it even understands us?"
Yasmin shrugged mid-sprint. "Doesn’t matter! I’ll figure out a way to get it to talk." She narrowed her eyes, pushing herself to go faster, despite the pain in her side and the smoke that was beginning to fill the air.
The sisters closed the distance, the forest burning all around them, and as they neared the skeleton, Yasmin could see it was on the verge of panic—if skeletons could panic. It stumbled again, catching itself just before it could fall, and Yasmin knew it was only a matter of time before they caught up.
"Almost gotcha!" Yasmin said through gritted teeth, her wings shimmering as she prepared to pounce. But just as she reached out to grab it, the skeleton darted between two trees and down a narrow path, disappearing into the burning foliage.
Yasmin skidded to a halt, wincing at the sudden movement, her hands resting on her knees as she caught her breath. "For a bag of bones, it sure can move," she muttered.
Yucca, far less winded, came to a stop beside her, surveying the darkened path ahead. "Do you think it’s dangerous?"
Yasmin stood upright, wincing again but still smiling. "Dangerous? Please. If it was, it wouldn’t be running away from us." She glanced at the still-burning forest around them, the crackling of the fire growing louder as the flames began to spread farther. "But I’ll tell you one thing—I’m dying to know what it is."
Yucca nodded, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Agreed. Let’s follow it, but carefully. We’ll figure out what this thing is. Then we’ll head back to the city and report… everything." She gestured around them, the flames reflecting in her glass-like eyes.
"Fine by me," Yasmin replied, stretching her wings and preparing to give chase again. "But next time, I’m not letting it run. We need answers."
The sisters exchanged a determined glance, then turned toward the path where the skeleton had disappeared. The fire continued to roar behind them, but for now, their focus was on the strange creature that had unexpectedly crossed their path.
Without another word, they dashed forward, following the trail of the fleeing skeleton into the burning woods, their curiosity and determination driving them deeper into the unknown.
***
Evan walked down the dusty path, Windmere’s distant silhouette framed by the pale glow of the moonlight. The city lights twinkled in the distance, and despite the mystery of how he ended up here—wherever here was—his focus had narrowed to one simple goal: getting inside those walls and figuring out what the hell was going on. He still didn’t understand why he was alive, or half-dead, or whatever you called walking around as a skeleton.
“Focus on the city,” Malakar’s voice interrupted his thoughts, the rich, irritated tone filling Evan’s mind. “Answers lie there, not in the woods. Let’s avoid unnecessary distractions.”
Evan grumbled, annoyed at having someone constantly in his head, especially someone as condescending as Malakar. “I’m focusing,” he muttered under his breath, though part of him still marveled at the fact he had to speak aloud to communicate with the guy. “You don’t have to keep reminding me.”
He continued walking, his thoughts racing, when suddenly—BOOM! The distant explosion shattered the night’s calm, followed by the unmistakable sounds of violence: snarling, howling wolves, the crackle of fire, and the sound of what could only be magic tearing through the air.
Evan stopped dead in his tracks, turning his head toward the noise. He squinted into the darkness, trying to make sense of what was happening deeper in the woods. He definitely hadn’t seen that back on Earth. Fireballs, wolves, explosions? This wasn’t some backwoods fight between gangs.
“Ignore it,” Malakar hissed urgently in Evan’s mind. “Get to Windmere. That city holds the key to surviving this wretched world. We don’t have time to play hero.”
But Evan’s curiosity got the better of him. “I should check it out,” he mumbled, already veering off the path. “What if someone’s in trouble?”
“Someone is always in trouble here, idiot!” Malakar spat, exasperation lacing his words. “This isn’t Earth. People die, a lot. Let’s not join them, shall we?”
“Thanks for the motivational speech,” Evan shot back, rolling his eyes even though Malakar couldn’t see it. He quickened his pace, moving toward the noise.
As he crept closer, the sounds grew louder—howls, snarls, more explosions. And fire. Definitely fire. Evan peeked through the trees and stopped short, his jaw hanging open at the sight before him.
There, in the midst of the chaos, were two women. They looked mostly human, but each had large, ethereal wings that shimmered in the moonlight. One, with fiery red hair, was laughing as she hurled massive fireballs at a pack of werewolf-like creatures. The other, calmer but no less fierce, sent shards of glowing glass spiraling through the air, slicing through the beasts with deadly precision.
"Uh..." Evan's mind went blank. Werewolves. Flying women. Magic.
“Told you!” Malakar barked. “I TOLD YOU TO AVOID THIS!”
“Holy shit,” Evan muttered, completely ignoring Malakar’s protests. He knew, more than ever, that he was no longer on Earth. This—this wasn’t even close. “This is crazy.”
“Yes, crazy. And deadly! We need to run—now!” Malakar was practically shrieking in his mind.
Evan took a step back, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the fight. It was… mesmerizing. Fire and lightning clashed, glass exploded into a thousand shards that glinted in the firelight, and the werewolves—huge, hulking beasts—were fast, powerful, and completely terrifying.
And then, things took a turn.
The red-haired woman—who Evan had begun to mentally label “Fire Lady”—got hit. Hard. A massive claw swiped across her, and she stumbled, the laughter dying on her lips as blood seeped through her torn armor. The calmer one—“Glass Girl,” as Evan now dubbed her—tried to cover her, but she too was hit, claws raking down her arm as she stumbled backward.
The pack leader—a monstrous beast easily twice the size of the others—advanced on the two women, growling, its fangs gleaming in the light of the fire.
They were losing. Fast.
Evan’s heart—or the space where his heart used to be—pounded in his chest. “I should do something,” he whispered, panic rising in his voice.
“No, no, no, no, no,” Malakar interjected, sounding panicked for the first time. “You are in NO position to fight a pack of jade-tier beasts! Those women? They’re capable—far more capable than you, you idiot! Turn around and walk away. NOW.”
But Evan was already moving forward, his legs carrying him into the burning clearing. “I can’t just—watch them die.”
“You’re about to watch YOURSELF die, moron!” Malakar shrieked, voice rising in frustration. “I don’t care about your moral dilemmas—this is a mistake! You’ll get torn to pieces!”
Evan tried to remain cool and composed, walking through the fire, attempting to look like he had any clue what he was doing. But in his mind? Panic. Absolute panic.
“What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck am I doing?” Evan muttered under his breath, his skeletal feet crunching over the burning leaves. He could feel the heat—how was he feeling heat? His bones didn’t even have skin! And yet, each step through the embers sent sharp, burning sensations through his legs.
As Evan neared the fight, the pack leader turned its glowing eyes toward him, and he felt his nonexistent stomach drop.
“Good job! Now you’ve got its attention!” Malakar snapped. “Summon your weapons! NOW!”
“Uh… how do I do that again?” Evan asked, feeling utterly ridiculous.
“The swords, you idiot! The ones I told you about!”
“Oh, right,” Evan muttered. He concentrated, trying to remember the strange instructions Malakar had given him earlier. Something about focusing his will, channeling his energy, and…
Nothing. No swords appeared.
“ARE YOU SERIOUSLY THIS INCOMPETENT?!” Malakar screeched. “Focus! Focus your will! Picture the blades!”
“I’m trying!” Evan shot back, his voice rising as the pack leader began to stalk toward him, claws extended. “This is NOT as easy as you make it sound!”
The beast roared, saliva dripping from its fangs as it charged. At the last possible second, the swords—Urumi blades—finally materialized in Evan’s hands, shimmering and metallic, like flexible steel whips. He swung wildly, more out of panic than any kind of strategy.
By some miracle—or sheer dumb luck—one of the blades wrapped around the beast’s arm. The werewolf snarled in surprise, but instead of tearing through its flesh like Evan had hoped, the creature yanked backward, pulling Evan off his feet.
“Whoa!” Evan yelped as he was sent flying through the air, still clutching his sword for dear life. He hit a tree with a bone-rattling crash, the impact sending shockwaves through his entire body.
“Oh, brilliant,” Malakar sneered as Evan lay in a heap on the ground. “Your combat skills are truly… inspiring.”
Evan groaned, feeling—feeling—the pain as if he still had muscles to bruise. His bones felt like they were rattling around inside him, but he wasn’t dead—again. Not yet.
The world spun as he struggled to his feet, smoke filling the air. Through the haze, he saw the beast advancing on the two women again.
“No,” Evan muttered, stumbling. “Not on my watch…”
“RUN, YOU FOOL!” Malakar shouted, practically howling in his mind now. “Do you WANT to get killed? AGAIN?”
“I'm not running,” Evan mumbled, wobbling as he tried to stand. But his legs were weak, his vision blurry, and before he could do anything else, he saw it—Fire Lady springing forward.
Yasmin darted in close, fire blazing in her hand. With a fierce grin, she shoved her hand into the pack leader’s mouth, her voice gentle. “Boom.”
The explosion was deafening. Fire and thunder erupted from the creature’s skull, its head blown apart in a violent burst of flames. The beast's body crumpled to the ground, lifeless, as the forest crackled and hissed around them.
Evan blinked, struggling to process what had just happened. The pack leader was dead. The fight was over. But before he could catch his breath, he realized something else—the women were looking at him.
“Oh, no,” Evan whispered, feeling dread pool in the pit of his empty stomach.
“YES. OH, NO,” Malakar echoed, his voice trembling with frustration. “They’re coming. You’ve blown it! Run!”
Without hesitation, Evan turned on his heel and bolted.
Evan’s feet pounded against the scorched ground, the flames licking at his heels as he tore through the burning forest. His heart—well, whatever passed for it these days—was racing, his mind buzzing with a single, overwhelming thought: Run.
“Why did I get involved in this?” he muttered under his breath, panic creeping into his voice as he dodged another burning branch. “I could’ve just stayed on the path. But noooo, I had to play hero!”
“Yes! You HAD to play hero!” Malakar’s voice was practically vibrating with rage in his head. “And now you’ve got two extremely dangerous magists coming after you because they think you’re some sort of threat! Well done! Bravo!”
Evan risked a glance over his shoulder, and sure enough, the two winged women were gaining on him. Fast. The fiery one—Yasmin, he thought he heard her name was—looked particularly determined, her wings shimmering in the firelight, eyes locked onto him like a predator about to pounce.
“Oh, shit,” Evan gasped, stumbling over a tree root and nearly face-planting into the dirt. He caught himself at the last second but could feel the panic rising even more. “Malakar, help me out here!”
“Run faster, you fool! Do you want to die AGAIN?”
“I’m trying!” Evan shouted aloud, the desperation clear in his voice. “Why are they chasing me? I helped them!”
“Did you help them, though? You got tossed into a tree like a sack of bones! They probably think you’re some undead assassin sent to finish them off!”
Evan's mind whirled with a mix of fear and disbelief. He couldn’t blame the women for being suspicious, but this was getting out of hand. The forest was an inferno now, and the heat was unbearable. He swore he could feel the flames, as if his bones had nerves that could sense pain. How was that even possible?
“Everything hurts!” he groaned, his skeletal feet slipping on the ashy ground. His legs, if they could be called that, felt like they were on fire, and he was starting to lose his balance.
“Yes, fire tends to burn! Run faster!” Malakar barked. "And for the love of the gods, stop stumbling around like a newborn fawn!”
Evan clenched his teeth—or at least tried to, given the lack of flesh—and focused on running. But as the trees blurred past him, the voices of the sisters grew closer.
“Almost gotcha!” Yasmin’s voice rang out, sharp and gleeful. Evan didn’t dare look back again, but he could feel her presence closing in, the heat of her magic practically scorching the air around them.
“Not good, not good, not good!” Evan chanted under his breath, eyes wide as he spotted an opening between two trees ahead. Without thinking, he threw himself through the gap, hoping it would slow his pursuers down.
The branches clawed at him as he tumbled forward, but instead of a clear path, Evan found himself at the edge of a steep hill. His foot caught on a rock, and before he could even process what was happening, he was falling—hard.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa—AHH!” he yelped, limbs flailing wildly as he went tumbling down the hill. Rocks and dirt battered his bones as he rolled, and for a brief, ridiculous moment, he wondered how a skeleton could feel pain like this. The world spun around him in a blur of fire and dirt, and when he finally hit the bottom, he landed in an awkward heap, bones rattling as they tried to realign themselves.
Evan groaned, pushing himself up onto shaky legs. His vision swam, and for a moment, he seriously considered just lying there and letting the inevitable happen.
“Get up!” Malakar shouted. “They’re still coming!”
“Ugh,” Evan grumbled, forcing himself to his feet. “I’m going, I’m going…”
His legs wobbled as he staggered forward, running again, though it was more of a limp at this point. He could hear the crackle of the fire and the distant sound of Yasmin’s voice above him, but the hill had given him a momentary reprieve.
Behind him, he heard her frustrated voice shout, “For a bag of bones, it sure can move!”
“I’d take that as a compliment if I wasn’t about to die,” Evan muttered bitterly.
“You’re not going to die,” Malakar grumbled, though he sounded far less confident than before. “But I’d recommend we find somewhere to hide. They’re relentless. And they have magic. You, on the other hand, barely know how to hold those swords you summoned.”
“That’s not helpful!” Evan snapped, but even as he said it, he couldn’t help but agree. He wasn’t cut out for this. He wasn’t a fighter, not here, not on Udanara, not anywhere. He just wanted to find some answers and maybe—just maybe—figure out how to survive this nightmare.
But now? Now he was running through a burning forest, away from two deadly sisters who had clearly just fought off an entire pack of werewolf beasts, and he had almost gotten himself killed for trying to “help.”
As Evan continued to limp his way through the trees, his panic grew. The forest was getting darker, the smoke thicker, and his lungs—or whatever was left of them—were burning from the effort. “This is too much,” he gasped, barely able to keep his feet moving. “Way too much.”
“Welcome to Udanara, you idiot,” Malakar said, his tone exhausted and irritated. “Now, keep running before they catch up and turn you into ash.”
Evan pushed himself harder, ducking under low branches and swerving around smoldering trees, his skeletal body groaning in protest with every movement. His mind was racing, filled with thoughts of Earth, of how simple his life had been before all this. Back when his biggest worry was his dead-end job and cheating ex-girlfriend, not… whatever this was.