POV Arthur:

The camp was in chaos. Liam’s screams still echoed in my ears as we rushed toward him. The dark figure at the edge of the forest moved with an almost supernatural fluidity and speed, casting an eerie presence over the night. Everyone converged on Liam, who lay on the ground, his face twisted in pain, a branch impaled in his hand.

“Liam, get up, we need to get to town!” James ordered, his voice tense but commanding. “Emilia, Nina, ahead of us, quickly! Liam in the middle, Arthur, Ethan, and I behind.” He looked at me sharply. “We have to go, now!”

I bent down to help Liam up, feeling his body tremble against mine. His face was pale, and I could almost feel the fear radiating from him. Without wasting another second, we began running through the forest, the branches and leaves crunching under our feet.

James glanced back at the figure, which was approaching at an alarming rate. “It’s a C-level Murmur,” he called out as we ran. “I’ll explain the levels on the way, but for now just focus on running!”

We tore through the forest at breakneck speed, each second stretching into an eternity. James continued his explanation, his voice strained against our labored breathing. “Murmurs start at level E. They’re the least dangerous, often just shadows that watch and follow. They can paralyze you with fear, but they’re usually not lethal.”

I struggled to keep pace, my heart pounding in my chest. “Then there are levels D and C,” James went on. “D-level Murmurs can interact with the physical world—move objects, strike you. But C-level Murmurs… they’re far more dangerous. They can cause serious injury, even death.”

The figure loomed closer. I glanced back and fired a few rounds, trying desperately to slow our pursuer. The bullets seemed to pass through the shadowy form without effect, only adding to our growing desperation.

“B and A levels are extremely rare,” James added, panting. “They have terrifying powers, can manipulate reality at will. But a C-level is already a deadly threat.”

Our legs burned with exhaustion, but stopping wasn’t an option. The creature was nearly upon us, its eyes glowing with a malevolent light. Liam, running beside me, began to falter, his breath growing more labored with each step.

“I… I don’t want to die…” he murmured weakly.

“You’re not going to die,” I said firmly, trying to reassure him. “We’re going to get out of here and fix your hand.”

As we neared the first wall, an imposing structure meant to protect our city from outside dangers, the guards spotted us and began preparing the defenses. But just as we were about to reach safety, a projectile shot towards us at lightning speed.

“Liam, dodge!” James shouted, his voice filled with urgency.

But Liam, focused on keeping pace, saw the projectile too late. James’ warning came just as the projectile struck him with terrifying force, shattering his head. Blood and gray matter splattered as Liam collapsed to the ground, his body crumpling like a puppet with its strings cut.

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Time seemed to freeze. We all stared in horror as our friend’s head was reduced to an unrecognizable mess.

“Liam!” screamed Nina, Emilia, and James in unison, their voices filled with despair.

Tears streamed down Nina’s face as she knelt beside Liam. Shocked, I stood just beyond my teammates, staring at the Murmur that seemed to revel in our torment, slowly advancing toward us.

Knowing that staying would mean certain death for us all, I stepped forward and fired my now useless gun at the Murmur. The bullets bounced off harmlessly. “There’s nothing more we can do for him! Run for the walls or we’ll all die!” I shouted.

James and Ethan, snapping back to reality, grabbed the girls and urged them to run. I followed close behind, keeping a wary eye on the Murmur. Fortunately, it didn’t pursue us or launch any more projectiles. Instead, it stopped at Liam’s body, watching us as we fled.

As we reached the first wall, the guards, alerted by James’ cries, opened the gates. Once inside, safe behind the walls, we turned back just in time to see the Murmur bending over Liam’s body. It seemed to absorb something from him, an ethereal glow rising from his lifeless form.

The guards fired arrows at the creature, but it faded into the shadows, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared, taking Liam’s body with it. We stood in silence, breathless, our eyes fixed on the spot where Liam had fallen.

“He… he’s really gone,” Nina murmured, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Emilia knelt down, her hands trembling. “We couldn’t save him,” she said, her voice cracking with sorrow.

James placed a hand on her shoulder. “We have to stay strong,” he said quietly. “Liam would have wanted us to carry on.”

I clenched my fists, anger and grief churning inside me. “James, didn’t you say this expedition was going to be easy? Mutant animals, and now a C-class Murmur?”

James glared at me, frustration etched on his face. “How was I supposed to know? Everything was supposed to be fine! This area had already been searched—there shouldn’t have been so many problems, especially not a Murmur!”

As everyone’s emotions boiled over into a chaotic exchange, a guard approached, the one who had wished me luck earlier.

“I’m sorry about your friend, but since the Murmur is after you, we need to check everything—from your backpacks to the items you’re carrying,” she explained.

With tempers flaring and tensions high, the guard took the opportunity to separate us, questioning each of us in turn and inspecting our belongings.

As the others were led away, Ethan approached me and whispered, “Your relic, hide it. Put it somewhere inconspicuous, or they’ll take it away.”

Without hesitation, I quickly moved the pendant from around my neck to my underwear, hoping it wouldn’t be searched.

Ethan, noticing my choice of hiding spot, gave a faint smile. “Thanks for keeping a cool head earlier. We all could have died. James will blame himself, so don’t push him too hard like you did earlier.”

“You’re right,” I admitted, my voice softening. “I said that mostly out of emotion. I won’t bring it up again. But… doesn’t it bother you? You don’t seem too shaken…”

Ethan sighed, his expression pensive. “It does bother me, more than I let on. Even though we weren’t the closest, I’ve known Liam for a long time. It’s just… I don’t know how to express what I’m feeling…”

“Sorry for bringing it up,” I said as the guard called me for inspection.

I grabbed my bag and followed her. As we walked, she explained the procedure. “Since this is your first inspection, I’ll explain the process. First, we’ll inspect you to make sure you’re not carrying anything that could endanger the city or attract a Murmur. Then, we’ll talk about what happened during the expedition. Do you understand?”

“Yes, it’s clear,” I replied as we entered a room with a single chair in the middle, flanked by two more on either side, reminding me of an interrogation room from my old world.

As I took in my surroundings, the guard added, “Now, for the inspection, I need you to strip.”