It grew thick with mist, soon they were marching into a dense forest where each step brought a new convergence of foliage around them. The air was cold and oppressive, heavy with the weight of something unseen but undeniably there. Every now and then, the leader's glowing blue eye flicked toward the treetops, scanning the shifting shadows as if he sensed something just beyond his reach. Even while she walked silently behind him, even in her human appearance, the tension in the air seemed palpable.
The stones were all but gone from view, they no longer defined which direction ahead. His grip on the pouch holding the remainder was tight against the warmth that lay within his palm. What was ahead, it was coming nearer and nearer, pulling into him like a magnet. He could feel it something was watching, something waiting.
Do you feel that?" the female conqueror asked quietly, her voice calm but edged with wariness. She was scanning the mist as well, her sharp eyes catching flickers of movement, shapes barely perceptible in the gloom.
"Yes," said the leader, his tone cold, unwavering "We're not alone.".
His words laced in the air, and the silence surrounding them made them even weightier. The rest of the group continued to trail behind, tightening their formation. Each one moved with an air of precision, their senses heightened, weapons at the ready. Even without words, they communicated as seasoned warriors do-through gestures, shared glances, and subtle shifts in body.
He stopped, his serpent mount, with the eight limbs and six wings and a crow's head and beak, itssing quietly into stillness. Its wings rustled almost as if unseen fabric moved, again and once more the soft click of beak in the quiet. The whole group came to stand where they breathed; the tension seemed thicker than ever it had.
Out of the mist ahead came a figure beginning to take on shape, ghostlike or demonish, or some other evil spirit. First, it was nothing but a shadow, a blur of dark, moving with unnatural grace. Then slowly it came into focus. tall, flowing black cloth that reached down to the floor. But the figure's face was completely hidden in a deep hood, and the faint glow of violet, cold eyes peered out from within.
He sat astride a creature defying all human notion, monstrous, born not of nature's plan but of terror and grotesque beauty, six spindly legs of glistening black scales that shimmered faintly in the dim light. Its body was sleek, serpent-like, and coiled once, twice, thrice around the trunk of the tree. His eyes were deep, molten orange and faintly glowing as he seemed to scan the horizon. Its mouth, though, was what was most unsettling - far too wide and filled with rows of jagged, bone-like teeth clicking
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It was Atlas he looked at the leader with murderous intent in his eyes
"Whoever you are I can assure you, that you are lost, so I would advise you to take another way", Atlas spoke with full confidence in his voice, he had been a portage in his village, everyone around him always called him a genius and the hope of the village, that is why when he saw the Leader sitting upon his beast he had not been worried in the least bit. Even to the point of reviling his prance even having the confidence to think that he would easily win against this other unknown nightmare conqueror.
The leader said nothing and looked back at Atlas with a sense of pity like he was an injured rabbit and at the next, he commanded the women.
"Deal with this pest and make sure there aren't any more like him hiding around, do not let a single soul escape this area"
The woman remained silent, her eyes narrowing at Atlas. Without warning, her arm transformed into a grotesque, rat-like limb, her aura expanding as she unleashed her power. A rank 2 aura radiated from her, suffocating the air around her.
The moment Atlas felt the weight of her aura, his legs turned to jelly. Sweat poured down his face, and his head pounded as if struck by a hammer. His knees buckled, and he collapsed onto his mount. His body hadn’t yet processed the reality of the danger he was in, but instinct screamed at him. His beast cried out in terror, trying to back away from the woman’s overwhelming presence.
In a distant part of the forest, where the main group had camped for the night, Aliga awoke suddenly, her heart pounding in her chest. Something was terribly wrong. She could feel it deep in her bones. Her bat sensed it too, screeching with a high-pitched cry of alarm that echoed through the trees.
Without hesitation, Aliga rushed toward the others. Howard, who had been resting nearby, barely had time to sit up when Aliga’s sharp gaze found him. Without a word, she grabbed him and threw him onto her bat. Howard jerked awake, his eyes wide with confusion.
“Huh? What’s going on? Are we under attack?” he blurted out, trying to find his balance on the creature’s massive back.
The guard assigned to watch Howard stood in stunned silence. “Madam Aliga, what are you—”
But before the guard could finish, Aliga leaped onto her bat, and without a second glance, they were airborne.
The wind howled past Howard’s ears as he clung desperately to the bat’s fur, his heart racing. “Aliga, what’s happening?” he shouted, struggling to keep his balance. But Aliga remained silent, her eyes focused, her mind elsewhere. She wasn’t fleeing—she was escaping something far more dangerous than they had anticipated.
Below, the camp erupted in confusion. Guards shouted and scrambled, their cries blending with the rustling of trees. From the depths of the forest, the leader, still astride his monstrous mount, sensed the disturbance. His cold blue eye turned upward, his face darkening as he watched Aliga disappear into the mist.
“She’s fleeing!” one of the soldiers yelled, drawing his sword in alarm. But before any of them could act, a voice echoed behind them—a voice that chilled the air.
“So, the one from the outside world has been taken, I see,” the voice said calmly, full of menace. The guards spun around, their hearts freezing as they came face to face with the leader of the mysterious group that had caused all of this.