Sarah's nose twitched as she glanced between me and Tiamat, her sharp eyes narrowing.

"You guys smell like sweat," she said, her voice laced with that familiar mix of sarcasm and something sharper, unspoken.

She lowered her head, focusing on the meat stick sizzling over the campfire, turning it with a practiced flick of her wrist.

The flames crackled, casting flickering shadows across her face, highlighting the tension in her jaw.

"You made this? Since when?" I asked, raising my eyebrows, trying to steer the conversation back to something normal.

The air between us felt thick, charged with the aftermath of what Tiamat and I had just shared in the woods.

Tiamat lounged nearby, her scales still glistening faintly in the firelight, utterly unperturbed.

"I couldn't wait for you, so I made a snack," Sarah replied, resuming her meal with deliberate bites.

She tore into the steak, chewing slowly, avoiding our eyes.

Her words hung there, a subtle jab that made my stomach twist.

Had she heard us?

Smelled the evidence of our entanglement?

The silence stretched, heavy with unspoken questions, and I opened my mouth to say something. anything. to ease the awkwardness.

But before the words could form, the forest exploded into chaos.

A guttural roar shattered the night, and from the dense underbrush, a monster burst forth like a nightmare given form.

It came from the same direction as that rundown inn we'd passed earlier, the one where we killed that doctor disciple.

The beast was massive, its body a hulking mass of twisted muscle and matted fur, easily the size of a bear but far more grotesque.

No eyes marred its snarling face. just a gaping maw filled with jagged teeth and nostrils flaring wide, sniffing the air like a bloodhound on the hunt.

It moved with unnatural speed, paws thundering against the earth as it zeroed in on our scent, drawn by the sweat, the fire, the very life of us.

My heart slammed into overdrive.

"What the hell. " I started, but there was no time for questions.

We all reacted on instinct, leaping to our feet in a blur of motion.

Sarah snatched up her dagger, the blade glinting as she dropped into a defensive crouch, her half-eaten steak forgotten in the dirt.

Tiamat uncoiled like a serpent, her claws extending with a metallic rasp, her draconic eyes glowing with predatory fire.

I gripped my black sword, the hilt cool and familiar in my palm, its weight a promise of violence.

The monster skidded to a halt mere feet from the fire, its eyeless head whipping side to side, nostrils quivering as it scented us out.

Traces of our trail. our sweat, our fear. must have led it straight here.

It reared up on hind legs, towering over us, its breath a foul, rancid wind that carried the stench of decay and something metallic, like old blood.

Saliva dripped from its fangs, sizzling as it hit the ground.

For a split second, the world narrowed to that beast, its blind rage promising a brutal end if we didn't strike first.

I stepped forward, sword raised, ready to charge.

The blade hummed faintly in my hand, as if sensing the threat.

But the moment I brandished it, facing the creature head-on, something impossible happened.

The monster froze.

Its massive head snapped toward the sword, nostrils flaring wider, as if it could see the weapon through scent alone.

A low, rumbling whine escaped its throat, not aggression, but something like recognition. or terror.

Then it shrieked.

The sound was ear-splitting, a piercing wail that echoed through the trees, sending birds scattering into the night sky.

It wasn't a battle cry; it was retreat.

Without another moment's hesitation, the beast wheeled around and bolted back into the forest, crashing through the undergrowth with panicked fury.

Branches snapped like gunfire in its wake, and soon, even the echoes faded into silence.

We stood there, weapons still poised, breaths coming in ragged gasps.

The fire popped softly, indifferent to the drama.

"What... was that?" Sarah finally whispered, lowering her dagger but not sheathing it.

Her eyes darted to the treeline, wide with a mix of relief and unease.

Tiamat sheathed her claws, her expression unreadable.

"It sensed the sword. Knew better than to tangle with it."

She shot me a glance, something like approval. or warning. in her gaze.

But she said no more, settling back by the fire as if the interruption were nothing more than a minor annoyance.

I stared at the black sword in my hand, its dark blade absorbing the firelight like a void.

The disciple from Doctor's forces had reacted the same way before I cut her down. surprise, then fear.

What power did this thing hold?

And why did it scare off even a mindless brute like that?

Questions swirled in my mind, but exhaustion tugged at me already.

We couldn't risk staying put.

"We move at first light," I said, voice firm.

"No resting here. I'll take watch."

The girls protested briefly.

Sarah with a stubborn glare, Tiamat with a knowing smirk. but they relented.

We doused the fire, packed our gear in tense silence, and hunkered down in a shallow ravine nearby, away from the open camp.

Sarah and Tiamat curled up under their cloaks, their breathing evening out into uneasy sleep.

I couldn't join them.

The southern borders loomed in our path, the Supreme Empress waiting like a storm cloud, and now Doctor's shadow felt closer than ever.

That monster hadn't been random; it reeked of the same twisted magic we'd encountered at the inn.

I stood guard at the ravine's edge, sword in hand, the night pressing in like a living thing.

The forest was alive with sounds. rustling leaves, distant owl hoots.

but beneath it all, I heard him.

The monster.

Its heavy breathing, ragged and deliberate, circled us like a predator toying with prey.

Footsteps padded softly, then paused, sniffing the air.

It hadn't fled far; it was stalking, waiting for a mistake.

Every shadow seemed to shift, every breeze carrying the faint rot of its breath.

My grip tightened on the sword, knuckles whitening.

The blade felt heavier now, pulsing with some latent energy that made my arm ache.

What if it called others?

What if this was just the vanguard of something worse, drawn by the disciple's death or the sword's cursed allure?

Hours blurred into a grueling vigil.

My eyes burned, lids growing heavy despite the adrenaline.

The girls slept fitfully behind me, Sarah murmuring in her dreams, Tiamat's tail twitching occasionally.

I paced, scanned the darkness, but fatigue clawed at me relentlessly.

We'd pushed hard today, the journey south demanding everything, and now this.

Just when I thought I could steal a moment's rest, leaning against a tree with sword at the ready, my vision blurred.

Sleep betrayed me, a momentary lapse, eyelids drooping for what felt like a heartbeat.

But it was enough.

A guttural snarl ripped through the night.

The monster lunged from the shadows, a blur of fangs and fury, its eyeless face locked on me by scent alone.

It was faster this time, no hesitation, barreling straight for my throat with claws extended like scythes.

I shouted, "No good!" as I swung the sword up, the blade slicing through the air with a whistle.

The world exploded into motion. my heart thundering, the beast's roar drowning out everything else.

This time, there would be no fleeing.

One of us was ending this, now.

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