SAGE'S POV

"THAT WAY!"

A cloak fluttered before my eyes before I realized Geo had already bolted, Teddy right at his heels, racing toward the source of the scream. I didn't stop to second-guess; I followed them immediately.

A girl's continuous, bone-chilling screech echoed through the forest. The sound, carried by a flaring wind, muffled the heavy thud of our footsteps as we dove deep into the trees. I noticed Geo was pulling ahead, meters away now, sprinting forward without looking back. It felt like we were racing death itself—and I was the one most likely to catch the first blow.

I wanted to yell at Geo, to tell him to slow down, but I couldn't find the breath. My lungs burned from the relentless pace. As we went deeper, the forest grew suffocatingly dark, with only the moonlight slicing through the canopy to light our way.

"W-whoa—CERISE?!"

Geo skidded to a halt. I nearly tumbled over him again, my face inches from the dirt, but I managed to catch myself just in time. I snapped my head up. Before I could process what was happening, Geo lunged forward with effortless speed, snatching a young woman out of harm's way just as an enemy launched an attack.

In a heartbeat, my stomach dropped as the threat pivoted toward me.

"Ahh—!" I cried out, but my voice was drowned by a sudden, violent crash of earth.

A massive chunk of rock shot up from the ground like a cannonball, slamming into the creature. It let out a piercing howl and was sent flying backward before Geo's stone construct crumbled into dust.

"Hold her for a sec?" Geo remarked, a rare frown creasing his face.

He approached me, carrying the girl in his arms. He laid her down gently, and I shifted my position to support her. I checked her over quickly—her breathing was shallow, and her body was a map of jagged wounds.

"Looks like the Devourers are up for a feast today," Geo muttered, standing tall in front of us. I heard the menacing crack of his knuckles. His back was to me, but even from behind, I could feel the sudden, electric tension in his frame.

"...But not when they have to get through me first!" There was a hint of annoyance in his voice, but it was laced with a dark sort of anticipation. He looked ready to tear the monster apart with his bare hands.

I tilted my head past him, finally getting a clear look at the thing standing in the distance.

It was gruesome. It was tall, with a physique that almost mimicked a human frame, but it was horribly deformed. Up close, it looked like it was rotting; deep, black bruises mottled its pale skin. Black veins crawled and twisted beneath the surface like obsidian worms trying to pierce through. Its mouth was a hollow void, overflowing with a pool of dark blood. Even its eyes were nothing but black pits—voids that stared back at us with a sickening, wide-eyed grin.

My skin crawled. I could feel tears pricking my eyes from pure instinctual terror. What the hell even is that thing?

"Grr..."

As the monster locked eyes with us, Geo stripped off his cloak and tossed it aside. Without the heavy fabric, his build looked solid and firm, a stark contrast to the delicate, high-spirited vibe he usually gave off.

"RAH—!"

The monster launched itself like a spring, but Geo was faster. He summoned a barrage of attacks, raising jagged rock columns to intercept its path. The creature was tossed aside like a ragdoll. Meanwhile, Teddy wasn't about to let the monster get near us; the bear followed Geo's lead, trying to claw at the enemy whenever it was distracted by the shifting earthen barriers.

Geo's blows were powerful, but the enemy was slippery, making it hard to land a finishing strike. Yet, his tenacity didn't waver. I could see his breath hitching in the chilling night air, but every time his fist struck the ground, the entire forest floor shuddered.

THUD!

"EEEK! Freaking omens!" Geo threw a frustrated tantrum. "Just die already!!!"

He slammed a massive fist into the dirt, causing a giant stone hand to erupt from the earth so fast it nearly caught the creature, but the monster managed to twist away in mid-air.

"Melusine..."

A faint voice pulled my attention back to the girl in my arms. It was barely a whisper; she was clearly fighting through immense pain. The name was unfamiliar to me.

"M-melusine..."

I looked down at her. Her face was deathly pale, her skin covered in dirt and scratches. Shattered round eyeglasses sat crooked on her nose, the moonlight dancing off the broken shards. She hissed in pain, struggling to keep her eyes open.

Suddenly, I felt something cold and slick brush against my leg. 

A FREAKING SNAKE! 

It slithered toward Cerise, its scales grazing my skin. I swallowed the scream rising in my throat, fighting the urge to kick it away. Not now! I don't need a snake bite on top of all this! I almost reached out to shove it, but it let out a sharp hiss that made me recoil.

"D-don't go near her!" I hissed back.

But the snake ignored me, slithering with purpose. I watched, jaw-dropped, as it coiled itself around the girl's neck, making a home in the crook of her shoulder. I was about to grab it by the tail and yank it off when it suddenly began to glow.

In the blink of an eye, the girl's wounds began to vanish, the skin knitting itself back together.

"What the hell?" I couldn't hide my shock. It wasn't attacking her. It was... healing her? Seriously?

My brain felt like it was going to explode. Monsters, healing snakes—everything was happening at once!

"I-I have to h-help him—"

"Wait, don't." Cerise tried to sit up, but I gently pushed her back down. "L-lay down, you're in pain," I reminded her. I knew she wouldn't make it two steps in her condition.

"T-there..."

The girl outstretched a trembling hand, pointing toward something in the clearing. I saw it then—a round-shaped blade embedded in the ground. Its edges pulsed with a faint, ethereal pink and green light.

A sudden idea struck me.

"GEO!" I yelled.

"WHAT NOW?!" he barked back, never taking his eyes off the fight.

"Trap the monster and use that blade! Finish it off quickly!"

Geo's eyes snapped to the glowing weapon, and a spark of realization lit up his face. With a roar of newfound energy, he summoned massive earth towers that boxed the creature in.

"HAH! Take this!"

He dashed toward the glowing blade, snatched it up, and hurled it with everything he had at the trapped Devourer. The blade sliced through Geo's own earth barriers like they were paper, finding its mark and burying itself deep in the monster's neck.

The creature's head was severed instantly, sent flying as a spray of dark blood rained down on the clearing. A thick cloud of dust kicked up, mixing with the overwhelming stench of a rotting corpse.

I pinched my nose, the smell so foul it made my eyes water. I even reached out to cover the girl's nose.

After a few minutes, once the air settled, Geo turned to us, his hands resting on his knees as he wheezed.

"Are you guys okay?" He managed a weak smile, looking completely spent.

I looked at the girl, who was still whimpering in pain. "We need to get her help. She's badly hurt."

Geo limped over and carefully scooped the girl up. The snake remained coiled around her neck, protective as ever.

"Is that hers?" I asked, pointing to the rounded blade now stuck in a nearby tree.

"Yep."

"L-let me get it then." It was the least I could do.

But before I could reach the weapon, I stopped. Something was shimmering in the distance. We were surrounded by a transparent, flickering wall of light that seemed to block our path.

"Geo... do you see that?"

Geo gasped, his eyes going wide with dread. "T-the Witchwardens are here!"

The sound of rhythmic, synchronized footsteps filled the air. A group of shadowy figures emerged from the trees, stepping into the moonlight. They were a squad of men in eccentric, black suit-armor with silver-white accents. They carried their weapons with a cold air of absolute authority.

The man in the center—the leader, I assumed—stepped forward. His piercing gaze fixed on us. I instinctively took a step back, hiding behind Geo's shoulder.

He surveyed the carnage before speaking, his voice like ice.

"The Consilium wishes to summon you to their palace, witches of Ashburn."