Sela, Nadia, and Rael walked side by side through the cobbled streets of Kathelyn, their boots tapping against the stone. It was early morning, and the sleepy city hadn't quite stirred to life yet. The faint hum of vendors preparing their stalls echoed faintly in the distance.
As they reached the kingdom's massive iron-bound gates, two guards stepped forward to block their path. One of them, a tall man with a trimmed beard and a dented helmet, squinted down at them.
"You three again?" he asked. "Don't you think you're a little too young for official guild requests? Especially one about Chazelles?"
Sela stepped forward with her usual calm confidence. "We accepted the request. We're completing the request."
The second guard chuckled. "Brave words for kids. Chazelles aren't exactly rabbits. Fast, sharp, and not shy about gutting hunters."
Rael grinned. "Sounds fun."
The bearded guard sighed, glancing at their guild tags. "Alright. Don't come crying back when you're missing limbs." He waved them through.
As the gates creaked open, the trio stepped into the open wilderness. The morning sun hit their faces, and a breeze rustled through the grass.
"I've been thinking about fire pulses," Rael said, walking backward to face the girls. "Like, if you split the heat instead of concentrating it, you can push multiple waves out. Not super strong, but super fast."
Nadia nodded. "I've been trying to shape fire tighter, condense it so it's not just raw burn but precision. Like needles of heat."
Sela remained silent, walking just a few steps ahead. Her eyes occasionally flicked to Nadia's sleeve. The corrupted veins beneath it—it was spreading.
"I've been ranking us," Nadia suddenly said. "In terms of strength."
Rael perked up. "Oh yeah?"
"yeah the strongest is sela then its me then you"
"You forgot Lif," Rael interrupted. The moment hung still.
Sela stopped walking.
"…Do you think he's coming back?" she asked quietly. "It's been almost two weeks. What If something happend to him..."
Rael tilted his head. "He will. He's stubborn. Like, really stubborn. Besides what could even kill someone like him?"
Sela smirked "you're right"
Beneath herene under layers of stone and torchlight, Lif remained shackled to the dungeon wall. Blood crusted down his arms, and his body trembled with the effort of staying conscious.
The iron door groaned open.
Two guards stepped in, laughing as they carried bundles of long, silver needles.
"heard this really relaxes your muscles," one of them smirked.
Lif didn't speak. But his muscles tensed as the chains creaked.
The forest outside Kathelyn was peaceful, birds chirping overhead as the trio moved silently.
"there," Rael whispered, pointing ahead. A small, deer-like creature with rabbit ears munched lazily on some flowers.
But behind it—
A blur.
A Chazelle. It stood over the Fluffhorn, ready to pounce. But when it sensed them, it vanished with a shimmer of heat.
"Did it…?" Nadia blinked.
"Gone," Sela muttered.
They raced through the undergrowth, chasing the distorted air trails the Chazelle left behind. It led them through groves, up rocky ridges, and across a shallow stream.
Finally, they arrived at a clearing. A whole pack of Chazelles lounged in the shade.
"Ambush," Sela said. "I'll try to trap them with earth or lava—"
"Didn't you say last week you just started using lava?" Nadia asked.
"I'll try," Sela said, flexing her fingers.
"Too late!" Rael launched into the air.
"stop You idiot" sela shouted.
He landed on a Chazelle's back. It screamed and bolted, almost throwing him off. Rael gritted his teeth, heating his palm and grabbing its leg. The flesh seared, and the beast stumbled, crashing to the ground.
Rael grinned, brushing his forehead. "Ha—"
More Chazelles burst from the foliage.
"…Oh no."
Seven of them surrounded him.
Then—
WHOOSH!
Two were blown back by a fire blast. Nadia landed beside Rael, both her hands lit with searing flame.
Sela appeared next, sliding forward as molten rock burst up beside her. She hurled glowing boulders that exploded in lava.
The fight began.
Rael dodged and countered, his fire bursts timed between agile dodges. He aimed for tendons, using sharp bursts of flame to cripple instead of kill.
Nadia spun like a dancer, her flames refined into thin arcs. She flicked them with her wrists, striking from a distance.
Sela stayed rooted. Every movement deliberate. When she stomped, cracks formed. Lava sprayed in patterns, almost artistic, painting lines of destruction across the battlefield.
"You couldnt even use it last week what?!" Rael shouted, ducking a charge.
"Less talking!" Sela barked, punching a boulder into an oncoming Chazelle.
One Chazelle lunged for Nadia—Rael tackled it mid-air, slamming it into the dirt and blasting its stomach.
Another tried to flee. Sela created a wall of magma to trap it, Nadia scorched it from above.
By the end of the battle, two lay dead. The rest regrouped.
Then—
A roar.
It wasn't high-pitched like the others. It was deep. Vibrating. Ancient.
The other Chazelles yelped and scattered.
A massive figure stepped from the shadows.
It was a Chazelle. But unlike the others, this one stood as big as the trees. Triple their size. Its muscles were corded and tense. One jagged horn jutted from its skull—long, serrated, and gleaming.
Its fur shimmered violently with heat. One eye was half-closed, scarred.
The Alpha.
They froze.
"...That thing's horn is as big as me.." Rael whispered.
Sela took a slow step forward, eyes narrowing.
Nadia raised her hands, a steady glow forming.
Then the Alpha stepped forward—and the world seemed to hold its breath.