Sasha, Tyron, and Sack set off without wasting a second. With the HoloGeo in hand, Sasha led the march toward the Aegis Watch Base, flanked by the two warriors. Their silhouettes soon disappeared into the reddish mist of Dinamus's dry terrain.
Once they had moved far enough away, Xavier slightly turned his head toward Kairo without stopping.
"Stay close, Kairo. This mission is dangerous."
"Yes. I'll keep my eyes wide open," Kairo replied seriously, hardening his expression.
The remaining group—Xavier, Chack, and Kairo—began circling the area where the bloodstain had been found. The tension was thick. No insects, no wind, no sign of life. Only the crunching of their steps on the hardened ground.
"The earth is disturbed here," said Chack, crouching beside some marks. "There are footprints. Several, but not well-defined… like someone ran, or something else."
Xavier frowned, scanning the surroundings.
"No signs of combat. No shell casings, no explosions. Just... the trail and this blood."
Kairo was inspecting the nearby terrain when something caught his eye. Beneath a rock, a metallic fragment gleamed—dirty but recognizable.
"There's something here," he announced, carefully lifting the rock.
He picked up a small metal emblem, worn but clearly engraved with the symbol of the Universal Heroes.
"It belongs to one of ours," he said, handing it to Xavier. "This type of metal isn't found on Dinamus. It's from our planet."
Xavier held it between his fingers, examining it seriously.
"Yeah… this emblem belongs to Darek. He was in charge of the base on this planet. I know because this symbol isn't common. It's a decoration only awarded to those who've saved an entire planet. Really rare… especially for an A-Rank Hero," he added in a grave tone.
"Then… he might be dead," Chack said quietly, frowning.
Xavier shook his head firmly.
"Not necessarily. Yes, this is his decoration… and we also found blood. But it's not enough proof to declare him dead. We don't know if this blood is even his, and there's a lot missing before we can draw that conclusion."
His voice was serious, but carried a spark of stubborn hope.
"Until we see a body, our comrades are still alive," he added with conviction.
Just then, several meters ahead, a harrowing scream shattered the silence.
"That scream? It came from over there!" Kairo exclaimed, pointing forward with his left hand.
"Weapons out and eyes wide open! We're heading there!" Xavier ordered without hesitation.
"It could be a trap… I don't like this," Chack muttered, frowning.
"Yes, that's possible," Xavier admitted. "But our mission is to find our teammates and figure out what happened here. We can't ignore it. Come on, follow me!"
Without another word, he marched toward the source of the scream, with Kairo and Chack following closely behind.
They advanced cautiously for several meters until a sudden movement among the trees put them on high alert. From the underbrush emerged a muscular man, covered in wounds, with a deep gash across his chest. He stumbled toward them, his uniform stained with blood.
"It's Darek!" Xavier shouted, recognizing him instantly. "Get ready! Something's chasing him!"
The trees behind Darek shook violently. A swift shadow moved among the branches, closing in fast.
"Help…! Help!" Darek screamed in desperation, his voice cracked by pain and fear.
Before Darek could reach Xavier, the dark shadow burst from the trees and snatched him with superhuman speed. In a matter of seconds—and right before the stunned eyes of the three heroes—the creature tore Darek's face apart with brutal force, completely disfiguring him. His body fell lifelessly to the ground with a heavy thud.
Horror froze them in place. For a moment, time itself seemed to stop.
Xavier was the first to react. Fueled by a mix of rage and urgency, he raised his electric energy rifle and fired immediately. The shot struck the creature directly… but had no effect at all. The shadow didn't even flinch.
Chack stepped back, his face twisted in shock. Kairo clenched his teeth, feeling adrenaline surge through his body.
The true threat had revealed itself.
"What… what is that?" Kairo murmured, eyes wide with fear.
"I don't know," Xavier replied, his face grim. "But if even an A-Rank like Darek couldn't face it… it's not something we can beat now. The best course is to return to Zarion and alert the President. Immediate retreat! Get out of here—now!"