Saul and Pluto walked down the forest path in silence.
The air was heavy with mist, as it often was in the forest. Moisture clung to the leaves, forming small droplets that fell occasionally onto the dark soil below. The ground was uneven, littered with roots that twisted like snakes across the path. It was also bathed in the metallic smell of blood, a kind that seemed more ancient than the soil itself.
Neither of them spoke.
They had been wandering for a while now.
Looking for Mira. Searching for signs of her.
Finding nothing.
The forest seemed determined to swallow all traces of her existence.
Pluto walked slightly ahead, kicking a loose stone absentmindedly.
Then suddenly—
His arm jerked.
The eel painting coiled around his forearm tightened violently. Toppling his centre of gravity, almost bringing him to the ground.
Pluto hissed.
"What the—"
The sensation wasn't subtle.
It wasn't the gentle pull he had grown used to.
This time it yanked on his arm like something was trying to drag him forward.
He tried to shrug it off.
But the pull remained.
Stronger.
More urgent.
Pluto's face hardened.
This was different.
Even when the massive rhino had appeared, the eel hadn't reacted this strongly.
Not even when they faced the predator that was the size of a house.
But now?
The painting felt like it was trying to rip itself off his skin.
Pluto stopped walking.
Saul halted immediately behind him.
He didn't ask questions.
Instead he watched Pluto closely. Intently.
Pluto closed his eyes.
His breathing slowed.
For a moment the forest faded from his awareness. Erasing, then reforming.
Then—
He saw them.
Four shapes.
Four warm bodies hidden inside the bushes ahead.
Heat signatures burned clearly in his mind.
Hesitant, calculated signatures. Four people.
Waiting.
Pluto's heart skipped a beat.
Ambush.
He didn't know what to do.
Running now would confirm everything.
And they were already within striking distance.
Instead Pluto exhaled slowly and opened his eyes.
Then he resumed walking.
His posture relaxed deliberately.
Casual.
Almost careless. But with a slight animation that only he saw.
But the brief pause he had made earlier had already planted a seed of suspicion among the hidden attackers.
Any more strange movements might trigger them prematurely.
So Pluto kept walking.
Step by step.
Closer.
Closer.
As they approached the ambush point, Pluto turned his head slightly.
He met Saul's gaze.
The look he gave him was sharp.
Focused.
Be ready.
Saul didn't ask how Pluto knew.
He simply nodded.
His hand moved subconsciously toward the blade at his side.
Pluto felt it then.
Something strange.
The air around Saul seemed to tighten.
Like invisible strings were being pulled taut around him.
The world itself felt… tense.
Premonitions and omens swirled and settled at the bottom of Pluto's stomach.
***
Mira dragged Thea across the forest floor.
The girl's body felt heavier with every step.
Thea wasn't unconscious.
But she wasn't responding either.
Her eyes were open.
Yet completely distant.
Mira spotted a small cave opening between two rock formations. A cave covered by vines, trees and rocks.
Without hesitation she pulled Thea inside.
The cave was shallow, but extended far in.
It was just deep enough to hide them.
Mira leaned Thea against the wall and quickly stepped back toward the entrance.
She scanned the forest carefully.
No predators. No people.
At least none close enough to notice them.
Satisfied, Mira turned back.
Thea's mark was still visible on her arm.
Earlier it had been bubbling and pulsing like something alive.
Now it had settled.
Barely moving.
Mira frowned.
"What even is that thing…"
She grabbed Thea's shoulders and shook her gently.
"Thea."
No response.
She shook harder.
Still nothing.
Mira groaned in frustration.
"Come on…"
***
Elsewhere in the forest—
Ronan and Khalifa stood beside a fallen tree.
Between them lay a small leather pouch.
Khalifa opened it carefully.
Both of them grinned.
Inside were nine battle seeds.
Nine. A small number, but a large significance.
To many entrants, even one was precious.
Nine was an incredible haul.
They had been lucky.
Several times during their travels they had encountered lone entrants.
People who thought survival meant staying isolated.
But isolation made them easy targets.
Most of them simply weren't skilled enough to handle two attackers at once. Luck had favoured them.
Khalifa tied the pouch shut again.
"Not bad," he said.
Ronan nodded.
But the seeds weren't the thing making him smile.
Not really. Not completely.
There was something else.
Something far more important.
Something that had everything to do with him.
He struggled to put it into words.
But he knew one thing for certain.
It was a game changer. A cheat code.
Ronan looked down at the spear resting beside him.
The ink that formed its structure glimmered faintly.
He had discovered something recently.
Something strange.
Something powerful.
His ink could absorb talents.
Not permanently.
But temporarily.
Whenever he killed someone—or something—and retrieved the same spear afterward, a fragment of their ability could linger within the weapon.
Recently he had killed a predator that possessed a strange trait.
Its body produced a flammable resin.
The moment Ronan's spear pierced it, the resin ignited violently.
At first Ronan thought it was coincidence.
But later—
His spear had exploded upon impact with another creature.
Just like the predator's ability.
The realization had stunned him.
For a short time after killing that creature, his spear carried the same property.
An explosive strike.
The downside was severe.
Each use drained his spirit almost completely.
The cost was brutal.
It was the kind of ability that could only be used as a last resort.
But it was still an addition.
Another weapon.
Another edge.
Ronan's grin widened.
***
Doeg balanced silently on a narrow tree branch.
His feet rested carefully against the bark.
The branch bent slightly under his weight but didn't break.
Below him, movement rustled through the undergrowth.
A small pack of low-level predators prowled around the base of the tree.
They weren't dangerous.
Not to him. Not to anyone that hadn't spent the better of the one month hiding in fear.
But they were annoying.
If he left them alone, they would follow him.
Make noise.
Reveal his presence during scouting.
So they had to go.
Doeg inhaled slowly.
Then activated his ability.
His body faded.
The world bent around him.
Invisibility.
He crouched slightly.
Then jumped.
His body dropped silently from the branch as he swung himself toward the predators.
They would never know what hit them.
***
Inside the cave—
Mira nearly collapsed with relief.
Thea suddenly gasped and sat upright.
Her eyes darted wildly around the cave.
Confusion flooded her expression.
For a moment she didn't even recognize Mira.
Thea recoiled sharply.
"Who—?!"
Then recognition returned.
"Oh."
Her shoulders relaxed.
Mira exhaled loudly.
"You're back."
Thea blinked.
"What happened?"
"Good question," Mira replied immediately.
"You fainted."
Thea frowned.
"Why are we in a cave?"
Mira crossed her arms.
"I should be asking you that...well, not exactly that"
She leaned closer.
"Why did you faint?"
Then she added jokingly,
"And is it contagious?"
Thea laughed weakly.
But the humor faded quickly.
Her expression darkened.
"I… fell into a memory."
Mira's smile vanished.
"What kind of memory?"
Thea swallowed.
"My father."
Her voice grew quieter.
"I saw the moment he divorced my mother."
She looked down at the ground.
"Over and over again."
"The same scene repeating."
"Again."
"And again."
"And again."
Her fingers trembled slightly.
"It became… normal."
"Like my mind just accepted it."
She shook her head slowly.
"It was absurd."
"And terrifying."
Mira didn't need to think long to understand.
She had experienced something similar.
The memories.
The distortions.
Both real and fake.
There was only one creature in the forest capable of something like that.
The Owl.
Mira's jaw tightened.
Her hatred for that creature deepened.
But at least Thea was alive.
That was enough.
Mira helped her stand.
As they walked toward the cave entrance, Mira found herself thinking again about something strange.
Why did she feel so attached to Thea?
They had only just met.
Yet she had risked her life protecting her.
Maybe it was some strange effect of the marks.
Or maybe it was something else.
Mira shook the thought away.
They stepped outside the cave.
And immediately froze.
Figures dropped down from the surrounding trees.
Several of them.
They landed smoothly, blocking the path.
Mira's grip tightened on her stick.
Her eyes narrowed.
She recognized the structure instantly.
A coordinated group.
Organized.
Disciplined.
Members of the Chamber.
The ones standing in front…
Were Ushers.
***
Saul and Pluto slowed their pace with every step.
The tension in the air grew thicker.
They both knew.
The ambush was waiting.
But neither of them spoke.
They walked forward.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Then they entered the strike zone.
The bushes rustled.
Figures emerged.
Four attackers stepped out from the foliage.
Weapons ready.
The eel painting suddenly tightened violently around Pluto's arm.
The coil constricted like a living thing.
Pain shot up his arm.
Pluto grimaced.
The pressure felt strong enough to tear his hand apart.