Did you all see that?" exclaimed a woman's voice. A man dressed in a black suit responded, "See what, young lady?" The voice replied, "Oh, never mind," as they left the area. 'it must've been my imagination' the voice thought to itself.
* * * * *
Aeon found himself questioning, 'Just how far is the city?' He had been walking for hours without encountering any signs of civilization or even a single house. 'Could this device be malfunctioning?' Aeon wondered as he inspected the map displayed on the ID in front of him.
"Hold on... Is this thing supposed to be upside down?" Aeon muttered, feeling utterly helpless. A self-deprecating laugh escaped his lips as he realized his mistake. 'So I've been walking and battling monsters for nothing all this time, like a fool,'
Aeon lamented, contemplating whether he should retrace his steps or use his powers. 'Well, I suppose I'll just use them. It's better to use them than face another monster,' Aeon decided, calmly uttering the word, "Reverse." In an instant, Aeon found himself transported back to his previous location, his attire free from any bloodstains.
Surveying his surroundings, Aeon noticed lifeless monsters strewn about and caught a glimpse of figures near the forest—people. Among them was a teenage girl who seemed to be gazing in his direction. 'Did she see me?' Aeon pondered. The girl's face displayed a look of shock, but upon realizing he was looking at her, she promptly turned away and walked off. 'Hmm... Perhaps I didn't notice them before because I was in such a rush.'
Aeon then followed the map correctly this time and headed towards the forest.
As he walked through the trees, he began to hear the clashing of metal in the distance. Curiosity got the better of Aeon, and he proceeded towards the source of the sound.
With each step, the noise grew louder until he finally came upon a scene: five people engaged in battle with a monster resembling the one Aeon had fought before. "Support me," a calm voice commanded. "On it," replied a black-haired girl as she shot an arrow towards the monster, which skillfully dodged the attack. The monster then charged towards the girl who had fired the arrow.
"Ethan!" a blue haired boy shouted
"On it," a gray-haired boy responded, rushing towards the girls at the back while carrying a shield to protect them from danger.
The monster swung its claws at the shield, and the redirecting its attention towards the blue-haired boy. Sensing danger, the monster launched a wind scythe towards him.
The boy mustered an unknown energy, channeling it into his sword, and skillfully cut through the wind scythe. "I'm done, move out!" a black-haired boy at the back shouted, extending his palm towards the monster and uttering a spell.
"Voltsrike!"
His palm emitted a blinding light, rapidly hurtling towards the monster, which proved unable to dodge due to its speed.
KABOOM!
Lightning crackled through the air, accompanied by a powerful thunderclap. The sound reverberated, carrying a mix of energy and raw power.
"Nice shot, Ian!" complimented the blue-haired boy. "Thanks, Kai. We couldn't have done it without you," Ian responded.
"I'm sorry, guys. I didn't help," a green-haired girl said, her voice filled with remorse. "That's okay, Emily," Ethan consoled her, joining the conversation.
"Hey, Ava, what's wrong?" Kai asked, noticing Ava's uncharacteristic silence. Normally, she would cheer them up and laugh. "Guys, do you see that guy watching us?" Ava said, her voice filled with wariness towards the person observing them. "Where?" Ian inquired, puzzled by Ava's statement.
"Up there in the tree," Ava pointed. The group followed Ava's gaze. "What are you talking about, Ava?" Kai asked, perplexed by Ava's behavior. "Huh?" Ava was surprised by Kai's response. She looked at the tree, only to find it empty. "No, someone's definitely there," Ava insisted, certain that someone had been present.
"It must have been your imagination due to fatigue," Ethan suggested. "Yeah, Ava, it's probably just your tired mind playing tricks on you. Why don't we rest for a while and then head home? We've been hunting for quite some time now," Kai suggested. "Okay," Ava conceded, unable to argue as she considered the possibility of it being her imagination.