"Nai, wake up! Stop sleeping!!!" Yu Xuan's frantic voice echoed through the shelter, shaking Nai from her deep slumber.
The shelter was already in chaos—people running, soldiers scrambling to arm themselves, and the walls trembling under the weight of an unseen threat. Yu Xuan, his eyes wide with fear and frustration, grabbed Nai by the shoulders, shaking her awake.
"Mmm… what now?" Nai groaned, sitting up and rubbing her eyes lazily, clearly annoyed.
"Nai, get up! We're under attack!" Yu Xuan snapped.
Nai yawned, clearly unimpressed by the chaos around her, her eyes still half-closed as she stretched her arms. "Huh? Attack? How did that happen?" she asked nonchalantly, as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
"I don't know how it happened!" Yu Xuan growled, his voice tinged with urgency. "We were just eating! Then they came out of nowhere!"
Lucius stood behind them, silent but tense, his fists clenched in frustration. He had tried to help earlier, but once again, his inability to control any sort of force made him feel useless.
Before they could exchange any more words, the air filled with the sound of clicking, screeching noises. The ground vibrated under the weight of the approaching intruders, and a swarm of grotesque insect-like creatures, as large as hounds and covered in slimy black exoskeletons, emerged from the shadows.
Nai's eyes narrowed. She stood up, her lazy expression replaced with cold focus. "Fine. I guess I'll have to take care of this." Her arms began to glow, veins of light running down her skin, as if her blood was turning into molten lava. Her fists heated up, her skin brightening to a deep crimson, glowing like burning coals. "Guess it's time to roast some bugs."
With a roar, she lunged at the nearest insect, her fist connecting with its hideous body. Upon impact, the creature hissed and screeched, its black shell sizzling and melting under the heat of Nai's burning punch. It writhed in agony before collapsing into a heap of scorched remains.
Meanwhile, Yu Xuan was already on the offensive. His hands glowed faintly with a soundwave force as he created powerful vibrations that echoed through the ground, stunning the advancing swarm. "Focus, Lucius!" he shouted, casting a sharp glance at Lucius, who stood frozen, watching helplessly. "Do something!"
Lucius clenched his fists again, his body trembling. He desperately wanted to help, but without his force form, he was nothing but a burden. Every time he tried to assist, he seemed to only get in the way. Yet, the sight of his comrades fighting for their lives spurred him forward.
"Nai, Yu Xuan—where are Zara and Elias?" Lucius asked, his voice shaking but determined.
Yu Xuan shot a quick glance in his direction while deflecting another creature. "We don't know!.... Harriet! She's still unconscious!"
At the mention of Harriet, Lucius felt a surge of dread. They had to protect her. He couldn't let another ally fall because of his weakness.
"Harriet's in the infirmary! We need to move her somewhere safe!" Nai called out, punching another insect with a crackling sound as her fist seared through its body. "Lucius, grab her, and let's move!"
Lucius nodded, pushing through the swarm of insects toward the infirmary. Inside, Harriet lay still, her face pale but peaceful, unaware of the destruction outside. Lucius gently lifted her, her unconscious form heavy in his arms, but he held on tight.
Behind him, Nai and Yu Xuan continued their fight, holding the creatures at bay. Yu Xuan's soundwaves disoriented the monsters, causing them to stumble and screech, while Nai's fiery fists made quick work of anything that dared to come too close.
Lucius struggled under Harriet's weight, but he kept moving, determined not to be a burden this time. "Where's Elias and Zara?" he shouted over the din.
"I'm not sure!" Yu Xuan replied, his voice strained from the effort of maintaining his force. "We need to get Harriet somewhere safe first, then find them!"
As they made their way through the shelter, the walls continued to shudder from the relentless attacks of the insect horde. More survivors joined the fray, but the monstrous insects seemed endless.
Lucius, Harriet in his arms, stumbled forward as they reached a quieter corridor. "We can't keep going like this forever! We need a plan!" he shouted, barely able to hear his own voice over the chaos.
Nai looked over her shoulder, sweat dripping down her brow as she wiped the blood from her burning fists. "A plan?! We need to survive first!"
Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to shake violently. The tremors intensified, causing cracks to form in the walls. From those cracks emerged more of the insect monsters, their slimy mandibles clicking menacingly.
Yu Xuan's eyes widened in horror. "They're in the walls!"
The group was cornered now, insects crawling out from every opening. Lucius, his heart pounding, tried to think of a way out. He could hear Harriet's faint breathing, a reminder of the life in his arms. "No... we can't die here," he muttered under his breath.
But before anyone could react, a loud, deafening roar echoed through the shelter. Something far larger than the insects was approaching. The walls trembled violently, and a foul, decaying stench filled the air.
Nai, her fiery fists still glowing, took a step back. "What... what is that?"
Out of the shadows emerged a massive creature—far more grotesque than the insects. Its body was a mass of writhing, pulsating flesh, with multiple eyes scattered across its surface. Its gaping maw dripped with thick, black saliva, and it let out another bone-chilling roar.
Lucius's blood ran cold. "We're... we're not prepared for this..."
To be continued -