Zoe sat slouched in a booth at Charby's, swirling her third cup of strong coffee as she blinked at the map Gavin had spread out on the table.
"You're telling me we have to go back to the weird, magic-infested park and camp out there?" she grumbled, her eyes half-lidded as she struggled to shake off the sleepiness, feeling her irritation bubble up like a slow-boiling pot of coffee she hadn't quite managed to drink.
Charby, always the energetic pirate, stepped over, balancing plates of food in one arm while pretending to wield a foam hook with the other.
"Ye need yer strength, mates! If ye be headin' into that forest, 'tis a fightin' adventure ye shall have!" He gave Zoe a knowing look as he slid another mug of coffee her way. "Especially you, Zoe. No nodding off, not this time."
Zoe accepted the coffee with a reluctant grunt, her fingers curling around the mug as the warmth seeped into her palms, a comforting reminder that she might survive this morning after all. She glanced over the map again. "If we're going, we need supplies—camping gear, something to keep us from freezing or getting lost." She yawned, rubbing her eyes. "ValueMart trip, anyone?"
Roderick nodded. "We'll need more than swords and snacks if we stay out there overnight. Count me in."
Gavin frowned. "Let me put in for a couple of vacation days at the 911 center. I'm the evening manager, so they'll survive without me for a bit." He fished out his phone, already halfway to the front door as he started dialing.
A couple of hours later, Zoe found herself pushing a cart through the camping aisle at ValueMart, now fully awake.
Here and there, she noticed a few other odd "pets"—a bright orange iguana perched lazily on a man's shoulder, a matte black parrot squawking from a shopping cart, and a small ferret with colorful polka dots peeking out of a woman's handbag.
Snacks eyed them curiously, chirping with interest as they passed by.
She tossed supplies into the cart—sleeping bag, air mattress, lanterns, and, of course, enough snacks to power a small army—while Snacks balanced on the front, eyes wide and alert like he was the captain of this very snack-fueled ship.
After purchasing everything, she discreetly stashed the supplies into her snack vault, a grin spreading across her face.
It was convenient having magic that made lugging around stuff a breeze.
When they regrouped, each member had their own essentials.
Gavin, ever-practical, had stocked up on medical supplies and fire-starting kits, while Serria had raided the fitness aisle, carrying resistance bands and a kettlebell or two.
Zoe shot her an incredulous look, her brow arching high. "You seriously planning on a fitness montage in the middle of survival, Serria?"
Serria shrugged, her grin unfazed. "Why not? Keeps me sharp."
The team gathered at the Packard Park entrance, each equipped with their supplies.
The air around them felt charged, an odd sense of anticipation hanging over them as Roderick held out the enchanted compass.
It glowed faintly, the needle pointing straight into the twisted forest.
"What are we waiting for?" Serria said, clapping her hands. "Let's get moving!"
Zoe, still leaning heavily on her staff, eyed the towering trees warily. "I don't know," she said, flicking at the yellow police tape, her fingers brushing it absentmindedly as if it might unravel some kind of clue. "This place looks way more twisted than it did yesterday. Like... creepier, you know?"
The forest had changed—denser, darker, its shadows crawling as if alive.
Branches twisted into unnatural shapes, and the air seemed thicker, heavy with something unwelcoming.
It felt like the shard's magic had sunk deep into the earth, corrupting the park into some twisted nightmare.
"All the more reason to get in there and take our park back." Gavin poked at the air as he equipped his gear, his expression set, determination making his shoulders straighter.
Roderick stepped forward, the compass flickering as he led the way. "Stay close, everyone. This place isn't what it used to be."
Zoe paused at the edge of the twisted underbrush, a shiver rippling down her spine, like the forest had reached out and whispered something just for her—a warning she couldn't quite make out.
She shook her head, determination settling in. It was time to end this mess, not because it was the right thing to do, but because it was the only way she was going to get her comfortable, worry-free life back. 'Let's do this.'
Soon as Zoe ducked under the police tape, she frowned, glancing down to find her jeans slipping around her waist. Even her sleeves seemed longer.
"What the…?" she muttered, tugging at her shirt. Gavin gave her a concerned look.
"You okay, Zoe?" he asked, stepping closer. Zoe quickly summoned a belt from her snack vault, cinching it tightly.
"Just... magic lag or something," she said, brushing it off, though unease lingered. Was using magic taking a toll on her body?
Snacks nuzzled her cheek, chirping softly. Zoe gave him a small, appreciative smile. "Alright, enough staring. Let's go."
The deeper they ventured, the stranger the forest became.
The compass needle flickered erratically as Roderick led them deeper into Packard Park.
A low growl echoed from the shadows.
Gavin spun, sword ready. Between two gnarled tree trunks, a creature emerged—a wolf-like beast with glowing green eyes, its fur matted and twisted by the shard's corruption.
"Stay back!" Gavin shouted as the creature lunged.
Roderick sidestepped, his dagger flashing as he slashed the beast, forcing it to retreat. The forest pulsed in response, rustling sounds coming from all sides as if the woods themselves were summoning more threats.
Serria stepped forward, swinging her machete with practiced ease. A shield shimmered into being on one arm as she jabbed at empty air, her grin widening. "Looks like we've got company, guys!" she called out, her voice almost gleeful.
Zoe groaned, her staff humming with a soft glow as she drew in a breath. "Monsters. It's always monsters," she muttered, releasing a burst of energy that crackled through the air, striking the creature dead center.
The beast let out a final whimper before vanishing in a flash of light, leaving behind a small shimmering crystal where it had fallen. Zoe rolled her eyes, stepping forward to pick up the loot. "Well, at least they vanish, right? Less cleanup."
She held the crystal to the light. The Loom dinged, [Night Light Gem, lights up like a flashlight for three hours before fading when magic is forced into it. In a pinch, it can also be used to temporarily blind weaker creatures.]
"Handy." Zoe murmured, pocketing it in her robe.
Branches above rustled in protest, strange whispers echoing through the underbrush. The forest wasn't going to let them pass without a fight.
Branches twisted in the breeze, forming new paths, and the air hummed with an eerie energy.
Snacks hopped down from Zoe's shoulder, fluttering toward a faintly glowing symbol etched into the bark of a nearby tree.
He pawed at it, chirping until the symbol lit up fully, revealing a hidden path.
"Good job, Snacks," Zoe muttered, scratching his head. "Looks like you're leading the way now."
The forest pushed back at every turn.
Paths twisted and folded back on themselves like a living maze, the same eerie clearing appearing again and again, as if mocking their efforts.
Zoe paused, her eyes narrowing as she spotted a line scratched into the dirt—the one she'd made with her staff not ten minutes ago. "We're going in circles," she muttered, frustration biting at her words.
Serria threw her hands up, her voice rising a little with annoyance. "Oh, come on! We've already been here!"
Gavin clenched his jaw, his grip tightening on his sword. "This forest is playing games with us. We need to find a way to break the pattern."
Roderick stared at the mark, his brows furrowing in confusion. "I know we didn't turn, I know it," he insisted, frustration edging his voice.
Snacks jumped down, sniffing around with focused curiosity.
He pawed at a nearby rock, pressing on it until a soft click echoed through the clearing.
The ground rumbled as a shimmering path slowly revealed itself in front of them.
Zoe blinked, her eyes widening as she let out a laugh of relief. "Snacks! You absolute legend!"
Inside the new path, flickering lights danced just ahead, teasing them forward before blinking out the moment Zoe reached for them.
Each time, she found herself blinking at the dark, her steps faltering, disoriented by the constant trickery.
The shadows moved—slithering between the trees, forming shapes that leaned closer with each passing moment.
Gavin, his jaw tight, swung his sword at one of them.
It dissipated into nothing, leaving him growling under his breath in frustration.
Serria clenched her fists, her eyes flicking from one figure to another. "I swear, if one of these things actually grabs me..." she muttered, her voice edged with anger and unease, her fingers itching for something real to strike.
Roderick's compass struggled to stay steady, but Snacks guided them, activating runes that revealed paths.
Serria took the lead whenever the forest tried to physically block them, using brute strength to break through walls of twisting roots.
She grinned with each swing, treating it like an intense workout.
Just as the forest seemed to clear up a little, a thick fog swirled around their feet, quickly rising and submerging them in a sticky, suffocating moisture.
Zoe grimaced, fishing bandannas out of her snack vault and passing them around.
They each tied them around their faces, eyes narrowing against the stinging dampness.
Serria tugged hers tight, her muffled voice breaking the tension, "We look like desperados about to rob a bank."
Zoe snorted, her eyes rolling even as she adjusted her bandanna. "Yeah, and I'd like to rob my comfort back, thanks."
Near the lakeside, the fog parted to reveal a group of figures—members of the Packard Park Watchers.
They weren't just regular park-goers anymore. They were cloaked and armored, armed with artifacts humming with magic and weapons for defense.
One of the Watchers moved precisely, skewering the monster on his pike.
The creature let out a final, strangled hiss before dissolving into a shower of golden sparks, a few gold coins clinking to the ground.
The pikeman bent down, pocketing the loot without hesitation. His eyes scanned the surroundings for the next threat, and his posture showed no fear—only readiness.
"Who are you?" Roderick asked, stepping protectively in front of the group. The Watchers eyed them warily, one holding up a mirror that reflected not their appearance, but their magical aura.
"You're disturbing the balance," one of them said, her voice sharp. "We're here to study the shard, not let people like you interfere."
Zoe sighed, stepping forward with the kind of exasperation that only came from dealing with far too much nonsense in one day. "Look, we're not here to mess up your little balance club or whatever. That shard isn't balancing anything—it's invading our reality. Pretty soon, it's not just going to be these creepy trees, it'll be spreading into people's homes." She waved a hand around at the shifting trees and ominous whispers. "You know, the kind of nightmare that eats people. So yeah, stopping this seems like a pretty good idea."
The four Watchers moved closer, their cloaks shifting as they huddled together.
One of them—a tall, wiry figure—began waving his arms, pointing wildly from the shard to Zoe and her team, his hands moving so fast they were almost a blur.
The others listened, their expressions hidden beneath their hoods, but their postures showed the tension.
Another Watcher, shorter with broad shoulders, gestured sharply at the ground, jabbing a finger as if to emphasize a point.
He spoke in a low voice, but his hands did most of the talking, sketching shapes in the air—jagged lines that seemed to point toward the shard and then trace the perimeter of the forest.
The wiry one threw his hands up, clearly frustrated, shaking his head and pointing back at the shard, then toward Zoe's group, as if questioning why they should be allowed anywhere near it.
The leader of the group, a Watcher with a commanding presence, stood silent for a moment, watching the animated debate.
He finally let out a heavy sigh, throwing his hands up in submission. He nodded toward the group, then turned back to approach Zoe and her team, his posture stiff.
"You may pass," he said, his tone clipped. "But be warned, there are dangers ahead. We will not interfere, but neither will we save you if you falter."
The truce was uneasy, but it was enough to continue.
The lakeside clearing was eerily silent, the shard embedded in the earth, glowing with an otherworldly light that pulsed slowly, almost like a heartbeat.
The lake rippled with strange colors—streaks of purple, green, and deep crimson swirled across the surface, as if the water itself had become a portal to another dimension. Static filled the air, making the hair on Zoe's arms rise and her breath catch in her throat.
A low hum emanated from the shard, a sound that seemed to bypass her ears and echo directly in her mind.
Whispers brushed at the edges of her thoughts, just out of reach but deeply unsettling, like something ancient trying to communicate.
Zoe looked at her friends, then down at Snacks, who chirped confidently, his eyes locked on the shard, undaunted by the malevolent energy that hung over them like a storm cloud.
A flicker of movement caught Zoe's eye.
She turned her head just in time to see a shadow ripple across the lake, its form shifting—almost humanoid, yet wrong in every possible way.
The dark figure seemed to vanish the moment she focused on it, leaving her questioning whether it had been real or a trick of her exhausted mind.
She took a deep breath, gripping her staff tighter, feeling the weight of the moment pressing down on her shoulders. "Alright, everyone. Let's do this."
They moved forward, each step feeling heavier, the earth itself almost resisting them.
The air seemed to thicken, and a chill worked its way up from the ground, seeping into her bones.
The shard pulsed again, the whispers growing louder, more insistent.
With a final nod, they stepped forward as one, anticipation thick in the air, each heartbeat echoing in the stillness.
The shard's glow intensified, expanding outward until it engulfed them entirely. The light swallowed them whole, blinding and all-encompassing, erasing the world around them. Zoe tried to shout something, but the words were lost as everything turned white, her friends' forms fading into the brilliance.
The air shifted—no longer thick and chill, but oddly weightless.
The light twisted, swirling as if they were being pulled through it, the ground disappearing beneath their feet.
Zoe's stomach lurched, her sense of direction lost, like she was floating in a void.
A faint, acrid smell filled the air—a mix of burning metal and something sour, almost stinging her nose.
Time seemed to twist around her, each second stretching long enough for her to question if they were even moving.
The whispers grew louder, overlapping, echoing until they became deafening.
Suddenly, the light dimmed, and Zoe blinked rapidly, her vision clearing just enough to see that they were no longer by the lakeside.
Instead, they stood in an alien landscape—floating shards of earth suspended in an endless sky, an eerie aurora swirling above them.
The shard had brought them somewhere else entirely, its glow now a menacing beacon in the distance.
"Where... are we?" she managed to mutter, her voice trembling slightly as she looked around at her team, their expressions mirroring her own confusion and fear.
They were no longer in their world.
They were inside the shard's domain.