The forest had become a maze of shadows as the sun sank lower, casting long, jagged lines across the narrow dirt trail. The group pressed on, their steps cautious and deliberate. Caden could feel the shard's faint pulse in his pocket, its rhythmic thrum keeping pace with his heartbeat.
The tension between him and Kael lingered, though neither of them spoke of it. Garrick, ever perceptive, maintained a steady pace ahead of them, his staff tapping the ground softly with each step.
But something in the air had shifted.
The forest was too quiet—no birds, no rustling leaves, only the faint crunch of their boots on the earth.
Caden stopped abruptly, his hand instinctively reaching for the shard.
[Warning: Hostile entities detected. Energy fluctuations consistent with Echo Beasts.]
"Garrick," Caden said, his voice low.
"I feel it too," Garrick replied, his grip tightening on his staff.
Kael, already moving into a crouch, scanned the dense trees with sharp eyes. "We're not alone."
A growl rumbled from the shadows, low and guttural, sending a chill down Caden's spine. He turned toward the sound, his fingers curling around the shard as the System chimed again.
[Analyzing… Echo Beasts detected. Threat Level: High.]
The first beast emerged from the darkness, its hulking form barely humanoid. Its glowing eyes fixed on the group, and its claws scraped the ground as it advanced. Another appeared to its left, then another to its right.
"Three of them," Garrick murmured.
Kael unsheathed her dagger, her stance shifting as she prepared to strike. "Three's not terrible. Could be worse."
"It will be if we're not careful," Garrick said, his voice grim. "Kael, distract the one on the left. Caden, focus on the middle one. I'll handle the third."
Caden nodded, though his muscles tensed as the beasts began to circle.
The first beast lunged at Kael, its claws slashing through the air with terrifying speed. She ducked low, rolling beneath its swipe and slicing her dagger across its leg. The creature howled, but its movements became jerky, as though fighting against its own corrupted body.
Kael grinned. "Not so tough, are you?"
Meanwhile, Garrick stood firm against the beast on the right, his staff glowing with arcane energy. He muttered a quick incantation, sending a series of crackling bolts toward the creature. They struck its chest, staggering it momentarily, but it shook off the attack and charged.
Garrick sidestepped the blow, his movements slower than usual but precise.
The middle beast bore down on Caden, its glowing eyes locking onto the shard in his hand. It snarled, lunging with terrifying speed.
Caden reacted instinctively, releasing a Fragment Pulse that exploded outward, slamming into the beast and throwing it back. The shard flared brightly, its energy flooding his senses.
[Ability activated: Fragment Pulse. Energy reserves critical.]
He staggered, the toll of the attack leaving him lightheaded. The beast recovered quickly, shaking off the hit as it advanced again.
"Caden! Use the terrain!" Garrick shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos.
Caden's gaze darted around the clearing. A cluster of jagged rocks jutted out nearby, their edges sharp and uneven.
He darted toward them, drawing the beast after him. As it lunged, he ducked low, letting the creature slam into the rocks. Its howl echoed through the forest as the jagged stone tore into its side.
Kael, still dodging and weaving around her opponent, glanced toward Garrick. "You're taking your time, old man!"
"I don't need to rush," Garrick replied calmly. He planted his staff in the ground, murmuring another spell. Vines erupted from the earth, twisting around the beast's legs and pulling it down. The creature thrashed, its claws tearing at the bindings, but Garrick's grip on the spell held firm.
"Caden, finish yours!" Garrick called.
The beast near Caden snarled, its glowing eyes narrowing as it charged again. This time, Caden held his ground, raising the shard. He focused, summoning the faint energy he had left.
[Ability activated: Temporal Blink. Energy cost critical.]
In an instant, he was behind the beast, the air shimmering where he had stood. The creature froze, momentarily disoriented. Caden didn't waste the opening—he grabbed a fallen branch, its end splintered and jagged, and drove it into the beast's exposed side.
The creature let out a guttural cry before collapsing, its form dissolving into a faint mist that dissipated into the air.
Kael's opponent lunged at her again, but she was ready. Using the momentum of its attack, she sidestepped and drove her dagger into the base of its neck. The creature's movements slowed, then stilled as it crumbled into nothingness.
She wiped her blade on her sleeve, casting a glance toward Garrick. "That's two down."
The last beast, still tangled in Garrick's vines, thrashed violently. Garrick tightened his grip on his staff, muttering an incantation under his breath. The vines glowed briefly before exploding in a burst of energy, tearing the beast apart.
The clearing fell silent, the mist dissipating as quickly as it had come.
Caden leaned against a tree, his breaths ragged. The shard's pulse was faint now, but the weight of its toll pressed heavily on him.
"You okay, boy?" Kael asked, approaching with her usual smirk.
"Fine," Caden muttered, though his legs trembled beneath him.
"You did well," Garrick said, his tone measured. "But you can't keep pushing the shard like this. The cost will only grow."
Caden nodded, though his mind was still swirling. The Temporal Blink had worked, but the effort had nearly drained him completely.
"We need to move," Garrick said, scanning the forest. "The noise will have drawn attention."
Kael sheathed her dagger, already stepping toward the trail. "Let's hope it's the good kind of attention for once."
Caden followed, his steps heavy but determined. The shard's toll was steep, but he had learned something today—there were ways to fight smarter, to outmaneuver instead of overpower.
And with the Reclaimers waiting ahead, he would need every advantage he could get.