The abandoned building was quiet, save for the occasional creak of the floorboards and the distant dripping of water. Kai trudged along behind Aria and Rosa, his hands stuffed into his pockets, a look of disinterest plastered on his face.
"We're here for a monster, right?" Kai whined. "Where's the monster? I want to get this over with. Fren's probably out there running laps, living the life I suffered through last month."
Aria shot him a look. "Don't let your guard down, Kai. Just because it's a white threat doesn't mean it won't catch you off-guard."
"Okay, okay," Kai replied, waving her off. "But if it's just some weak monster, I'll knock it out, and we'll be back in time for lunch. I'm craving noodles—dry ones, like Fren's stamina."
Rosa, walking ahead, clenched her fists. "Shut up, Kai. Do you know what I was doing before the alarm went off?"
Kai smirked. "Eating?"
"No! I was about to win a ranked match!" Rosa yelled, stomping her boots on the dusty floor. "But the alarm shocked me, and I lost the game! When I find that monster, I'm going to crush it into the ground!"
The Monster Appears
As if on cue, a shadow flitted across the room, drawing everyone's attention. Emerging from the darkness was a small, impish creature, about the size of a toddler, with sharp teeth, glowing eyes, and a single horn protruding from the left side of its head.
Kai squinted. "That's it? That's the big bad monster? Looks like someone's rejected Halloween costume."
Aria stiffened, her gaze narrowing. "Wait… I've seen something like this before in one of my books."
Rosa cracked her knuckles, ignoring Aria. "Whatever. It looks smashable to me."
"Hold on!" Aria warned, stepping in front of Rosa. "That's a Horn Imp. Its horn can create hallucinations, dragging you into a false reality. If it blows that horn, it can trap you in your most desired memory or your darkest nightmare. It's not just a white threat—this thing's at least a mid-blue level!"
Kai's eyes widened. "Mid-blue?! So it's not weak? Great. Just great. And here I was hoping for an easy fight."
But Rosa wasn't listening. She launched herself at the creature, shouting, "I don't care what it does! You ruined my game, you little runt!"
Rosa's Disappearance
The creature grinned wickedly and raised its horn. Before Aria could finish yelling, "Stop!", the imp blew into the horn. A low, eerie sound echoed through the building, and in a flash, Rosa and the monster vanished into thin air.
Kai blinked. "Did… did that just happen?"
Aria's face paled. "It dragged her into its dimension. We have to find where they disappeared to before it's too late!"
Kai ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. "Of course this would happen. I told her not to charge in like that, but does anyone ever listen to me? No. And now Rosa's off having a magical acid trip with Horn Boy."
Aria grabbed his arm, pulling him toward the spot where Rosa vanished. "Stop joking around, Kai! This is serious. If we don't act fast, Rosa might be trapped forever!"
Kai sighed, rubbing his temples. "Fine, fine. But if we save her, I'm making her buy me lunch. Let's just hope she's not somewhere too weird—like reliving the time she raged over losing a game."
As the two prepared to follow Rosa and the monster, Kai muttered under his breath, "This is why I prefer sandwiches over saving people."
To be continued...