(Lily, Marian and Vultherin)

  The corridors of living moss spiraled around them like veins of an ancient beast. The air grew heavier the deeper they ventured-thicker with mist, memory, and magic.

  Lily: "Okay, this place has way too many vines trying to cuddle us."

  Marian: "And none of them asked for consent."

  Vultherin moved ahead in silence-tail shimmering in flickers of frost and flame, eyes sharp, elegant, and unreadable. With Ren, he always looked focused, fluid. With them, he paused more. Hesitated.

  Marian: (groaning) "He's judging us."

  Lily: "He's judging me. I once offered him a carrot out of panic."

  Marian: "You... tried to bribe a carnivorous elemental fox with a carrot?"

  Lily: "Desperate times."

  They came upon their first trial-a stone pedestal with five rune-stones scattered across the floor, each glowing faintly. A riddle was etched in the air above them:

  "I open what's closed and close what's open.

  But only when spoken. What am I?"

  Marian: "A riddle? Cool. I used to binge puzzle games."

  She confidently stepped forward, grabbed a glowing stone, and placed it-

  Click. SsssSSS-THWIP.

  A dart zipped past her ear.

  Marian: "-I regret my confidence."

  Lily: "Did the game also try to murder you?"

  Another rune shifted as Lily placed one tentatively. A section of the wall clicked open.

  Lily: "...It's a word. The answer is 'key.' Try the key-shaped rune!"

  Another click-success.

  They continued solving until the last rune activated the door forward... but a trap still triggered. A pit opened beneath Marian.

  Marian: "NOPE-!"

  Before she could fall, Vultherin dashed forward in a silver-blue blur, freezing the edges of the pit and allowing Marian to roll to safety.

  He growled softly.

  Lily: "He caught you."

  Marian: (panting) "I... think he just saved my life."

  They found brief peace in the next chamber-a soft, mossy glade with shafts of light piercing the canopy above.

  They sat. Breathed.

  Marian: (casually, after a pause) "So. The fountain."

  Lily: "What?"

  Marian: "You and Ren. Something happened."

  Lily looked away, brushing leaves off her knees.

  Lily: "He's stubborn. And stupid. And kind. And... broken."

  Marian stayed quiet.

  Lily: "He looks away from things that hurt. I asked him why he won't look. I just-wanted him to see me. See us."

  Marian: "Did he?"

  Lily: (softly) "I don't know. But he listened. And that's something."

  Their quiet was shattered by a violent quake.

  Roots split the ground. A giant fern-like beast rose-four legs of thorny vine, its leafy maw reeking of decay and chlorophyll.

  Marian: "Okay! Plant boss fight! Where's my flamethrower?!"

  Lily: "We have a fox."

  They battled.

  Vultherin struck with arcs of frostflame-melting vines and freezing tendrils mid-snap. But Marian, trying to give orders the way she did with Scruffler, kept misfiring-shouting the wrong signals, throwing their timing off.

  Marian: "Why won't he listen!?"

  Lily: "Because he doesn't know you!"

  The fern lunged. A thorn grazed Marian's leg-she staggered back.

  Lily gritted her teeth, heart pounding.

  Lily: (to herself) "What would Ren do...?"

  She looked at Vultherin.

  Then-lowered her voice. Calmed her breathing. She remembered the way Ren spoke to him-not with commands, but trust.

  Lily: (softly) "Vultherin. Look at me."

  The fox turned.

  Lily: "We're not him. But we need you. I need you. Trust me-just for this moment."

  She mimicked Ren's posture. The way he lifted his hand. How he always positioned himself between danger and his team.

  Lily: "Let's end this. Together."

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  Vultherin growled in acknowledgment-his flames flaring higher.

  Marian: "...Alright, I'm in. What's the plan, Captain Lily?"

  Lily: "We tag-team. I'll draw the vines. You attack when it's distracted. Stay low, move fast."

  With Lily distracting and Vultherin responding, Marian found herself syncing-not with the fox, but with Lily. Their coordination clicked. And with one final blast of frostflame and a midair kick from Marian-

  KRSHHHHH!

  The beast collapsed in a sizzling heap.

  Breathing hard, Lily dropped to a knee.

  Marian: "You okay?"

  Lily: "Ask me again in ten years when my legs stop shaking."

  Vultherin padded over, pressed his nose gently to Lily's arm.

  Marian: "...He likes you."

  Lily: "I bribed him with trust this time."

  Marian: "And that worked better than carrots."

  They looked ahead. The moss parted-another corridor.

  Lily: "Let's go before another vine monster decides we look emotionally available."

  They pressed onward-this time, synced in both breath and purpose.

  ...

  (Iver, Lyra and Hornbeast)

  The corridor twisted and growled, vines shifting like breathing walls. The trio advanced slowly-well, two were cautious. One was skipping.

  Hornbeast, in his Minotaur form, grunted with every heavy step. His hooves cracked the stone floor.

  Lyra: "You know, these vines are oddly affectionate. Maybe if we hug them back-"

  Iver: (sternly) "Lyra. Focus."

  Lyra: (twirling a dagger) "I am focused. Just not on the same boring things as you."

  Hornbeast suddenly snorted and swung a fist at a hanging vine. The ceiling shook slightly.

  Iver: (gritting his teeth) "Stop hitting random flora!"

  Hornbeast bellowed-clearly misunderstanding. He rammed forward, smashing through a stone door... and setting off another trap.

  A rain of tiny spears shot down from above.

  Lyra: "Woo! It's raining!"

  She backflipped, dodging with dancer-like grace, while Iver ducked and yanked Hornbeast to the ground.

  Iver: (to himself) "Why. Did I get. This team."

  They regrouped in a small room, vines coiled tight over a riddle-inscribed pedestal. The room felt ready to snap.

  Iver leaned down, scanning the glyphs.

  Iver: (calculating) "'That which grows unseen feeds the path ahead.' It's a nutrient puzzle-soil balance perhaps-"

  Lyra: (pointing) "What if I touch that glowing rock?"

  Iver: "Don't you da-"

  She touched it.

  The vines hissed and retreated, revealing the exit.

  Lyra: (smirking) "You're welcome."

  Iver exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples.

  Iver: "You're impossible."

  Lyra: (cheerfully) "You're adorable when stressed. Is this what you're like in all group projects?"

  Iver turned to her then, face more serious than usual.

  Iver: "You joke when we could die. You prance when we're surrounded by traps. Do you ever take anything seriously?"

  Lyra's smile faltered-just a hair.

  Lyra: "You're cute when you scold me. Like a worried old man."

  Iver: "I'm not joking, Lyra."

  But before she could answer-KRSSSHHHT!

  Another corridor cracked open. A roar followed.

  From the creeping vines rose a massive beast-thorned, armored, and twice the size of the last. A maze guardian.

  Hornbeast growled.

  Iver: (quickly) "We hold. We need a plan. Analyze movement first-"

  Hornbeast, mistaking the pause as a signal to charge, let out a warcry and thundered forward.

  Lyra: (deadpan) "Your boyfriend's very Josh today."

  Iver: "He's not-ugh-Hornbeast, wait!"

  The battle ignited.

  Hornbeast slammed into the beast's side, but it retaliated with a spine-covered lash. The impact cracked a wall behind them-rocks began to tumble.

  A massive slab of stone cracked above Lyra.

  Lyra: (eyeing it) "I could dodge that."

  But she didn't get the chance.

  Iver dove toward her.

  CRASH.

  Stone hit. Dust clouded.

  Lyra blinked.

  Iver was underneath it, body curled to shield her.

  Blood.

  Lyra: (stunned) "...You idiot."

  Iver groaned, but nodded.

  Iver: "Probably. But-calculated risk."

  Lyra stared at him, something foreign and raw flickering in her eyes. Her usual smugness faded.

  She gently pushed the debris aside, lifting his arm over her shoulder.

  Lyra: "That's the last time you bleed for me. Deal?"

  Iver: "No promises."

  The beast roared again. Hornbeast, bruised and confused, turned back.

  Iver glanced up, mind racing-then realized something.

  He's not able to sync with Hornbeast.

  But he could read him.

  He watched the way Hornbeast charged, how his fists always curved slightly to the left, how his foot stomp signaled a spin move. All of it-patterns. Predictable.

  He turned to Lyra.

  Iver: "Distract it. Just for a second."

  Lyra: "With charm or steel?"

  Iver: "Both."

  Lyra flashed a grin, then vanished in a blur-slicing vines, hurling taunts.

  Lyra: "Hey! Overgrown salad! I've met prettier weeds in my lunch!"

  Hornbeast charged again.

  Iver moved with him-not directing, but dancing alongside. Timing his attacks after Hornbeast's, predicting his swings and using his momentum as a diversion.

  The beast stumbled.

  Iver: "Now!"

  Lyra leapt in from above, daggers first.

  KRKKKKKHH!

  The thorned monster shuddered, then collapsed in a heap.

  They panted. Dust settled.

  Hornbeast crossed his arms proudly. Lyra flopped next to Iver.

  Lyra: "That was chaotic. Stupid. Uncoordinated. Painful."

  Iver: (smiling faintly) "But effective."

  Lyra: (softly) "You're different when you fight."

  Iver: "So are you."

  She looked at him for a long second.

  Lyra: "Don't die for something stupid again."

  Iver: "I'll try."

  They pushed forward-shoulder to shoulder, beast behind them, and an odd new rhythm beginning to form.

  ...

  (Rej, Jonax, and Drakehound)

  Another dead end.

  Another wrong turn.

  And Jonax was one wrong pebble away from violence.

  Jonax: "When we get out of here, I swear-I'm going to suplex Josh into the next continent."

  Drakehound whined nervously, ears pinned back.

  Rej (whispering to him): "She's not joking, buddy. She might boil him alive and feed him to Scruffler. I'd help, honestly."

  Jonax: "What was that?"

  Rej: "Nothing, mighty general. Lead on."

  The two glared at the winding corridor, then each pointed-opposite directions.

  Jonax: "This way. I remember that root pattern."

  Rej: "That's the same root pattern we passed three dead ends ago."

  Jonax: "Are you questioning my memory?"

  Rej: "No, I'm questioning your pride. You're getting us murdered in reverse."

  Jonax: "Oh shut up, drama queen."

  They argued the entire hallway back... and somehow, as they turned the next corner-

  Rej: "...This is the starting point."

  Jonax: "Unbelievable. We're in a freaking plant-themed prank dungeon!"

  Drakehound let out a low groan and covered his face with a paw.

  Then came the screech.

  A nearby wall of vines split open with a snap. From the shadows emerged a lumbering Fern Beast, thicker and more armored than the ones before, its eyes glowing with pulsing green malice.

  It snarled.

  Rej: "Oh good. Something I can punch."

  Jonax: "Finally. Come here, you oversized salad!"

  They charged.

  No planning. No strategy. No hesitation.

  Just rage-fueled, aimless violence.

  Drakehound yelped and scampered after them, hesitating-until both girls turned mid-run.

  Rej: "MOVE IT, FURBALL!"

  Jonax: "Get your paws in gear or you're next on the list!"

  Tail tucked, Drakehound dove into battle, barking wildly.

  The Fern Beast launched its vines. Rej grabbed one, flipped over it, and kicked it in the face.

  Jonax caught another vine with her bare hands and yanked-pulling the beast toward her, then punched it with a crack that echoed down the stone corridor.

  Drakehound hurled a blast of force from his maw, catching the beast's flank.

  Together, the trio pummeled it through the hallways, laughing, cursing, and chasing it like hunters on a mission.

  Rej: "C'mon, you moldy Christmas tree! This is for wasting our time!"

  Jonax: "And for every step we took in the WRONG direction!"

  The Fern Beast made a terrified, leafy screech as it attempted to flee.

  It ran.

  They chased.

  Through twisting hallways and snapping vines, it finally collapsed with a whimper in front of a mossy archway.

  A faint chime echoed. The archway glowed.

  Jonax: (panting) "...Did we just... rage-punch our way to the right path?"

  Rej: "Pure anger. Who needs brains when you have trauma and violence?"

  Drakehound: (small whimper)

  The girls exchanged a look-tired, but smug.

  They stepped through the archway, Drakehound limping behind.

  Rej: "Next time Josh says, 'Hey, what's the worst that could happen?'-we muzzle him."

  Jonax: "No. We bury him. Then maybe muzzle the tombstone."

  They marched on.