Tee's telecom buzzed, signaling an incoming speaker.

  "Tee, Miko, are you in?" Kie's voice came crisply through the device, sharp and focused.

  Only Miko responded. "Yes, we're here, and Tee is okay too."

  "We eliminated two of those creatures," Kie announced, his tone triumphant yet tinged with relief.

  Tee gripped the branch beneath her tightly, knuckles whitening, as her mind tried to process the shocking news. "What?" she exclaimed, disbelief clear in her voice.

  "The remaining beasts vanished into black smoke, and their bodies will likely disappear within the next two minutes," Kie continued. "However, I have a feeling the surviving one will come to investigate. Both of you, rendezvous at our coordinates."

  Tee forced herself not to let jealousy creep in. The fact that some of the monsters were dead was undeniably positive. She braced herself, inhaling the crisp, damp forest air, and carefully jumped down from the branch, letting gravity pull her toward solid ground. Her boots hit the wet earth with a muted thud, and she bolted toward the designated coordinates.

  Upon arrival, Tee and Miko found themselves alone, the fog curling around their legs like ghostly fingers. Tee scanned the mist, her pulse quickening. "Where are you guys?" she called out, voice tense and sharp.

  Neither of them thought to look up, too focused on scanning the dense, gray fog for any sign of the beast. The hairs on Tee's arms prickled as the mist thickened around her, carrying the faint metallic tang of the creatures' residual energy.

  "Look up," Zod’s voice suddenly resonated, seeming to come from above them.

  Peering upward, Tee spotted Zod, Saeda, and Kie crouched securely on branches, observing them from above. The sun barely pierced the fog, leaving mottled shadows across their faces.

  “These branches are sturdier than Kie initially thought,” Saeda called down. “He made a change of plans.”

  "Without involving me?" Tee demanded, irritation creeping into her tone. "Look at all of you, cowards hiding in trees. Pathetic."

  Kie’s voice cut through her frustration. "Tee, you'll remain on the ground. Miko, climb up."

  Before Tee could protest, Miko leaped into a nearby tree with fluid precision, leaving Tee alone on the forest floor, the fog curling around her like a living threat.

  Confused and vulnerable, Tee asked, "What's going on?"

  Zod chimed in, a teasing lilt in his tone. "Didn't you want to be the bait? We didn’t want to steal your spotlight—"

  Kie interrupted, his voice firm. "We're reverting to the original plan. Now that it’s weakened, there’s no way it will attack us in groups."

  Tee’s gaze shifted from Kie’s face to the misty expanse before her. She felt a shiver run down her spine as the fog whispered against her legs.

  Sensing her apprehension, Kie softened, a rare edge of concern in his voice. "Don’t worry, Tee. I won’t let anything happen to you."

  Zod and Saeda exchanged glances, surprise flickering across their faces at Kie's unexpected care. Tee’s mind churned; the direct compassion was foreign and complicated her thoughts. She fought to suppress her fear, refusing to show any weakness in front of her teammates, especially not Kie.

  "Let’s see if this thing knows how to treat its biggest fan," Zod remarked, amusement threading his words as he moved from branch to branch above her.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Saeda chuckled. "It can sense its admirer from miles away. It'll definitely give her full attention this time."

  Unfortunately, the communications remained active on Tee’s telecom. Every word grated on her nerves; their teasing was irritating, their voices carrying strangely through a device that seemed to have no openings.

  The fog ahead darkened, thick and suffocating. Tee froze as the beast emerged, growling low, the sound vibrating through her chest. Its sunken eyes locked on her, its snout curling to reveal teeth glinting dangerously. Two black flaming tails lashed behind its head, trailing smoke and heat.

  “All right, this is it,” Kie’s voice commanded through her telecom. “Hold your ground.”

  Swords rained down as the command echoed, but the creature leaped with uncanny agility, evading every strike. It lunged directly at Tee.

  “Freck!” Tee shouted, her body reacting before her mind could. She dug her boots into the soft soil and executed a sharp turn, zigzagging to escape the attack. The wind whipped past her face, carrying the forest’s damp smell into her nostrils, mingling with adrenaline-fueled panic.

  Running straight would have been suicidal; she relied on agility, making subtle, unpredictable turns to stay ahead. Every heartbeat thundered in her ears.

  “Tee, why are you moving so fast?” Kie’s voice called out, blending with the beast’s growls.

  Zod added, exasperated, "Yeah, it's already hard to track your location with all these branches in the way."

  Frustration boiled over. Tee yelled back between ragged breaths, “You don’t know? It’s because I’m running for my freaking life!”

  “You won’t die!” Zod called, struggling to keep pace.

  Tee scoffed inwardly. True, death wasn’t imminent—but chunks of her flesh being torn away was not exactly comforting.

  A dark object whizzed dangerously close to her head. Tee ducked instinctively, narrowly avoiding it. The spikes on her boots bit into the soil as she skidded to a stop.

  Squinting, she caught sight of the two flowing black tails—a confirmation. The beast was right behind her.

  A sharp pain jabbed into her left shoulder, a stark reminder of how close the attack had been. It tore through the air like a whip, scraping her sleeve. Tee glimpsed the beast’s metallic claws digging into the loose dirt, preparing for another charge, and she sprinted to the right.

  Behind her, a long howl reverberated. She dared a glance backward—black smoke billowed from the beast, and she froze, astonished by the eight sword handles embedded in its body even as it pursued her relentlessly.

  “Impossible,” a voice crackled through her telecom, drowned partially by the growls and her own labored breathing.

  Tee’s frantic mind struggled to identify the speaker. Another voice chimed, “Isn’t that the same attack that killed the other two?”

  Tee’s eyes darted frantically, searching for escape routes. Her gaze locked on colossal roots jutting from the ground between two trees—an opportunity. She leaped with force, knees hitting her abdomen, chest jolting violently, before her feet slammed back to the earth, propelling her forward.

  The roots slowed the beast momentarily, allowing her teammates to strike, though Tee dared not look back. Its claws landed just ahead of the roots, sending dirt and stones flying, the black tail trailing like smoke.

  She noticed something—where there had been two tails, now only one remained. In the chaos, a revelation struck her: the number of tails indicated both its ability to duplicate and its lives. Four souls coexisting within one body. Her pulse quickened at the thought.

  A tug at her shirt made her shiver; the fabric ripped, a stark reminder of how close the creature had been. Every nerve in her body tingled.

  “Tee, you're moving too fast! You need to stop!” a voice shouted.

  Her eyes widened—Zod, no doubt. Rage mingled with adrenaline, fueling her. “Are you mad!” she yelled, inhaling sharply. “You fool! I am not going to get mauled just so your sluggish rear end can—”

  Her words were cut short as a glint flashed before her eyes. She leaped instinctively, narrowly avoiding the object—a sword—embedded in the ground. Horror seized her. The weapon’s position meant someone was attempting to trip her. The betrayal stung, sharper than the beast itself.

  Another sword jutted upward ahead, angled dangerously. Tee assessed, calculated, then leaped just in time. Her left foot struck the hilt, jarring her body violently. Dirt flew into her face, and she tumbled forward.

  The beast lunged over her, jaws snapping mere inches from her head. She rolled, elbows and forearms taking the brunt of the fall, fingers digging into the dirt. When she came to a stop, back pressed against a sword stuck in the soil, she drew in a sharp, trembling breath.

  “Aaaaah!” she screamed, the cry mixing with the beast’s growl. Blood drained from her face as she shut her eyes, bracing for impact, knowing the pain would be instant, devastating, and unavoidable.