The hit registered as pressure before anything else—a sudden, dull weight against his ribcage that sent vibrations through his bones. His sensitive fox ears twitched at the strange, hollow thump that followed.

  Mai found himself staring up at the chamber ceiling, distant and hazy. The room's angular edges stretched and curved like molten glass. He blinked, confusion swirling through him as he tried to piece together what had happened between standing and lying down.

  His lungs refused to work. Each desperate attempt to breathe yielded nothing but a strangled wheeze. Panic bloomed in his chest as he fought against his body's sudden betrayal, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

  The sound was muffled and slow, as though it came to him through deep water. The world had slowed to a terrible crawl.

  A figure drifted into the fractured edges of Mai’s vision. Marin. She knelt beside a small, folded shape against the pillar. Emri lay unmoving, her limbs arranged at an angle that made something cold settle behind Mai’s ribs. Marin’s mouth moved quickly and urgently, but her words reached him as soft, hollow echoes that didn’t match the motion of her lips.

  Mai tried to speak. His diaphragm seized in a useless spasm. His hand clawed through the moss, searching for something solid in a world that still felt half-detached from his body.

  Cal surfaced at the periphery of Mai’s warped sight, retreating step by step toward one corridor. His face twisted with something between shock and terror. His mouth opened wide, probably shouting, yet the sound reached Mai as a muted rumble, drowned beneath the thick underwater quiet distorting the chamber.

  The ground vibrated beneath him. Not violently, just enough to ripple up the length of his spine. Nasu dropped into a crouch a few paces away, long ears rigid, pupils blown wide. The thud of his landing arrived a heartbeat later, slightly out of sync with his motion, as though sound and sight hadn’t agreed to rejoin each other yet.

  "—ai! Mai!" Nasu’s voice snapped into clarity in staggered bursts, punching through the haze. “Get up! Move!”

  Mai dragged in a breath that felt like knives scraping along bruised bone. His lungs seized, then expanded in a painful flutter. He rolled to his side, spots fizzing across his vision as the chamber’s nauseating tilt finally began to settle.

  A burst of air flooded Mai's lungs as sound and sensation crashed back into place. The chamber snapped into focus—sharp edges, vibrant moss, the thunderous creaking of wood as the creature pivoted toward them.

  "Come on!" Nasu grabbed Mai's arm, yanking him upright with surprising strength. Mai's legs trembled beneath him as he found his balance.

  The wooden monstrosity lunged, bark-covered arm extending in a wide arc. Mai barely registered Nasu's hand at his back before they both dropped to the ground. Wooden claws whistled overhead, slashing through the space they'd occupied seconds before. Splinters showered down as the creature's arm smashed into a nearby column, cracking the ancient stone.

  Mai scrambled backward on hands and knees. His chest burned with each breath, pain flaring along his ribs where the creature had struck him.

  They pushed to their feet in tandem, repositioning behind a thick trunk.

  The beast swiveled, amber eyes sweeping the chamber. The backpack dangled from its twisted fingers like a forgotten toy. It took a lumbering step toward Marin and Cal, who stood frozen near the eastern corridor.

  Cal's face drained of color. He took one step backward, then another, his chest heaving with quick, panicked breaths.

  "We need to stick together," Mai called out, voice strained through the pain in his ribs. "Don't—"

  Cal turned and bolted. The only sound was the frantic pounding of his feet as he vanished into the corridor's shadowy depths.

  Marin stood rooted in place for another heartbeat. Her eyes locked with Mai's across the chamber, wide with fear. She glanced at Emri's motionless body, then at the advancing wooden giant, then back to the corridor where Cal had vanished.

  "I'm sorry," she mouthed, the words barely audible.

  Then she was gone too, sprinting after Cal into the shadows. Their footsteps echoed off stone walls until silence swallowed even that.

  The creature paused, then it turned with deliberate slowness toward Mai and Nasu.

  "That's... not good," Nasu muttered, ears flattening against his head.

  Mai stared up, eyes fixed on the orange glow visible through the canvas. Then his eyes cut to Emri’s motionless body. “We need to get Emri to safety.”

  "Any ideas?" Nasu asked, shifting his weight from foot to foot as the creature advanced.

  Mai's hand found the hilt of his star-dark dagger. It thrummed against his palm with strange warmth, as though responding to his touch. The constellations embedded in the blade shimmered, casting pinpricks of light across his skin.

  "Yeah," Mai said, tightening his grip on the dagger, breath unsteady but his mind already shaping the next move. "I'll distract it; you get Emri to safety."

  Nasu’s ears shot up, panic sharpening his features. “Mai—hold on. You ain’t thinkin’ straight. That thing almost carved you open.”

  "Just go." Mai kept his tone quiet yet resolute. "Take her and exit the chamber. No discussion."

  Nasu stared at him, ears pulling back. “You really want me to leave you here?”

  "This isn't a fight we can win," Mai interrupted sharply. A throbbing pain shot through his head with each word, but he pushed through it. "We need to split up. The backpack and creature are my problems. I'm trusting Emri's safety to you."

  Nasu looked at him like the ground had dropped out from under his feet. “Mai… I’m not just runnin’ off while you stay here with that thing.”

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  “You have to,” Mai said. “If you stay, we drag each other down. If you go, at least someone gets her clear.”

  Nasu’s throat bobbed in a tight swallow. Finally, his shoulders slumped in reluctant acceptance. He gave a single, begrudging nod.

  A deafening crack split the air. The tree trunk beside them shuddered as wooden claws tore into its base, ripping away chunks of bark and pulp. The massive tree groaned under its own weight, listing sideways but somehow remaining upright. Splinters showered down on them as Mai grabbed Nasu's shoulder and shoved him toward the far side of the chamber.

  "Go! Now!"

  The creature's amber eyes fixed on Mai, glowing with cold intensity as it ripped its claws free from the damaged trunk. Wood fibers snapped and popped as it extracted its elongated fingers, leaving deep gouges in the ancient tree.

  Mai’s voice cut through the chamber like a spark through dry brush. “Over here.”

  The dagger carved a black arc through the air, an absence rather than a slash, its edge dragging a seam of star-dusted darkness in its wake. The creature’s amber eyes snapped to it, pupils tightening with predatory hunger.

  Movement flickered at the edge of Mai’s vision. Nasu, usually all chatter and restless energy, was ghosting along the chamber’s perimeter, slipping behind pillars and hanging vines with a caution that looked borrowed from someone else’s life. He crept toward Emri’s collapsed form, shoulders tight, ears pinned flat.

  Mai forced himself backward, step by controlled step, feeding the creature his attention, his breath, the space around him. Pain pulsed in his ribs like a bruise blooming outward with every inhale and twist, but he pressed the pain down and centered himself on holding the creature’s focus.

  The beast lunged.

  Mai dropped low, ribs screaming as he hit the moss. He rolled beneath the sweep of wooden claws, feeling the air shear past his cheek. Stone shattered behind him, splinters and dust exploding upward in a stinging spray.

  Branches and bark ground against themselves as its wooden mask contorted in a grotesque approximation of anger. It slammed its fist into the floor, sending a jagged crack racing across ancient stone.

  Behind the monster, Nasu gathered Emri into his arms, cradling her head against his chest. Her body hung limp, but as Nasu adjusted his grip, a pained groan escaped her lips.

  The sound was soft—barely audible—but the creature's reaction was instant. Its head snapped around, amber eyes blazing as it spotted Nasu with Emri.

  Mai's blood ran cold. "Nasu, move!"

  The wooden beast raised both arms. Its bark-covered skin split along countless seams as a barrage of leaf-shaped projectiles shot forth—razor-sharp and whistling through the air toward Nasu and Emri.

  Nasu froze, eyes widening in terror. He hunched over Emri, using his body as a shield, face twisted in anticipation of the impact.

  A tremendous crack echoed through the chamber. The weakened tree—the one the creature had gouged earlier—gave a final, protesting groan as its damaged trunk split. It toppled in a shower of leaves and splintered wood, crashing down directly between Nasu and the deadly barrage.

  Leaves and wooden shards tore into bark and branches, embedding themselves in the fallen tree rather than flesh.

  Nasu didn't hesitate. He clutched Emri tighter and bolted for the eastern corridor. His footsteps pounded against stone as he disappeared into the shadows, Emri secure in his arms.

  Mai exhaled a ragged breath as Nasu vanished with Emri into the corridor. One problem solved. His ribs protested with sharp, stabbing pain, but a grim smile flashed across his face. Now for the hard part.

  The wooden behemoth roared—a hollow, grinding sound. It ripped its arm free from the tangle of fallen tree limbs, amber eyes locking onto Mai with renewed fury. The backpack still dangled from its gnarled fingers, swinging wildly as the creature lurched forward.

  Mai bolted. His feet barely touched the moss as he zigzagged between ancient pillars, instinct driving his movements. The chamber's layout flashed through his mind—a mental map assembled from hours of careful observation. Three steps left, curve right around the column, duck beneath the low-hanging vine curtain.

  The creature's fist shattered stone where he'd stood moments before. Fragments pelted his back as he rolled under a thick root system. Pain flared in his ribs, but his body responded with trained precision, muscle memory overriding discomfort.

  Another slash of wooden claws. Mai twisted mid-stride, the attack missing him by inches.

  He needed a plan. Running wouldn't work forever, and his body wouldn't let him maintain this pace for long. His gaze darted around the chamber, cataloging and discarding possibilities until it landed on their abandoned camp.

  Mai changed direction with a sharp pivot, sprinting toward the dying embers of their campfire. The wooden beast pursued, its footsteps sending tremors through the ground with each impact. Its movements were powerful but predictable.

  Mai slid behind a broad stone outcropping near their camp, pressing his back against cool rock as the creature's shadow fell over him. He held his breath. The monster paused, amber eyes scanning the area, searching.

  Taking advantage of its momentary confusion, Mai darted out, staying low to the ground. His hand closed around the strap of his backpack, dragging it toward him as he retreated to safety behind the rock.

  The creature spotted the movement, unleashing another barrage of wooden projectiles that embedded themselves into the stone with dull thunks. Dust and rock chips showered over Mai as he crouched lower, digging through his pack with urgent fingers.

  There. The thin, coiled rope he'd packed away from the puzzle cache. Mai pulled it free. He estimated about eight feet of rope. It wasn't much, but it might be enough.

  His gaze shifted to the star-dark dagger in his hand. With swift, practiced motions, Mai looped the rope around the hilt and cinched it into a fixed, unyielding knot.

  A shadow fell over him. Mai looked up to find the wooden beast looming above, having circled around his hiding spot. Amber eyes bore into him with primal hunger.

  Mai's fingers tightened around the dagger's hilt, the star-flecked blade seeming to draw in the chamber's light. The rope's free end was coiled in his other hand, ready.

  The beast's arm swept downward in a vicious arc. Mai launched himself sideways, feeling the rush of displaced air as wooden claws missed his face by inches. His ribs screamed in protest as he rolled across moss and stone, but he pushed through the pain, finding his footing with practiced grace.

  Without pause, Mai snapped his wrist, unfurling the rope. The star-dark dagger dangled at its end, constellations shifting across its obsidian surface. A memory flashed through his mind—the chain-wielding fighter from days before.

  Mai began to spin the dagger, creating wider and wider arcs as the weapon gathered speed. The rope hummed through the air, forming a deadly circle of motion with the dagger as its anchor point. His eyes narrowed, focusing not on the creature itself but on the backpack still clutched in its wooden grasp.

  With a sharp exhalation, Mai released the tension in his arm, directing the spinning blade toward his target. The dagger sliced through the air, a streak of night against the chamber's glow. It connected with the backpack's strap—just barely—a glancing blow that frayed rather than severed completely.

  The creature let out a grinding roar, lunging at Mai with outstretched claws. Mai dropped to one knee, feeling wooden talons slice through the air where his head had been. The sudden movement sent pain lancing through his body, but he forced himself to focus, yanking the rope to retrieve his dagger.

  Circling to his left, Mai found better footing on a patch of exposed stone. The wooden monster pivoted, its amber eyes tracking his movement with predatory focus, backpack still dangling precariously from the frayed strap.

  Mai began spinning the dagger again, the star-flecked blade gathering momentum with each revolution. The constellations along its surface seemed to blur into streaks of distant light as the weapon cut through the air.

  The wooden beast raised its arm, as if sensing the coming attack. Mai adjusted his aim and released with perfect timing. The blade whistled through the air—too fast for the creature to react. It slashed clean through the weakened strap, the dagger's edge singing as it cut.

  The backpack plummeted toward the ground.

  Mai was already moving, launching himself forward in a dead sprint. His body responded, overriding the pain as he darted past the creature. He slid across moss-slick stone, arm outstretched, fingers closing around the pack's handle just before it hit the ground.