Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain, Gabi moved silently through the shadowed woods with her three-tailed fox companion. The darkness seemed to swallow their footsteps as they navigated between the towering trees.
Suddenly, the fox came to an abrupt halt. Its small nose twitched frantically in the night air as it caught scents that made its ears flatten against its head.
"What's wrong?" Gabi whispered, noticing her companion's sudden alertness.
The fox didn't respond immediately. Instead, it continued its careful investigation, its nose working overtime to parse the complex mix of forest scents. Something had caught its attention, something that demanded caution.
After what felt like an eternity, the three-tailed fox padded over to Gabi's feet. One paw tugged at her trouser leg, and the other pointed toward a spot deeper in the woods.
Gabi frowned, studying her companion's behavior. This wasn't the fox's usual reaction to ordinary demons. During their time in the mountains, they had encountered several centipede demons, and the three-tailed fox had dispatched them with casual efficiency. This was different: more urgent and concerned.
Crouching down, Gabi gently stroked the fox's head. "Is there an elite demon over there?"
The three-tailed fox shook its head vigorously and began making increasingly frantic gestures with its paws.
Gabi's confusion deepened. If not an elite demon, then what could possibly warrant such concern? As she watched her companion's agitated movements, a darker possibility crossed her mind.
"Is someone injured?" she asked quietly.
The three-tailed fox's immediate, emphatic nod confirmed her worst fears.
Gabi rose to her feet, her expression hardening with resolve. "Three-tailed fox, lead the way."
As they moved through the forest, following the fox's surefooted guidance, Gabi's mind raced with troubling thoughts. According to her father, the association maintained strict surveillance over their secret realms. The two Lore Cardians stationed at the entrance were supposed to monitor every student participating in practical training.
If someone was truly injured, as the three-tailed fox had indicated, then why hadn't rescue arrived? The absence of help suggested either a catastrophic failure of the monitoring system or something far more sinister.
Before she could delve deeper into these dark possibilities, they arrived at the source of the blood scent that had alarmed her companion.
The scene that greeted them was devastating. A massive tree, thick enough that several people would be needed to embrace its trunk, had been cut down by an impossibly sharp weapon. The severed crown lay at an angle on the forest floor, creating a natural shelter. Beneath it lay Yurek, motionless and pale.
Gabi recognized him immediately as the classmate who had faced Azrael in their first ranking battle. Now, he lay crumpled and still, his condition uncertain.
"Yurek," she called softly, approaching with careful steps. "Yurek, can you hear me?"
No response. No movement.
Gabi knelt beside him and gently placed her fingers near his nose to check for breath. The faint whisper of air against her skin brought a surge of relief.
"Thank goodness, he's still alive," she murmured.
But her relief was tempered by caution. Without knowing the extent or location of his injuries, moving Yurek could cause more harm than good. She stood up straight, her face grave as she surveyed the destruction around them.
"What could have done this?" she wondered aloud.
In her estimation, Yurek was one of the strongest students in their class, second only to Azrael, Cory, and herself. The common centipede demons they had encountered could not have inflicted this level of damage. Where were the association's Lore Cardians? Why hadn't anyone come to investigate or provide assistance?
"It would be great if Azrael were here," she thought, feeling a pang of longing. His Pidgeot would make this situation manageable; he could leave his companion behind and fly for help immediately.
Unfortunately, Gabi lacked a flying mount. Leaving the three-tailed fox to guard Yurek while she sought help alone was far too dangerous. However, staying put might condemn them all.
As she wrestled with these impossible choices, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the dark forest ahead. Someone was approaching quickly, crashing through the underbrush with little regard for stealth.
"Who's there?" Gabi called out, her voice sharp with authority.
The three-tailed fox immediately dropped into an attack stance, ready to defend its master.
A panicked figure stumbled out of the treeline, clothes torn and face wild with terror.
"Cory," Gabi breathed, relaxing slightly at the sight of a familiar face. However, her relief quickly transformed into concern when she took in his disheveled appearance and obvious distress. "What happened to you? Why do you look like this?"
Cory struggled to catch his breath, his words coming in ragged gasps. "Run! There's a monster!"
Gabi's frown deepened. "A monster?" What about Yurek? We can't abandon him."
"Yurek's life or death is none of my business!" Cory thought bitterly, but he forced his voice to remain level. "This monster is no match for my green zombie. If you want to stay here and die, I won't be part of it."
The lie came easily. His green zombie was dead and currently in the cooling period that prevented immediate resurrection. Without Gabi's protection, he wouldn't survive long in this hostile environment. But admitting weakness wasn't an option.
Gabi's voice carried unwavering determination. "I won't leave. I'll stay here to guard Yurek and wait for rescue."
Her father's teachings had been clear and uncompromising: a gold-level Lore Cardian never abandons their comrades. This principle had been drilled into her since childhood, and it wasn't negotiable now.
Cory's frustration boiled over. "Are you really going to throw your life away for someone who's a lost cause?"
Gabi simply shook her head, refusing to dignify the question with a response. "If you want to leave, go ahead. No one's stopping you."
"This stupid woman!" Cory raged internally. "If I could leave safely, would I still be here trying to convince you?"
A bone-chilling roar erupted from the woods behind Cory, cutting through their argument like a blade.
Cory's legs gave out, sending him crashing to his knees. Desperation overrode dignity as he crawled toward Gabi on his hands and knees; his survival instinct overwhelmed any pretense of courage.
Gabi ignored his pathetic display, focusing instead on the dark forest. Whatever was coming, she needed to be ready.
"Ha ha ha!"
Heavy, labored breathing accompanied the approaching threat. Gradually, the monster Cory had described emerged from the shadows, and Gabi understood why he had fled in terror.
The creature was a nightmare made flesh, its entire form coated in scarlet blood and cold steel blades extending from its hands like natural weapons. Its eyes held no intelligence, only mindless hunger and rage.
The three-tailed fox immediately attempted its signature illusion, trying to confuse or disorient the monster.
The technique failed completely.
This monster had no mind to manipulate or consciousness to deceive. It was pure instinct and violence, immune to psychological warfare.
Gabi's expression darkened as she witnessed her companion's inability to affect the monster. This vulnerability had become increasingly apparent in recent battles. If they survived this encounter, Gabi would need to find a way to supplement the three-tailed fox's limited arsenal.
However, the monster wasn't interested in giving her time to strategize.
It launched itself forward with terrifying speed, its scarlet form cutting through the air, accompanied by the whistle of displaced wind. Its left claw swept toward the three-tailed fox's face; its razor-sharp talons promised instant death.
The three-tailed fox demonstrated impressive agility, leaping clear of the initial attack with graceful precision.
However, this evasive maneuver created the opening their enemy had been waiting for.
The monster's right claw, which had been dragging along the ground, suddenly swept upward in a vicious arc. Three deep furrows marked its path through the earth as it caught the three-tailed fox mid-leap.
The attack connected with brutal efficiency.
Gabi's beloved companion was gone in an instant, reduced to dissipating energy as its summoning failed.
"It lasted barely one exchange," Gabi thought with numb shock. "If this is how strong this thing is—"
She had encountered several enemies immune to her three-tailed fox's illusions before, but the mismatch had never been so pronounced. Under normal circumstances, her companion should have been far more effective. But reality cared nothing for theoretical advantages.
Gabi stared in stunned disbelief at where her companion had been when a powerful shove from behind sent her stumbling toward the waiting monster.
She spun around, her eyes wide with betrayal and disbelief.
Cory stood behind her, his face twisted with madness and desperate calculation.
"I can't die here," he muttered, his voice rising to a frenzied chant. "I can't die! I still need to become a Sovereign-level Lore Cardian!"
His eyes blazed with manic intensity. "Yes, that's right! I'm going to become a Sovereign-level Lore Cardian. I'm going to surpass Azrael!"
He turned to flee, calling back over his shoulder, "Gabi, I'll remember you. When I become a Sovereign-level Lore Cardian, I'll avenge your death!"
As Gabi looked at Cory's retreating form and witnessed the complete collapse of someone she'd considered a classmate and ally, despair settled over her like a suffocating blanket. She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable end.
The monster's claws would find her in seconds. Yurek would die alone and forgotten. Cory would escape and spin whatever lies he needed to explain their deaths.
Just as she braced herself for death's embrace, a calm, controlled voice drifted down from above.
"How pathetic, Cory."