A cold wind slithered through the trees as the sun dipped low, casting twisted shadows across the cave mouth.
Kaden stood just outside, scanning the treeline with glowing eyes behind his headset. Hunter crouched beside him, tail flicking like a whip of smoke. Kaela leaned against the rock wall inside, still recovering but clutching a curved dagger with trembling fingers.
"They're close," Kaden muttered.
"How many?" Kaela whispered, eyes narrowed.
"Three… maybe four. All ether-synced. Their beasts aren't wild—they're conditioned. Which means they're fast, efficient… and soulless."
A faint rustle.
Then silence.
Then—impact.
A streak of silver flashed from the forest. Kaden twisted just in time to deflect it—blades sparked off his gauntlet as a lithe, bone-armored hound landed, snarling, eyes glowing red. Behind it, three cloaked figures emerged, flanked by beasts with barbed tails and twisted horns.
"Target acquired," one of them said through a distorted mask. "Retrieve the girl. Kill the boy."
Kaela stood, coughing. "They always say that."
"Yeah," Kaden grinned. "And they always regret it."
"Hunter—Sync Level One!"
Smoke exploded outward as Hunter's form blurred into motion. Kaden surged forward with it, ducking under the hound's next strike and countering with a brutal shadow-coated punch. The beast howled, sliding backward.
The enemy tamers reacted fast—one raised a hand and barked a command in an ancient tongue. A centipede-beast with saw-like legs lunged from the dirt, aimed at Kaela.
She didn't flinch.
Instead, her hand lit with fire.
"Ashveil Echo – Ember Blade!"
The dagger ignited. Kaela slashed, the air itself burning as the flame-trail licked across the centipede's chitin. It screeched, limbs spasming.
Kaden blinked. "You're… channeling your bond."
She nodded grimly. "It hurts. But I can still feel him. Like he's echoing through me."
Hunter and Kaden double-teamed the armored hound, using synchronized strikes to keep it off-balance. One of the tamers tried to flank—but Kaela hurled her ember-dagger, and it exploded mid-air, knocking the attacker flat.
"You throw fire knives now?" Kaden panted.
Kaela smirked. "Only on Tuesdays."
By the time the last beast fell, whimpering into the brush, two of the enemy tamers had fled. The third lay unconscious, mask cracked, face visible.
Kaden stared.
He recognized her.
Red hair. Pale eyes.
She was from the Academy.
"A student…?" he whispered. "What the hell is going on?"
Kaela limped forward. "This isn't just a cult. The Order's recruiting from everywhere."
"We're not just fighting some secret group," Kaden growled. "We're fighting the system itself."
Kaela nodded, expression grim. "Then we burn it all down."