Mia followed Luna quietly through the mist, trying to keep her distance. But before she could call out again, she froze—Luna had stepped into a clearing, and the ground beneath her feet suddenly shifted.
With a sharp snap, a cage of glowing ropes shot up from the earth, trapping Luna inside.
"Wait—no! Don't come any closer!" Luna shouted, struggling against the enchanted bars.
But it was too late.
Mia had already rushed forward to help, and as soon as her foot crossed the line, another trap triggered—snaring her right beside Luna.
Luna groaned in frustration. "Why were you following me, Mia?!"
"I—I just wanted—" Mia began, but her words died in her throat as two tall, hooded figures stepped out of the fog, bows drawn and arrows aimed straight at them.
"Drop your weapons, or I'll shoot!" one of the strangers barked.
The other lowered his bow slightly. "Wait, calm down. They're just girls—they're not monsters."
The first sighed. "Oh… my bad."
He loosened his arrow and approached the cage. A few swift movements later, the trap released with a hum, and the glowing ropes vanished.
As the two figures pulled down their hoods, Mia saw they were both boys—roughly her age. One had sandy hair and a playful grin; the other, dark hair and serious eyes.
"Uh, hi," Mia said awkwardly. "I'm Mia, and this is… uh…" She glanced at Luna. "Wait—I never actually asked your name."
Luna crossed her arms, clearly annoyed. "It's Luna," she muttered, stepping away.
Before Mia could say anything more, a low growl echoed from the mist. The sound made the ground tremble beneath their feet.
"What was that?" Mia whispered.
"That's… not one of us," the dark-haired boy said, pulling his sword.
The fog shifted—and out stepped a monstrous creature.
It stood taller than any of them, with five legs and five gleaming eyes, its mouth lined with jagged teeth dripping with dark slime.
"Get ready!" Luna shouted.
The monster lunged, and chaos erupted. Arrows flew through the air as the boys attacked from a distance. Mia grabbed her bow, firing as best she could, while Luna darted forward, moving with speed and skill that stunned them all.
In the heat of battle, Luna yelled, "I'm surrounded by people who don't even know how to fight!"
"There's no time for this!" Mia shouted back, loosing an arrow that grazed the monster's side.
Together, they fought fiercely—Luna's blade flashing in the dim light, the boys flanking from behind. Mia's aim grew steadier with each shot. Finally, with one last coordinated strike, the monster let out a screech and collapsed into the dirt, its body dissolving into shadow.
Panting, they stood in silence for a moment, catching their breath.
The boy with sandy hair grinned. "Well, that was fun. I'm Alex," he said, pointing to himself. "And this is Jake."
"I'm Mia," Mia replied with a smile. She turned to Luna. "And you already know her."
Alex nodded. "Luna, huh? That's… an interesting name."
Mia tilted her head thoughtfully. "Yeah… it sounds familiar somehow."
Luna froze, her masked face unreadable.