It came without warning.
A scream in the night. A flash of darkness. And then—silence.
Glad woke to chaos.
"The barrier!" Morag shouted through the emergency network. "Something breached it! Something ancient!"
By the time Glad reached the community center, the damage was clear.
Three creatures were gone. Vanished. Taken.
"The Ibwa," Luningning said, pale. "She's here."
"How? The wards—"
"She's thousands of years old. Our wards are strong, but she's stronger." Luningning's hands shook. "Glad, she took a duwende, a sigbin, and a young tiyanak. As hostages? As warnings?"
"Both." Anino appeared beside them, still in human form. "She's letting us know she can reach us. Whenever she wants."
The community was terrified. Parents kept children close. Creatures who'd never feared anything now jumped at shadows.
Glad addressed them at dawn.
"I know you're scared. I am too. But fear is what she wants. Fear divides us. Weakens us." She stood tall, wings spread. "We built this community on trust. On unity. On love. We won't let her destroy that."
Murmurs of agreement. Nods. Some applause.
But the fear remained.
That night, Glad flew patrol with Ariel and a team of volunteers.
The city was quiet—too quiet.
"She's out there," Ariel said. "Watching."
"I know."
"What do we do?"
Glad looked at the moon, full and silver.
"We wait. We watch. And when she shows herself—" She touched the amulet Ariel had given her, the one with googly eyes. "We remind her what community means."
Somewhere in the darkness, a laugh echoed.
Ancient. Cold. Hungry.
The Ibwa was playing with them.
And the game had just begun.