The rain hadn't stopped.
For hours now, the sound of it had accompanied them like a second heartbeat — steady, oppressive, almost calculated. It was as if the storm itself wanted them to stay unsettled.
The group moved along a narrow trail through the mist-shrouded forest, the wet leaves sticking to their boots, the fog curling between the trees like ghostly fingers. Even Sayos, who usually had a sarcastic remark ready, had gone quiet. That alone set Rika on edge.
Mizu walked up front, his hand resting near the hilt of his weapon, eyes sharp but distant. Lucy padded beside him, fur soaked, yet strangely unbothered. The wolf's eyes flicked side to side, as if tracking something they couldn't see.
They were being watched.
"You feel that too, right?" Rika asked, breaking the silence. Her voice was low, but not weak — a warning disguised as a casual comment.
"Yeah," Honkai replied, glancing behind them. "Been feeling it since we left the river."
Mizu didn't stop walking, but he did speak. "Something's following us. But it's not attacking. Not yet."
"So what's the plan?" Sayos asked. "Pretend we're tourists?"
Rika smirked. "Only if you promise to shut up and let me guide the tour."
That drew a faint chuckle from Sayos — faint, but it helped ease the tension, if only a little.
Then it happened.
A shadow dropped from the trees ahead — silent, sudden, and fast. It landed with a splash, blocking the trail. It wore a dark cloak, face hidden beneath a hood, but the aura it gave off was undeniable.
A fighter.
Mizu stepped forward instinctively, shielding the others.
"I don't want to fight," the figure said, voice low, distorted by the rain. "But I will if you force me."
"You're not exactly giving us much of a choice," Mizu replied.
"I'm here for only one thing," the figure said. "Give me the blue crystal. And no one has to get hurt."
Lucy growled.
"No," Mizu said. "Try again."
The figure sighed. "So be it."
Lightning flashed — not from the sky, but from the figure's hands.
They moved with inhuman speed. Honkai barely managed to react, throwing up a defensive spark barrier as the first bolt of energy tore through the mist.
Sayos jumped into the air, wind coiling around his feet. "I'll take the left!"
Rika raised her hands, a jet of flame forming between her palms. "Just try not to burn the forest down, Rika," she muttered to herself.
Mizu charged.
The clash was immediate — the stranger's magic clashing against Mizu's water-infused strikes. Every blow sent steam billowing into the air, every missed attack carved a scar into the earth.
But something was off.
Mizu noticed it — not in the enemy's strength, but their restraint.
This person wasn't trying to kill them.
He was testing them.
"Who are you?!" Mizu shouted mid-strike.
The stranger's hood flew back for a moment, revealing a mask — black with crimson lines. A whisper followed.
"Someone who once tried to stop what's coming. But now... I'm only here to see if you're strong enough."
A blast sent Mizu flying backward into a tree. He groaned, struggling to rise, but the enemy didn't follow up.
Instead, the figure leapt high, vanished into the fog as quickly as they had come.
Silence returned.
The group stood panting, bruised, soaked.
"What… was that?" Sayos finally asked.
"A warning," Rika muttered.
Honkai frowned. "Or an invitation."
Mizu stood, brushing leaves from his coat. He looked at his crystal. It pulsed faintly.
"They're watching us," he said. "Whoever 'they' are. And we've only just begun to matter."
Lucy let out a low growl, facing the fog.
More was coming.
And the storm wasn't just weather anymore.
— To be continued...