Lira jolted awake.
A sound, low, dragging, like something heavy brushing against wood. Her eyes flew open to darkness thick and complete. For a moment, she didn't know where she was.
Then she felt it.
The fox's paw, firm and steady on her side. A warning.
Don't move.
Fluffy trembled softly in her arms, his small body tense. Lira held her breath, listening. The sound came again… a faint creak of wood… a slow scuffle… then silence.
She could barely see, but her hearing sharpened with every heartbeat. Something was outside. Something moving. Circling.
Her breathing slowed. Shallow. Careful.
The old wooden walls groaned softly, and for a moment it sounded like something sniffed along them, close. Too close.
Lira closed her eyes. She didn't dare make a sound.
The fox's paw remained on her.
Still.
Wait.
Long moments passed, longer than she could measure. Then, slowly, the sounds began to fade. Step by step, whatever it was moved off, deeper into the fog.
She exhaled.
Not a full breath, just enough to release the iron grip in her chest.
The room stayed dark and heavy. The others didn't try to sleep again. They simply lay together, resting in the silence, pressed close for warmth and safety.
Only when a thin shimmer of morning light filtered through the broken roof did the tension begin to lift.
Lira sat up slowly. Her limbs were stiff, but she was awake, alive, and no longer alone in the dark.
Lira sat up, brushing straw from her sleeves. Her back ached slightly from the rough bed, but the stiffness faded as she looked around.
Fluffy blinked up at her, then gave a small, tired voice. She smiled and gently stroked his fur, checking him over. He was safe, shaken, maybe, but warm and unharmed.
Then her eyes moved to the fox.
He was already awake, sitting by the door like a silent sentry, ears alert, eyes fixed on the forest beyond the cracked wood. His tail twitched once as if to say, It's time.
Lira nodded.
She gathered her pouch, tied her belt a little tighter, and slung her satchel over her shoulder. With quiet care, she made sure everything was in place, Therin's potion vial tucked safely, beneath her cloak and amulet from Grandmaster Elion.
She looked to the fox. "Ready?"
He flicked an ear.
She crouched and whispered to Fluffy, "Stay close. No wandering, okay?"
He nuzzled her hand in agreement.
Lira moved to the door, her fingers resting on the weather-worn wood. The fox stood and pressed his nose to the gap near the frame, then glanced up at her. She understood. Wait. Listen.
For a moment, all three stood still.
The forest beyond was cloaked in a thick, silver fog. No birds sang. No branches cracked. Just an eerie, muffled stillness that wrapped around them like a spell.
Lira took a slow breath, then gently pushed the door open.
It creaked softly, too loud in the silence, but nothing stirred outside.
The fox stepped out first, paws silent against the mossy ground. He sniffed the air, turned his head left, then right. Then, with a short flick of his tail, he began walking forward.
Lira followed, Fluffy at her heel.
The fog was heavier than before. It curled around the trees like ghosts, swallowing the light and warping the path ahead. Even the trees looked unfamiliar, their trunks gnarled and leaning like watchers.
Every step was careful, deliberate.
They left the little ruined house behind, its broken walls fading into mist as the trio pressed deeper into the heart of the Foggy Forest.
No words passed between them. Only glances, the hush of breath, and the soundless beat of feet on damp earth.
Something lay ahead. Lira could feel it. Just beyond the fog.
And she would find it, whatever it was.
As they moved deeper, time lost meaning. The fog thickened like wet cotton around them. Lira's legs grew heavy, each step more effort than the last. Her breath came slower now, her senses straining to stay alert.
Then...
A sound tore through the silence.
A howl.
Deep. Echoing. Bone-shaking.
Lira froze. So did the fox. So did Fluffy. The trees stood still, as if holding their breath.
Before she could say anything, a low growl answered the howl. Closer. Much closer.
Fluffy pressed himself against her leg, ears flat, his little body trembling. The fox stood stiff, his fur bristling along his back, fangs slightly bared. His tail slowly lowered into a hunting posture.
Lira's hand went to her satchel, fingers brushing the handle of her small blade. But something inside her already knew, it wouldn't be enough.
Then, through the fog, a shadow.
Large. Loping. Wrong.
It stepped forward, slowly. Heavy paws crushed leaves beneath it. Muscles moved under thick fur, but its shape was not natural. Not bear, not wolf. Something between. Something older.
Its eyes gleamed, yellow and feral.
Long claws curled from its hands,no, paws,no, something else. Its face resembled a wolf's, but twisted longer, with streaks of black running down its matted fur. Saliva dripped in thick lines from the edges of its snarling mouth, sizzling as it hit the mossy ground. The smell of iron and decay followed it.
Then,it rose.
Two legs.
Standing.
Tall. Towering over them.
It howled.
This time it was worse. A howl not just of hunger, but of rage, of possession, of something cursed and wild. Lira's heart slammed in her chest. This was no animal. This was something born of the fog, of old magic gone wrong.
The fox stepped forward, placing himself directly between her and the beast. His fur glowed faintly at the tips now, his tail like a living flame in the mist. A low, vibrating growl escaped his throat.
Fluffy bared his small teeth, positioning himself at her feet, his tiny body shaking but fierce.
Lira tried to speak, but her throat was dry. Her body wanted to run, but her legs stayed rooted. She felt the potion in her still, its magic sharpening her senses, heightening everything. The beast's breath, the tremble of the ground beneath its weight, the quiet courage of the two companions at her side.
The creature took a step forward.
Lira's fingers gripped her satchel.
This was real.
This was a test.
The beast growled low and then leapt.
Everything happened at once.
Lira gasped and stumbled backward, falling onto her bottom with a soft thud, eyes wide in shock. What now?! Her heart pounded as her hand instinctively went to the Grandmaster's amulet around her neck, but what could that do now? What about the fox? What about Fluffy?
She barely had time to think.
The fox sprang into the air, a blur of silver and flame, aiming straight for the beast's throat.
Fluffy let out a shriek, a sharp, unnatural sound like crystal breaking and wind screaming through a cave. Lira clutched her ears, the pain stabbing into her skull. Even the beast flinched, its snarl interrupted as it stumbled, shaken by the piercing sound.
For a second, it worked.
The fox latched on, jaws clamping around the creature's thick neck. But the size difference was too great.
With a furious growl, the beast reared up and slammed a clawed paw across the fox's body. The fox was hurled through the air like a ragdoll, landing hard beside Lira with a pained yelp.
"No!"
Without thinking, Lira scrambled on her knees to the fox's side. Her palm scraped against the rough forest floor, cutting open on a hidden branch, but she didn't care.
She placed her bleeding hand on the fox's chest. "Stay with me," she whispered, tears burning behind her eyes. The warmth in her body surged, and she called it forward, the green element, the healing breath of life itself. It flowed from her, glowing softly through her palm into the fox's fur.
Please… please…
Fluffy stood between them and the beast now, his small body trembling but unmoving, hackles raised, lips pulled back in a snarl.
The beast howled again, lifting its massive head to the grey fog-drenched sky. The sound echoed, louder this time, full of fury and pain.
But Lira didn't move.
Her hand glowed brighter, the healing magic pouring from her like a river finally freed.
She didn't know what would happen next.
But she would not lose the fox.
Not here.
Not in the fog.
Lira poured her strength into the fox, her breath came in shallow gasps, her brow damp with effort. The soft green glow from her hand shimmered brighter with each heartbeat, pulsing in rhythm with her own lifeforce.
Her blood, still fresh from the scrape, dripped into the fox's fur, warm against the soft silver strands. She hardly noticed at first, too focused on keeping the flow of healing steady. But then…
Something shifted.
The moment her blood soaked into the fox's coat, she felt a stir, not just in the fox's body, but in herself.
A strange warmth spread up her arm, like liquid sunlight winding through her veins. It wasn't just her magic anymore, it was something else. Something deeper. Older.
Her vision blurred for a heartbeat and then sharpened. The forest around her felt suddenly clearer, closer. Every breath of fog, every rustle in the underbrush rang in her senses. She could almost feel the heartbeat of the fox beneath her hand, but also the pulse of the earth around them.
The fox stirred.
Not just physically, though its chest rose with a weak, sudden breath, but spiritually. She felt its energy reach toward hers, not as something separate, but as something intertwined. A thread, thin but strong, connecting them. It was as if the fox had always been part of her… waiting for something to awaken.
Lira's mouth parted slightly, her breath hitching. What is this?
The beast snarled again, reminding her they were still in danger, but for a single breath in time, everything else faded.
She felt seen.
She felt chosen.
She felt changed.
Fluffy let out a low growl and pressed closer to her side.
And just then, the fox's eyes snapped open, bright with an unfamiliar light. Not just the old cunning and loyalty Lira knew… but something more.
Something that had just awakened.