—Time to move out, boys. There’s a small camp nearby with people working for the Foundation, but before that… what must happen —Yu-Han informed.

  —Ahh, damn it, I’m getting poisoned again —Damien grumbled, under Edward’s and Yulian’s amused gazes.

  —This is a good moment to appreciate the master’s Beast Koa —Edward said.

  —I won’t use my full power. I think forty percent will be enough… You should be around fifteen or twenty percent right now.

  The master proceeded to release his Serpent Koa. The energy he emanated was overwhelming.

  —So… this is the master’s Koa —Yulian said, impressed.

  —“Inland Taipan.”

  He struck Yulian and Damien with a fast, dry blow.

  —It’s the most lethal venom of all. Your final vaccine.

  Both boys felt their muscles begin to tense, their breath starting to fail. Even while releasing their Koa to heal themselves, it was far too difficult.

  —Master… you should heal them —Edward said, frightened.

  —Do not despair. Have faith —Yu-Han replied with a faint smile.

  Yulian began to rise despite the poisoning. He surrounded himself with Nature Koa and little by little started to purge the venom.

  —Hey, that was impressive… far too fast —Yu-Han thought.

  Meanwhile, Damien continued writhing on the ground in pain. Little by little he stopped moving, struggling desperately to breathe.

  —Master… he’s not okay —Edward insisted.

  Yu-Han watched the scene and realized Edward might be right. Damien might not be ready yet. He quickly moved closer to heal him.

  —No… —Damien said through groans—. I’ll manage. If not, let me die here.

  Yu-Han nodded and stepped back.

  Damien stood up. It wasn’t only his Koa keeping him upright—there was something else, a mixture of sheer willpower. But that alone would not stop the venom.

  In a moment of desperation, Damien surrounded himself with his Dragon Koa, releasing three percent more of his current power.

  —No, I should heal him… —Yu-Han thought, moving closer again, but Damien had already released his Beast Koa. Still, it was useless for this situation.

  —Damien, you won’t be able to heal yourself like that. Let us help you, we’ll try again later —Edward said, worried.

  —Back off! —Damien shouted—. “DEMONIC BLESSING!”

  Damien’s Dragon Koa began to decrease in order to boost his Nature Koa. He finally collapsed, but the venom had been cured.

  —What was that ability? —Yulian and Edward wondered.

  —“He created a skill that reduces his other Koa types to increase Nature… a risky move, but impressive” —the master thought—. Good. Once Damien catches his breath, we’ll move on.

  On the way to the camp, Yulian approached the master.

  —Master, I know you understood Damien’s ability… what penalty does it have?

  —It’s complicated, but I’ll try… While Koa is the total energy we possess, it’s divided into three basics, each with its own reserve. What Damien did was drain Beast or Legend to a minimum and completely refill Nature. The penalty is that the drained Koa must regenerate on its own, leaving it practically unusable for a while… confusing, but that’s it —the master explained.

  —I thought Nature Koa turned into Beast or Legend depending on the situation, that’s how we learned it —Yulian said, confused.

  —No, Yulian. Each basic Koa has its own reserve. When you learned, you only used Nature Koa to unlock them… Oh, we’ve arrived —the master cut the conversation short.

  Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

  —So the basic Koa are independent… does the next level become a single one? —Yulian wondered silently.

  —Hello, Master Yu-Han. I hope you didn’t have any trouble getting here —said a rather thin young man with short hair, roughly Damien’s age and height.

  —Everything was calm, Carlo. The creatures watch us, but they haven’t dared do anything. How is your training going? —the master asked, noticing no one else nearby.

  —Very well, Master. You need to be strong here or the creatures can be very hostile… I see you noticed I’m alone. My partner… was attacked. He’s inside the tent, but my abilities aren’t good enough to heal him.

  —I see… was that the real reason for the call? Take me to him. I’ll heal him and learn what happened.

  Inside the tent, a man around twenty-five or thirty lay on a bed. He appeared to have been stabbed multiple times in the chest and abdomen. He was alive, but badly injured.

  —Carlo, you did well keeping him alive. I’ll take over now. “Blessing of Imhotep.”

  He placed his hands on the man, and the wounds began to heal.

  —Are you alright, César?

  —Oh, Master, thank you… I thought I was going to die.

  —What happened? —Yulian asked impulsively.

  —I’m not sure… I was patrolling the mountains like every night. The creatures had already grown used to my presence. I heard strange noises near where the “King of the Place” is said to dwell, so I went to investigate… After that it’s blurry. I remember the shadow of a huge being. It attacked me. I couldn’t see it clearly, but its attacks were brutal and destructive. When I tried to fight back, it felt like I did no damage… or maybe I didn’t even land a hit. That’s all I remember.

  —Then we’ll have to find it and destroy it —Yulian said sternly.

  —You’re pretty confident —Edward replied.

  —Those things go around harming humans and get away with it.

  —Hey, we don’t know who did it. We can’t just kill creatures indiscriminately… It doesn’t feel right to kill by mistake —Damien said, recalling the Wendigo incident.

  —It doesn’t matter. They’re monsters. We should erase them all —Yulian continued, agitated.

  —No, wait. You just arrived here. Not all creatures are evil —Carlo intervened.

  —That way of thinking almost got your partner killed —Yulian replied defiantly.

  —Enough! —Yu-Han interrupted—. If you’re going to investigate, then only investigate. No unnecessary fights. You three will go with Carlo to see what’s going on. I need to speak with César once he fully wakes up.

  —Master, if whatever attacked Mr. César is still out there, we won’t be able to do anything. It must be stronger than us —Edward said.

  —There are four of you. Watch each other’s backs. Carlo knows the area well, he’ll guide you. Besides, something tells me whatever attacked César has already left Apalacide. Go now.

  The group left the camp.

  —I warn you… I’ll kill any creature that dares attack me —Yulian stated.

  —I have no problem with you defending yourselves, but I won’t allow you to harm every being that moves —Carlo replied.

  —Hey, take it easy. Sorry about my friend, he’s tense after what he saw. My name’s Damien. Where are you from? I see you speak our language.

  —I’m from Korabia, from the city of Bukrasma. I’ve lived in this country for four or five years, and a few months ago I moved to Apalacide.

  —Oh, we’re from the same place. What’s this area like?

  Carlo and Damien kept talking, slowly forming a small bond, until the apparent calm was broken.

  Branches snapped in the undergrowth. The wind warned of something approaching.

  —Rooaaaawwwrrr… Humans, you brought that thing here.

  A feline appeared before them. It looked like a massive jaguar, releasing Beast Koa.

  —A talking cat? —Edward wondered, terrified.

  —Not just that… why can we understand it? Shouldn’t it speak this country’s language? —Damien wondered, more confused than afraid.

  —Most monsters speak a universal language that thaumaturges understand —Yulian said, releasing his Bear Koa.

  —Advantages of living in the library —Damien joked.

  —Wampus feline, what do you mean? —Carlo asked, stepping forward.

  —You… brought that thing… that monster. It wasn’t a fairy, it wasn’t a cryptid… it could only be a human.

  The feline lunged at Carlo.

  —That’s enough. You can’t reason with these things… “Grizzly Fury.”

  Yulian slashed twice.

  The feline grew two extra arms from its ribs, blocked the attack, and jumped back.

  —What the hell? —Damien and Edward thought.

  —Be careful, Wampus can grow extra arms and take the form of other felines —Carlo warned.

  —Oh, Yulian, you skipped that chapter —Damien joked.

  —This is not the time for jokes! —Yulian snarled.

  —Not just that, human… I can also do this.

  The feline transformed into a four-armed humanoid beast.

  —“Cheetah Speed.”

  It vanished and struck all four, without dealing lethal wounds.

  —Damn, it’s fast —Edward muttered as he stood up.

  —Yeah, but… it’s not that strong —Damien said.

  —What? You think you’re tough, kid?

  —“Siberian Tiger Claw.”

  The blow tore Damien’s shirt, but barely moved him.

  —What? That was one of my best attacks!

  —Now try one of mine… “Fist of Fury.”

  Damien formed a thick gauntlet, wrapped it in sacred Dragon fire, and struck the feline, sending it flying.

  The Wampus fled, turning into a cheetah.

  —Let’s go after it and kill it —Yulian said.

  —It’s not a real threat —Damien replied.

  —We must follow it. It knows what happened to César —Carlo said.

  —It left a blood trail from Damien’s hit… let’s follow it —Edward added.

  None of them noticed the feline was heading straight toward where César had been attacked.

  —Damn it… we shouldn’t have come this far —Carlo said, fear overtaking him—. We must leave.

  —We’re already here —Yulian replied—. I’m not turning back.

  —You don’t understand… we’ve entered the zone where the most powerful supernatural creatures of Apalacide dwell. This place is known as… The Lurking Darkness.

  Sounds rose from all directions. The light dimmed. The fog thickened.

  The same sounds Damien had heard the previous night returned.

  —It’s too late… we’re surrounded —Damien said with grim seriousness, releasing his Koa.

  Who deserves to be spared?

  And what happens when those lines blur?

  Feel free to comment your theories — especially about what truly attacked César.