"Thank you," Abel said with genuine gratitude, rotating his shoulder to test its mobility.
His twin brother Cain nudged him hard enough to almost knock him over, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "You shouldn't have gotten hit by that attack in the first place. You need to start keeping up, slowpoke. I've killed three monsters to your two."
Abel rolled his eyes dramatically. "I was attacked by several monsters at the same time, unlike you who keeps picking off the weak ones at the edge." He mimicked his brother's voice with exaggerated pomposity. "'Oh look at me, I'm Cain, I only fight monsters that are already half-dead.'"
"Half-dead?" Cain clutched his chest in mock offense. "The only thing half-dead around here is your reaction time. I swear we shared the womb for nine months and you still came out slower."
"Yeah, because I let you go first," Abel shot back. "Always cleaning up your messes, even before birth."
"Is that what you call it? Because from where I stand—"
"You two realize you're literally the same person split in half, right?" Jasmine interrupted, fighting back a smile.
Both twins turned to her simultaneously with identical expressions of outrage.
"We are NOTHING alike!" they declared in perfect unison, then glared at each other for the jinx.
Before the bickering could escalate, Theodore stepped between them.
"Alright, guys. We've all done well so far. We're making good progress through the area." Theodore's voice was firm but encouraging. "But let's not let our guard down now. The forest gets denser ahead, and according to the monsters we have been encountering, we're approaching territory where stronger monsters reside."
Cain and Abel exchanged a glance, their squabble forgotten in an instant.
"Sorry, Theo," Abel said, adjusting his light armour.
"Won't happen again," Cain added, checking his blade's edge with his fingers.
"Until the next time it happens," Jasmine murmured under her breath, earning a suppressed chuckle from the other member of their party.
"Form up," Theodore ordered, scanning the path ahead with experienced eyes.
The group fell into position quickly. For all their banter and teasing, they functioned remarkably well as a unit.
They moved deeper into the forest, unaware that their true test was about to begin—or that their mentor watched from afar, measuring their every move, every decision.
From his vantage point, Arthur nodded in silent approval at their formation and recovery time. "Not bad," he murmured. "But let's see how they handle something beyond their experience."
"We haven't encountered any monsters in a while," A member said, her soft voice carrying the tension inside her as she scanned the surrounding trees with narrowed eyes.
Theodore at the front nodded, a deep frown creasing his forehead. His hand instinctively tightened around the hilt of his sword.
Not seeing any monsters in a forest where they usually thrived was unsettling. The natural sounds of the forest had gone silent.
'Something is off,' Theodore thought, raising his hand to halt the group.
"Everyone, be careful. Do not let your guard down." His voice dropped to just above a whisper. "Something is wrong. A new predator might have emerged in the area. Stay alert!"
The members nodded, instantly shifting into a tighter defensive formation. The twins moved closer together, their earlier bickering forgotten as they positioned themselves to cover each other's blind spots.
Jasmine, in the middle of the group glanced at Lupin. The massive wolf walked beside her, his silver fur rippling over powerful muscles, his eyes scanning the forest.
'Lupin is strong enough to one-shot any monster around here. But he won't act unless someone is at risk of dying,' she thought, drawing comfort from the wolf's presence.
Arthur had promised Jasmine that he would give her Lupin for training purposes, a guardian to keep the team safe while they developed their skills. What she didn't know was that even Lupin could not protect the team from their incoming challenge.
The wolf's ears suddenly pricked forward, a low growl rumbling in his chest. Jasmine felt her pulse quicken.
"Something's coming," she warned, placing a hand on Lupin's back to steady herself. The fact that Lupin felt in danger made Jasmine feel somewhat scared.
"What is that?" Abel whispered.
"Nothing good," Cain replied, drawing his blade in one fluid motion.
Theodore stepped forward, placing himself between his team and the incoming calamity. "Stay behind me. Tanks, prepare..."
The words died in his throat as a figure emerged from behind the trees.
Gasps tore from the group. Even Jasmine couldn't contain her shock.
"This..." Theodore's voice caught, his grip on his sword turning white-knuckled. "A demon."
They all knew how demons looked—not from personal encounters, but from countless drawings, tales whispered around the village, and warnings from village elders.
The real thing, however, made those descriptions pale in comparison.
Two horns protruded from its head, curving backward like obsidian scythes. Its pitch-black skin absorbed light rather than reflected it, making it seem like a hole torn in reality.
Across its muscled body, molten veins of lava pulsed and flowed like lightning frozen in mid-strike. From its back, long tendrils of dark miasma writhed and danced, giving the illusion of wings or flowing smoke.
The demon's eyes fixed on them with predatory intelligence.
Suddenly...It smiled, a smile that sent shivers down their spine.
In perfect unison, everyone took an instinctive step back.
A blur of silver motion startled Jasmine as Lupin vanished from beside her, reappearing at the front line. The massive wolf's stance was no longer casual. His body lowered, muscles bunched, teeth bared in a snarl that revealed fangs meant for tearing through monster hide.
'This isn't a joke,' Jasmine realized, cold dread pooling in her stomach. 'It's deadly serious. Lupin is taking action—this demon isn't to be messed with. It could kill us.'
If the guardian wolf considered this threat intervention-worthy, they were in far deeper danger than any training exercise should present.
The demon's mouth split into a grin that stretched unnaturally wide, revealing rows of serrated teeth. It hissed, its voice like steel scraping over granite.
"Formation delta!" Theodore shouted, snapping everyone from their terrified trance. "Cain, Abel—flanking positions! Archers take the high ground! Jasmine prepare for immediate healing, now!"
Theodore immediately activated his talent and buffed the whole team, including Lupin at the front.