He awoke to silence—the eerie sound of nothingness, loneliness, and isolation.

  His eyes scoured the dimly lit clearing, seeking any signs of life. Anna had laid him down, presumably, and slept beside him, but she was gone. Nobody was there at all.

  Leo turned his head as he gulped. Surely, someone was here, right? There was no way everybody had left and forgotten about him. Thoughts and fears swirled in his tiny mind, knocking and scraping against the walls of his psyche. Then, the lights went out.

  A gasp left his lips as he involuntarily jolted. Consumed by darkness once again, but this time, not the dark curtain of sleep, instead, the suffocating aura of this twisted forest. His jaws clamped shut, forcing his gums together, grinding their firm, yet soft, forms. This was something his tiny, newly developed heart couldn't handle. It slammed against his frail ribcage, demanding an answer to its fears. Tears threatened to burst through his ducts, but he knew it wasn't time to cry, and he was right.

  His heart nearly burst. A low, rhythmic thud filled the void. It approached, rustling with each heavy step, marching deliberately, like a machine. The invisible hands on a non-existent clock ticked as Leo waited, each breath could be his last.

  The footsteps stopped near the entrance to the safe clearing. Leo's ears pulsed, straining for anything that would tell him he was alright, as his eyes throbbed, adjusting to the darkness. He turned as much as he could to face the entrance. Then, he searched for the source of his fears.

  "Are you sure this is a good idea?" a gruff voice huffed from the entrance.

  Another pair of steps entered, much nimbler than the last. Then a woman spoke, her voice high and cheery. "Of course! Don't tell me you're scared of a B-level forest, right? Besides, I'm sure those rats love coming here, thinking we're cowards."

  A shiver ran through Leo's spine. What? What happened to everyone else? Did they already get beaten and hauled off? The thought caused a small cry to leave his lips.

  "Huh?" the man asked. Loud, heavy steps thudded as he began moving.

  The lady laughed. "Oh my...it seems like I was right. Here comes the fun."

  Footsteps inched closer and closer to Leo. It was too much. His stomach began to churn, threatening to spill what remained in his gut. With all his might, Leo pushed it down, resisting the powerful instincts of an infant: the urge to cry, vomit, defecate, and so much more. Pressure filled his soft skull, threatening to burst like a balloon.

  Something reached out from the darkness, materializing through the void, towards his face. Then it touched him. Soft, delicate fingers wrapping around his face.

  "Oops! Haha," the woman laughed, seemingly kneeling right in front of him. Leo's body froze, tensing up like he had just been killed. He might as well be dead. Still, he shivered as her hand traveled down his tiny form, searching for a grip. Suddenly, something erupted out of the darkness between them. Their arm scooped him up as they rose, breaking the woman's contact with his body.

  A surprised gasp leaves the woman's lips at the sudden existence of another person. In the dark, Leo could hear the familiar labored breaths of his savior, desperate and anxious.

  "Woah, now what do we have here?" the lady said, and with a snap, he was blind.

  Leo winced, slamming his eyes shut at the explosion of light. The person holding him gasped and stumbled backward, while the woman laughed. A cry left his lips as his hands reactively reached up to protect them. After the glare faded, he opened his eyes.

  Anna held him so tight he could barely breathe, her blue-grayish face now pale, stricken with fear. In front of them was a woman, her blonde locks flowed around her shoulders like a stream, while her green eyes gleamed mischievously, with a playful smile on her face. The tip of her thumb and middle finger touched as a fireball hovered over them. She took a step towards them.

  "What do you want?" Anna asked, nearly tripping as she took another step back. Despite that, she didn't look down, keeping her eyes glued on the mysterious woman.

  The woman grinned, baring her neat teeth. "You scared me, girl. I'm just here to help you, that's all." Anna gulped as she took another step back, hitting something with a meaty thud. A cry hitched in her throat as they found themselves falling backward. With an oompf, she landed on something invisible, eliciting a muffled groan from beneath her. Anna's head dropped as she looked for the source of the sound, her hand patting beneath her, trying to understand what was happening.

  "Jade, what are you doing?" the man sighed. He made his way over, diligently stepping over whatever was littered on the ground. "There's a spell here. Something's on the floor, but we can't see what it is."

  "Yeah, yeah, I know," Jade said, keeping her eyes on Anna and Leo. "This one's pretty. You'd serve well, wouldn't you darling?" her lips curled into a satisfied smile as she reached out.

  Anna scooted back in response, falling off the invisible thing and onto the floor. Her eyes widened as she clutched Leo tighter. She seemed reluctant to do something as if there was a consequence if she did. Jade's smile widened as she stepped over an invisible form. Leo's face scrunched up in fear and panic ensued. Wails and sobs cut into the air, tears streaming down his face as he lost control over his body.

  "Stay back!" Anna demanded, her voice trembling. Her body quaked as she nearly hyperventilated, shaking Leo in her arms, her wide, wary eyes filling with tears.

  Jade licked her lips, a predatory look in her eyes. "You'll sell for a pretty penny." With those words, she lunged forward, the fireball turning into a long, metal chain.

  The chain zipped past them as Anna squeezed her arms, her body tensing before a loud whoosh! blasted through the air. In a moment, they were in the sky. His heart soared as time seemed to slow down, mesmerized by the feeling of weightlessness. As time halted, he scanned the canopy. Seeing vines that hung high and low, tangled and twisted, even digging into the trees they grew from.

  Anna flipped backward with Leo in her arms, controlling their descent with a breeze blowing past their ears. Below them, the others had awoken, separating themselves from the two intruders. Jade flicked her hair as she gazed up at the two of them in the sky, while the man looked at the group of scared children.

  "Well, well, well...look who can use magic, eh?" Jade huffed as Anna landed with a soft thud. The playfulness in Jade's eyes returned as she waved a hand. "Fornax." Instantly, a fiery roar tore through the silence as a wall of flames encircled their enclosure, forcing Leo and Anna to squint. The man grunted, seemingly unamused by his partner's antics. Slowly, Jade walked over to them.

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  Anna stepped back, but this time, not out of fear, but instead, with a fierce, determined gaze. She gulped as beads of sweat dripped down her face. It was hellishly hot, like a scorching furnace; the whites of the flames made Anna's skin reflect a greenish hue.

  She licked her flaked lips before speaking to him. "Leo, big sis has to break the rules here. Don't look okay?" Anna turned, her eyes staring into Markus', signaling for him to come and take Leo. Markus nodded, slowly taking a step forward, but before he could, a girl broke from the crowd and raced to Anna.

  "Please, let me hold him. My cousin, Markus, can fight too if we need...I'll hold the baby," the young dwendol girl asked, her eyes pleading.

  "Okay, take him," Anna said, and Leo felt a fresh set of hands take him. His heart threatened to stop as his pudgy hands reached for her but grasped nothing. Was this actually happening? No way Anna could...beat her. Leo's heart ached as he doubted his sister. He knew it was wrong to doubt; he should believe, but he couldn't.

  Jade laughed in amusement, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "My, oh my. You're really going to fight me?" Jade shrugged. "I guess that's the only thing you can do." With a flick of her wrist, sparks flew from Jade's hand, piercing through the air at Anna; Jade's eyes glowing with magic as her move unfolded.

  It reminded him of fireworks, the way those sparks erupted into various colors with a scream. Anna recoiled in pain as a clap sounded. Leo's ears popped and rang as the sparks seemingly had their life taken from them. Sticks and dirt kicked up as Anna slid back from her spell. Her shoulders tensed in pain before relaxing.

  "A vacuum? Who taught you that?" Jade said, tugging on her earlobes, trying to equalize the pressure. "You really will make me work for that pretty penny huh?"

  Anna's hands hung at her sides as she shook one of her arms, causing the smoke from the flames to swirl around it. Jade smirked and lifted a finger into the sky. Slowly, a buzz emitted around her fingertip, crackling with static energy. The electricity slowly swirled into a rough sphere with arms that whipped at particles in the air.

  "You can play with fire all you want, dear thing," Jade said as the neon ball of electricity condensed into a small sphere above her fingertip. "But the question is, will you use a spell? Or are you strong enough to wield it to your wishes?"

  The smoke around Anna's arms swirled like a thick, puffy sleeve. Hints of embers pulsed from inside the cloud like a heartbeat. With each pulse it gave Leo hope; hope that maybe Anna would win, or at least stall the fight long enough for them to be rescued.

  Jade cocked her head, a smirk on her lips, while Anna took a step forward. The arms holding Leo tightened like the tense, burning atmosphere.

  "What's the matter?" Jade asked as she pointed her finger at Anna, causing her to flinch. "Scared?" With a devious giggle, the condensed sphere of electricity zoomed toward Anna with a static zip.

  "Vortex!" Anna shouted, bringing her arm up to block the sphere. The sleeve around her arm erupted into a dark, ominous twister, blocking the ball of electricity.

  An electric screech pierced through the crackling flames, and yellow arms lashed out of the ashen vortex, wildly whipping in every direction. The children surged left and right in an attempt to dodge them. Markus' cousin followed, rocking Leo back and forth like a wave. As his eyes sloshed around with his swinging head, he saw the frightened look on the group's faces, their mouths agape in deaf screams as they dodged for their lives.

  The mess of magic continued, obliterating the clearing around them. Trees were knocked down, vines flung through the air, and electricity zapped through their bodies. It was the most chaotic thing he had ever experienced in his life.

  After an eternity, the spells died down and the silence returned. Rays of light shone through the hole in the canopy, illuminating the battlefield before them. What stood before him, formed a pit in his stomach.

  With a thud, Anna crumbled to the floor. Her head crashed against a log, with thorny vines wrapped around her body, tearing into her flesh. The sunlight revealed her face. Exposing her dull, faded green eyes, and cracked, bleeding lips. Burns scorched her shirt, leaving black marks on the edges, while holes were punched clean through her clothes by the electric arms, leaving bright red marks.

  "Anna!" Markus screamed as he raced towards her lifeless body. Leo's heart pounded as he squirmed in the arms that held him, trying with all his might to reach his sister.

  For the first time, he felt the true fear of possibly losing someone forever. To never see them again, hear their voice, or feel their touch. Nothing.

  In the distance, Jade got up and wiped the sweat from her brow. Her chest heaved with a sigh as she walked towards Anna, where Markus was already removing the vines and thorns from her flesh.

  "Play times over," Jade said with a smirk, her words dripping with amusement. "Maybe I played too hard."

  Her partner walked into the clearing, the light unveiling the shadows that hid his face. Short, black hair framed his face, exposing his hardened, brown eyes and scars that bore through the sides of his face, the reminders of past battles and adventures. Broad shoulders built his towering frame, and everything he carried seemed too large for someone to bear.

  With a wide, calloused hand, he grabbed Jade's shoulder, pulling her back. "That's enough. You know the deal we struck. We're not taking anybody." His voice was cool and stern, reverberating with a deep bass.

  Jade turned and squinted at him. "So what, Roland? Don't tell me you actually care about some damn dwendols." Roland ignored her and looked at Markus tending Anna's limp form.

  "Kid, we won't do anything to you anymore. I'll make sure of it," Roland said. Suddenly, he reached into his pouch and took out a small vial, the size of a peapod, and inside was a light-blue liquid with a small, dark root. He took a gentle step forward before kneeling. "Open your hand."

  Markus obliged and slowly opened his hand. Roland placed the vial in his palm before getting up and turning on his heel. "It's a Sustenance Potion. Give it to her quickly, and she'll be saved."

  With a pop, the cork came off, and Markus spilled the liquid into Anna's mouth.

  "You can't be serious," Jade hissed. Her eyes pierced into Roland's back as he began to walk away.

  He paused in his step before turning to face her. "Jade, it's not worth it. Trust me. I would rather not deal with something right now." Roland explained, but something was off. His eyebrows furrowed as hints of anxiety seeped into his words.

  "Huh?" Jade asked, perplexed. "Like—"

  A familiar voice rang through the forest, cutting her off. Then, what sounded like a stampede came from behind Leo, he could hear it ripping through the trees that stood in its way, tearing them to shreds.

  "Leave!" the voice commanded. Instantly, the magic took hold, forcing everyone to get up and sprint towards the exit.

  Markus scooped Anna up before racing to the exit, Jade and Roland followed suit, and the children flooded after them. Although he wasn't running, Leo could feel the magic spur him on, filling his muscles with renewed strength and endurance.

  In the chaos, Leo managed to turn his head, catching a glimpse of the problem.

  Trees were blown away at deadly speeds, punching through to the other side, and disappearing into the forest. Leo's eye locked onto a familiar figure that followed the trees through the air.

  Aunt Maggie's heels dug into the ground as she slid to a sudden halt. Her chest heaved through her tattered shirt, dirt marked her face, and twigs tangled in her long, blonde hair. She shuddered to the ground, stretching her arm out to catch herself with bloody hands. Slowly, her eyes tilted up, looking in front of her.

  A monstrous creature blasted through the gnarled trees with a roar. Its enormous tusks tore into the earth, shaking the planet as it stomped forward. Before them in all its glory was a behemoth of a boar, with vines clinging onto its dark green fur, and red, glowing eyes piercing into their souls. Steam spouted from its nostrils with every breath as seemingly acidic saliva drooled onto the ground.

  A new, abrupt sound overtook his senses. It was a dark sound, one of imminent danger. It was new, but Leo knew what it meant.

  NEW CREATURE DISCOVERED

  [Orcboar]

  LEVEL: 15

  HEALTH: 87%

  'An orc and a boar in one. How wonderful...'

  Standing in the sunlight, Maggie faced the beast head-on, the spotlight was on her now. Leo's life was now in her hands.