The lone tent stood as the only remaining sign of life in the dim desolation, its weak flame flickering defiantly in the gloom through the walls—a solitary beacon in the empty wasteland, destined to fade eventually for it had been truly left behind.

  It stood as a silent testament to the ones who had sheltered there—a group of players and an odd pair of survivors—a young man and a woman. Now, the camp was abandoned, left in eerie stillness within its obsidian enclosure, a ghost of their fleeting presence.

  The quiet shattered abruptly.

  A loud, rhythmic flapping echoed overhead, its unnatural sound reverberating through the air. Suddenly, something massive descended, slamming into the tent with a bone-crushing impact. The small flame inside was snuffed out instantly, the tent flattened beneath the weight of a monstrous paw.

  The creature stood in grotesque glory, a nightmare given skin and bones. It loomed four meters tall, its skeletal frame hunched over, with four unnervingly slim, jointed limbs that seemed built for both speed and precision. Its gaunt appearance suggested starvation, but the predator’s form was unmistakably deadly. Two massive wings unfurled from its back, spanning wide like a shadow cast over the land. These wings, combined with its light frame, allowed it to hunt both in the skies and on the ground.

  Its ash-white skin stretched taut over bones that seemed ready to pierce through, giving it an otherworldly appearance. Its pointed head resembled a natural spear, crowned with jagged black horns, and its face—if it could be called that—was an empty black skull with eye sockets that seemed to swallow all light. In summary, it's pale, skeletal bird made of skins and bones adorned by a black, horned skull securing its head that seems to have grown naturally through evolutionary means.

  The predator paused, its lightless sockets locking onto a gap in the rocky barrier with a malicious intent. Its beak opened, revealing rows of needle-like teeth as it let out an earsplitting shriek. The sound was inhuman, a keening wail that could only belong to a monster forged in nightmares.

  ***

  Kaiser felt his heart lurch at the sound, a reflexive jolt of primal fear tightening his chest. Despite the distance they had already put between themselves and the camp, the cry felt far too close. He glanced over his shoulder as they ran, his sharp vision easily spotting the creature's dark silhouette against the eerie, oceanic sky, ominously flying over the rocky terrain below. It glides above, circling like a vulture searching for prey, and it won't take long before it notices them.

  “What the hell is that?” Kaiser gasped amidst their run.

  Hazie, who's gritting her teeth as she forced herself to run despite her injuries, grimaced through the constant pain sent by her lag. She bit back a groan and forced a smile.

  “What do you think?”

  “Uh, the devil...?” Kaiser offered grimly after some hesitation, glancing over his shoulder once more.

  “It’s an aerial animal, Kaiser. A bird. Aves. Unidentified flying creature. Take your pick,” she said tersely, her focus split between running and enduring the sharp stabs of pain in her leg.

  “Yeah, thanks for that, I’ll just call it a pterodactyl,” he shot back sarcastically, still running.

  She chuckled despite the pain she was enduring. “It’s Pterodactyl, Kai! Do you even listen in class?”

  “I slacked off most of the time,” Kaiser admitted bluntly, his breath hitching. “But I don’t see how that’s relevant when a f**ing pterodactyl is trying to get us!”

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  “Again, it’s Pterodactyl!” Hazie snapped, her pain evident even as she pushed her injured leg to keep moving. “And maybe stop talking and—just run! We’re—”

  Hazie’s words cut off as her leg gave out entirely. She stumbled forward, crashing hard onto the hard obsidian ground. Her momentum sent her rolling across the uneven surface, dust and debris clinging to her battered form.

  “Hazie!” Kaiser’s voice was sharp with urgency as he rushed back to her. His feet skidded across the rocky ground, chest tight as he hauled her up. His heart sank further when he looked to the sky, catching sight of the predator’s shadow closing in with unnerving precision.

  “It’s getting closer,” he muttered under his breath, his tone edged with frustration.

  Hazie leaned heavily against him for a moment, her face twisted in pain before she pushed herself upright. She shot him a glare, one more exasperated than angry. “Why did you come back? You should have ho ahead without me.”

  Kaiser gave her a questioning look. Making her avert her gaze, her voice softening. “S-Sorry, Kai, for being the slow one.” A bitter smile crept onto her lips as she looked at her injured leg. “I overestimated this leg. I’m at my limit. If we keep going together, I’ll just slow you down.”

  Her hesitation was brief but palpable as she added, “Change of plans. We’ll split up. You go to the cave I told you about and wait for me there. I’ll manage somehow. If I don’t…” Her voice faltered, but she pushed through with forced conviction. “Then I’ll wish you the best.”

  Kaiser stared at her, his expression darkening.

  Their original plan was straightforward: run, but it wasn’t as simple as it sounded due to factors affecting the circumstances stacked against them, each one chipping away at their chances of survival. Their pursuer was airborne, giving it a clear advantage, and they didn’t have the luxury of foresight—no some sort of diviner to predict the attack a day in advance, as the camp of organized Players had done.

  The attack had come without warning, leaving them scrambling to adapt with little time to prepare or chart a safe path. Their options were few and far between, forcing them to place their hopes on a cave Hazie had seen during her travels with other campers. It was the only potential shelter within reach that could save them from the predatory creature capable of flight they're incapable of outrunning.

  But getting there was far from guaranteed. Reaching it was a gamble—another desperate wager in a world where nothing was certain, and every step felt like a roll of the dice. With each passing moment, the odds seemed to tilt further out of their favor, yet they had no choice but to bet everything on this uncertain path. Nothing new, really.

  Now, with Hazie’s leg giving out, the odds of reaching it together had plummeted.

  Hazie’s tone grew steadier, a strange calm washing over her as she continued, still forcing a smile. “Don’t worry too much about me. I’ve managed through a similar situation before. We’ll meet up eventually.”

  Her words were meant to comfort, but Kaiser could see the grim resignation in her eyes. She wasn’t just saying this for him—she was trying to convince herself, as well.

  His jew clinched, torn between his instincts and his better judgment. Kai was no gentleman—that much he knew. He would rather let Hazie fend for herself than risk exposing the truth about his strength. The reasons were as practical as they were personal. Hazie was tough, resourceful, and capable in her own right, but trust was another matter and his no fool to believe in someone he barely knew despite their friendliness in the short amount of time they spent together.

  What if she had sinister motives? What if this whole ordeal was a setup, a ploy to lure him into revealing his power so she—or her unseen companions—could exploit it using sinister abilities? The possibility gnawed at him, feeding his paranoia. If she discovered what he could do, would she end up manipulating him? what questions would follow? Questions he wasn’t ready to answer, secrets he wasn’t willing to share. Above all, it would make things complicated between them because of the suspicion he would attract. After all, humans were instinctively wary of the strong.

  It was safer this way. Safer to keep his abilities hidden, to let her believe he was just another survivor scraping by.

  Still, practicality demanded compromise. He had taken all the luggage—the sleeping bag, the food supplies—to lighten her burden, leaving her free to focus on running. But her injury had reached its limit, and her suggestion to split up hung heavily in the air. If he listened to her, she might survive on her own. Or she might not. And if he stayed... if he acted... it would mean risking things personal to him.

  Above them, the predator let out another blood-curdling shriek, the sound slicing through the tense air like a blade. Its pale form shifted from a lazy glide into a sharp dive. There's no point questioning why, for its evident it had spotted them.

  Sighing, Kaiser glanced over his shoulder, his sharp eyes catching the skeletal silhouette descending with unnerving speed. There was no time left. He exhaled deeply, the weight of his decision settling over him.

  “Haze,” he said, his voice steady despite the chaos around them. “Climb on my back.”

  “That won’t work," she replied, panting through gritted teeth. “We’re both less likely to make it that way. Let’s separate—”

  If Kai can't handle bearing all the luggage and her weight in a full sprint, fast enough to outrun a diving glider, it was indeed courting death.

  If...

  Before she could finish, however, Kai crouched and swept her off the ground in one fluid motion, hoisting her over his shoulder.

  “Wha—Kai!” Hazie’s voice rose in protest, but the words were snatched away as the world around her became a passing blurred.

  The ground became a streak of dark obsidians beneath their feet, and the air howled as it whipped past them. Hazie’s pink hair flew wildly, tangling in the rushing wind, and her expression twisted from shock to something almost comical. For a moment, she forgot she was being carried by a young man; the speed at which they moved felt unreal, like she had been thrown onto a vehicle speeding through the jagged landscape... Not a human.

  And behind them was a diving terror descending from the sky.