Episode 2 — The Forest of Fangs

  Two days.

  That’s all it took.

  Two days since their arrival in Altherion—a world teeming with magic, mysticism, and monstrous creatures. And already, they had become legends.

  Word of the Dual Sigil Wielders had spread like wildfire. Whispers passed through the taverns of wandering merchants, to the guarded circles of seasoned adventurers, and down to the children who stared up at them with wide eyes. To the people of Altherion, Diamond and Jaidyn were no longer just two strangers lost in a foreign world. They were something else. Heroes? Perhaps. Terrors? It remained to be seen.

  Some spoke of them as champions—bringers of light in a dark world. Others called them omens—portents of a coming storm. But all agreed on one thing: they were not ordinary.

  Diamond paused, eyes scanning the horizon. The faded map in his hand flapped in the breeze, tattered from use and time. His sharp gaze flicked between the dense forest ahead and the parchment that had led them here. The map had been hidden in the ruins they'd explored, its corners charred and burned. The edges smudged, but the symbol at the center—a mystical sigil—was unmistakable. It had called them forward, a beacon to guide them through the unknown.

  “Everwild Thicket,” Jaidyn read aloud, his voice tinged with amusement as he peered over Diamond’s shoulder. He was chewing on a half-eaten piece of jerky, oblivious to the strange sense of foreboding in the air. “Sounds like a tourist trap.”

  Diamond’s lips quirked, but there was little humor in his expression. “If this is a tourist trap, it’s the kind where people don’t come back.”

  The Everwild Thicket was no ordinary forest. It was an enchanted wilderness, hidden from the unworthy and the curious alike. The dense canopy above blocked most of the sunlight, casting everything in a near-perpetual twilight. Thick mist curled between the trees, swirling like some forgotten memory trying to reclaim the land. Every so often, a strange noise echoed from deep within, an animal call, or perhaps something... else.

  The local villagers spoke of the Bloodfang Packs, terrifying creatures that roamed these woods—wolves twisted by dark magic, beasts corrupted by the Hollow Star cult’s unspeakable rituals. Those who ventured into the Thicket never returned. And those who did… came back changed.

  “Not much farther,” Diamond muttered, folding the map and stowing it in his pack. “Let’s get this over with.”

  As they ventured deeper into the Everwild, the atmosphere grew heavier. The trees loomed taller here, their bark slick and damp with ancient moss. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth, and the ground beneath their boots seemed to shift like sand. They moved with caution, but the deeper they went, the more unnatural it felt.

  The silence of the forest pressed down on them, thick and suffocating. It wasn’t a peaceful quiet, the kind that comes from nature’s serenity. No, this was the kind of quiet that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It was as if the entire forest was waiting—waiting for something.

  Then came the eyes.

  Red. Everywhere.

  Jaidyn’s hand instinctively dropped to his side, near the hilt of his weapon. “You see that?” he asked, voice low.

  Diamond’s expression didn’t change. He had already seen them, peering from the shadows between the trunks of the ancient trees. The glowing red eyes. Dozens of them. It was a feeling he couldn’t shake—a sensation of being watched. And then—almost as if on cue—the silence shattered.

  A wolf, larger than any they’d encountered on Earth, leapt from the underbrush, fur matted and scarred, eyes glowing like burning embers. Its jaws snapped with a thunderous growl.

  “I told you we were getting jumped,” Jaidyn grinned, a wild glint in his eyes.

  Diamond didn’t flinch. He was already moving.

  Combat erupted with the precision of a choreographed dance.

  Diamond was the first to strike. His twin blades hummed with an otherworldly energy as he closed the distance. His eyes flashed with golden light as he unleashed his Temporal Cross Slash. Time itself seemed to freeze as two wolves were caught in midair, suspended in a perfect arc. Diamond’s blades cleaved through them, sending them crashing to the ground with a series of sickening thuds.

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  The battle didn’t stop there.

  Jaidyn was already charging forward, his laughter filling the air.

  “Let’s heat things up! Black Phoenix Burst!”

  A burst of dark flame erupted from his palms, the form of a firebird coalescing from the chaos. With a screech that shook the very air, the Phoenix slammed into the pack, sending wolves flying in every direction. Their cries mixed with the roar of flames as the clearing was engulfed in light and heat.

  Diamond’s eyes narrowed. He wasn’t finished.

  “Chrono Blades!”

  Time wrapped around his weapons as he slashed through another wave of enemies, his movements swift and fluid, as though reality itself bent to his will. The wolves froze, then shattered like glass under his onslaught.

  But then—a roar.

  From the deepest part of the underbrush, a larger shadow moved. The ground trembled as something massive emerged from the trees.

  It was the Alpha.

  Bigger than the rest. A hulking beast covered in jagged scars and ancient sigils that pulsed with dark magic. Its glowing eyes locked onto Diamond and Jaidyn, its growl shaking the leaves from the trees. The others scattered in fear as it stalked forward, the earth beneath its paws cracking with each step.

  “Okay, big guy wants a boss fight,” Jaidyn muttered, cracking his knuckles with a grin. His excitement was palpable, his words dripping with anticipation. He clenched his fists, summoning the void into reality. “Let’s bring the pain. Nyx, show him how it’s done!”

  The void panther Nyx materialized with a burst of fiery darkness, its sleek body writhing with power as it growled at the Alpha. The two squared off in the clearing, the tension between them thick and electric.

  Diamond’s eyes flared silver, and he raised his blades. “Let’s make it quick.”

  The battle was a blur of violence.

  The Alpha lunged first, its jaws snapping toward Jaidyn, who barely dodged with a sideways roll. Without missing a beat, Jaidyn summoned a wave of gravity, slamming the beast to the ground and pinning its massive paws beneath his weight.

  Diamond didn’t wait. He rewound the moment—twisting the threads of time—avoiding the Alpha’s claws even as they slashed through the air in front of him. His blades moved like light, striking with precision as he hacked through the air.

  “Temporal Shift!” Diamond called out, slowing time around him.

  Jaidyn’s laughter rang through the forest as his flame surged once more.

  “This guy’s toast. Black Phoenix Burst—Encore!”

  For a moment, it was like a symphony of destruction—time and void woven together in a deadly harmony. Diamond’s movements were fluid, effortless, as he danced around the Alpha’s attacks, dodging and striking with expert timing. Jaidyn’s flames crashed like tidal waves, engulfing the Alpha in an inferno that tore through the air.

  And then—at the perfect moment—Diamond slowed time, his eyes glowing silver as he sliced through the air.

  “Now, Jaidyn!”

  Jaidyn grinned, his flame-powered fist crackling with power.

  “VOID SLICE REWIND!”

  Two attacks, launched in perfect sync—one from Diamond, one from Jaidyn—struck at the same time. The Alpha was hit by both in a split second. It let out one last, ear-splitting howl before collapsing to the ground, its body limp, the magical sigils fading from its fur.

  The forest went still.

  Diamond wiped sweat from his brow, his breathing heavy but controlled.

  “That... was fire,” Jaidyn panted, looking at the fallen beast with a grin.

  “No pun intended,” Diamond replied dryly, sheathing his blades.

  But their victory was short-lived.

  From the treetops, a voice cut through the stillness.

  “Not bad... for outsiders.”

  A sharp whistle followed by the thunk of an arrow pierced the air.

  Jaidyn spun, only to find a wolf pinned behind him, the arrow lodged deep in its skull. His eyes followed the trajectory, narrowing as they landed on the figure perched in the trees above.

  A woman.

  A half-elf. Cloaked in the shadows of the Everwild, her green eyes glimmering with an intelligence that could see through to the very marrow of their bones. She didn’t speak—she didn’t need to. Her gaze said everything. Calculating. Guarded.

  Diamond lowered his blades, hands raised in a gesture of peace.

  “We didn’t mean any harm.”

  Jaidyn, ever the free spirit, chuckled and gave a cocky grin.

  “But, hey, we’re already naming our moves. And trust me, Wolf-Frying 101 is a hit.”

  The woman, Kaela Virewyn, half-elf ranger of the Everwild, regarded them warily, her bow never leaving its notch. For a long moment, she said nothing. The forest seemed to hold its breath.

  Finally, she spoke, her voice low and steady.

  “You’ve got strong magic. But that doesn’t mean I trust you.”

  Diamond didn’t argue.

  “Fair enough.”

  Jaidyn didn’t seem to care. He stretched his arms out, watching the still-smoldering remains of the Alpha.

  “I trust us.”

  The tension between the three was thick. But despite Kaela’s mistrust, she agreed—reluctantly—to guide them through the Everwild Thicket.

  As they walked, she tested them with riddles, traps, and misdirection. The half-elf had a wicked sense of humor, and for each challenge, Jaidyn met it with unrestrained energy. Diamond, ever the tactician, analyzed their environment with a cool head.

  But it wasn’t until the three of them worked together to save a small fox spirit from a collapsing root beast that Kaela’s stance softened. Her respect, while still wary, had begun to grow. She couldn’t help but admire their teamwork.

  That night, by the hidden spring where the firelight flickered between the trees, a wounded child caught in a Bloodfang trap that the ranger finally began to soften.

  “Maybe... you’re not like the others.”

  Jaidyn smirked. “We’ve been saying that since Day One.”

  Diamond merely nodded, eyes focused ahead.

  As night fell and the trio camped beneath the dense trees, the forest began to feel just a little less ominous. The moonlight shone through a break in the canopy, casting silver across Kaela’s bow, Diamond’s blades, and Jaidyn’s lazy grin.

  There was still so much they didn’t know. About this world. About the sigils on their skin. About the Hollow Star and what they were becoming.

  But for now… they had each other. And that was enough.