Isaac stood up after eating, dusting off his pants and tightening the axe handle strapped to his back.
"We'll move in fifteen minutes," he said, glancing outside the cave. "The mist's getting thin. Less monsters out during the heat."
Aiah finished the last of the rabbit meat and stretched her arms. "Deeper into the Third Core… you sure?"
He didn't answer right away.
"I need more strength," Isaac finally said. "We both do."
Aiah nodded, but concern flickered in her eyes. She picked up her dagger and walked to the edge of the cave with him.
As they walked, Aiah couldn't help but glance at the small locust resting near the back of Isaac's head.
"How do you even control a swarm of locusts?" she asked, half-joking. "You a breeder or something?"
Isaac didn't respond.
Aiah cleared her throat awkwardly. "Just messing with you."
"We used to kill them," Isaac finally said. "They were pests on the farm."
"Really?" Her brows furrowed.
"They strip crops and vegetation bare. We hated them."
"Then why…" Aiah trailed off. "Why do they listen to you now?"
"I don't know. They just came to me, asking for my command. That's how we got away from those soldiers."
Aiah blinked. "They asked you… for command? So they talk to you?"
"Yes. Through my mind."
Aiah looked like she wanted to laugh but held it in.
Isaac smirked. "Tiny, perch on her nose."
The little locust flew from his head and landed on Aiah's nose.
She yelped and tried to swat it away, but Tiny dodged easily and perched again. She tried a second time with the same result.
"Farm boy, call him off or I'll roast your bug."
"Tiny, go back."
Tiny zipped away and buried himself deep in Isaac's hair.
Isaac let out a breath. "Ever since I recovered from near-death… strange things have been happening to me."
"Yeah," Aiah muttered. "You're weird."
They continued deeper into the forest. The air thickened. Light faded under the canopy of massive trees.
They were back in the Third Core.
Soon, they reached the ravine where the old cave, once Belga's hive, had collapsed. Carefully, they descended the slope.
A narrow path twisted between two cliffs, leading to a darker forest beyond.
Isaac's eyes scanned every shadow. His steps slowed.
Something felt wrong.
He raised a hand. "Stop."
Aiah froze.
"Something ahead," he said in a low voice. "Movement. Small. Maybe human."
They moved cautiously, inching forward until they saw her.
A girl, no older than twelve, crouched behind a rock. Her clothes were torn, her skin pale. Her hands shook, and her eyes were wild and empty.
She flinched when Aiah stepped forward.
"It's okay," Aiah said gently. "We're not here to hurt you."
The girl looked at Isaac. Her lips quivered, then tears spilled down her cheeks.
"We were just prisoners in the capital… then we woke up here. And my companions… they're gone. Everyone… the monster took them."
"Monster?" Isaac asked. "What kind?"
"I-It had golden fur… half like us, but it had four legs and stood as tall as a tree. And it had others… monsters. Their mouths…" she gagged and couldn't finish.
Aiah knelt and wrapped a cloak around the girl.
Isaac glanced around. The forest was quiet. Too quiet.
"We need to get her back to camp," Aiah whispered.
Isaac shook his head. "She's the reason we're here."
"What do you mean?" Aiah asked.
"We need to find them and save those people"
Aiah's eyes widened. "Isaac… you're not seriously planning to fight that thing with just the two of us?"
He glanced at her, steady and cold.
"We can't afford to let something happen to your people."
That's when it hit her.
Aiah's breath caught in her throat. Guilt twisted in her chest. These weren't just random survivors.
They were her people, the ones she must protect.
He crouched beside the girl. "What's your name?"
She sniffled. "Mona…"
"Alright, Mona. Stay here with Aiah. I'll mark the path ahead."
"Wait…" Aiah started, but Isaac was already moving into the woods.
She cursed under her breath and turned to the girl.
"Don't move. And don't worry. He's reckless… but he's strong."
Mona just nodded, curling against the rock.
As they moved deeper, they reached the last stretch of the Third Core. The air was heavier here.
Isaac crouched near a tree stump, hand brushing the dirt. No tracks. No animal sounds. Not even the buzzing of insects.
"Something's off," he muttered.
Aiah stood behind him, eyes scanning the dark shapes around them. "I feel it too. It's too quiet."
Mona trailed behind them, staying close but low. Her eyes darted around nervously. When the silence thickened, she froze, crouched behind a rock, and pressed her small body against the bark. She didn't speak. She just watched.
They moved forward slowly, stepping over twisted roots and fallen branches. The deeper they went, the worse the smell became, a mix of rot and metal. Blood, and something ancient.
Suddenly, Tiny's wings flared. It screeched and shot upward.
Isaac spun around, just in time to see a dark shape drop from the canopy above.
"Move!"
He tackled Aiah to the side as the ground where they stood exploded.
A black blur landed with a heavy thud. It stood upright, seven feet tall, skin like tar, a gaping mouth that split down the middle. Its glowing yellow eyes locked onto them. Its claws gleamed like knives.
The system flashed in Isaac's vision.
[Name: Dark Hound
Type: Beast - Hunter
Rank: B
Status: Aggressive
Abilities: Unknown - Authority too low
Weakness: Unknown - Authority too low]
It moved fast.
Too fast.
The hound lunged.
Isaac rolled left, drew his axe, and swung. The blade cut into its shoulder, but it didn't stop. It barely flinched.
Aiah threw a burst of fire at its side. Flames licked its skin, but the hound leapt through the blaze, crashing into her like a boulder.
"Aiah!"
Isaac roared and slammed the butt of his axe into its jaw, then kicked the beast off her. He stood between them, chest heaving. The creature circled, slower now, its head tilting in sharp, unnatural angles.
Behind a rock, Mona whimpered and covered her ears, trembling. She buried her face in her knees, but peeked through the gaps in her fingers. Her wide eyes locked on Isaac.
The hound screeched again, and vanished into mist.
"It can cloak," Isaac muttered.
He gritted his teeth, spreading his stance, focusing. Listening.
"Swarm Authority," he whispered
[Activate Swarm Authority? Y/N]
"Yes."
[Command is required.]
'Not yet,' Isaac thought. 'Wait for it…'
Then… a shift in air behind him.
He spun.
The hound was mid-leap, fangs aimed for his head.
Time slowed.
Isaac dropped to one knee, planted his axe into the ground, and yelled…
"Attack!"
"Tiny, now!"
The tree exploded. A dozen locusts rained down, slamming into the monster midair, knocking it off course.
Isaac rose, gripped his axe, and swung it upward straight into the hound's chest. Bone cracked. The monster shrieked as the swarm tore at its flesh.
It fell to the ground, twitching violently.
Isaac didn't hesitate.
He raised his axe.
Slammed it down.
Again.
And again.
Until nothing moved.
Until the blood stopped spraying.
Silence.
Isaac stood over the mangled corpse, chest rising and falling fast.
"Swarm Devour."
Tiny flew down and joined the others as they devoured the corpse.
Behind the rock, Mona slowly rose. She stepped out, legs shaking. Her face pale.
"Y-You killed it," she whispered.
Isaac turned to her, his face unreadable.
"We're not done yet," he said.
Then he looked toward the deeper woods, where the missing people might still be.
And the real threat waited.
[Swarm Devour Effect… 100% Absorption.]
[Swarm Authority +2%]
[Swarm Authority Level: 55%]