Morning light broke through the jungle canopy, soft and golden, but the warmth it brought couldn't ease the chill in the air. Something hung over the camp like an invisible hand squeezing everyone's chest.
Thorn sat just outside the tent, shirtless, his back covered in fading scars. His eyes were calm, but his body was alert. He had felt it all night—the stare, the pressure, the breath of something old and familiar.
Inside the tent, Serah stirred beneath the blanket, her skin still tingling from the night before. Her fingers reached for the place beside her, but it was empty. When she stepped out, she found him there, silent and still.
"You didn't sleep," she said softly.
Thorn shook his head. "He was close. Watching."
Serah's stomach twisted. "He's real, isn't he? Your… brother."
Thorn didn't answer immediately. His jaw tightened as he looked into the trees.
"His name is Azrek," he said finally. "We were both created. Grown. Trained. But something in him snapped when they put us through the pain. He… liked it."
Serah stepped closer, gently placing her hand on his shoulder.
"Why is he after us?"
Thorn turned to her, his eyes haunted. "Because I escaped. Because I'm the only one who ever beat him. And because you love me. That makes you his new game."
Serah's eyes burned, but she held her voice steady. "Then we fight back. Together."
Thorn's lips curved into a faint smile. "You really are a soldier."
From the edge of the camp, Drayk approached, grim-faced. "Eliara spotted movement in the west jungle. We think it's him."
Thorn stood, muscles tensing. "It's time."
Within minutes, the group was moving.
Eliara led them through thick vines and dripping branches, her rifle always raised. Serah stayed close to Thorn, her eyes darting through the shadows. The silence around them was unnatural. Not even birds dared to sing.
Then, the attack came.
A blur of gold.
A scream.
Drayk went down first, a thorn embedded in his shoulder. Blood soaked his jacket as he fell to the ground with a groan.
"Ambush!" Eliara shouted, opening fire into the trees.
Serah dragged Drayk behind a rock, heart pounding.
Thorn didn't hesitate. He launched himself into the jungle, chasing the figure that had struck.
Azrek's laughter echoed through the trees.
"So slow, little brother," his voice mocked. "Still chasing after things you can't protect."
Thorn snarled, launching a volley of spines from his back. They tore through leaves and branches, slicing the air.
One hit.
A splash of blood painted a tree trunk.
Azrek hissed in pain, but he didn't stop.
"You'll never save her," he whispered from somewhere deeper. "You'll just watch her die like the others."
Thorn's breath caught.
He remembered the lab. The screaming girl. The one he couldn't save.
Not again.
He roared and charged forward.
Behind him, Serah shouted, "Thorn, wait!"
But he was already gone, swallowed by the mist.
Eliara caught Serah's arm. "Let him go. This is his fight."
Serah shook her head. "No. It's ours."
As they followed the sound of breaking branches and clashing spikes, the jungle suddenly went quiet again.
Too quiet.
Then they saw him.
Thorn was on his knees, bleeding from his side. Before him stood Azrek, taller, leaner, with gold eyes that glowed like fire.
Serah froze.
Azrek turned slowly, eyes locking onto her.
"So this is the one," he whispered, tilting his head. "You are… exquisite."
Thorn growled, trying to rise. "Don't touch her."
Azrek smirked.
"I won't. Not yet."
Then, in a flash, he disappeared into the mist again.
But his voice lingered behind.
"Next time, little brother... I'll take more than just your blood."
Serah rushed to Thorn, cradling him as Eliara covered them.
Blood soaked his side, and his breathing was shallow.
But he was alive.
Barely.
Serah whispered into his ear, her voice shaking, "I won't let him take you."
Thorn managed a smile through the pain.
"I'm not afraid… as long as you're here."
She held him close, unaware that in the distance, Azrek watched from the trees, golden thorns glimmering in his palms.
And this time, he wasn't alone.
More shadows moved behind him.
More creations.
More enemies.
The real war… had only begun.