Alice stood there for a full 30 seconds, blinking as she tried processing what just happened.

  She'd read a bunch of complex words...and somehow done it perfectly.

  Just like Sóley had predicted.

  *"How…the hell…did I just do that…?"* she breathed out, staring at the book in utter bewilderment.

  Meanwhile, Sóley was smirking again, clearly enjoying having been right. "I told you so." She sing-songed like an old friend who’d just won a casual bet at a bar.

  At that, Alice just shot Sóley a half-hearted glare, still recovering from her own minor shock. "Yeah, yeah," she huffed. "Laugh it up, why don't you."

  Sóley did as she was told, laughing good-naturedly while giving Alice a small shrug. "Oh, come on," she said with a knowing grin. "Admit it, you're just a little bit impressed.”

  Alice rolled her eyes again to that. "Please," she said with her usual sarcasm. "Like I'm going to give you the satisfaction of admitting that."

  Just then, though, she heard a low whistle nearby. Looking up, she saw that it had come from Due, who was still hanging back against the wall with a look of impressed disbelief on his face.

  "Alright, I'll admit it—that was pretty cool," he said, finally pushing himself off the wall.

  Alice turned to give Due an exaggerated look. "You are not the one I want validation from here." She said bluntly in retort.

  Due just grinned and shrugged innocently. "Hey, credit where it's due, alright? And right now? It's due."

  Behind them, Shi'an finally spoke up, though her quiet voice was sharp.

  "Enough," she said simply, drawing everyone's attention back to her.

  Sóley, still perched on the desk, gave Shi'an an innocent look too. "What?" she drawled. "I'm just having fun.”

  Shi'an's gaze darkened. "We have a mission we need to focus on," she replied, voice stern.

  Sóley waved a hand lazily. "Oh, don't be such a killjoy, Shi," she said with a laugh. "It doesn't hurt to take a little break."

  Shi'an's expression didn't change. "It does when we're on a tight deadline," she retorted, voice laced with barely veiled impatience.

  Sóley rolled her eyes with an air of unbothered nonchalance again in response.

  "You're always such a worrywart," she said with a small pout. "Have a little faith, why don't you?"

  Shi'an's eyes darkened even further at that, irritation clearly building. "This isn't about faith," she snapped. "This is about responsibility. Something that some people,"—with a pointed look at Sóley—"apparently lack. Let's get moving.”

  Sóley crossed her arms, sulking now. "Oh come on," she whined, "just a few more minutes—"

  But Shi'an had already began heading for the door, cutting her off. "No." She said bluntly, not even bothering to glance back.

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  Sóley let out an exaggerated groan. "Ugh, booooring," she grumbled, pushing herself off the desk.

  Meanwhile, Due just shook his head with an amused grin, mumbling under his breath: "You are such a child.”

  Sóley stuck her tongue out at Due in response. "Am not," she retorted with a pout that looked more like a sulk.

  Shi'an looked particularly fed up, her voice sharp. "Would you two stop fooling around like schoolchildren and come on already?"

  At that, Alice raised an eyebrow questioningly while Due just snorted, muttering under his breath: "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.”

  Shi'an's jaw clenched, her annoyance now clearly visible. "I have NOT 'woken up on the wrong side of the bed.' I'm simply tired of your lack of urgency," she snapped, shooting a pointed look at Sóley.

  Sóley just let out a small scoff. "It's not my fault you're a stick-in-the-mud—"

  Shi'an cut her off. "I prefer the term 'responsible'.”

  Sóley just rolled her eyes again, clearly enjoying getting under Shi'an's skin now.

  "Oh please, that's just a nicer way of saying you're a buzzkill," she retorted slyly.

  Shi'an's eyes flashed, her annoyance now turning into full-fledged anger.

  "And you're an immature, irresponsible, and insufferable child who can't take anything seriously," she seethed back before turning on her heel again—clearly done arguing—and marching toward where they needed to go next without another word.

  Alice watched the exchange with mild amusement, shaking her head slightly before following after Shi'an—though not without first shooting Sóley a pointed look.

  *"Play stupid games, win stupid prizes,"* she muttered under her breath as she walked past Due.

  Due just grinned and shrugged in response while trailing behind them both. "Yeah well…she is kind of funny when you think about it."

  Sóley stuck out her tongue at him again but ultimately decided to follow too (albeit reluctantly).

  The group continued onward toward their destination—still bickering amongst themselves all the while…

  The group arrived at the mysterious disclosed location—an open space that appeared to be some sort of clearing within a large forest.

  Shi'an came to a sudden stop, scanning the area with her usual stern expression in place. The others came to a stop too, falling silent once they observed the surroundings themselves.

  "This is the place," she announced finally, turning to face the group.

  Sóley looked around now too, her usual demeanor shifting into something more serious as she crossed her arms.

  Alice and Due just looked at the surroundings.

  …Silence for a few seconds.

  Finally, Alice broke the silence.

  "Alright…so…now what?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Sóley was about to open her mouth to speak when—

  …CRACK

  Everyone jumped, their attention immediately drawn toward the sound of branches breaking coming from somewhere nearby.

  On instinct, Alice tensed. Due whirled around, scanning the area warily. Shi'an narrowed her eyes, her expression turning more alert now. Even Sóley seemed more on guard than usual.

  They all remained absolutely motionless for several moments, waiting to see if the sound was nothing...only to hear another sound that broke the silence once again.

  …CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH.

  The group exchanged a tense, wary look.

  "Someone…or something…is definitely coming," Alice said under her breath.

  "Just…great," Due muttered, already beginning to reach for the wrench on his back.

  Sóley, meanwhile, glanced around the area again. "The question is *where* is it coming from," she said, voice tight with tension.

  Sure enough, the crunching sounds continued to draw closer and closer, as if getting more intense by the second.

  By this point, the group was standing in a tight circle, each one tensed and ready for anything as the sounds approached.

  Then—suddenly—the sounds stopped.

  Alice glanced around, her heart pounding. "It…stopped…”

  Then, from the shadows of the dense foliage—

  "Hello there."

  A smooth voice called out, sending a chill down everyone’s spine.

  The group whirled around in unison to see a female Native Euphorian. Humanoid, tall, endowed figure, pink skin dotted with pale blue polka-dots, light blue hair, sharp blue eyes with light blue sclera, ears with three long spikes on the edges, and clawed fingers. The Native Euphorian's eyes seemed to glow even in the dim lighting...she stepped forward into full view now before stopping just within their personal space range (which wasn’t helping any). Her presence alone was enough for most people to feel uneasy immediately upon meeting her—but these four? They held their ground despite every instinct screaming at them otherwise…