“Our camp lies at the center of an island of roughly one hundred thousand square meters. There is only one wide road that directly connects the camp to the station from which the wagons of new arrivals come. Apart from that, the island is surrounded by a dark, somber forest, hostile to human presence. To ensure our safety, we have built a defensive system around the camp. Three zones: the first two dense with traps, and the third filled with motion sensors, should anything manage to break through. The fastest creature can reach speeds of up to Mach seven—the Wooden Tiger. Fortunately for us, the zones are riddled with obstacles, bends, and substances that limit its acceleration.”

  “Why is it called ‘Wooden Tiger’?”

  “Is it really important right now?”

  “I mean, you guys do give names some meaning, right? Is it because it’s brown?”

  This guy.

  We had been running at full speed for an emergency, yet he seemed completely unbothered and relaxed.

  When Risa told me about his audition, she said he was good at keeping his cool, but clearly unprepared for war.

  And hearing that Areo had rightfully expected him to break down after the test based on this… yet now he looked like someone who knew what war was.

  And it pissed me off.

  We arrived at the door of the third zone.

  A labyrinth, with walls made of the most resistant reinforced stone we could find.

  “Sciarra has been utilized in chemical substances released inside the structure, making movement above 8 km/h impossible. Still, the ferocity of the beast should not be underestimated. Stay behind me.”

  I was a little curious how he would react to an actual do-or-die situation, and not a mere simulation.

  Upon entering the structure, Simel couldn’t help but admire the massive stone walls. Smooth and twice his height, impossible to scale. Most likely, Sciarra had been used to reinforce them.

  “A grand display of human engineering, dazzling!”

  The straight walk wasn’t long, barely three meters before a curve redirected them toward another junction. Hundreds of roads, with the appearance of infinite possibilities.

  “What a place. Tell me you have a map. I don’t mind getting lost with a girl; the problem is that you’re the woman I’m with.” Simel said, still gazing at the walls in awe.

  “I’ve memorized the entire area in my mind. I can clearly see every path.”

  “All very nice. But in an almost endless labyrinth, how are we supposed to find scattered beasts?”

  “What, genius, you still can’t figure it out?” the girl asked, her tone teasing his pride.

  “What are you talking about?” Simel replied, scratching his head with an annoyed scoff.

  “People who actively use Sciarra within themselves leave a sort of psychological imprint and signals inside it. So it’s possible to partially understand a person’s emotions by reading their Sciarra. It works the same for animals.”

  As she spoke, the girl couldn’t help but give a taunting smirk.

  “Tsk. Give me a day and I’ll get there!”

  Suddenly, the girl stopped, causing Simel’s nose to smack into the top of her head.

  “Ouch. Could you at least warn me— That is…”

  In front of them stood a massive beast, nearly as tall as they were, but on four legs. Its dark fur bore a mix of brown and gray, covered with scales. A mane like jagged stone framed its neck, and its eyes bled a deep crimson red.

  “Stay back.” the girl said, her tone calm and serious, her expression stoic.

  Standing beside her and giving the beast a brief look in the eyes, Simel could feel her intense concentration, to the point that he stepped back almost on instinct.

  The beast made its move, launching at full speed like a bullet. But the moment it tried to reach maximum velocity, the increased friction of the chemicals in the air immediately limited its acceleration, even tearing chunks of flesh from its body.

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  With exceptional reflexes, the girl dodged out of the beast’s range, drawing a dagger from her left side. Then, with a movement fluid like water but powerful as a cannonball, she dashed forward, closing the distance and stabbing the animal straight through the skull.

  The thrust was so powerful that the beast’s head was slammed into the ground, completely overwhelmed, killed with a single strike.

  “Whee-ooh. That’s good.” Simel said with clear appreciation.

  “Stay right here. I sense two other entities nearby. Wait, and meanwhile dispose of the animal body, recover it or do whatever you want for your experiment…”

  Without waiting another moment, she ran off through the second of four routes.

  After five minutes of studying the creature’s body, Simel began to grow impatient, kicking the beast with his boots.

  That was until, to his surprise, he heard female screams coming from the third route.

  Startled, and without a second thought, he sprinted toward the source, seizing the opportunity to kill time.

  “Who’s there?!” he shouted, hoping for an answer.

  “It’s me! Mirasialia!”

  At that exact moment, Simel’s eyes fell on a white-haired girl lying on the ground, bleeding and clutching her left side. Yet upon hearing her name, his blood ran cold.

  He approached slowly as the girl let out muffled groans of pain, urging him to hurry.

  “A fucking genius, slow as a snail!”

  At less than arm’s length, in a moment of cold, calm reflex, Simel slipped back past her range. In that same instant, she lashed out with her arms, moving more like vines than limbs.

  “She never gave me her name.”

  A second later, Simel lunged forward, activating his dagger and driving it straight toward her neck. But to his dismay, the blade failed to pierce what felt as hard as iron.

  “What the hell?”

  The girl launched another attack with her whip-like limbs, striking Simel squarely on the skull and slamming him into the ground.

  “Cough…!” He spat blood as his head hit the floor.

  Meanwhile, the girl’s face began to deform; melting, sagging, dripping away. What it revealed was a humanoid figure with a slender torso and long, green, fingerless arms. Where a human head should have been, the creature bore something closer to the bloom of a sunflower.

  “Your Sciarra was confusing and hard to read. That’s why I failed to read your memories. But now it doesn’t matter, you are as good as dead.”

  The voice was terrifying and broken, like something trying,and failing, to imitate human.

  “What… What is happening…? Why me…?!” Tears formed in Simel’s eyes as panic carved into his mind. He struggled and squirmed, trying to get up, but the creature only increased the pressure.

  Simel was suffocating beneath the weight. His brain felt like it was about to explode, eyes wide with fear as his fingers dug into the ground.

  “…Ngh…!”

  Suddenly, the creature turned behind, lifting a tentacle and striking, but a perfectly precise barrage of dagger jabs pierced straight through its defenses.

  The creature’s head was shredded.

  “I told you to stay…” It was the white-haired girl, caught by surprise at Simel's face.

  “Simel!” she rushed to his side, clear worry on her face.

  Simel was out cold, but alive.

  Hours passed before he finally woke.

  As his consciousness returned, the first thing he saw was the girl sitting on a chair beside him.

  “Morning, genius.” she said in her usual taunting tone, though laced with concern.

  “What happened?”

  “You encountered a forest hunting plant, a creature that eludes the mind, altering brain perception through Sciarra and light. It can catch people off guard… often.”

  Simel raised his gaze, still leaning back on the bed.

  “I see… I got outplayed… How humiliating…” The words were muttered timidly, almost in self-shame.

  The girl looked at him with sympathy, her eyes softer.

  “Your Sciarra has changed significantly.”

  “I mean, if you saw how badly I got pummeled—”

  “Not in that way. More like… your mind completely shifted. You also look more…”

  “More?”

  “Nothing.”

  She stood up and headed toward the exit.

  “Rest well, genius… It’s clear you still need improvement.” This time, the word genius sounded more like a friendly joke than mockery.

  She paused at the door before leaving.

  “Oh. And by the way, my name is Miserva.”