🩸 ARC32: The One That Was Called

As she went deeper into the forest, the air changed.

Not damp.

Not cold.

— Heavy.

Her footsteps echoed back, strangely delayed.

The sense of distance slipped, just slightly.

The presence behind her never broke.

The numbers did not decrease.

If anything, they were aligned.

The monsters no longer tried to hide.

In the grass.

At the roots of trees.

In the shadows of rocks.

They kept pace, quietly, always within her field of view.

Not chasing—

bringing her along.

“…I see.”

The moment she understood, something in her chest went cold.

She thought she was guiding them.

In truth, she had been chosen.

The forest opened up.

A small clearing, piled with fallen trees.

The ground alone lay unnaturally flat, as if something had passed through long ago.

At its center.

It was waiting.

The first thing she felt was not magic.

Not killing intent.

Pressure.

Its mere existence warped the space.

Light bled.

Shadows sank.

She didn’t know if it should even be called a monster.

It had limbs.

A form close to species she recognized.

But one thing was decisively different.

— It had a gaze.

It was looking at her, with intent.

The surrounding monsters froze all at once.

They spread out in a circle, leaving the center open.

An arrangement like an offering.

She had been called.

No—

It had come out to test her.

“…Above me, then.”

Her voice fell low.

In that instant.

The air shook.

A step in.

Fast.

The impact came before she could even raise her sword.

Her body was thrown backward.

She rolled across the ground, caught herself.

The air was knocked from her lungs.

There was pain.

But more than that—

Slow.

Her reaction hadn’t made it in time.

The shadow closed in before she could stand.

She swung.

It was deflected.

The sound of metal.

Numbness in her wrist.

This was different.

The monster was learning.

Not just the light.

The sword’s path.

The distance.

Lumia herself.

The next attack came.

She slipped past it by a hair.

The ground was torn open.

If this had appeared in the village—

— It would have been over.

Something cold ran down her spine.

“…I’m the one who called you, aren’t I.”

No answer came.

Instead, it stepped forward.

Slowly.

With certainty.

The surrounding monsters stirred slightly.

Anticipation.

Waiting.

Observation.

If she used the light now, she might be able to defeat it.

But.

If she did, the next one would come.

Faster.

Closer.

More—adapted.

She tightened her grip on the sword.

There was nowhere to run.

No meaning left in turning back.

Lumia drew a deep breath.

“…Come.”

This time, it wasn’t an invitation.

It was resolve.

In the depths of the night, the superior individual slowly opened its mouth.

The battle—

was only just beginning.

— Lumi🪄💕