Savannah floated toward the source of the fire, her senses on high alert. The screams grew louder with every passing moment, sharp and raw, before they suddenly cut off, leaving an eerie silence in their wake. The flames, however, grew fiercer, roaring into the night and casting a hellish glow over the broken forest.

  Her unease deepened. She couldn’t sense anything coming from the campground—not a Demurge, not a Judicator, nothing. That emptiness felt even more unsettling. Judicators, twisted Veythari consumed by darkness, were rare, but the thought of one being here sent chills down her spine. It was unlikely, but this situation was already defying the odds.

  First, though, she had to figure out what to do with Zoey. She couldn’t take her into the campground, not in her fragile state, but leaving her behind without protection wasn’t an option either. With a heavy sigh, Savannah made her decision.

  She summoned her wind, creating a swirling sphere of air around Zoey’s body. The sphere lifted her gently, suspending her amidst the trees—or what was left of them. The winds whirled softly but with enough force to deflect most threats, and Savannah would immediately sense if the sphere was tampered with.

  Hovering by the sphere, Savannah sighed, brushing a hand through her tangled red hair. “Hang tight, Zo,” she murmured softly. “Please just hang tight.”

  She turned back toward the direction of the flames, her heart weighing heavy in her chest. She forced herself not to think about Trevor or Leo, but the thought still crept in. If they were in the water… or near Zoey when the rift went off… She bit her lip hard, trying to suppress the knot tightening in her throat. She couldn’t afford to lose focus now.

  Another deep sigh escaped her as she moved forward, the flames in the distance painting her pale skin in flickering orange. “Great,” she muttered, looking down at herself. Her red hair was a tangled mess, her shirt and underwear damp and streaked with dirt. She couldn’t help but let out a dry chuckle at how ridiculous she must look. “Of course, this is what I’m wearing to play hero.”

  Savannah teleported to the campground, her heart already heavy with dread. But nothing could have prepared her for what she saw.

  The sight hit her like a physical blow, and her stomach churned violently. She thought she’d reached her limit for the day—that the rift, the explosion, and the devastating realization about Zoey had been enough to fill a lifetime of nightmares. But this… this was something else entirely.

  The once-lively campground was unrecognizable. The cabins were engulfed in flames, their wooden frames collapsing into heaps of ash and debris. Bodies lay scattered across the ground, charred and twisted beyond recognition. The air was thick with the acrid stench of smoke and burned flesh, making her gag as she struggled to hold herself together.

  Her chest tightened, and for a moment, she thought she might throw up. She pressed a trembling hand to her mouth, her breathing uneven as she tried to take it all in. Her vision blurred with the sting of tears, but it wasn’t just grief—anger burned behind her eyes, hot and searing.

  Her fists clenched, nails digging into her palms as the rage bubbled inside her. “What the hell happened here?!” she hissed through gritted teeth, her voice trembling with fury. She didn’t want to believe this was real, didn’t want to accept that the vibrant laughter and life she’d heard not long ago had been reduced to this horrifying scene.

  Her wind began to swirl faintly around her, responding to her emotions as her mind raced. This wasn’t just a rift rebound. Something else happened here. Something worse.

  Savannah’s chest heaved as she forced herself to take a step forward, her eyes scanning the destruction for any signs of movement—or anything that could give her answers.

  Savannah stepped into the flames, her wind swirling protectively around her as she forced her way through the raging inferno. The heat licked at her skin, but the winds kept it at bay, a thin barrier between her and the hellscape she now walked through.

  And then she saw it.

  Her breath hitched, and her legs nearly gave out beneath her.

  In the fire, students and a few teachers were moving. But not in any way that made sense. Their bodies were aflame, the fire consuming their clothes and skin, yet they didn’t scream or writhe. They moved with a strange, jerking rhythm, hoisting pool sticks, canoe paddles, and broken shards of wood into the air in an almost tribal manner.

  Their faces… oh God, their faces. Twisted into grotesque, melting smiles, half of their features reduced to charred bone and exposed skulls. Their hollow eyes seemed to mock her, the flames dancing in their sockets. The flesh that clung to their skulls bubbled and peeled, dripping like wax onto the ground, yet they kept parading around as if caught in some horrific celebration.

  And then her gaze fell on what they carried.

  Atop the makeshift staffs—those sticks and paddles—were body parts. Hands. Feet. And heads. Heads of students she recognized, their expressions frozen in agony, their final moments of terror etched into their features.

  Savannah stumbled back, her wind faltering for a moment as her vision blurred. The bile rose in her throat, and her entire body trembled as the full weight of the horror hit her. Her hands clenched into fists, her nails biting into her palms as rage and despair swirled together into something primal.

  Her chest heaved as her voice broke free, a raw, guttural scream of fury and heartbreak that cut through the roar of the flames. “WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!”

  The wind around her exploded outward, scattering embers and ash as her fury surged. She wanted to look away, to unsee the nightmare before her, but she couldn’t. This wasn’t just destruction. This was desecration. Something had turned these people—her classmates—into a grotesque mockery of life.

  Her teeth clenched as tears burned in her eyes, and her voice trembled with rage. “Whoever did this, I swear to God, I will find you. And I will end you!”

  Savannah whipped around feeling watched, her body tense, her fists already curling as her winds crackled faintly in the air around her. The feeling was hauntingly familiar, like something she’d felt before but couldn’t quite place. It sent a shiver down her spine.

  But what she saw was something she couldn’t have prepared for.

  Perched atop a pile of burning corpses—bodies twisted grotesquely into unnatural and humiliating sex positions—was a creature. Its long brown hair spilled over its shoulders, singed at the tips by the fire. Sharp, elongated ears protruded from the sides of its head, and a pair of curved black horns jutted from its skull. Its skin was pale but marred with black, vein-like cracks that spiderwebbed across its face and body, pulsating faintly as though alive.

  Its eyes, wide and impossibly bright, stared at her with an unblinking intensity. The black spirals within them seemed to draw her in, endless and suffocating. But what unsettled her most was the grin stretched across its face—an unnaturally wide, toothy smile that didn’t reach its hollow eyes. The expression radiated malice and madness in equal measure, as though it was barely containing its excitement.

  “Oh dear,” it said, its voice dripping with mockery, “you made it back faster than expected.” It tilted its head, as if examining her, its twisted smile never faltering.

  Savannah’s stomach turned as her eyes darted to the corpses beneath it. Their charred, contorted forms told her everything she needed to know about the being’s cruelty. Fury surged within her, her winds flaring as she took a step forward.

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  “What the hell are you?” she growled, her voice low and dangerous, though her heart pounded in her chest.

  “I don’t think I have a name. I believe—”

  “Doesn’t fucking matter!” Savannah roared, cutting it off. She raised her hand, summoning a massive blast of wind with the full intent to obliterate the grotesque being. The vortex of air screamed as it surged toward the creature, its destructive force ripping through the inferno around them.

  “Stop.”

  The single word wasn’t loud, but it carried a weight that pressed against Savannah’s very being. Her attack faltered mid-air, the wind dissipating as if it had never existed. Her eyes widened in shock as her body froze, her power slipping from her grasp.

  “What?” she whispered, disbelief and confusion lacing her voice. She tried to push forward, to summon her wind again, but her body refused to obey.

  Before she could process what was happening, an immense, crushing force slammed into her stomach. It felt like being struck by a freight train. Her breath escaped her in a choked gasp as her vision blurred. The world around her twisted into a chaotic whirl of colors and shapes as she was launched backward with terrifying speed.

  The campground became a distant blur, the crackling flames fading into the background. Her body smashed into the side of a rock formation with a thunderous impact, the stone cracking and splintering around her. Pain exploded through her body as she slumped to the ground, the air knocked from her lungs.

  For a moment, all she could do was gasp, her vision swimming as she tried to make sense of what had just happened. The sheer power behind that strike… . Her mind reeled as she struggled to pull herself together, her rage now mingled with a bit of fear. What the hell is this thing?

  It appeared above her in an instant, looming like a shadow of death against the night sky. Its wide, unnatural grin somehow grew even wider as it looked down at her, its spiraled eyes glinting with twisted glee.

  “Oh?! Hoh?! Hoh!” it exclaimed, leaning forward slightly, its movements unnervingly fluid. “You really aren’t like the other humans, are you?” It raised a hand to its face, partially hiding its wicked smile as if to feign modesty, though the malice in its gaze betrayed it. “Aww, this should be fun now.”

  Savannah, still gasping from the impact, glared up at the creature. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “And I can counter that… what did you call it? Manifesting wind? Interesting.” It tilted its head, its mocking tone like nails on a chalkboard.

  “What?” she managed to gasp out, confusion cutting through her pain.

  “Next test,” it said simply, its voice dropping an octave.

  Before Savannah could react, pain erupted in her side as a blow struck her left rib, the force sending her body lurching to the side. Another hit smashed into the right side of her head, her vision momentarily blacking out from the sheer force.

  Her mind reeled as the creature grabbed her by the neck, lifting her effortlessly into the air. The forest below became a blur as they shot upward, the pressure of its grip making it hard to breathe. Savannah clawed at its hand, her wind swirling weakly around her, but it was no use.

  “Let’s see how sturdy you really are,” it purred, its grin somehow more horrifying up close. With a sharp motion, it hurled her downward, her body tearing through the air like a comet before slamming into the earth. The impact cracked the ground beneath her, sending dust and debris flying into the air.

  Savannah gasped for air, the wind completely knocked out of her as pain wracked her entire body. She tried to move, but before she could, the creature appeared above her again, its foot slamming down onto her stomach with enough force to pin her in place.

  “Kekekekuauahahaahha!” It laughed maniacally, leaning down closer to her face, its spiraled eyes filled with malicious delight.

  Savannah could only glare up at it, her body trembling with a mix of rage and helplessness as she fought to catch her breath.

  “I was hoping for more of a challenge,” it sneered, leaning closer to her, its spiraled eyes alight with manic glee. “But you’re turning out to be a real disappointment.”

  Savannah stared up at it, her mind racing a million miles an hour. What is this thing? she thought desperately, her body trembling under its overwhelming presence. Is it human? Did it come from the rift? Is it a Demurge? But none of it made sense. She couldn’t sense its energy—nothing about it registered, even with it standing right in front of her. That void, that absence of anything, made it even more terrifying.

  Her thoughts fragmented further as the creature pressed its foot harder into her stomach. Pain flared across her body, and she winced, gritting her teeth to stifle the cry that threatened to escape.

  “Oh, come on,” it said, its tone dripping with mockery. “Scream a little. I feel like yours would be far more rewarding than those other humans.” Its grin widened, exposing sharp teeth as it leaned down, its face inches from hers. “Don’t be boring, now. Give me something fun.”

  Savannah’s jaw clenched as she fought against the pain, her wind weakly swirling around her as she struggled to muster the strength to retaliate. Her mind screamed at her to think, to act, but the crushing pressure on her stomach made it nearly impossible to move, let alone focus.

  “What’s wrong?” it asked, tilting its head as though genuinely curious. “Lost your nerve? Or are you just realizing how utterly insignificant you are?” It chuckled, a low, guttural sound that sent chills down her spine.

  Savannah tried to summon her wind, but nothing came. Her connection felt severed, distant, leaving her vulnerable. Her chest tightened as a realization hit her—if I can’t summon my wind, Zoey probably fell out of the wind sphere. A knot of panic twisted in her gut, but she pushed it down, hoping that the Mani she left behind in the sphere would be enough to sustain it without her direct control. She couldn’t afford to lose focus now.

  She glared up at the creature, her mind racing as it continued to press down on her, the pain intensifying with every passing second. It didn’t seem in any rush to kill her, savoring the slow and methodical torment as though the anticipation was more satisfying than the act itself.

  Think, Savannah. Think! she screamed at herself internally. Her thoughts spiraled, clawing for anything that could help her. But the creature… it looked familiar, albeit distorted. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something about its face, its mannerisms—it tugged at a buried memory she couldn’t quite reach.

  Her teeth clenched as she fought the suffocating weight, her mind replaying everything the creature had said. And then, one phrase stuck out, chilling her to the core. Manifest wind.

  Her breath hitched. She had only ever told one person about that. Her eyes widened in shock as the unsettling thought rooted itself in her mind, sending a cold shiver down her spine.

  The creature’s smirk grew wider, almost predatory, as it noticed the shift in her expression. “Finally putting the pieces together, are we, Miss Veythari?” it said, its voice dripping with condescension.

  Her heart pounded as the realization dawned on her, but she didn’t want to believe it. No. It can’t be… Her vision blurred as rage and fear swirled within her, fighting to make sense of the impossible.

  “How?!” Savannah snarled, her voice trembling with equal parts rage and desperation.

  The creature tilted its head, its smirk twisting into something far more sinister. “Wouldn’t you like to know,” it taunted, the spirals in its eyes seeming to twist and deepen. Then, with an exaggerated shrug, it added, “But I’ve had enough of this. You weren’t as entertaining as I thought you’d be.”

  Its grin faded slightly as it raised its hand lazily, its fingers curling into a claw. “Oh well.” It lunged, aiming a killing blow straight for her chest.

  But Savannah wasn’t finished yet. With a sharp motion, she threw her hands up, summoning a violent gust of wind that surrounded her in a protective sphere. The air twisted and roared around her, turbulent and fierce, deflecting the creature’s strike. The pressure of its blow slammed into the barrier, and she felt the energy ripple through her wind, absorbing the force. With a sharp twist of her wrist, she redirected the built-up energy back outward, sending a blast that pushed the creature back just enough to free herself.

  The instant the pressure eased, she jumped back, landing unsteadily as pain lanced through her stomach. She clutched at her midsection, her fingers digging into her skin as she gasped for air. Her body trembled, her underwear barely holding together, and her shirt was little more than shredded fabric clinging to her shoulders.

  Despite the agony wracking her body, she straightened, forcing herself to stand tall. Her breath was shaky, but her resolve burned brighter as the winds around her began to pick up, swirling in a powerful current that wrapped her in a protective aura.

  The creature smirked, its spiraled eyes lighting up with manic glee. It raised a single finger and pointed directly at her, its voice dripping with mock approval. “Excellent, my little Veythari. I was beginning to wonder if you were serious.”

  Savannah’s brow furrowed, her voice sharp as she replied, “Oi? About what?”

  The creature’s expression shifted into something almost… divinely sinister. Its movements were slow, deliberate, as it extended its arms outward, palms open as though embracing the chaos around them. The firelight reflected off its cracked skin, giving it an eerie glow, and its horns seemed to shimmer as it tilted its head back.

  “If you could really beat a demon, of course,” it said, its voice reverberating unnaturally, dripping with dark amusement. Its spiraled eyes pulsed with joy, practically vibrating with anticipation. It lowered its head again, staring directly into Savannah’s soul, its grin so wide it almost split its face in two. “Because I’ve been dying to tear you apart.”

  “So… what about demons? Can you take those down?”

  “Yeah,” she said after a pause. “I can kill a demon. But it’s not easy. It’d take a lot of work and… a lot of luck.”

  The winds around her howled in response, and Savannah clenched her fists, her heart pounding. “Oi that’s good, I already decided you weren’t leaving here alive.”