Chapter 13: The Betrayal
The morning sun rose lazily over the hills as Fade yawned and stretched his arms.
"Hey, didn't you guys sleep?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.
Dagda shrugged, wrapping his blanket around his shoulders. "Nah."
Aidan smirked. "Yeah, we stayed up."
Fade looked confused. "Huh? Anyway, around twenty-eight hours have already passed. We have one day left to finish Phase 3."
"Yeah," Aidan agreed, standing up and brushing dust off his pants. "We need to find those almighty stones soon."
Dagda tightened his blanket around him and they began moving again. They kept walking, pushing through the dense woods, but after hours of searching, their bodies felt heavy. Their boots sank into mud, their breaths came heavier. Three hours passed. Still, nothing.
Meanwhile, on another side of the forest, Luna, Muscle, and Pedro had made real progress. They walked carefully when suddenly, a massive shadow loomed over them a dark creature with enormous, sharp claws and eyes that rolled unnaturally in its skull.
The beast roared and stretched out a hand, grabbing Pedro in a flash. Luna reacted instantly, unleashing a Lunar Slash, but it bounced off the creature's tough hide. The monster smiled cruelly and laughed, swinging Pedro and Muscle like ragdolls. They smashed into trees, groaning.
Luna roared, kicking the beast hard across the jaw, following up with another powerful Lunar Slash. This time, she managed to sever one of its monstrous hands. Blood sprayed into the air. Muscle roared, jumped high, and crushed the creature's head between his bare hands, blood splattering everywhere.
Two almighty stones tumbled from the monster's body.
Pedro coughed, staring. "T-Two almighty stones?!"
Muscle whooped with joy, dancing around. "YEAH, BABY! LET'S GOOO!!"
Luna nodded, wiping her sword. "This monster must've been guarding two. Makes sense why it was so strong."
They grabbed the stones and rushed toward the train station. After showing the almighty stones, they passed Phase 3 successfully.
Elsewhere, chaos unfolded.
Two teams clashed, fighting fiercely over a single almighty stone. Blades clanged, powers flared, screams echoed.
Hidden nearby, Aidan crouched in the bushes with Dagda and Fade.
"Now," Aidan whispered.
In a blur, Aidan leapt into the fray, kicking a man hard and snatching the two almighty stones right out of the fighters' hands. Dagda and Fade followed close behind, sprinting at full speed toward the train station.
Dagda grinned. "Good job, Aidan! We can pass Phase 3 now!"
They could already see the station up ahead.
But then out of nowhere Aidan spun and kicked Fade hard, sending him crashing to the ground. Dagda, a few steps ahead, stopped, feeling an uneasiness crawl up his spine. He turned and saw nobody behind him.
"Aidan? Fade?" Dagda called out.
Behind a tree, Aidan loomed over the struggling Fade, holding a knife gleaming under the sun.
"You..." Fade muttered weakly. "You really are a psycho."
Aidan smiled darkly. "Goodbye, Fade."
Without hesitation, he stabbed Fade in the stomach. Blood poured out. Aidan shivered in pleasure, muttering, "Ahh... the red blood... it's addictive... so good..."
Before Aidan could stab again, a fist slammed into his face, sending him sprawling across the ground.
Dagda stood there, fists clenched, anger burning in his eyes.
"I always knew you were twisted, Aidan," Dagda growled. "I gave you a chance... and you wasted it."
Aidan wiped the blood from his mouth and laughed. "You? Giving me a chance? You're more foolish than I thought!"
A fierce fight broke out. Dagda punched Aidan hard, but Aidan, fueled by madness, fought back wildly. They rolled across the dirt, each trying to overpower the other.
Aidan eventually managed to get on top of Dagda, raising his knife for a final strike
Suddenly, a massive hand grabbed Aidan by the collar and threw him like a ragdoll.
Aidan crashed into a tree, unconscious.
A tall man stepped into the clearing. His dark coat fluttered as his piercing gaze surveyed the scene.
"You're Dagda, right?" he said.
Dagda, panting heavily, nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for the save."
The man smiled slightly. "No need to thank me. I'm Edward Augustus, head of the Predators Association."
Behind him, a group of armed guards arrested the unconscious Aidan.
Fade groaned but managed to stand with Dagda's help.
Edward glanced at the broken almighty stones lying in the dirt. "Don't worry," he said calmly. "You two passed Phase 3."
Fade's eyes widened. "Really?!"
Edward chuckled. "Yes. You've proven yourselves."
Fade turned to Dagda and smiled gratefully. "Thanks, man."
Dagda looked up at the evening sky. The sun was setting in hues of orange and purple. A soft smile spread across his blood-smeared face.
Another battle survived. But deeper inside, he knew... the real storm hadn't even begun.