The cry for help cut through the glade.

Both Ash and Tholn abruptly turned, spinning toward the direction of the sound, and without a word, they moved quickly to the other side of the platform, looking back towards the children's island.

A ball rolled to a stop, then a rope-swing creaked as it slowed mid-sway, the rhythm of play unravelling piece by piece as laughter of the children immediately faltered.

At first, there was confusion- children looking at one another, brows furrowed, as if unsure whether they had heard what they thought they did.

Then the cry rang out again.

"Help!"

Hearing it again seemed to confirm their worst thoughts.

A few froze where they stood, wide-eyed, before trembling set into their limbs. Others shuffled back a step, then another moving slowly at first, tension growing.

Then from between the twisting roots and shadowed paths at the treeline where Ash and Tholn had first entered the Glade, emerged a young Murkfen hunter, his breath ragged, his eyes wide urgency.

Tholn's eyes widened with now confirmed recognition.

"It's Salken," he murmured, naming the voice without hesitation, his tone sharp with concern.

Through the dim light and drifting mist, Salken's figure became even clearer. His clothes torn and smeared with mud, desperation in every stumbling step.

His eyes darted frantically, scanning the surroundings as though searching for any safety.

He half-dragged, half-carried the limp form of Druven, the older Kin's body slick with blood, head lolling weakly with each uneven step.

Every movement looked like it cost Salken more strength than he could spare, his legs trembling under the combined weight of his fear and the Kin he refused to abandon.

From the shadows behind them, a massive beast emerged, its hulking frame illuminated in flashes of lantern light. Its eyes glinted like shards of ice, breath pouring from its jaws in thick, steaming bursts that curled into the cool air.

Its claws scraped against the wooden planks as it advanced, the sound cutting through the panicked gasps of Salken. The creature's low growl built into a bone deep rumble as its gaze fixed on Salken and his burden.

Then, with a roar, it charged.

'Come on! Dodge!' Salken jerked sideways at the last possible moment, dragging Druven with him, but not fast enough as the beast's claws raked across his shoulder, spinning him off balance.

"Agh," Salken grunted, pain twisting his face as he stumbled backwards, his footing unsteady as he also dropped Druven, now completely helpless to save him should another attack come.

The beast seemed to sense it, slowing his pace into a cruel, deliberate creep, each step closing the gap like the tightening of a noose. Its eyes locked on him, unblinking, as if savoring the kill it was certain to make.

For a split second, the air between them all seemed to tighten, heavy with the scent of wet earth and blood and then the beast bunched its muscles, ready to leap and finish Salken off- when suddenly its legs refused to move.

A guttural snarl of confusion escaped its throat as it glanced down to see shadow tendrils coiling around its limbs, rooting it on the spot.

Thrown off-guard, it snapped its head up, its gaze darting wildly, scanning the platform and the shadows. It twisted left, then right, a snarl rattling in its throat as confusion deepened. Only then did its eyes lock onto Ash, who stood in front of it, along the boardwalk, his eyes cold and unwavering as he stared straight into the beast's soul.

A cold smile escaped from him as in that instant, wisps of shadow energy began to emanate from his frame, curling like smoke into the night.

One by one, spectral clones of himself emerged, their outlines flickering with the same hungry shadow, eyes glowing faintly like embers in a storm.

The pack of shadows rose around him, more solid with every heartbeat, their forms whispering with the hiss of shifting aether. And just as the final clone completely solidified, they leaped forward.

'Huh?' Ash's attention was suddenly caught off-guard from the fight as there was an anomaly.

Among them, one stood apart: taller, its frame lean and scarred in jagged lines of shifting shadow, its molten-amber eyes burning with a controlled, piercing light. As the pack surged forward, this one did not linger at Ash's side—it took the lead.

With grim discipline and a silence heavier than any previous clones that had been made before, it hurled itself at the beast. For a heartbeat Ash felt a shiver of recognition, something unsettlingly familiar in its presence, echoing a buried memory.

The beast roared as it thrashed wildly, managing to break through one of the bindings that had immobilised it due to Ash being distracted.

Engaging the incoming hyena which had not expected the beast to be able to break free, it struck at it, claws sweeping directly at it as it was sure the attack would land.

But the figure's movements were deliberate and precise, recovering quickly from the surprise attack. Markings along its shadow-scarred frame flared suddenly with a violet glow, lines burning like molten veins as its speed spiked in an unnatural surge. With a blur too swift for the eye to follow, it slid past the beast's claws, leaving only the hiss of air where the strike should have landed.

The other clones pounced at that moment, hurling themselves at the beast's limbs and flanks, their jaws and claws snapping to keep it preoccupied.

The monster thrashed wildly, forced to contend with the snapping shadows that darted around it.

And in that moment while the beast was preoccupied, an opening appeared and the unique clone burst forth, the purple marking at full glow—its molten eyes locked onto the beast's throat. It lunged with ruthless precision and seemed to suddenly appear right next to the beast.

Its white teeth now coated by a shadowy glowing grey were revealed as its jaws opened and bit down deep into the beast's throat with explosive power.

Click!

Bone cracked, sinew snapped, and in a single ruthless motion the creature's neck gave way beneath the assault, its roar breaking off into a wet, strangled silence.

A few meters back, Salken's eyes went wide as he watched, his breath catching at the ease at which the shadows had dispatched the beast. He had not known where they came from and was not particularly familiar with them. Then, the eyes of all the clones then turned towards him.

A deep sense of foreboding washed over Salken as fear emerged from his heart, he thought the hyenas were going to attack him next. But before he could say anything, he heard Tholn's voice calling out to him.

"Salken!" Tholn rushed to his side, dropping down quickly.

Seeing him, Salken's strained face softened, a flicker of relief breaking through his fear, "Tholn."

"You look terrible. What happened?" Tholn asked, concern etched on his face as he looked at the injuries of both Druven and him.

"We were attacked… a group of beasts," Salken managed to rasp, before the weight of it all hit him. His body relaxed, and he fainted as the shed of tension finally overtook him.

Seeing Salken suddenly lose consciousness, panic flickered across Tholn's features as he immediately checked on both of them, his hands moving urgently over their wounds. When he confirmed that they had only fainted, he let out a shaky breath of relief.

"Ash, help me get them into the main hall-"

Turning to call out, his final words were caught in his throat when he noticed Ash had already walked past him- silent, his gaze locked on one of the shadow clones that lingered.

"Ash?" Tholn called out, concerned but also in a rush as the two casualties were still bleeding.

Still, Ash did not answer but instead, at that moment, one of the clones stepped forward, its form wavering but solid enough to bear weight.

Ash's voice cut through the tense air, calm and commanding, "Tholn—put Salken onto this clone. It'll carry him. I need to speak with one of my clones."

Tholn blinked in surprise but obeyed quickly as he slowly lifted Salken up, cautious not to worsen the injuries as he shifted him carefully onto the waiting shadow.

As his hands pressed against its form, he hesitated, marveling at the strange solidity of the clone. It felt both real and unreal beneath his touch, like hardened smoke, yet steady as stone. His hands lingered for a moment as if uncertain, caught between awe and caution, then pulled back as the clone adjusted itself and steadied beneath the injured Kin.

Shaking off the strange wonder, Tholn bent down to pick up Druven more carefully as his injuries were far worse and only after having them carried did he let out a breath of relief, though his eyes flicked back toward Ash.

Ash, however, had continued walking, his focus fixed elsewhere. He approached the unique clone that had turned to face him. Its molten eyes burned into his, filled with an unsettling familiarity—as if it knew him, as if it had been waiting for this very moment.

"Riven?"

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