The forest had gone quiet in a way that felt wrong.
Not peaceful.
Not calm.
But expectant.
Dorian never took his eyes off the black, vein-like growth crawling across the forest floor. It pulsed faintly, like something breathing beneath bark and soil.
"When I was a war alchemist," he said quietly, "there was an infection."
Iris stiffened beside him. "That war ended because both kingdoms reached a peaceful agreement."
Dorian shook his head slowly. "No. That's the story they tell so people can sleep at night."
Rex glanced between them. "Then why did it really end?"
Dorian swallowed. "Because the infection was killing faster than the war ever could. Soldiers. Civilians. Entire battalions disappeared overnight. The cost of fighting became meaningless when something else started harvesting the dead."
Rex frowned. "Who named it Star-Rot?"
"There is no official name," Dorian said. "Our unit called it that. Because it spread like a disease… and fell on us like a curse from the sky."
His voice never wavered, but his knuckles were white around the hammer.
"Listen carefully, Rex. The Star-Rot operates through three primary components."
Rex focused instantly.
"Spreaders," Dorian continued. "They expand the infection. They consume the souls of the dead and assimilate their bodies into the growth itself."
Rex grimaced. "That sounds like a horror story."
Dorian's jaw tightened. "It's worse. Horror stories end."
He pointed deeper into the forest.
"Sensors. They're hypersensitive to sound. Most summons created by the Star-Rot are blind—but remember this—most, not all. Sensors guide the summons toward prey."
Rex nodded slowly.
"And finally," Dorian said, his voice dropping, "Summoners. They call the creatures. Once a sensor is triggered… the summoners activate."
Rex exhaled. "So how do you stop it?"
"Noise," Dorian said instantly. "Loud, consistent noise pulls their attention. And fire—fire is their greatest weakness."
Iris straightened. "Then we need to warn the village."
But Rex wasn't listening.
His inverted silver eyes were locked on the forest.
On the boar.
The thing he had killed minutes earlier was standing again.
Its body had warped, ribs splitting outward as black tendrils forced their way through muscle and bone. Cyan light flickered beneath the flesh like dying stars trapped under skin.
Rex's voice came out thin. "Uh… guys?"
Dorian followed his gaze.
"Oh no," he whispered.
"They're already here."
Iris turned sharply. "What do you mean already?"
"Once a summon appears," Dorian said, dread seeping into every word, "a raid is inevitable."
Rex slotted his fire focus with shaking hands.
"Ignis."
Flame ignited around the Gauntlet.
The infected boar opened its mouth.
The sound that came out was wrong.
Too high.
Too layered.
Like several voices screaming through one throat.
Birds erupted from the treeline in a panicked storm.
"RUN!" Dorian shouted.
They moved instantly.
Iris sprinted toward the village, shouting orders before she even reached the gates. Bells rang. Armor clattered. Mages took positions along walls and rooftops as if they had done this a hundred times before.
Rex stood frozen at the edge of the forest, firelight dancing over his clenched fist.
The trees moved.
Not with wind.
With intent.
Dorian grabbed Rex's shoulder hard. "Rex. I know what you're thinking."
Rex looked at the fire swirling around his Gauntlet.
"You want kills," Dorian said. "You want to burn everything that comes out of that forest."
Rex didn't deny it.
"But that's not what I need from you," Dorian continued, turning Rex toward the village. "Those people—mages, archers, fighters—they're ready. What they need is control."
Rex swallowed. "Control… how?"
"You have air. Earth. Fire," Dorian said. "You can shape movement. Funnel monsters. Break formations. If something goes wrong—"
"—I redirect," Rex finished.
Dorian nodded. "You don't win this by killing the most. You win it by deciding where the battle happens."
Rex took a breath.
A deep one.
Then nodded. "Okay. I'll control the field."
Dorian stepped back beside him, hammer glowing faintly. "Good. Because what's coming won't fight fair."
The forest groaned.
And something answered from deep within it.