D-Animal
Elara let out a low sigh.
It wasn't relief.
It was foreboding.
The air inside the apartment suddenly felt heavier, as if something invisible had drawn too close, too fast. Before she could even fully shape the thought, the translucent panel of Visio's shared vision opened before her eyes, projecting itself into the space ahead like a ghostly reflection.
And there it was.
The Indômita Deletio Bear.
Enormous. Brutal. Still standing.
Elara felt her blood turn cold.
"No…" she murmured, almost inaudible.
Visio adjusted focus automatically, the owl's violet eyes moving with surgical precision. The image zoomed in, narrowing onto the massive body of the creature, revealing details that made Elara's stomach churn.
A colossal bite mark tore across the bear's flank.
This wasn't ordinary damage.
It was the unmistakable signature of a shark D-Animal—wide jaws, overwhelming pressure, armor plates ripped away by force. Internal circuits were exposed, electrical wires hissing with erratic sparks, loose connectors vibrating out of sync.
Black oil leaked slowly from ruptured pipes, dripping to the ground in thick drops that sizzled as they hit hot surfaces.
The bear's core pulsed erratically.
Unstable.
Dying.
But not harmless.
"It's going to explode," Elara said, her voice far too steady for someone whose body was already broken. "Now!"
She shouted.
"DOWN! NOW!"
The world responded on pure instinct.
Elara yanked Lucas toward her, wrapping her brother in her arms and throwing herself over him, shielding him with her still-injured back. Pain detonated as her muscles tightened, fresh wounds screaming in protest—but she didn't let go.
Not for a second.
Rafael reacted at the same instant.
He dove to the floor, rolling aside as Kaiser, the hybrid ligre, surged forward and positioned himself over him, his massive metallic body forming an absolute shield. Thick plates locked into place, defensive systems activating in silence.
Seung-Woo threw himself forward, arms crossed over his head, body rigid, tense—no attempt to look calm now. Just survival.
And then—
The explosion hit.
The sound was deafening.
Not a single blast, but a brutal sequence of internal detonations, as if the bear were tearing itself apart from the inside out. The shockwave tore through the block, making the entire building shudder as if it were made of paper.
The apartment windows shattered, exploding into thousands of fragments that sliced through the air like blades. Walls cracked open, fissures spreading with sharp, terrifying snaps. The floor bucked violently beneath them.
Flames erupted among the debris, crackling as they swallowed old furniture and climbed the peeling walls.
The world became noise.
Screams of pain.
Screams of panic.
Distant sirens bleeding into the chaos.
Elara kept her body rigid over Lucas.
She felt impacts strike her back—the weight of small debris, dust, and glass raining down. Her breath caught for a moment, but she didn't move.
Not now.
Outside, Visio held fast.
Despite the shockwave, the owl remained perched on the leaning post, talons dug into twisted metal. The image wavered for a second… then stabilized.
Elara saw it.
The bear finally fell.
The colossal body collapsed onto its side with a dull impact, kicking up a dense cloud of dust and smoke. The creature's glowing eyes flickered slowly, the light faltering, dimming… until it went out completely.
Inactive.
Definitively.
Elara released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
But the danger wasn't over.
The building was swaying.
Not a sharp tremor—a slow, horrifying motion, as if the structure were deciding whether it still wanted to stand.
Rafael grunted low, rolling aside as Kaiser leapt back heavily, clearing space so his master could rise. The ligre stayed alert, positioning himself between Rafael and what remained of the outer wall.
Elara pushed herself up with difficulty, pulling Lucas with her.
"You okay?" she asked quickly, cupping his face.
The boy nodded, eyes wide, body shaking.
Seung-Woo stood moments later.
But the mask had cracked.
He ran a hand through his hair, shoulders tight, jaw clenched as he brushed dust from his clothes, now coated in ash and soot.
"This is getting out of control," he said, his voice louder than he meant. "All of this—"
Elara cut him off.
She scanned the room.
Cracks were spreading across the walls. One corner of the ceiling sagged, threatening to give way. The smell of gas and smoke mixed dangerously in the air.
"We need to move," she said firmly, leaving no room for debate.
"We have to get out. Now. It's dangerous."
Rafael nodded once.
"Agreed," he said. "This building won't survive another wave."
Kaiser stepped forward, ready to clear a path.
Visio continued to watch from outside, eyes fixed on the chaos still consuming the city.
And as the world around them collapsed—concrete, steel, certainties—Elara Pack did what she always did.
She stepped forward.
Injured.
Exhausted.
Bleeding.
Because surviving in that broken world wasn't just about breathing.
It was about knowing when to run before everything fell with you.
The building groaned.
Not loudly—deeply, like a wounded animal about to collapse. Cracks spidered along the walls with dry snaps, the ceiling dipping another few centimeters as thick dust poured down in choking curtains.
Elara didn't wait for another sign.
She raised her left wrist, the D-Armilla still streaked with dried blood and soot, and her voice cut through the heavy air without hesitation:
"Fenrir. Come."
The response was immediate.
The floor ahead of her grid-lined, digital patterns flickering beneath the building's instability. The sound of moving metal rang out—gears locking, plates sliding over one another with aggressive clicks.
Fenrir emerged.
The black wolf took shape in a single fluid, violent motion—compact, muscular, built for speed and precise strikes. Gray smoke billowed from his jaws as he growled, the low, threatening sound vibrating in Elara's chest like a familiar echo.
Green eyes swept the room.
Ready.
Elara was already moving as she turned to Seung-Woo.
"Seung," she said quickly. "My brother goes with you. Fenrir's smaller."
Seung-Woo didn't question it.
He nodded once, serious, focused.
"Iron," he called, voice firm despite the tension still etched into it. "Now."
The steel lion answered with a deep roar, the projection solidifying in the fractured space of the apartment. Iron materialized with weight and presence, paws crushing the weakened floor, armor reflecting the flickering firelight around them.
Seung-Woo mounted in one clean, trained motion, pulling himself onto the lion's back like someone who'd done it far more times than he cared to remember.
"Lucas!" he called.
The boy didn't hesitate.
He ran to Iron, fear still written on his face, but now mixed with something new—trust. Seung-Woo hauled him up firmly, positioning him in front, one protective arm around him.
"Hold on to me," he said. "Don't let go."
Lucas nodded hard, fingers digging into the cold armor of the lion.
At the same time, Elara mounted Fenrir.
The movement sent a sharp flare of pain through her back, but she ignored it. Her hands locked into the metallic fur, body leaning forward, aligned with the wolf as if they were a single being.
Rafael was already moving.
"Kaiser," he snarled.
The hybrid ligre surged forward with a powerful step. Rafael climbed onto him with surprising ease for someone so scarred and augmented, settling low and stable. Kaine, the King Spider, crawled up onto his shoulder like a living shadow, while smaller spiders spread out and latched onto Kaiser's body, preparing systems and reinforcing sensors.
In the air, Visio spread her wings, maintaining altitude.
Cain followed close behind, slicing through the sky with precision, the two maintaining constant vigilance.
There was no more time.
"Now!" Elara shouted.
The floor gave way.
They jumped.
Fenrir launched first, a long, precise leap through the shattered window. Remaining glass exploded into fragments as the black wolf cleared the opening, landing outside with brutal agility.
Iron followed.
The lion's passage through the opening was heavy, the structure screaming in protest as his colossal body forced its way through. Kaiser came next, smashing a path through as chunks of the building collapsed behind them.
The apartment gave in.
Not all at once—but in waves, walls folding inward, the ceiling crashing down with a deafening roar, a thick cloud of dust swallowing everything for several seconds.
They ran.
Fenrir led, fast and low, weaving through debris with lethal precision. Iron kept a strong, steady pace, shielding Lucas with his massive frame. Kaiser crushed anything in his path, metal plates grinding under impact.
Elara felt the wind slash across her face, mixed with ash and smoke. The world blurred into ruins, fire, and distant sirens.
Behind them, the building finally collapsed.
The sound was like the end of something old.
They didn't look back.
They slowed only when they reached a slightly more open area, footsteps echoing over cracked asphalt. Ahead, a convenience store rose from the wreckage—half destroyed, one side completely torn away, but the other still standing, improbably intact.
An unstable island of structure amid the chaos.
Fenrir slowed, body taut, ready to strike if needed. Iron stopped shortly after, chest rising and falling in heavy motions. Kaiser positioned himself to the side, forming an improvised perimeter.
Elara dismounted Fenrir carefully, legs protesting as they hit the ground.
Lucas slid down from Iron's back, breathing fast, eyes scanning the surroundings in controlled panic.
"We're… alive," he said, more to himself than anyone else.
"For now," Rafael replied dryly, dismounting from Kaiser. "Don't drop your guard."
Visio circled above the store, landing briefly on the intact roof. Cain took a higher perch, covering the opposite angle. Kaine stayed on Rafael's shoulder, smaller spiders spreading across the outer walls, forming a silent surveillance web.
Elara rested her hands on her knees for a moment, catching her breath.
Her back throbbed, her leg still ached—but she was standing.
She lifted her gaze to the group—to her brother, to Seung-Woo, to Rafael—and then to the half-standing store ahead.
"It's not safe," she said honestly. "But it's the best we've got right now."
No one argued.
In that broken world, relatively safe was already a luxury.
And together—mounted on steel, shadows, and instinct—they had escaped once more.
By a hair's breadth.