The ground wouldn't stop shaking.
Trees cracked and fell as black smoke spread across the sky.
Students screamed in the distance.
Israel stood frozen, the sword still clutched in his hand.
"Ahaharoro—"
A twisted laugh echoed from within the smoke.
"We're free…" it said. "It's been so long… I can feel the world again."
The smoke parted.
A creature stepped forward.
Israel and his friends trembled as they stared in horror.
It had three heads.
Two of the heads were those of lion-like beasts, their eyes glowing with hunger.
The third head was a serpent—long, scaled, and smiling wickedly.
Its body was humanoid, tall and unnatural, veins pulsing beneath dark skin.
The creature's many eyes locked onto Israel and his friends, and it smiled.
"These three look tasty," the serpent head hissed, its tongue flickering.
"ROAR!"
"ROAAAR!"
The two lion heads bellowed in excitement, their massive bodies bouncing forward.
"Step back, you three fools!"
A voice cut through the chaos.
In the next blink
Slash.
The serpent head was severed cleanly, flying through the air.
The remaining body was hurled backward, crashing through trees before slamming violently into the ground.
The beast coughed, blood spilling from its mouth.
"W–what… was that?" it rasped, its voice trembling.
Smoke and dust slowly settled.
Standing between the beast and Israel and his friends…
was a girl.
Her long black hair swayed gently in the wind.
"Is… is that Tari?" Ben whispered, his voice trembling.
"Wow… she's so fast," Israel said in disbelief.
"We should get out of here!" Abdul shouted, panic creeping in.
Before anyone could move
She dashed forward.
In one swift motion, she snatched the sword from Israel's hand.
"Woah—" Israel gasped.
In the next blink—
Thud.
The blade pierced straight through Israel's chest.
Time froze.
Israel stared into her eyes, blood filling his mouth.
"Why…?" he whispered.
Ben's scream tore through the air.
"She—she killed him!"
Abdul's eyes widened in horror as Israel collapsed.
The world spun.
Abdul fell to the ground, unconscious.
"Take them out of here," Tari said coldly to Ben.
The sword vanished into thin air.
Ben hesitated, shaking. Then he grabbed Abdul and dragged him away, fear pushing his body forward.
The beast laughed weakly.
"So… you are one of the MALAIkA, aren't you?" it snarled.
As it spoke, flesh twisted.
The severed serpent head grew back, scales knitting together with a sickening sound.
The creature rose again.
Tari didn't flinch.
Her long black hair began to change—turning shining gold, glowing like sunlight.
Her school uniform dissolved into silky, radiant white cloth, flowing around her body as light poured from her skin.
The air vibrated.
She hovered slightly above the ground, eyes calm… merciless.
The forest fell silent.
Then she dashed forward.
In an instant, Tari grabbed the beast and hurled it through the forest, slamming it into tree after tree. Trunks shattered as its massive body carved a path of destruction.
She stopped.
The beast hung limp in her grasp, coughing blood.
"P-please… stop…" it begged weakly.
Tari's expression didn't change.
She plunged her hand straight into the beast's chest.
CRACK.
She tore out one of its hearts.
The beast roared and hissed in agony, its screams shaking the forest.
"Please… we don't want to die yet!" the beast cried.
"You filthy beast must die," Tari said coldly.
She pierced her hand into its chest again.
The second heart was crushed.
The creature shrieked, its voice breaking.
Once more—without hesitation—
She struck again.
The third heart was destroyed.
The beast screamed one final time as its body convulsed violently, the sound echoing through the forest.
Then—
Silence.
"The others… will end you…" the beast whispered weakly.
Its body began to crack.
The flesh turned gray… then brittle…
And in the next moment, it crumbled into dust, scattering into the air and fading into nothing.
The forest stood still once more.
TO BE CONTINUED....