Hecate, Talila, Hemera and Leira’s POV

The four ladies heard the explosions behind them, but they were sprinting toward Greenwood City, where Ella, Halime, and Llyniel were. They were currently in the forest that covers most of the Oakheart Kingdom.

Talila was getting tired while carrying Archer. She called out to the other three, “Can we rest for a minute, girls? I’m growing tired.”

Everyone agreed and came to a stop in the peaceful forest. They found a tree to sit under, and while resting, Hecate pulled out a teapot, which baffled the others and caused Leira to question, “What are you doing?”

“Making tea, we need to relax and wait for Lucrezia, who will find us soon,” Hecate replied while using her magic to heat the tea.

The four of them all checked on Archer, who was still unconscious. Leira used a cloth to wipe the sweat off his body as she spoke, “We need to wash his body; it is covered in blood and dirt, which might make the injuries worse.”‘

“I’ll find some water,” Talila offered. “I can hide from most things if we’re in a forest.”

The other three nodded as Hemera spoke, “Be careful out there, Tali; those beings may be here.”

Talila nodded and readied her bow before rushing into a nearby bush. Leira watched her go, “Will she be okay out there?”

“Yes, Tali is a skilled warrior and hunter. She could vanish in a forest, and not even a Demi- God could find her,” Hemera answered, using her sun magic to start a roaring fire.

While Hecate and Hemera sat around the fire, Leira put a blanket over Archer to ensure he was warm. When the two elves saw this, they smiled, causing the sun elf to comment, “Is he getting cold?”

“Yes, his body keeps going hot, then cold. It’s strange as I’ve studied poisons, and this is something that’s never been seen,” the cat girl replied before standing up. “I will keep an eye on him.”

The concern etched on their elven features was palpable, yet Hemera voiced their shared worry, “I hope Brooke, Mary, and Sia are safe. I’ve attempted to reach them through our magical tattoos and bracelets, but there’s been no response.”

Hecate affirmed solemnly, “I’ve tried contacting Thalia and Xanthe as well, but there’s been no word from them either. It’s as if they’ve vanished into silence.”

The three girls went quiet until they heard rustling in a nearby bush, which caused Hemera and Leira to jump up. They prepared to cast their magic until Talila exited the bush while breathing heavily.

“Tali! What happened out there?” Hemera questioned.

”It’s a nightmare; a massive Monster Wave is coming; we need to find somewhere to defend,” Talila said.

They all agreed without another word; Hemera picked up Archer while Talila and Leira ran in front, and Hecate brought up the rear. The group searched for an hour straight and found a cave they could hide in.

Leira set dozens of fire traps while Hecate used her moon magic to hide the entrance as the four hid inside. Several powerful auras hit them minutes later, and a horde of monsters rushed by.

Hemera looked at Talila, who was sitting close to Archer, and said, “Tell us what happened out there, Tali.”

The silver-haired girl nodded before recounting her story.

***

Talila’s POV

After leaving the camp, Talila found a monster trail and started following it while scouting nearby. She traveled through the forest while readying her mana arrows but found nothing that caught her eye.

Talila scanned it but found nothing. There was no sound, no bird chirping. While hiding in a bush, she remembered something her mentor taught her: ‘If the forest goes quiet, it means a predator is nearby,’ she thought.

Her eyes widened before using her scanning skill that sent out a small wave of undetectable mana that would inform her of nearby monsters. When the results returned, she quickly jumped forward as the tree behind exploded.

She rolled to a stop and fired arrows that peppered a giant brown gorilla monster. When Talila saw this, her eyes widened, and she mumbled, “A Forest Gorilla! What are they doing so far north?”

Talila dodged the next attack and cast Sun Blast into the creature’s side, causing it to roar in pain. She continued to dodge the monster’s strikes while annoying it with her mana arrows, and when she saw the opportunity to escape, she fired a smoke arrow at the ground.

This caused a massive explosion of white power, allowing her to flee the Forest Gorilla, which was a rank stronger than herself. But there was something different about it. She couldn’t put a finger on it as she got away.

She heard an anger-filled roar and trees getting destroyed, but to her horror, more roars and howls answered. Talila thought to herself as her scanning skill picked up thousands of monsters, causing her to rush toward the nearby lake she found.

When getting there, Talila took out a large canteen and filled it up before rushing back to the others while dodging monsters by hiding in bushes and trees. By the time she crossed Hecate’s moon barrier, she had collapsed due to being tired.

***

Hecate, Talila, Hemera and Leira’s POV

Hemera approached Talila and hugged her niece, “You did good, Tali; Archer will be proud of

you.”

“‘Thank you aunty,” Talila replied. “I need to rest, as I used too much mana while escaping the monsters.”‘

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Before handing her a blanket and cushion from her storage ring, the sun elf nodded, “Take these and get some rest.”

Talila handed over the canteen while getting comfortable and falling asleep after being tired. Hecate returned to making tea by taking out everything she needed, which made Leira and Hemera smile.

The sun elf commented while starting another fire, “How long will we have to stay here?”

“Maybe a day or two. The jungle seems to be in turmoil with the Monster Wave clashing against the natives,” Leira remarked. “It all hinges on whether the Jungle Titans decide to intervene.”

Hemera nodded thoughtfully while the fire crackled to life, providing warmth and light that allowed Hecate to set her teapot on it using a makeshift stick. Meanwhile, Leira stretched her limbs. “I’m going to catch some sleep. Archer reached out to me while I was resting, so I

hurried out with Mary.”

“Okay, I’ll keep watch until Tali wakes up,” Hemera said gratefully as Hecate handed her a steaming cup of sweet tea.

She took a sip, feeling revitalized by the warmth spreading through her. Peering at the moon elf, she inquired, “What tea is this?”

“Moonbane tea,” she replied, taking a sip of her own. “It helps with tiredness and stress,

Hemera.”

Hemera watched the grey-skinned elf and shrugged before finishing the hot drink. Soon after that, Hecate spoke, “Go to sleep. I will keep watch.”

“Wake me up when you need to rest,” Hemera replied while getting a blanket out of her

storage ring, “Night Hecate.”

The moon elf nodded silently, her thoughts drifting as she gazed into the crackling flames, her concern focused on Archer’s well-being. Her crimson eyes flickered over to the slumbering boy, and a pang of worry tugged at her heart. Rising from her spot, she moved

closer to him.

Sitting beside Archer, she tenderly brushed her fingers through his silky white hair. A gentle smile graced her lips as she made contact with him, feeling a comforting warmth spreading

through her at the connection.

While sitting there, a roar caught Hecate’s attention, causing her to jump up and reach the moon barrier hiding them. As she looked outside, she yelped but quickly covered her mouth

when spotting their hunters.

The same beings fighting Brooke and the others were passing by the cave with others in tow. Hecate’s eyes widened in shock, ‘What happened to them? They cannot be dead,’ she thought to

herself.

Hecate shook her head at the thought, but it remained in the back of her mind, causing the nagging feeling to eat her. That’s when a growl brought her back to reality, as the beings outside were controlling some of the monsters.

Shortly after, explosions started to ring in the distance, and a roar shook the ground. Hecate wondered who was fighting now, but the humanoids outside the cave rushed in the sound’s

direction.

Without hesitation, Hecate conjured two more moon barriers to shield their hiding place from the outside world. Throughout the night, she remained vigilant, sipping her Moonbane tea while monsters triggered Hemera’s fire traps, causing intermittent explosions that echoed

through the forest.

Despite the chaos outside, Hecate decided against waking the others. Instead, she kept a solitary watch, monitoring the entrance and checking on the sleeping Archer. Observing him closely, she noticed that he had calmed down a little, yet she couldn’t ignore the worsening

state of his injuries.

She took the cloth left by Hemera and began wiping the sweat from Archer, the distant sounds of explosions and roars growing ominously nearer. Hecate paused in her ministrations and swiftly moved towards the cave entrance.

There, a familiar roar echoed through the air, originating from an unexpected direction. Despite her confusion, Hecate chose to set aside her curiosity and focus on their immediate

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However, her attention was soon drawn to a startling sight: several of the beings hunting

them flew out of the jungle, only to collide and crumble against the nearby mountain. The surreal spectacle left Hecate momentarily stunned, her mind racing to comprehend the unexpected turn of events amidst the ongoing chaos.