The forest had quieted, but it was the type of silence that put all their senses on edge. The air hung heavy, as though waiting for something to snap. Julia, Rina, Hima, and Olive moved through the thick underbrush with cautious steps, every muscle tense, eyes scanning the shadowed surroundings.


    The once-overwhelming presence of the demon had faded, but Julia couldn''t shake the dread creeping into her bones.


    Something doesn''t feel right, Olive thought, her hand gripping the hilt of her knives, her ck eyes sharp and calcting. She stayed close to the group, her movements fluid, each step barely audible on the forest floor.


    Julia, her fiery red hair slick with sweat, nced at Rina. "We need to keep moving. Whatever that thing was, it''s not gone. I can feel it."


    Rina, towering and strong, nodded grimly. She shifted her grip on her massive sword, ready for any sudden attack. "Stay close," she said, her voice low. "We''re not out of this yet."


    Hima walked slightly behind the group, her staff at the ready, golden hair reflecting the faintest glimmer of light from the moon that began to rise overhead. She had been quiet since theirst encounter with the demon, conserving her energy for whatevery ahead. But the unease in her eyes was unmistakable.


    As they pressed deeper into the woods, a faint rustling echoed from somewhere ahead. Julia raised her hand, signaling for them to stop.


    "I don''t like this," she whispered. "Stay sharp."


    Rina''s grip on her sword tightened. "Something''s watching us."


    The rustling grew louder, and then a low growl rippled through the trees. Julia''s breath caught in her throat as she scanned the area. The shadows in the forest had thickened, swirling unnaturally, coiling around the trunks of the trees like living things. The growl deepened, spreading from every direction.


    "There!" Olive pointed toward the east, her eyes narrowing.


    Out of the shadows stepped a figure—dark, indistinct, and shifting, as though it were made from the very night itself. Its eyes, glowing a sickly green, pierced through the gloom.


    Rina stepped forward, positioning herself defensively. "Get ready."


    The shadowy figure didn''t move at first. It simply stood there, its form rippling like smoke caught in a breeze. But then another figure emerged from the trees to the west. And then another. And another. Four in total, each more menacing than thest.


    "They''re multiplying," Hima muttered, her voice barely audible.


    Julia gripped her magic sword, its light flickering in response to her fear. "These aren''t just shadows," she said, her voice tightening. "They''re part of the demon."


    The four shadowy figures moved in unison, their forms bending and stretching unnaturally as they closed in on the group. At first, their movements were slow, deliberate, as if testing the waters. But then, without warning, one of the figures lunged.


    Olive reacted instantly, her knives shing in the moonlight as she met the attack head-on. The first shadowy figure''s wed hand shed at her, but Olive was faster, ducking beneath the blow and delivering a quick strike to its side. Her knife sunk into the dark mass, but it didn''t stop the creature—it barely flinched.


    Rina was next to engage, her massive sword swinging in a wide arc as she charged at the second figure. Her sword connected with the shadow''s torso, but instead of cutting through, the figure seemed to melt and reform around the de. "They''re not solid!" Rina grunted, pulling her sword back.


    The shadow creatureshed out, catching Rina off guard with a swipe to her arm. She growled in frustration, using her immense strength to shove the creature away, but the force of her attack seemed to do little. "Damn it!"


    Julia didn''t hesitate, her sword glowing with magical energy as she thrust it forward, aiming for the third figure. The magic-infused de cut through the shadow more effectively, but the creature''s form still reformed momentster. "They''re resisting magic!" Julia called out. "We need to hit them harder!"


    The fourth shadow creature focused on Hima, its movements serpentine as it glided toward her. Hima summoned a wall of fire, her blonde hair whipping in the wind as the mes roared to life. The creature recoiled from the fire, but it didn''t retreat. Instead, it circled her, testing the edges of her barrier.


    "I can hold it off for now, but I don''t know how long!" Hima warned, sweat beading on her forehead as she concentrated on maintaining the spell.


    The fight intensified quickly. The shadow creatures moved with terrifying speed and agility, their forms twisting and bending in ways that seemed unnatural. Olive danced through the battlefield, her knives shing as she shed at the figures, but each time they reformed as if made of smoke.


    "They''re wearing us down," Olive muttered under her breath, frustration creeping into her voice.


    Julia''s breath came in ragged gasps as she parried another blow. "We need to find a weakness!" she shouted, her voice strained.


    Rina swung her sword with everything she had, but the sheer strength of her strikes seemed ineffective against these ethereal opponents. "We can''t keep this up forever!" she yelled, shing wildly at the creature in front of her. "We need a n!"


    Olive darted forward, her knives shing as she managed tond a solid hit on one of the shadows. For a moment, the creature wavered, its form shimmering before it reconstituted. But then, something changed. The figures seemed to grow more substantial, their attacks hitting harder, their forms bing less fluid and more defined.


    "They''re evolving," Hima gasped, her eyes wide with realization. "They''re learning how to fight us!"


    One of the figures lunged at Julia, ws outstretched. She barely dodged in time, the creature''s talons grazing her armor. "We need to regroup!" she called out. "Fall back!"


    But the shadow creatures weren''t giving them any room to escape. They pressed forward, their attacks bing more aggressive, more precise. The forest itself seemed to conspire against them, the shadows growing darker, the trees twisting unnaturally.


    Hima''s fire barrier flickered, the strain of maintaining it visible in her trembling hands. "I don''t know how much longer I can hold them!"


    Olive leapt into action, her movements a blur as she threw her knives with pinpoint uracy, each de finding its mark in the shadow creatures'' shifting forms. But no matter how many times she struck, the creatures kepting, relentless in their assault.


    Rina, gritting her teeth, swung her sword in a wide arc, trying to keep the creatures at bay. "They''re not giving us a chance to breathe!" she growled, her muscles straining under the weight of her weapon.


    The shadow creatures closed in, surrounding the team. Julia, panting, her body aching from the relentlessbat, nced at herpanions. They were being pushed to their limits. "We need to break through!" she shouted. "Hima, can you—"


    Before she could finish, a sudden, chilling wind swept through the forest, causing the shadows to ripple unnervingly. Julia''s heart skipped a beat. Something was wrong. The very air around them seemed to grow heavier, denser, as though reality itself was bending under the weight of an unseen force.


    Then, without warning, the shadows retreated, pulling back into the trees, dissolving into the darkness.


    "What… what just happened?" Olive asked, her voice tight with suspicion. She didn''t rx her stance, her knives still held at the ready.


    Julia frowned, her instincts screaming that this was far from over. "They didn''t retreat. They''re regrouping."


    Rina nodded, scanning the area. "We need to move, and fast."


    But before they could take a single step, the ground beneath them shook violently. The air crackled with dark energy, and Julia felt her magic sword pulse in response. "It''sing back!" she shouted, trying to rally the others.


    A guttural roar echoed through the forest, shaking the trees, and from above, a massive shadow descended from the sky—the demon, back in its monstrous form,rger and more terrifying than before. Its acid-dripping teeth gleamed in the dim light, and its eyes locked onto the group with terrifying intent.


    Hima''s heart skipped a beat as she looked up at the creature, her breath catching in her throat. Time seemed to slow as the demon plummeted toward them, its wings spread wide, casting a dark shadow over the entire clearing.


    Hima felt the world tilt as the demon''s descent seemed to stretch on for eternity, her mind frozen in the moment. Her golden hair fluttered around her face as she stared up at the night sky, her eyes wide with shock. The stars twinkled above, distant and cold, a stark contrast to the terror closing in on them.


    Then, with a bone-shaking crash, the demon''s massive form collided with the ground, sending a shockwave through the forest. Hima was thrown off her feet, her body tumbling through the air, weightless for a moment as time seemed to slow even further.


    As she fell, she caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye—two beautiful legs, standing in the clearing. The legs were delicate yet strong, the skin pale and smooth, with a magic rope coiled around the ankles, shimmering faintly in the dim light. Hima''s eyes widened in confusion and then she realised before falling unconscious.