Chapter 4 : The Team Up
The hut Eline brought them to was small and hidden deep in the forest. It was made of old wood, covered in vines and moss, but it felt safe—almost invisible from the outside. Inside, a fire crackled in a small pit, lighting the room with a soft, orange glow.
Lucas sat quietly near the fire, still trying to understand everything that had happened. Eline handed him a cup of warm liquid from a strange plant. "It helps you think," she said.
"Thanks," Lucas murmured, then looked up at her. "What's your name?"
"Eline," she replied with a soft smile. "And yours?"
"I'm Lucas," he said, adjusting the glasses Eline had found for him near the river.
Leo, sitting nearby with his arms crossed, added, "Leo. You already know me—the guy who dragged us into this."
Eline nodded. "Now that we're not running for our lives… it's good to finally meet you both properly."
There was a moment of quiet before Leo turned to Lucas. "So… how did you do it? That teleport thing. You saved us."
Lucas frowned. "I don't know. I wasn't thinking. I was in pain, and all I could think about was how thirsty I was… and how I broke my promise to Grandma."
Eline leaned forward. "Try to remember more. This world doesn't give powers for no reason. Everything is tied to your emotions, your choices, and your past."
Lucas closed his eyes, trying to recall the feeling. "I didn't know what to do. I just… remembered the river. I wanted to be anywhere else. And then we were."
Eline nodded slowly. "So your power might be linked to desire or memory. That's rare. Strong, too."
Leo tilted his head. "So… he thinks about water and poof—we're gone?"
"Not quite," Eline said. "He felt something deeply. Pain, guilt, desperation. The system responded."
As the fire crackled, Leo suddenly leaned forward. "You shared your story with us. Mind if we ask about your past?"
Eline sighed and nodded. "My mom was… complicated. In our neighborhood, everyone called her a witch. Not because she did anything bad—but because of the things she kept in our house. Strange objects. Old scrolls. Potions. And… the mirror."
Lucas looked up. "The same kind of mirror?"
Eline nodded. "Exactly. She said she inherited it all from her mother. But people feared her. They whispered behind our backs. I hated it. I didn't believe in the stories."
She paused. "One day, I saw the mirror glow. I heard it whisper to me. I thought… maybe if I entered it, I'd find the truth. I didn't listen to my mother's warning. I touched it… and I fell through."
Silence filled the hut.
Eline looked down. "I've been here ever since."
Leo was unusually quiet for a moment. Then, finally, he spoke. "I used to get bullied a lot too. For my size. I liked food. Ice cream mostly. But kids teased me, laughed at me. So I decided to be the bully instead. I thought… if I hit first, no one could hurt me."
Lucas didn't say anything, but he listened.
Leo's voice softened. "I'm sorry I picked on you, Lucas. You didn't deserve it."
Lucas looked surprised, then nodded slowly. "Thanks for saying that."
Outside, the sky had turned a deep shade of purple—dotted with glowing stars that shimmered in strange patterns, unlike anything from their world.
As the night deepened and the forest settled into an eerie quiet, Lucas stood near the entrance of the hut, gazing out into the trees. The sky above shimmered with stars he'd never seen before—brighter, closer, almost alive. But something else pulled at him.
His ear twitched. A faint sound.
Footsteps. Soft. Quick. Dozens of them.
He stiffened, narrowing his eyes into the darkness. Whatever was coming wasn't heavy like the monster—it didn't crash through trees or shake the earth. No, this was different. Fast. Sharp. Silent. Like animals… wolves maybe? But more than just a few.
He couldn't tell exactly. All he knew was—they were coming. And fast.
Lucas stepped back into the hut, his voice low but urgent.
"Something's coming," he said. "A lot of them."
Before Lucas could finish explaining what he heard, Eline's expression darkened. She didn't wait for more words.
"Quiet," she whispered, raising a hand.
Leo rolled his eyes, annoyed and half-asleep. "Lucas, can you shut up for once? I'm exhausted. I need to rest. You've been talking about footsteps and danger like some ghost story—"
But Eline cut him off sharply.
"No. He's right. I know what's coming."
Leo blinked. "What?"
Eline's voice dropped to a whisper.
"They're called Nyrewolves."
"Nyre-what?" Lucas echoed, confused.
"They look like wolves, but they're taller—half the size of a grown man. Their teeth can tear through armor. They have glowing blue eyes, like cold fire. And… horns. One horn, like a twisted unicorn. Don't let the light fool you. They're fast, brutal, and travel in packs. Dozens. Maybe more."
Lucas went pale.
Leo stood up fast now, suddenly awake. "How do we fight them?"
"We don't," Eline said. "We run. Fire's the only thing they fear… and barely."
She grabbed a burning stick from the campfire and quickly stamped out the rest of the flames.
"No fire means they might not chase too hard," she added. "But if we stay… we die."
Just as she spoke, a chilling howl echoed outside the hut. Then another. And another.
They froze.
Blue lights blinked in the darkness—eyes. Dozens of them. Surrounding the hut. The creatures were here.
Lucas could barely breathe. Leo stood frozen. He could see the Nyrewolves—long, lean, snarling beasts with black fur, glowing eyes, and single spiraled horns on their heads. Their mouths hung open, sharp fangs dripping.
"Move!" Eline shouted.
They burst out of the hut, dodging between trees as Eline swung the firestick toward the wolves to scare them back. It worked, for a moment—long enough to make a gap and run.
But the Nyrewolves weren't giving up.
They chased the trio through the woods, fast as lightning, their howls piercing the night.
Then—up ahead—a shadow loomed.