Something was wrong.
The air had shifted, just subtly at first—but now it felt thick, soupy. Echo stood frozen in the middle of the park's cracked pavement, his breath hitching in his throat as the colors of the world dulled like an old TV screen losing signal. The sounds of birds, traffic, and distant conversations vanished. Silence rushed in like a crashing wave.
The world had emptied.
"Yo… yo… yo—" Zayden's voice cracked through the quiet. "It's happening again. It's happening again!"
Cassian's fists clenched. "Everyone stay calm."
"Nope. Not calm," Jarek muttered, spinning in place. "There were people here. Joggers. A dude on a bike. Where'd they go?"
Lior's eyes darted toward the swingset—empty now, still swaying. "It's like they all vanished…"
Thorne was already scanning the treeline, his voice low. "Just like last time."
Echo didn't speak. He stood still, his eyes flickering with something colder than fear—calculation.
Cassian stepped forward, his voice firm. "We've done this before. We survived. We'll do it again."
Echo's gaze swept the park. Rusting benches, wilting grass, cracked cement. But it was the water tower that caught his eye—tall, steel bones stretching skyward near the edge of the park, its base shadowed by overgrown bushes.
Then the trees behind them shook. Something massive moved.
The ground trembled, followed by a heavy thud. Then another.
It stepped out from behind a wide oak, casting a long, horrible shadow—twenty feet tall, rippling with muscle like a walking statue carved from obsidian. Horns twisted up from its head like twin flames—candle-like fire licking up from their tips. A massive battle axe, blackened and ancient, rested on one broad shoulder.
Its red eyes glowed like coals.
"W-What in the hell…" Lior breathed.
Echo didn't blink. "There! The tower. That's the safe zone! I can see it—"
The moment his voice broke the tension, the illusion of confidence among them shattered.
Zayden bolted. "NOPE. NOPE. BIG NOPE."
"I changed my mind!" Jarek yelled. "I don't wanna die sweaty in a park!"
"RUN!" Cassian barked, already moving.
They sprinted, half-tripping over themselves, ducking under branches and leaping over roots. The minotaur gave a guttural roar and charged, each footstep an earthquake. Trees splintered behind them.
A swing flew past Echo's head like a missile, torn from its chains by the creature's sheer force.
They reached the base of the tower—barely. The beast's axe crashed down just behind them, splitting a picnic table in two with a thunderous crack as they scrambled up the steel rungs.
At the top, they collapsed in a heap of limbs and gasping breaths.
Zayden peeked over the edge. "He's just… standing there. Looking up. Like a very angry gym coach."
Echo stood, steadying his breath. "Alright. Listen up."
The others turned to him.
"We're not gonna sit here and wait to be picked off. We fight smart."
"Smart?" Jarek asked, still wheezing.
"We make a formation. You—" Echo pointed to him, "—you're defense. Put up air shields. Buy us time."
Jarek nodded, regaining focus. "Got it."
"Thorne, you're support. Boost Lior. Let him get in close."
Thorne cracked his knuckles. "He'll fly."
"Lior," Echo turned to him, "You're the hammer. Punch like your life depends on it. Because it does."
Lior grinned, wild-eyed. "Finally."
"Cassian, Zayden—flank and distract. Use your speed. Hit and vanish."
Cassian's eyes glinted. "Just keep him swinging at air."
Zayden tried to smile. "And not at us."
Echo drew in a breath. "We separate him from that axe. We don't want to find out what it does. That thing could split us in two." They all looked at each other and nodded.
They descended fast.
The fight began.
It was a blur of motion and flame.
Cassian and Zayden zipped around the beast like lightning, drawing its attention with quick jabs and blinding speed. Every time the axe swung, it missed by inches.
Jarek braced himself, throwing up shimmering walls of air as the creature turned toward Lior.
Thorne placed a hand on Lior's shoulder—blue light surged through his skin.
Lior launched forward, fist glowing, slamming into the minotaur's chest with a thunderclap. The creature staggered—just a step.
"NOW!" Echo yelled.
Cassian dove at the axe. Zayden appeared behind the creature's leg, slicing with a flare of energy.
The axe dropped.
It hit the ground with a dull thud, sliding across the grass.
"YES!" Jarek cheered.
"We can actually do this!" Zayden laughed, high on adrenaline.
Too soon.
The minotaur roared—no longer calm. Its body pulsed, muscles flaring. It slammed a fist into Lior's chest, sending him flying backward like a rag doll.
"Lior!" Thorne shouted, diving after him.
Before anyone could react, the beast reached out and grabbed Zayden mid-run, lifting him with one hand and hurling him across the park. He hit the grass hard, groaning.
The formation crumbled.
"No—no, you fools!" Echo shouted, heart pounding. "Fall back! Tower—now!"
They ran.
Jarek threw up shield after shield, blocking the creature's rampage. Cassian carried Zayden over one shoulder, sprinting with Thorne and Lior dragging behind.
Echo stayed back, ushering them upward. "Go! GO!"
Then—
The minotaur's hand closed around him.
His body lifted off the ground in a vice-like grip, one arm pinned to his side, the other dangling. His legs kicked uselessly in the air.
"Echo!" someone screamed.
His vision blurred. His heartbeat thundered. The world spun.
He saw the others reach the tower, looking down at him—faces twisted in horror.
"Get… out of here…" he whispered, barely conscious.
The hand around him tightened.
And everything went dark.