Relia froze in horror as her heart clenched.
She knew exactly what it was.A Solperine.
A nightmarish creature, mentioned only in the darkest stories found in the castle's library where she was. A monstrous being that killed anyone who came near.It was said that no one ever escaped it.
She had never seen one in real life… but she had no doubt.
And she also knew one thing: the Solperine must not detect them.
She stood up, stepped back slowly, cautiously, whispering:
— Samuel… Samuel, wait…
Samuel, who was walking toward the camp to get some rest, heard her call faintly. He turned around, scratching the back of his head, still tired.
— What? he said, raising his voice slightly.
And that's when he saw it.
The monster towering above the treetops.Huge. Unsettling. Unreal.
A shiver ran down his spine. He had never seen anything so grotesque.
— What the hell is that thing? he whispered.
Relia, still stepping backward, answered in a low, grave voice:
— It's a Solperine. We need to get out of here, before it notices us...
Samuel didn't take his eyes off the creature.It was moving forward — slowly, eerily.
— And where exactly do you want us to go? We don't even know where we are…
They made a silent decision: wake everyone up, one by one, without making a sound.
Samuel took care of Canon. He gently placed a hand over his mouth.
Canon immediately jolted, but Samuel raised a finger to his own lips — a clear gesture for silence. Slowly, he pulled his hand away.
Canon sat up, still half-asleep, and looked around. The others were already up: Helydia, Kai, Dante, Relia… and Samuel, tense and alert.
— What's going on, guys? Canon mumbled, rubbing his eyes.
Helydia, without a word, pointed toward the monstrous silhouette in the forest.
Canon turned his head.
And when he saw the creature, he let out a scream of terror:
— WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING?!
His cry echoed like thunder through the forest.A chilling echo, loud and sharp, shattered the night's silence.
The Solperine stopped moving.It stood still for a moment…
Then, slowly, all the eyes covering its head turned toward the group.
Dozens. Hundreds.Some looked human. Others looked monstrous.And some… were impossible to describe.
They had been spotted.