The air grew heavier as they drew closer to the shattered gates of the zoo. Vines twisted through the bent metal, rust and blood staining the frame. The wind carried the faint musk of animals—overlaid now with the copper tang of corruption.
It felt like a place on the edge of change, the kind of silence that comes before a storm.
Keith stopped just inside the entrance. His lion and tiger paced restlessly, claws scraping the cracked pavement. His voice was low, but there was an intensity in it that made everyone halt.
"They're here," he whispered. "I can feel them."
Ethan's silver threads stirred under his skin, answering the wrongness that seeped through the broken enclosures. Ellie kept her dogs close; their fur bristled, low growls vibrating in their throats. Jamie edged behind Marcus, clutching his short blade so tightly his knuckles whitened.
"Then let's not waste time," Marcus muttered. "Get in, get your beasts, and get out before this place collapses."
Keith ignored him, already staring down the cracked concrete paths that wound deeper into the park.
---
They found the first in the reptile enclosure. The pool was half drained, the walls filmed with algae. In the stagnant water, something shifted—a shadow that broke the surface with a hiss.
A crocodile the size of a truck slid forward, its scales dark with pulsing veins of corruption. Its yellow eyes locked onto them, and the sound it made was more than a growl—it was hunger made noise.
"Hold it!" Keith barked.
Ethan's silver threads lashed outward, slicing into the water. They coiled around the creature's torso and jaws, glowing bright as they fought the blackness crawling beneath its hide. The backlash made Ethan stagger, essence pouring out of him like sand through glass.
"Now, Keith!"
Keith's eyes blazed faint green as his will surged. His lion and tiger roared in unison, their bond pulling at the corrupted beast. The dark veins flared—then snapped.
The crocodile went still. Its eyes cleared. Then it slid forward and stopped before Keith, head bowed low.
It had been a monster. Now it was his.
---
They heard the next ones before they saw them. Up above, two birds circled against the grey sky—a golden eagle with ragged wings, and a black hawk whose feathers shimmered like knives.
"They're almost gone," Keith said grimly. "If we don't reach them now, they'll fall."
The birds dove.
The eagle streaked toward Caleb, talons bared. Ethan's threads whipped upward, catching one wing mid-flight and dragging it down. The hawk veered toward Ellie, only to be intercepted by her husky, which leapt and snapped—more courage than strength—forcing it off course.
"Hold them steady!" Keith roared.
His lion bellowed; the tiger pounced. Ethan poured light into his threads until his vision blurred. The corruption inside the birds writhed, fought, then guttered out like smoke in wind.
The eagle landed first, folding its battered wings. The hawk followed, head cocked, its eyes bright and aware.
Keith straightened slowly. Five. Lion, tiger, crocodile, eagle, hawk. His pack was whole again.
---
They pressed deeper into the zoo. The air thickened, heavy with musk and decay.
Then the ground shook.
From the shadows of a half-collapsed enclosure, a roar ripped the air apart. A bear lumbered forward, massive and broken, its fur matted with blood and earth. Corruption webbed through its body like molten wire.
Ellie's dogs bristled, stepping between her and the beast.
Keith froze. For the first time since they had met him, something cracked in his voice. "Ellie," he said quietly. "Take it."
She blinked. "What?"
"My slots are full," he rasped. "If I try, it'll die in the transfer. But you—your bond is different. You can still reach it. Please."
Ellie stared at the creature towering over them, heart hammering. "It's too big. I can't control something like that."
"You can," Ethan said, teeth clenched as his threads whipped out again. The silver cords wrapped the bear, searing against the corruption that fought back like claws under his skin. His essence drained fast, every breath heavier. "They're waiting for you. Reach out."
The bear strained and roared, its fury shaking the fence posts. Ellie's husky and Alsatian barked in unison—defiance and loyalty twined into one sound.
Ellie stepped forward. Her hands trembled, but her eyes didn't waver. "All right," she whispered.
She reached with everything she had—and chose.
Silver light burst outward, markings across her arms igniting. The husky howled, frost mist curling from its muzzle; the Alsatian snarled, green light pulsing in its veins. The bear reared, trapped between shadow and radiance—then bowed its head.
The corruption burned away. When Ethan released the threads, the bear stood before her, steady and silent.
Ellie sagged, tears streaking her face. "Three," she whispered. "I have three now."
---
Keith watched, jaw tight, eyes wet. Relief warred with grief across his weathered face. "That one…" His voice broke. "I raised it from a cub."
Ellie swallowed. "Then you already gave it everything you could."
The bear snorted softly, then pressed its enormous head against her shoulder. She smiled through tears. "I'll protect it. I'll protect all of them."
Keith managed a nod, voice rough. "Better with you than rotting in the dark."
---
They left the zoo battered and silent, their ranks swollen not with people but with beasts. The eagle and hawk circled above, the crocodile slid behind Keith, and the lion and tiger padded at his sides. Beside Ellie lumbered the bear, her husky and Alsatian trotting close.
For a fleeting moment, they looked unstoppable.
Then the system's voice tore through the air.
> [Global Countdown: 1 hour remaining until beast mutation.]
Every dog in the distance barked. Birds shrieked. Somewhere across the city, a wolf howled—a sound too deep, too wrong to be natural.
The group froze. The weight of it pressed down on their hearts. One hour.
Ethan clenched his fists, silver threads burning under his skin. "Then we use every minute we've got."