The ground was dying. The guardian's roar was loud and disrupted everything around us.
Grass brittle. Trees hollow. Flowers shriveled into grey husks. The air tasted metallic and old—like something ancient was decaying right in front of us.
Slowly, the creature lifted its head, chunks of earth sliding off its body. Vines writhed like living nerves, tightening, flexing. Its torso was thick wood fused with flesh, covered in plates of stone-like armor that shifted with every breath. Its eyes glowed an unnatural, sickly green—as if poisoned from the inside.
A Gaiadrake.
A guardian of the forest.
Corrupted. Controlled.
I swallowed hard.
"It's… huge," Arion whispered, clutching his axe.
"Twice a human's height," Varein murmured. "Maybe more…"
"No wings," Kazen noted, "but those limbs… they're made for crushing."
Theon's voice shook, despite trying to sound strong. "This is way above first-year level…"
Aldred didn't look away from the monster.
"It is weakened," he said. "Controlled. Draining the forest for power. But that makes it more unstable. More dangerous."
The Gaiadrake lowered itself—muscles and vines tightening, stone armor grinding.
Preparing to attack.
Aldred stepped forward.
"Class 1-S," he commanded. "Formation."
They didn't hesitate.
Kazen drew his bow.
Varein spun his spear lightly, eyes narrowing.
Aelira's icy aura frosted the air around her rapier's blade.
Liam's golden aura shimmered like sunlight on steel.
Liraeth's plasma flickered, humming dangerously.
Seraphyne's pink fire burst to life, her daggers blazing.
Kai cracked his knuckles, fire coursing through his veins.
Arion adjusted his stance, trembling but determined.
Theon slammed his hand into the ground—yellow aura flashing as earth began to shift beneath us.
And me?
My hand tightened around my changed sword—white streaks like frozen lightning pulsing faintly.
Aldred raised his arm.
"Ready yourselves—this creature is not acting of its own will. You are fighting a guardian forced into madness."
The Gaiadrake roared.
The ground split.
Trees shook violently.
And then—
It charged.
"Barrier!!" Aldred barked.
But Theon was faster.
He slammed both palms down, aura surging.
"EARTH WALL!"
KRSHHHH!!
A massive wall of compacted earth shot upward between us and the Gaiadrake—thick, sturdy, glowing with yellow aura threads.
The Gaiadrake didn't stop.
It rammed the barrier head-first.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The impact sent dust exploding everywhere, Theon skidding back several steps from the recoil.
But the wall held.
Barely.
Cracks spider-webbed through it.
Kazen whistled under his breath. "If that was me, I'd be paste right now…"
Theon grunted. "Thanks for the encouragement."
Aldred didn't waste time.
"Kazen—aim for its joints. Aelira, freeze the areas he marks. Varein, Rain—flank with me. Seraphyne, Kai, Liam—prepare to pressure its head when it staggers. Liraeth—wait for my signal."
Orders. Clean. Fast.
We moved.
The wall shattered as the Gaiadrake tore through it, but by then Kazen had already drawn five arrows—mist swirling around them.
fwip fwip fwip fwip fwip—!
They embedded into the Gaiadrake's leg joints.
Aelira leapt, icy aura trailing her, freezing each impact point.
"NOW!"
Aldred launched forward—a blur of black.
Varein dashed beside him, wind amplifying his speed.
I followed, pulse racing, gripping my sword tighter.
Varein struck first—his spear slicing across the frozen joints, cracking stone armor.
Then Aldred slammed his sword into the exposed limb.
CRRRAAAAAACK!!
The beast stumbled—just slightly.
But enough.
"Seraphyne! Kai! Liam!"
A pink inferno. A red blaze. A golden flash.
The three prodigies struck in perfect sync—blinding light exploding across the Gaiadrake's head.
It reeled, roaring in pain.
Liraeth stepped forward, plasma humming around her hands.
Aldred snapped, "NOT YET! You'll blow us sky-high!"
She hissed in frustration but stepped back.
The ground shook again—violently.
The Gaiadrake wasn't slowing down.
If anything… it was getting stronger.
Draining more life.
More power.
Vines snapped outward, whipping toward us like spears.
I barely dodged one—feeling the air slice next to my cheek.
"Rain!" Varein shouted. "Left!"
I moved instinctively, raising my sword.
My aura flickered—light blue, white crackles buzzing.
The vine slammed toward me.
I slashed.
SHHHHK!!
Thunder rippled faintly along my blade, cutting through the corrupted plant flesh.
But I felt something else.
Something in the forest… crying out.
The Gaiadrake wasn't the only one suffering.
The entire forest was being drained.
My chest tightened.
"We need to weaken it fast," I said, breathing hard. "It's feeding off everything around it."
Aldred nodded sharply. "Exactly. Keep the pressure!"
But the Gaiadrake suddenly crouched.
The ground vibrated harder.
A terrible realization hit me.
"…MOVE!! It's going to—!"
The ground erupted.
Roots exploded outward in every direction, twisting violently. Trees bent unnaturally, as if being pulled by invisible force. The entire forest groaned, shuddering.
The Gaiadrake roared—a sound full of agony, rage, and desperation.
And then—
Its eyes glowed brighter.
Too bright.
Kazen shouted, "It's drawing even MORE from the forest!!"
Aldred cursed under his breath.
"Everyone! Brace yourselves! This is only the beginning!"
I tightened my grip.
My pulse thundered.
The real fight… was just starting.
Because this wasn't a monster.
It was a guardian crying for help.
And we were the only ones who could stop it.