Soul Beasts

Cale swallowed hard, trying to calm the rising panic that crawled up his throat. He took a deep breath, his hands shaking slightly as he began to gather his gear. "Gods, Rico, sometimes I wish I could stuff you in a barrel and never let you out of my sight!" His voice cracked with frustration, his composure slipping for a moment before he forced himself to focus.

"What's the general location of the soul beasts?" Cale asked, his voice steadier now, turning to Omen with a grim determination. He didn't bother asking how Omen knew all this—he'd learned not to question the man's abilities. Not anymore. Instead, he needed to know what Omen could sense and how much.

Omen's response came swiftly. " West, Six soul beasts in total. They shouldn't be tough for us. The wolves, however… they're the real problem. You already know how insane their defense is. And their mutated scouts are faster than you'd expect." His eyes darkened as he added, "They're already approaching us. There's an entire pack drawn to the noise."

"Their scent hasn't picked us up yet. It was the noise. If we move fast, we can distance ourselves and reach the soul beasts before the pack fully closes in, they would be much easier to face." His voice was steady, but there was an edge beneath the calm, a dark undercurrent that made it clear: they had very little time.

Cale cursed under his breath, the reality of the situation sinking in. They couldn't fight off the wolves, not in these numbers, and even if they did, the soul beasts were a whole other problem. There was only one choice.

He stood tall, his face set in a grim mask of resolve. "Fine," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "We'll head west, toward the soul beasts. Maybe we can buy ourselves time."

His eyes darted to Nico, who still wore that defiant grin. "And you," he said, pointing at her with a mix of exasperation and anger. "Keep your damn mouth shut, or you'll get us all killed." Nico simply shrugged, unbothered by the tension.

" Let's move," Cale ordered. The four of them raced swiftly through the dense underbrush of the Jade Forest, the ground beneath their boots muffled by the thick layers of leaves and moss.

Omen led the way as he surveyed the forest, his eyes locked on the distant soul creatures that only he could see. The others hadn't spotted them yet, their poor vision incapable of piercing the thick veil of darkness as well as his enhanced vision could.

'I haven't known them for long,' Omen mused, his thoughts cold and detached, 'so even if they die, it wouldn't affect me.'

Yet, even with that thought lingering in his mind, he knew that letting them die would raise too many suspicious questions. He had no intention of drawing suspicion from the colonel. And so, despite his internal distance from the group, he resolved to ensure their survival.

"They're close," Omen muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. His words were as cold as the air around them, devoid of emotion. "Prepare yourselves."

As they moved deeper into the forest, the glowing pale white outlines of the soul beasts became visible in the distance. They flickered through the trees like ghosts, their bodies almost entirely transparent, with only the faint light tracing their form to betray their presence.

The creatures were otherworldly—a haunting combination of bull and mosquito. Their massive, muscular bodies resembled those of wild bulls, but their limbs were far more stranger. Their legs were long and spindly, thin like an insect, yet somehow able to support the heavy bulk of their torsos. Their hooves barely touched the ground, hovering slightly above it, as though gravity held no full dominion over them.

Their heads were the most disturbing feature. A bull-like face twisted into something far more alien, with large, round eyes that glowed faintly in the darkness and extending from their faces were long, needle-like proboscises that twitched and pulsed, eagerly seeking blood. Their transparent wings—long and thin—fluttered silently behind them, giving them the ability to lift their heavy bodies for brief moments, though not far from the ground. Their skin, if it could be called that, was thin and translucent, stretched tightly over their bodies, and inside, faint veins pulsed with a dull, pale light. Their chests expanded with slow, laboured breaths, each one sending ripples through the eerie glow of their bodies.

"Omen, did you say these guys were easy?" Rufus muttered under his breath, his face pale as the moonlight barely filtered through the dense canopy above.

"Enough complaints," Cale hissed from above, his voice shaky, but he tried to maintain authority. "If we fight now, the noise might attract the wolves searching for us. It's better we just wait until early dawn, then hunt the soul beasts when it's safer."

Cale's eyes scanned the treetops, seeking anything that would distract him from the haunting shapes of the soul-beasts below. His voice had a forced calm to it, but Omen could tell that he was trying to save his skin, already plotting to secure the best vantage point above.

"We'll camp in the trees tonight and wait it out."

The group murmured in agreement. They began climbing one by one to minimize noise, but it was more than that—no one wanted to be the last one exposed to the dangers below. Cale was the first to ascend, his hands and feet moving quickly, but Omen knew. He could see the man's fear from the trembling in his fingers, from the way he glanced back repeatedly as if expecting one of the beasts to tear him down at any moment. Cale wasn't just thinking about the group's safety; he was thinking about his survival.

Once Cale was perched on a thick branch high above, Rufus went next. His face was drained of colour as he gripped the tree trunk, his body stiff with dread. Each step was cautious, his hands shaking as he ascended, eyes wide with panic as if imagining himself slipping, falling into the gaping maws of the creatures below. His breathing was erratic, and sweat dripped down his face, but somehow he managed to haul himself onto the branch next to Cale.

Then it was Rico's turn.

She moved as she belonged there, her body agile and smooth as she climbed, barely making a sound. She picked the highest spot from the rest of them, perching on a precariously thin branch, but she didn't seem to care. Despite the looming threat, Rico's spirit remained untamed.

Omen watched them all from below, his expression unreadable. Inside, however, irritation simmered. They were all so weak. Every one of them. He could hear the faint rustling of the wolves, their stealthy movements growing nearer, though the others were too absorbed in their thoughts to notice.

He sighed silently, concealing his growing frustration. In a fluid motion, he activated [tree walker] and scaled the tree. Omen's feet moved effortlessly up the tree, defying gravity with each step. The others stared, their expressions a mixture of awe and confusion as he walked up the vertical trunk as though it were solid ground. Cale's mouth hung open, his mind struggling to process the sheer ease with which Omen bent reality to his will. His thoughts were a tangled mess, filled with disbelief and silent questions about the man in front of him.

"How many abilities do you truly have, Omen?" Rufus whispered, though his voice was lost to the wind. It was the question on everyone's mind. No one dared to ask it aloud, not yet. Omen didn't spare them a glance. He reached a sturdy branch at the highest point, well above where the others perched. The branch creaked slightly under his weight, but it held firm. He lay back against the rough bark, closing his eyes as if the threats below were nothing more than background noise.

For the first few hours, everything seemed peaceful. The soul beasts below glided in their slow, ghostly patterns, pale shapes outlined by their faint, otherworldly glow. The mountain wolves after sensing the presence of the soul beast abandoned their chase and patrolled the surroundings, they still didn't want to give up on their chase, the soul beast however remained, everything was tolerable. But then, without warning, a loud yawn broke the stillness.

"Ugh, come on..." Cale groaned, his voice barely suppressing his frustration. Rico's yawn had shattered the delicate quiet, and the result was instant. All six of the soul beasts froze in their movements before swivelling as one, their pale glowing forms locking onto the tree where the group hid. The eerie, unblinking focus of their gaze made the air heavy, charged with impending danger.

Omen smiled to himself, a small, almost imperceptible curve of his lips. His eyes flicked open as he gazed down at Cale. The squad leader looked pathetic.

"I have an idea," Omen spoke in a low, calm voice, his eyes narrowing with intent. "I'll lure the soul beasts away while you handle the wolves." He glanced at the glowing creatures below, calculating the easiest way to draw them into a chase.

Rico interrupted with a wild smile, her voice dripping with excitement. "No, I refuse! Both of us will lure the beasts away!" Her eyes sparkled, a manic gleam in them as if the idea of running headfirst into danger thrilled her. Cale's gaze landed on Rico, and his heart sank. She'd be the death of them all if left unchecked. But there was no time to argue, the soul beasts had already begun to drift toward them, their pale forms gliding silently climbing the tree.

"I agree, Omen," Cale finally said, the words heavy with reluctant acceptance. "You and Rico will go together. Create a fire when you've identified a safe location for us to regroup."

Omen gave a slight nod, he was already planning to ditch Rico at the first chance. She would only complicate matters, and Omen had no intention of letting her chaos interfere with his goal. He jumped down with a bang as he attracted the gaze of all the surrounding lifeforms. At first, the entire forest was still.

In an instant, the quiet shattered. Omen burst through the underbrush. His dark hair flicked in the breeze of his passing, strands catching the briefest sliver of moonlight that pierced the canopy. His expression remained chillingly calm, even as the chaos roared behind him.

The creatures immediately gave chase. Six soul beasts in total—ghostly, ethereal beings whose forms flickered and twisted, phasing in and out of the material world. Their skin shimmered like the surface of disturbed water, translucent and yet pulsating with an eerie inner light. Most of them passed through the forest like wraiths, their bodies flowing through trees, rock, and earth as though they were mere illusions. But the two were different, hulking and brutish, their corporeal forms crashing violently through the forest, splintering trees with bone-shaking force. Their thick, sinewy limbs cleaved through the trunks like they were no more than brittle paper, leaving behind an obscene wake of destruction. The air around them seemed to warp, filled with a sickening tension as their primal hunger radiated outward, seeking to devour.

They all shared one goal: to tear apart the human who dared to invade their territory.