The Kragg

Octavius' mental voice finally broke the silence, his words cutting through the air like a sharp blade. 

"Void, stop." The command was simple, yet effective, and it wiped the smug smile off Void's face in an instant.

[Stop what??]

Void asked amused, but Octavius didn't bother to reply. Instead, he turned to the others, a sheepish grin spreading across his face. The expression only seemed to confuse them further.

"I just... remembered we carried arms and stuff, but not food," he started. "And I'm really hungry." 

The lie was blatant, and the participants exchanged skeptical glances and scoffed in disbelief.

The group began to disperse, some of them brushing past Octavius as they continued down the path.

Marilyn, however, didn't stop walking. She merely reached into her bag and produced a neatly wrapped package, which she pressed into Octavius's hand. "Have it," she said, before she too walked past him, leaving Octavius to stand there.

Octavius waited until the others were out of earshot before turning to Void. 

"High-ranking demons, really?"

As he spoke, Octavius turned away from Void and continued walking. His gaze fell upon one of the "demons" lurking by the side of the path, its eyes glowing with an otherworldly light. 

Without hesitation, Octavius reached out and shoved his hand into the demon's face. The creature dissipated into dust, its illusion shattered.

The rest of the "demons" on the path vanished simultaneously, revealing the ruse for what it was. Void's expression changed from one of superiority to surprise.

He closed the distance between himself and Octavius, his curiosity getting the better of him. 

[How did you figure it out?]

"For one, I'm the son of the late Headmaster,"

[Right, so your father sat you down to tell you all about demons when he hasn't experienced any?]

Octavius opened his mouth to respond, but his words caught in his throat. 

Void's question struck a chord, and he realized that his father had indeed told him about demons, despite never mentioning any personal experiences. A flicker of confusion danced across Octavius's face as he wondered how his father had been so accurate with the information.

'Maybe it's from the books he read,' Octavius thought to himself, trying to justify the inconsistency.

He turned back to Void, his eyes narrowing. "Firstly, don't ever try to deceive me like that again. Secondly, those weren't half-breeds like you claimed. They were high-ranking demons, and their behavior was far too synchronized with your own actions. I noticed that their 'breathing' patterns were eerily in sync with your own exhalations and whispers in my ear. It was as if you were puppeteering them, using your own respiratory rhythms to create an illusion of demonic presence."

"I'll admit," Octavius continued. "you had me fooled initially. The demons' lack of bloodlust was a clever touch, making it seem like they were merely curious observers. But what gave you away was the precision of their movements, the way they seemed to be responding to your every whisper. It was too... uniform, too rehearsed. Demons may be calculated, but they're also unpredictable, driven by their own twisted desires. Your illusion was too scripted, too lacking in chaos."

[I asked how you figured it out, not a lecture.] Void let out with a groan and began to walk ahead.

Octavius on the other hand, kept the food in his provided pouch and as he followed from behind.

They had walked a good instant inside the forest and still, nothing bad they had assumed to occur had happened, yet. Until they got to the heart of the forest, and Marilyn decided they should catch a break for a few minutes, to do whatever they needed to do to retain energy.

As they drank water and settled in to stretch, Marilyn decided to ask about their talents. 

"The only way we'll get through this quickly," she explained, "is by knowing each other's strengths and using them to help each other tackle the challenges ahead." 

She hadn't even finished speaking when a menacing, unearthly growl echoed through the air, sending a shiver down their spines. The group sprang to their feet in alarm. 

"Void, I told you to stop," Octavius mentally scolded Void.

[I'm not doing this,] Void protested. [If I was, the others wouldn't react the way they are doing. Are you forgetting you're the only one who can see me?]

Octavius doubted Void's words, but as he glanced at the others, he noticed them frantically scanning their surroundings, their eyes wide with fear. It was clear they had also heard the ominous growl, which only deepened the mystery.

Tension filled the air as the growl grew louder and more vivid, promising impending doom. The sound reverberated all around them, making it impossible to pinpoint its origin. 

Every snap of a twig, every rustle of leaves, seemed to come from all directions at once, rendering their senses useless. Running was pointless; they were surrounded by an unseen threat, and every step could lead them deeper into danger.

And then, without warning, a towering creature emerged from the shadows.

Octavius's breath caught in his throat as he stared at the colossal, gorilla-like beast before him. Its thick, dark fur seemed to absorb the light around it, while its piercing green eyes burned with a fierce inner intensity. The air was heavy with the weight of its gaze.

"A Kragg," Marilyn whispered, her voice barely audible over the pounding of Octavius's heart. He darted a glance at her, wondering how she knew the name of this monstrous creature. 

His late father had spoken of many beasts that lurked in the shadows, but the Kragg had never been mentioned.

"Void, if this is your doing, stop it," Octavius warned, his mental voice somewhat laced with a mixture of fear and suspicion.

He figured it was because he told Void that his father had taught him quite a lot about demons, that was why Void had come up with something this outrageous. 

[I am not doing this,] Void insisted, his mental voice firm.

Octavius wasn't sure if he should feel relieved or not. If Void was telling the truth, it meant that the Kragg was real, and they were all in grave danger.

As the Kragg rose onto its two legs, the earth shuddered beneath their feet, sending the participants stumbling to maintain their balance. The ground seemed to tremble in fear, as if it too felt the weight of the Kragg's presence.

The Kragg's enormous fists clenched at its sides, the muscles rippling beneath its dark fur like living shadows. Then, it unleashed a thunderous roar that shook the very foundations of the air around them. The sound was like a physical force, slamming into their chests and making it hard to breathe.

The ground trembled again, more violently this time, and some of the participants lost their footing, crashing to the earth. The Kragg's roar seemed to go on forever, echoing off the surrounding trees and making it impossible for them to think, to react, or to do anything but cower in fear.

Void stood firm, unaffected by the Kragg's roar. His eyes sparkled with fascination as he gazed at the beast.

[King Kong,] Void breathed out mentally.

Octavius's eyes narrowed, unsure what to make of the phrase. "Is it dangerous?" he asked, his voice low and urgent, as he gestured towards the Kragg.

Bats swarmed in from all directions, as the kragg appeared, their frantic squawks filling the air as they swooped and dived around the team. The sudden chaos added to the team's panic, clouding their ability to think clearly.

As the Kragg began to make his way towards them, Void let out hurriedly.

[It makes an exception for blondes. Other than that… yes, so RUN!]

Panic set in instantly. 

The team splintered, members scattering in different directions as they abandoned their arms and fled for their lives. Marilyn sprinted to the left, dodging trees as she desperately sought cover. Octavius ran to the right, his feet pounding against the earth as he tried to put as much distance between himself and the Kragg as possible. 

The contestant that had mentioned he was good at running— as his talent— ran past Octavius and further inside the forests with speed he had never seen before. 

"Damn." Octavius breathed out as he tried to keep up.