Capturing An Invisible Beast

The moment the roar ended, there was no hesitation. They ran.

Arletta didn't even wait for Veyn to protest. She grabbed him by the collar, slung his half-broken body over her shoulder like a bloodied satchel and darted after Shimmer with inhuman speed.

"It's the Invisible Beast Ghost."

Shimmer's eyes widened as she looked at Veyn.

"The one that tied you up?! You're telling me that thing thinks?!"

"Yes. And it's Sentient. It's aware."

A sharp pulse ran through the tunnel walls as a gust of air exploded from the far end, kicking dust into their eyes. The entire sewer structure shuddered not from impact, but from the movement of the beast. Even though they couldn't see it, they could feel it.

"And worse, it's at Sunderer Rank."

Shimmer's heart skipped. A Sunderer Rank was already nightmare fuel, but a Sentient one? That meant it was five times stronger than an Infected Sunderer. That meant even Arletta couldn't take it in a straight fight.

"Well damn," Shimmer muttered, charging ahead, the massive zweihander strapped to her back humming from the built-up charge. "Of all the cryptid nightmares to stumble into…"

The walls around them cracked. A section of the tunnel behind them imploded, chunks of rock flying as the Invisible Beast slammed into the side wall, trying to cut off their escape. Dust billowed. A faint, ghostly screech echoed through the air, vibrating inside their bones.

Veyn whimpered against Arletta's shoulder. He couldn't even see anything, just blurs of motion and a cold wind clawing at his face. His broken ribs screamed every time Arletta took a step, but there was no room for pain now.

The tunnel ended in a sloped ramp and the three of them burst out from the underground, flying into the open air of the Fallen Bridge's Western District. The city wasn't warm or welcoming, just a sprawl of steel-and-stone buildings under a bleak twilight sky, but it was space, and they needed every inch of it.

Behind them, the sound of claws meeting stone tore through the silence.

A building collapsed to their left, dust and debris exploding into the street as a blur of force slammed into it. Something was there. Even though they couldn't see it, they could feel its presence warping the air. Its weight cracked the pavement with every invisible step. Whatever it passed, it obliterated homes, street lights, vendors, even inhabitants. People screamed before they even saw what killed them.

Every ten steps, another explosion occurred.

Arletta and Shimmer were running at speeds most couldn't imagine. The world became a smear of color. Veyn couldn't process it. The speed made his stomach churn, and all he could do was keep his head tucked down to avoid passing out.

And yet, the beast kept pace. Every step they took, it took four.

Every twist, every turn, every high-speed leap off cracked rooftops, it followed, closing the distance inch by inch.

Shimmer leapt over a burning market cart, her boots skimming the edge of a steel railing as she twisted mid-air, glancing behind them.

"It's catching up."

"Of course it is," Veyn barked, "it's a Sunderer!"

"Yeah? Well, tell it to slow the hell down!"

It was hopeless. At this rate, they would get caught in under a minute.

Then suddenly, a violent plasma blast cut through the street like lightning, slamming into an invisible target with a thunderous boom. The shockwave cracked the pavement and launched debris into the air. A moment later, a wounded roar shook the streets.

Shimmer skidded mid-run, turning her head sharply toward a rooftop several blocks away.

There was a flicker of silver light. And at the center of it, like a guardian perched atop a cathedral, stood Chrysanthemum.

Her white priestess robe billowed in the cold wind, the priestess staff in her hands glowing like a sniper's barrel. Her eyes were locked on them. And even from this far, her focus was unshakable.

Another blast ripped the air. This one clipped the invisible creature as it tried to reposition. Sparks erupted midair, meaning she'd hit it again.

"She's guiding us!" Shimmer shouted, pointing to the light. "Follow the blinking!"

Arletta nodded and surged forward. The streets became a battleground of invisible fury. Each time the beast moved, buildings were torn apart by unseen claws or crushed beneath something massive and fast. But the constant pulse of plasma from Chrysanthemum's staff kept the thing at bay.

It couldn't catch them. It couldn't turn fast enough to avoid her precision.

But it kept coming.

The beast snarled. Each blast that struck it left a mark and faint heat impressions, like invisible ink slowly being revealed. Its body shimmered under the right angles: glimmers of pale-blue hide, rippling sinew, and spikes of glass-like bone that only showed when light struck just right. Even without full visibility, they could track it now.

Chrysanthemum didn't let up. Every time they turned a corner, she was there ahead of them like a blinking star, her plasma bursts lighting the path.

One blast shattered a rooftop, blowing the beast sideways into a tower that collapsed in on itself.

Another shot grazed its side and for a second, they really saw it. It was a monstrosity with no face, only a writhing void where a head should've been. Muscles layered over a skeletal exosuit, and four razor limbs dragging behind it like serpents.

Shimmer cursed under her breath. "Damn it. That thing's not a beast. It's a damned catastrophe."

They ran faster.

Another block passed. Another narrow street. Another roof collapsed.

The chase never slowed.

But the direction became clear: Chrysanthemum was leading them somewhere, like a tactician who had planned this escape from the start.

Each plasma blast was placed not just to injure but to steer. The flickering light of her staff became their lighthouse in the storm. The wind around the Western City walls howled like a beast itself. But atop those ancient walls, poised with the weight of boredom more than battle, stood Obsidian.

Her greatsword rested over her shoulder. She saw a distortion running like oil on glass. And behind it was Shimmer and Arletta.

Obsidian scoffed.

"Finally."

They were fast, Shimmer with her light-footed ferocity and reckless grin, Chainless with her signature agile precision, carrying a battered Veyn who looked like he was debating if dying might be more comfortable than puking.

But what caught Obsidian's attention wasn't the group. It was the thing chasing them.

It tore through the streets in silence, yet every step brought a collapse. Buildings folded like parchment, alleys caved in, and the scent of fresh gore rode the air like perfume. And for a fraction of a second, she saw it.

It was the outline of a massive, clawed limb slammed into the cobblestone, sending chunks of it flying. Just a glimpse of the Invisible Beast Ghost's form was enough.

The streets were littered with Sentient Krepsunas. They'd been trampled, torn, crushed, sliced, and not one of them mattered.

Not to Vastarael. Not to the mission.

The orders were simple: Capture the creature alive. No deviation.

Obsidian gritted her teeth and muttered under her breath,

"Stupid bastard always making me do cleanup."

She knew exactly why he sent her for this. Because Shimmer was here. His daughter. His precious blood. And Obsidian?

She was the poor soul he trusted just enough to take a hit for her.

She dropped down from the wall like a falling comet, the ground cracking beneath her boots when she landed.

"Alright, you ugly invisible monster.."

Her eyes scanned rapidly, tracking the waves in the air. She didn't see it but she read the destruction, the timing, the tremors. Her body coiled like a spring.

Then she struck.

She didn't swing to cut. That'd kill it. Instead, she twisted her torso with brutal strength and slammed the flat of her massive greatsword into the vague blur she guessed was the head.

The sound echoed across the city like a church bell struck wrong. The creature let out no roar, but its body faltered, staggered, and then collapsed.

Invisible, but clearly down.

Obsidian straightened, exhaling through her nose with a lazy huff.

"A miracle, that was. Pretty sure I hit its ass and not the head…"

Shimmer skidded to a stop just beside her, panting hard but smiling.

"You actually got it. I owe you a training session," she said between gulps of air.

Obsidian gave a half-hearted thumbs-up and muttered.

"You do. A damn strong one."

Veyn, meanwhile, collapsed beside them. The poor guy rolled onto his side, groaning as his stomach did a backflip. His eyes were spinning like marbles in water.

"I hate speed..."

Chainless said nothing, only brushed hair from her face as she let her chains slip from her hands with a flick. Her chest was rising fast. She was not exhausted but definitely winded. Her skin glistened with a sheen of effort.

"Not bad, Chainless," Obsidian said casually. "Didn't think you'd keep up with Shimmer."

Chainless gave a small bow of her head. Then she turned and helped Veyn sit up straight.

All around them, the paladins under Obsidian's command moved like ants with purpose. They came armed with sapphire chains, which did the real job. She raised both hands, her fingers flicking through a sequence. The chains obeyed, snaking around what looked like empty air until they pulled tight.

The Invisible Beast jerked, revealing itself slightly in patches. Parts of muscle flickered into view under the friction of binding. A claw here, a segment of the torso there...

"You guys prepared for this, huh?"

Shimmer asked, folding her arms and watching as the paladins finished the last loops. Obsidian exhaled again and dragged the blade along the ground lazily.

"We had to. He knew this thing wasn't just wild. It was thinking. One slip and it'd escape or worse, learn how to counter us."

She paused then, squinting sideways at Shimmer.

"…So, your dad gaslighted Raika because of this? Why?"

Shimmer raised a brow, then shrugged with a sigh.

"Yes, I know. Don't ask me though. I stopped trying to understand how his mind works."

Obsidian snorted. "And he doesn't tell you anything?"

"Not unless it's a lecture about using my abilities more creatively."

"Hmph. Typical Master."

Obsidian sheathed her blade finally, her shoulders slumping. She looked dead tired. Her eyes softened for a second, glancing at the unconscious beast.

"Well, the job's done."

Shimmer looked at the destruction around them; the scattered corpses of Krepsunas, the cracked buildings, the flickering embers rising from broken rooftops...

And then she looked at her father's loyal subordinate who was willing to take a hit just to protect her.

She smiled faintly.

"Let's go."

Obsidian nodded. "Yeah. Before another one of these shows up and I have to slap it to sleep too."

And with the monster secured, the city a wreck behind them, and silence returning to the Western walls, they walked back to the castle.