Chapter 8: A Burned One

As they neared the forest, Lucas used his finger to indicate he was going right, towards the area closer to the warehouse, leaving the left side to his team, who nodded and entered the forest without hesitation.

The team was far more heavily armed than him, carrying assault rifles, pistols on their waists, and machetes strapped across their backs. They were also equipped with grenades and other tactical gear. Lucas was somewhat confident they would be alright, as he planned to fight the creature on his own, with the team serving as insurance.

Grabbing the mask hung around his neck, a simple, pure black bandana made out of spandex, Lucas took a deep breath as he entered the forest.

He could feel it nearly as soon as he stepped into the woods... the creature was here, not near him, but definitely present. He pulled out his pistol and one dagger, walking slowly with the pistol in front of him and the hand holding the dagger keeping his aim steady.

The forest was eerily quiet, with only the occasional rustle of wind and wildlife breaking the silence. Eventually, Lucas reached the part of the forest closest to the warehouse. He quickly sheathed the pistol and dagger before scaling a tree to a branch at a decent height, where he sat and waited.

As the night stretched on, it became clear that he had missed the meeting with Bloom. A part of him had hoped he would make it, but deep down, he knew it was simply a lie.

Despite his intentions, Bloom had unwittingly become his bait. His position was chosen with her in mind, knowing she would be at the warehouse, and the Burned One would likely cross this area to reach her.

As he sat there waiting, the sound of footsteps instantly put him on alert. He perched up, pulling out a single dagger and pistol. However, something about the footsteps seemed off... there were too many of them, and he could even hear a few female voices. Glancing towards the source of the noise, he watched as a group of five females slowly neared the tree he was perched on, with Bloom leading the way.

Lucas nearly cursed out loud, wanting to blame them for being absolute idiots. However, he remained silent, as he was quite high in the tree and they shouldn't have noticed him.

Or... they shouldn't have. But it had been a long time since he last fought against fairies, and he had forgotten that mind fairies made the best reconnaissance teams for a reason.

As the group walked past the tree below him, the one Bloom described as Musa froze and looked up into the tree he sat in, directly at him.

Without even thinking, Lucas pointed his pistol at her and moved the hand holding the dagger to his face, relaxing one of the fingers gripping it to make a 'shh' motion at her.

Musa's eyes widened in surprise, her body tensing as she stared up at the masked figure pointing a gun at her. The other girls, noticing her sudden halt, turned to see what had caught her attention.

"Musa, what's wrong?" Bloom asked, her voice laced with concern.

Musa swallowed hard, her gaze never leaving Lucas. "There's someone up there," she said quietly, her voice steady despite the fear coursing through her veins.

The girls immediately went on high alert, their hands instinctively releasing their powers. But before they could act, Lucas spoke, his voice low and muffled by the mask.

"Don't move," he warned, his finger tightening on the trigger. "I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to."

Lucas wanted to cry. How the hell did she decide that telling them there was someone there while he was holding a gun at her was the right choice? Wait- mind fairy... since he had not intended to harm her and was merely trying to scare her into silence, she probably had sensed it.

It was Stella who took charge and spoke out, "Who are you?" She was clearly still preparing her magic, which bothered him even more.

"Doesn't matter. You girls need to leave now. It's going to come soon..." he responded, allowing his attention to drift to the still quiet forest around them.

"A-are you hunting it as well?" The response came not from Stella, but from Bloom. "Are you from the Otherworld?" she questioned, clearly unaware he was Lucas yet, his mask proving fruitful.

"Again, does not matter. Don't you idiots attend Alfea? There should have been a lesson about fairies needing a Specialist to buy them time. Whose idiotic idea was it to simply head out into the forest with a Burned One in it?"

Most likely not on purpose, but Stella, Aisha, Terra, and Musa all ended up glancing at Bloom, who merely scoffed. "We can take care of ourselves. You still need to tell us who you are." With that, she raised her hand as a fireball appeared in it, aimed at Lucas.

As if on reflex, Lucas let out a shot, right past her head into the ground behind her, making her lose her concentration and causing the fire to vanish in turn.

"I will not warn you again- lea-" he stopped mid-phrase as he sensed something. The pit in his stomach grew, and cold sweat appeared on his back... it was coming.

Jumping down from the tree, he landed in front of the girls and bent slightly, sheathing his pistol and pulling out the other dagger as he got into a defensive position.

"Too late. It's coming..."

The girls tensed, their eyes darting around the forest as they tried to pinpoint the source of the threat. The air seemed to thicken with tension, the silence broken only by the sound of their own racing heartbeats.

And then, it emerged.

The Burned One burst from the shadows, its twisted form a nightmare made flesh. Its skin was charred and cracked, a hellish patchwork of scars and what appeared like oozing wounds. Eyes, glowing with a malevolent red light, fixed on the group with a hunger that knew no bounds.

Lucas cursed under his breath, his grip tightening on his daggers. He had known it would be bad, but nothing could have prepared him for the sheer wrongness of the creature before him.

Beside him, the girls readied their magic, their faces set in grim determination.

Lucas instantly launched himself at the Burned One, relying on his faith in his abilities. As he neared the creature, he allowed himself to fall backwards, sliding forward on his knees as the Burned One's claw missed him by mere inches, giving him the opportunity to slash at its feet.

Now behind the creature, Lucas quickly stood, holding his daggers up just in time to stop the incoming blow. Despite successfully blocking the attack, the sheer force behind it was more than he could handle. His feet left the ground instantly as he was hurled back, slamming into a tree with a loud thump before falling to the ground.

The creature wasted no time, dashing towards him to finish him off. However, by some blessing, Aisha sent a stream of water at the perfect moment, flinging the Burned One away just inches from Lucas's face.

Covered in sweat, Lucas stood back up with a groan, ready to face the creature once more. It was now clear to him why he had been trained to fight these creatures in a group—it had nothing to do with skill; he was simply outmatched in speed and strength.

Glancing backwards, he met Aisha's eyes and said a quick "thanks," which seemed to take her by surprise. He then lunged back towards the Burned One, which was still attempting to recollect itself from the water attack.

As he neared the creature, Lucas decided against trying to kill it outright. Without enough information about its fatal spots, the risk was too high. Instead, he stabbed both daggers through its chest, pinning it to the ground before leaping back, gasping for air.

The girls, seeing an opportunity, unleashed their magic upon the trapped creature. Bloom's fire, Terra's vines, Musa's soundwaves, and Stella's blinding light combined in a dazzling display of power, the elements intertwining to create a maelstrom of destruction.

The Burned One howled in agony, its body writhing against the onslaught. But even pinned and battered, it refused to yield, its hatred and hunger driving it forward.

With a sickening crack, it tore itself free from the daggers, leaving ragged holes in its chest that oozed a foul, black liquid. Its eyes, now blazing with an unholy fury, fixed on the group once more.

Lucas, his chest heaving with exertion, knew they were running out of time. The creature was weakening, but so were they. They couldn't keep this up forever.

"We need a plan!" he shouted over the din of battle. "We can't just keep throwing everything we have at it and hope for the best!"

Bloom, her face streaked with sweat and dirt, nodded grimly. "I think I have an idea," she called back. "But I need you to keep it busy. Just for a little longer.

He looked back at her as if she was an idiot. "How the hell do you expect me to do that!? I don't have my daggers anymore," he complained. However, his hands had already drawn his pistol and fired three shots at the creature, knocking it back onto the ground.

As he stared at her, he saw her eyes widen a little bit as she met his gaze. Crap... silver eyes were uncommon... How could he have been so stupid? Turning around quickly in an attempt to hide his face, he ordered, "Hurry up, I have around 18 rounds left."

He continued to time his shots to keep the creature on the ground as long as possible while Bloom worked on whatever she was doing behind him. He trusted her.

He could tell it was getting brighter around them; whatever magic Bloom was using was clearly powerful. Not wanting to be distracted from the real threat, he continued to shoot the creature until a fireball the size of his head flew past him, hitting the Burned One and creating a loud explosion.

As the forest stilled once again, he could see a human laying where the Burned One had once been. Turning around, he caught a glimpse of what appeared to be wings behind Bloom for a split second, who had already returned to looking normal after whatever magic she had conjured.

The girls rushed over to the unconscious figure, their faces a mix of relief and concern. Stella knelt down, checking for a pulse, while Terra and Musa kept watch, their eyes scanning the surrounding forest for any sign of further threats.

Bloom, however, kept her gaze fixed on Lucas, her expression unreadable. She took a step towards him, her hand outstretched as if to touch his face, but he flinched back, the movement instinctual.

"Lucas?" she asked, her voice soft but laced with a steely determination.