Serena remained at the edge of the cliff, her gaze fixed on the dark entrance of the cave below.
A cool breeze swept through the surrounding forest, stirring the branches overhead and carrying the damp, earthy scent of the ravine. Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy behind her, casting scattered patches of gold across the forest floor. However, the rocky hollow beneath the cliff remained shrouded in shadow, its depths concealing whatever secrets lay within. From her current position, Serena could barely make out the cave's interior, and the Poltergeist she had spotted earlier had long since disappeared from view.
Her fingers tightened around the handle of her spirit dagger.
Something was wrong.
She couldn't explain exactly what had unsettled her, but the presence she had sensed near the cave had been unlike anything she expected to encounter during a simple walk through the forest. Even from a considerable distance, the creature had radiated an unmistakable spiritual presence. Something about it had caused her instincts to warn her against approaching carelessly, and the feeling had only grown stronger the longer she remained near the ravine.
Serena leaned forward slightly, attempting to peer deeper into the darkness.
Should I go down there?
The thought came naturally. As a Geist, she had been taught to investigate potential Poltergeist threats, and the creature's proximity to the White Fox Temple was reason enough to warrant concern. If it had taken up residence inside the cave, she had no way of knowing whether it intended to remain there or whether it was searching for something nearby. Either possibility could put the temple and its inhabitants in danger.
Nevertheless, she soon reconsidered.
She was still a trainee. Her control over Spiritual Energy remained frustratingly inconsistent, and she had spent the past several days struggling with a technique that her older sister could perform with seemingly effortless precision. Although Serena had confidence in her physical abilities, she wasn't foolish enough to believe that confidence alone would carry her through an unfamiliar encounter.
Whatever was happening inside that cave, she couldn't afford to underestimate it merely because her curiosity had gotten the better of her.
More importantly, Tamayo needed to know.
The White Fox Temple wasn't simply a training ground where Geists gathered to hone their abilities. It was also the place Tamayo had sworn to protect, and the surrounding forest fell under her responsibility. If a Poltergeist had established itself nearby, Serena had no intention of keeping the discovery to herself.
After a moment's hesitation, she slowly lowered her dagger.
"We should go back," she whispered.
Stud, who had been hovering beside her shoulder, visibly relaxed. His tiny body drifted a little higher, as though the decision had lifted an enormous burden from him.
"Finally! A sensible decision!" he declared. "I was beginning to worry that the forest had somehow replaced your brain with a particularly stubborn mushroom."
Serena turned an irritated look toward him.
"Do you ever have anything useful to say?"
"Of course I do! For example, I can tell you that standing at the edge of a cliff while staring at a suspicious cave is an excellent way to ruin an otherwise peaceful morning. It's practically a textbook example of how not to enjoy a day off!"
"Then stop talking and let's leave."
"Gladly. I have absolutely no objections to leaving this place behind. In fact, I wholeheartedly support the idea. We should have done it several minutes ago."
Stud promptly turned away from the ravine, already preparing to follow her back toward the temple. His usual complaints had returned, and judging by the relief in his voice, he was more than happy to put as much distance as possible between himself and the suspicious cave.
Serena took one last look at the entrance before stepping away from the cliff.
She had barely moved when Stud suddenly stopped.
His small body went rigid, and the tiny tentacles dangling beneath him became completely still. A moment later, one of them slowly rose and pointed toward the rocky hollow below.
"...Wait."
Serena stopped and glanced at him.
"What is it now?"
Stud didn't answer.
The stream of complaints that had accompanied him throughout their walk had abruptly vanished. He hovered motionless in the air, staring at something near the cave entrance with an expression Serena rarely saw on his face.
Stud could be irritating. He could be cowardly, dramatic, and so obsessed with television that the absence of a screen sometimes seemed to him like a personal tragedy. Under ordinary circumstances, Serena would have assumed that he had spotted something insignificant and was preparing to make a scene over it.
But there was one thing she had learned about her strange companion.
For all his ridiculous behavior, Stud had lived among Poltergeists for a long time. He knew what they looked like, understood their habits, and possessed an awareness of their presence that Serena was still learning to develop.
More importantly, he knew when something was dangerous.
"Stud?" Serena asked, her voice growing quieter as she followed his line of sight. "What are you looking at?"
He raised his tentacle a little higher, directing her attention toward the cave.
"Serena..."
His voice sounded unusually weak.
"Look."
Serena turned back toward the rocky hollow. At first, she couldn't understand what had caught his attention. The entrance remained partially obscured by the uneven rock formations, while the deep shadows made it difficult to distinguish one shape from another.
Then something moved.
A large silhouette emerged from the darkness.
Serena narrowed her eyes, attempting to make sense of the figure as it drifted beyond the cave entrance. The creature floated above the ground, its unnatural body suspended in the air as though gravity held no meaning for it. Its twisted limbs shifted and writhed in ways that made it difficult to determine where one appendage ended and another began. Around its distorted form, a dense spiritual presence pulsed with an oppressive intensity that Serena could sense even from the cliff above.
Her expression changed.
She recognized that presence.
She had encountered Poltergeists before. She had fought them, watched them threaten civilians, and witnessed the destruction they could leave behind. Although those encounters had taught her to take every enemy seriously, the creature emerging from the cave carried something different from the ordinary spiritual presence she had grown accustomed to sensing.
Its energy felt heavier, more concentrated, and far more intimidating.
Serena's heart began to pound.
Before she could make sense of what she was seeing, another silhouette emerged from the cave.
Then another.
And another.
One after another, enormous, distorted figures drifted out of the darkness. Their massive bodies hovered above the rocky ground, gradually gathering around the entrance as though the hollow beneath the temple belonged to them.
Within moments, the area outside the cave had become crowded with creatures.
Serena stared at the gathering with growing disbelief. Her fingers tightened around the dagger until the handle pressed uncomfortably against her palm, but she barely noticed the pressure.
There were several of them.
Not one.
Not two.
Multiple high-level Poltergeists had gathered in the same place, their twisted bodies floating silently beneath the cliff.
For a moment, Serena couldn't breathe.
The spiritual pressure radiating from the creatures made the surrounding forest feel strangely oppressive. Even at this distance, she could tell that their power far exceeded that of the Poltergeists she had previously encountered. Whatever their purpose might have been, this was no ordinary gathering.
Her fingers began to feel cold around the dagger's handle.
She knew what it meant.
"Those are..." Serena began, but the words caught in her throat.
Stud finally spoke. His tiny face had gone pale, and his voice trembled as he stared at the creatures below.
"Calamity-Class Poltergeists."
Serena slowly turned toward him.
"...What?"
"Calamity-Class," he repeated, barely managing to raise his voice above a whisper. "Every single one of them."
For several seconds, Serena couldn't bring herself to respond.
A Calamity-Class Poltergeist wasn't an ordinary threat that could be handled by a handful of inexperienced Geists. Creatures of that magnitude possessed enough destructive power to devastate entire cities if left unchecked. Even experienced hunters treated them as exceptionally dangerous opponents, and confronting one without proper preparation could turn an otherwise manageable mission into a catastrophe.
Serena had heard the stories. She remembered the seriousness in her father's voice whenever he discussed threats of that magnitude, and she recalled the warnings that accompanied every mention of Poltergeists powerful enough to challenge even the most accomplished Geists.
She also remembered the recent Calamity-Class incident and the way Alumna had fought during that encounter. The older Geist had moved with terrifying speed, wielding the power of Cybernetic Protocol to bring down a creature that had seemed almost impossible to defeat.
Even someone like Alumna had needed to take the threat seriously.
One Calamity-Class Poltergeist was already enough to trigger a major emergency.
Yet several of them were gathered beneath the White Fox Temple.
Serena swallowed, struggling to comprehend what she was seeing.
Why are there so many of them in one place?
The question echoed through her mind, but she couldn't find an answer. Calamity-Class Poltergeists were extraordinarily dangerous, and their appearances were serious enough to demand the attention of powerful Geists. Discovering even one in the surrounding forest would have been alarming. Finding several gathered in the same cave was something she had never imagined witnessing.
And they were hiding beneath the temple.
The realization sent a chill down her spine.
"Stud," Serena whispered, keeping her eyes fixed on the creatures, "we need to tell Tamayo. Now."
For once, Stud didn't argue or attempt to lighten the situation with a ridiculous remark. His tiny tentacles drew close to his body as he continued staring at the gathering below.
"Yes," he muttered. "We absolutely do."
Serena began retreating from the cliff, placing each step carefully to avoid dislodging loose stones beneath her boots. Her mind raced through the possibilities as she tried to determine why the creatures had gathered there and whether they posed an immediate threat to the temple.
If they had remained hidden inside the cave, perhaps they hadn't noticed her and Stud yet. If she and her companion could leave without attracting their attention, they might be able to return to Tamayo and report what they had discovered before the situation deteriorated further.
Perhaps we can still get away without being noticed.
She took another cautious step backward.
Perhaps—
One of the Calamity-Class Poltergeists moved.
Serena froze.
The creature had been floating near the cave entrance, its enormous body angled toward the surrounding forest. Now, one of its distorted limbs slowly turned in the direction of the cliff. Its head followed a moment later, rotating with an unnatural smoothness that made the movement all the more unsettling.
Then its gaze settled directly on Serena and Stud.
Her stomach dropped.
It had seen them.
For a brief moment, the creature remained completely motionless, staring toward the cliff with an eerie stillness. Serena could neither discern an expression on its distorted face nor determine what it might be thinking, but the direction of its attention was unmistakable.
Then one of its tentacle-like arms began to glow.
Serena's eyes widened as Spiritual Energy gathered around the appendage. The energy condensed into a dense mass, growing brighter and more concentrated with every passing second. The air surrounding the creature seemed to distort under the pressure, and the faint fluctuations in its spiritual presence quickly intensified into something far more threatening.
Stud's expression changed instantly.
Whatever he had been hoping to avoid, he recognized the danger immediately.
"Serena!"
His voice rang through the forest with an urgency she had never heard from him before.
"GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!"
Serena reacted on instinct.
She threw herself sideways just as the creature released its attack.
A concentrated blast of Spiritual Energy tore through the space where they had been standing, rushing past the cliff with a deafening roar. The sheer force of the attack sent a violent shockwave through the surrounding forest, whipping branches back and forth and scattering leaves into the air. The wind struck Serena from the side, nearly throwing her off balance as she tried to escape the blast's path.
The attack slammed into the rocky slope behind them.
The impact shattered stone.
A thunderous explosion echoed through the ravine as fragments of rock burst outward, followed by a towering cloud of dust that swallowed the cliffside. The ground trembled beneath Serena's boots, and the sound of the impact reverberated between the trees long after the initial blast had faded.
Serena landed hard on a lower section of rock, catching herself with one hand while keeping a firm grip on her dagger with the other. Pain shot through her palm as it struck the rough surface, but she barely registered it. Her ears rang from the explosion, and for several seconds, she struggled to process what had just happened.
Stud hovered beside her, trembling so violently that his tiny tentacles shook in every direction.
"THAT WAS A WARNING SHOT?!"
Serena forced herself to look back toward the cliff.
The Calamity-Class Poltergeist was still staring at them.
It hadn't attacked by accident. The creature had deliberately aimed at their position, and the blast had been powerful enough to destroy the rock behind them without even making direct contact.
Her heart pounded against her chest.
Worse, the other Calamity-Class Poltergeists were beginning to turn toward them as well. One after another, their distorted heads and bodies shifted in Serena's direction, as though the first creature's attack had alerted the entire gathering to the presence of intruders.
Then a terrible sound erupted from the cave.
One of the Calamity-Class Poltergeists threw its head back and released a piercing scream. The noise reverberated through the ravine, passing between the trees and spreading across the mountain like an alarm. It was not merely loud; there was something deeply unnatural about it, a harsh vibration that seemed to crawl through the air and set every instinct in Serena's body on edge.
She immediately understood what the creature was doing.
"They're calling the others!"
Stud didn't waste time answering.
The cave entrance erupted with movement.
Smaller Poltergeists began pouring out of the darkness, one after another. Their unnatural bodies rose into the air as they spread across the ravine, some darting toward the surrounding trees while others climbed higher along the rocky walls. Their twisted forms moved with startling speed, and their attention quickly settled on the two intruders who had approached their hiding place.
Within seconds, the sky above the ravine was crowded with hostile shapes.
Serena felt the blood drain from her face.
There were too many.
Even if she possessed the strength to fight a single Calamity-Class Poltergeist, she couldn't possibly contend with several of them while being surrounded by an entire swarm of lesser creatures. Her training had improved her physical abilities, but she was still struggling to master the fundamentals of Spiritual Energy. Fighting a group like this would be reckless even for a more experienced Geist.
She had to reach the temple.
"Run!" Serena shouted.
Without waiting for Stud to respond, she sprang toward the nearest tree and caught a thick branch with both hands. Using her momentum, she swung herself upward, planted her boots against the trunk, and propelled herself onto the branch. She immediately pushed off again, leaping toward the next tree as she made her way through the canopy.
Stud followed close behind, flying at full speed.
"WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO ME?!"
Serena ignored him and focused on her escape.
Branches whipped past her face as she jumped between the trees, her boots striking the sturdy limbs before she launched herself forward again. She relied on the balance and agility she had developed through her physical training, using her familiarity with the forest to navigate the uneven path without losing too much speed.
Behind them, the swarm surged into pursuit.
The Poltergeists moved through the air with unnatural speed, their twisted bodies weaving between the trunks as they chased the fleeing pair. Some flew directly after Serena, while others darted through the canopy, moving from one side to the other in an attempt to close the distance.
Serena glanced over her shoulder.
Several creatures were already gaining on them.
"Stud, watch behind us!"
"I AM WATCHING! THAT'S THE PROBLEM!"
Before Serena could respond, one of the Poltergeists suddenly lunged toward her. A long tentacle shot between the branches, stretching toward her with enough speed to catch her off guard if she hesitated.
Serena twisted her body sideways.
The appendage swept past her shoulder, missing by a narrow margin before wrapping around the trunk of the tree ahead. The impact made the branch shudder, scattering leaves around her as she landed on the next limb. She bent her knees to absorb the force, then immediately jumped again before the creature could pull itself closer.
Another tentacle shot toward her from the opposite side.
Serena ducked beneath it, feeling the rush of air as the appendage passed over her head. She landed on a thick branch, used the momentum to launch herself toward a nearby trunk, and scrambled upward before the Poltergeist could reach her.
The swarm continued closing in.
Some of the creatures attempted to grab her directly, extending their tentacles through the canopy, while others moved ahead through the trees in an effort to cut off her escape route. Their movements were erratic but coordinated enough to make it clear that they had no intention of allowing the intruders to leave peacefully.
Serena gritted her teeth.
Keep moving! Don't let them surround you!
She forced herself to move faster, jumping between branches with as little hesitation as possible. Every landing sent a jolt through her legs, and every leap demanded more strength from muscles that were already beginning to tire, but she couldn't afford to slow down.
A Poltergeist suddenly emerged from the trees ahead, its distorted body blocking her path.
Serena reacted immediately, bringing her dagger up as the creature lunged.
She twisted aside and slashed across the approaching tentacle. The blade cut through the appendage's path, forcing the creature to recoil long enough for her to slip past. The sudden change in direction cost her precious momentum, and her boots scraped against the branch as she fought to regain her balance.
For one brief moment, she thought she might fall.
Then she steadied herself and launched toward the next tree.
She couldn't afford to stop.
Stud flew close behind her, his attention darting between Serena and the creatures pursuing them.
"Serena! More of them are coming from the left!"
"I see them!"
"Then do something!"
"Like what?! Ask them to leave?!"
"IT'S WORTH A TRY!"
Serena almost shouted back at him, but another Poltergeist lunged from above before she could find the words. She dropped onto a lower branch, narrowly avoiding its grasp, then pushed away from the trunk and continued forward. Her dagger remained firmly in her hand, ready to defend her whenever one of the creatures came too close.
She didn't stop to fight unless she had no other choice. Every second spent engaging the swarm would give the other Poltergeists more time to surround her, and the longer she remained in the forest, the greater the chance that she would be overwhelmed.
Her only objective was to reach Tamayo.
The cave was now far behind them, and the immediate danger posed by the Calamity-Class creatures seemed to have receded. None of the enormous Poltergeists had followed them into the forest, at least as far as Serena could tell.
However, the smaller ones showed no sign of giving up.
They continued chasing her through the trees, their tentacles snapping through the air as their bodies weaved between the branches. Some flew close enough that Serena could hear the faint, unnatural sounds they made as they pursued her, while others remained farther back, moving through gaps in the canopy.
Serena's breathing grew increasingly heavy.
Her legs were beginning to ache, and the repeated jumps were placing considerable strain on her muscles. She had already spent several days training at the temple, and although she had taken a break earlier, she certainly hadn't prepared herself for a high-speed pursuit through the forest.
Her lungs burned with every breath, and sweat gathered along her forehead, slipping down the side of her face as she continued to run.
Still, she couldn't afford to slow down.
The temple was ahead.
She knew the terrain well enough to recognize the landmarks as they passed. The large cedar tree with the split trunk appeared on her right, followed by a rocky outcropping that marked the beginning of the more familiar paths near the temple grounds. She had explored these woods countless times during her childhood, and the memories that had once made the forest feel like a playground were now helping her navigate it under the worst possible circumstances.
She was getting closer.
Serena leaped across a narrow gap between two trees and landed on a thick branch extending toward the outer edge of the forest. She steadied herself for only a fraction of a second before looking through the canopy ahead.
There, beyond the trees, she caught sight of the temple roofs.
Her eyes brightened.
"There!"
Stud followed her gaze, his expression changing as he recognized the familiar buildings.
"The temple?"
"Yes!"
Serena pushed herself forward with renewed determination. She leaped from branch to branch, using every ounce of strength she had left to close the remaining distance. Through the gaps in the foliage, she could make out the traditional wooden buildings and the open courtyard beyond the trees.
The sight of the temple filled her with relief.
She estimated that they were less than half an acre from the temple grounds. At her current pace, it shouldn't take more than a few minutes to reach the nearest path, perhaps even less if she could maintain her momentum.
Her heart continued pounding as she jumped toward another branch.
Just a little farther.
She was already imagining reaching Tamayo, explaining everything she had seen, and allowing her sister to decide how to handle the situation. Tamayo was a Protosaint, a Geist whose strength and experience far surpassed Serena's own. If anyone could make sense of the gathering beneath the temple and determine what needed to be done, it was her.
Tamayo will know what to do.
Serena landed on the next branch and prepared to leap again.
Then she noticed something strange.
The Poltergeists behind her had stopped moving.
At first, she thought she had simply managed to put enough distance between herself and the swarm that they were no longer keeping pace. But something about the sudden silence made her uneasy, and she couldn't ignore the sensation that the creatures' behavior had changed too abruptly.
Serena glanced over her shoulder.
The Poltergeists were hovering among the trees, their twisted bodies suspended in the air. She initially suspected that they were preparing another attack. Perhaps they were gathering Spiritual Energy for another blast, or perhaps they had decided to surround her before making a final attempt to capture her.
But the creatures weren't moving toward her.
They were simply floating in place.
Their tentacles hung motionless beneath their bodies, and their strange faces remained directed toward Serena. Not one of them attempted to close the distance, despite having pursued her relentlessly only moments earlier.
Serena slowed and landed on a broad branch, turning fully toward the swarm while keeping her dagger raised.
"...What's going on?"
Stud drifted to a stop beside her.
He stared at the creatures, and for once, he seemed completely incapable of making a joke. His tiny tentacles remained drawn close to his body as he watched the swarm hover in the distance.
The Poltergeists continued floating in place.
Their bodies shifted slightly, and a few of them adjusted their positions among the branches, but none advanced. Even the creatures that had been reaching for Serena moments earlier now maintained their distance, behaving as though an invisible barrier had appeared between them and their prey.
Serena frowned, unable to make sense of the sudden change.
"Why did they stop?"
Stud didn't answer immediately.
He watched the creatures with an expression of growing disbelief, as though he were trying to understand something that contradicted everything he knew about them. A moment later, one of the Poltergeists slowly turned its head, keeping its gaze fixed on Serena.
A strange sensation passed through the air.
It was accompanied by a faint fluctuation in Spiritual Energy, subtle enough that Serena might have overlooked it if she hadn't been paying attention. The sensation faded, only to return a moment later, followed by another similar disturbance.
Stud stiffened.
"...No way."
Serena immediately looked at him.
"What?"
Another fluctuation passed through the air, and Stud's eyes widened as he began to recognize the strange impressions emanating from the swarm. They weren't ordinary sounds, nor were they words spoken in a language Serena could understand. Instead, the creatures' spiritual presences seemed to convey something through a series of impressions that Stud could somehow interpret.
He listened intently, his expression growing increasingly unsettled.
Serena tightened her grip on her dagger as she watched him.
"Stud, what are they doing?"
He remained silent for another moment, concentrating on the strange signals coming from the Poltergeists. Then he slowly turned toward her.
"They're communicating."
Serena blinked.
"Communicating what?"
Stud swallowed and looked back at the swarm. The creatures continued hovering in place, their attention fixed on Serena from a distance. Whatever message they were exchanging, it appeared to be repeated throughout the group, passing from one Poltergeist to another.
Stud's expression became more troubled with every passing second.
A faint, repeated message seemed to echo through their spiritual presence.
Danger.
Don't come closer.
Danger.
Don't come closer.
The realization made Stud's tiny tentacles tremble.
"That's what they're all saying," he whispered.
Serena stared at him, momentarily uncertain whether she had heard him correctly.
"...What?"
"They're warning each other."
Stud pointed toward the floating creatures, his voice remaining unusually quiet. "Every single one of them is communicating the same thing."
Serena slowly turned her attention back toward the swarm.
The Poltergeists that had chased her through the forest were now refusing to approach her. Their behavior made absolutely no sense. Only moments earlier, they had attacked her without hesitation, pursuing her through the trees and attempting to seize her whenever she came within reach.
Yet now they seemed unwilling to cross an invisible boundary.
They weren't retreating because she had defeated them. She hadn't defeated a single one of them. In fact, she had barely managed to escape their grasp, relying on her physical training and knowledge of the forest to avoid being overwhelmed.
The creatures had every opportunity to continue their pursuit.
There were still more than enough of them to surround her, and their numbers gave them a tremendous advantage over a trainee who was already exhausted. If they had continued attacking, Serena wasn't certain how much longer she could have maintained her escape.
Nevertheless, they remained frozen in place.
Why?
A chill slowly crept down Serena's spine.
She had never seen Poltergeists behave this way before. Even the more intelligent ones she had encountered had never displayed such a sudden, inexplicable reluctance to approach an opponent they had already been pursuing.
Stud slowly floated closer to her, his usual humor nowhere to be found.
"Serena..."
His voice had lost its familiar liveliness.
"I don't think they want to come any closer."
Serena kept her eyes on the swarm.
"I can see that."
"No, you don't understand."
Stud looked unusually serious as he spoke. His gaze shifted from Serena to the Poltergeists and then back again, as though he were desperately searching for an explanation he could barely bring himself to consider.
"They're afraid."
Serena's eyes widened slightly.
"Afraid of what?"
Stud looked at her.
Then he turned toward the creatures once more.
For once, he had no answer.
The Poltergeists remained suspended among the trees, their twisted bodies motionless as they stared at Serena. Their behavior suggested that approaching her would be the most dangerous mistake they could make, yet Serena had no idea why they would think that.
She hadn't done anything to frighten them.
She hadn't unleashed any extraordinary power, nor had she defeated one of their own. She had spent the entire pursuit running for her life, using her dagger only when necessary to keep the creatures from grabbing her.
Whatever had caused the swarm to stop, it wasn't something she understood.
And that uncertainty frightened her more than she wanted to admit.
Nevertheless, she wasn't going to remain there and find out.
Multiple Calamity-Class Poltergeists were gathered beneath the White Fox Temple. Their presence alone represented a threat that demanded immediate attention, and she had no intention of wasting precious time attempting to unravel the strange behavior of the lesser creatures pursuing her.
Whatever had caused them to hesitate, Tamayo needed to hear everything.
Serena lowered her dagger slightly and turned toward the temple.
"Come on, Stud."
Stud didn't move.
His gaze remained fixed on the swarm, and his expression suggested that he was still trying to process what he had witnessed.
"Stud."
He blinked as though snapping out of a trance, then hurriedly floated after her.
"Right. Yes. Leaving is an excellent idea. I support leaving. I've always supported leaving!"
Serena crouched on the branch, preparing to jump toward the next tree. Behind her, the swarm remained motionless. Not a single Poltergeist attempted to follow.
She pushed off the branch and raced toward the temple, leaping between the trees as quickly as her tired legs would allow. Stud flew close beside her, occasionally glancing over his shoulder to make certain the creatures hadn't resumed their pursuit.
They never did.
The distance between Serena and the swarm continued to grow until the Poltergeists gradually disappeared behind the dense foliage. Even then, she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something about the encounter had changed the moment the creatures began warning one another.
As the temple drew nearer, her thoughts raced through everything she had witnessed.
The cave hidden beneath the cliff.
The Calamity-Class Poltergeists gathered outside its entrance.
The swarm that had emerged to attack them.
And the sudden, inexplicable fear that had prevented the creatures from approaching her.
She didn't know what any of it meant. She didn't know why so many powerful Poltergeists had gathered beneath the temple, why they had attacked her and Stud, or why the smaller creatures had suddenly become afraid to come near her.
Most troubling of all, she had no idea what Stud had sensed in their spiritual communication that had made him so certain they were afraid.
There were too many unanswered questions, and she couldn't hope to find the answers on her own.
Serena pushed herself through the last stretch of forest, keeping her eyes fixed on the familiar temple buildings ahead.
Tamayo needed to know everything.
She would explain the cave, the Calamity-Class creatures, and the swarm that had pursued them through the trees. She would tell her sister about the strange message Stud had heard and the way the Poltergeists had suddenly stopped moving, even when they had been close enough to continue their attack.
Perhaps Tamayo would understand what it meant.
Perhaps she would recognize something Serena had missed.
Whatever happened next, Serena knew she couldn't keep this discovery to herself.
Because whatever was hiding beneath the White Fox Temple, it was far more dangerous than she had ever imagined.