Kai

The darkness pressed around us, the trees closing in so tightly they barely let the moonlight through. I tried to focus on each step, keeping my eyes ahead. But my mind kept drifting back to that moment we got separated from Finn and Lyra. I'd never seen Alex's face go so pale as when he realized they were gone. And I'd never felt this worried, either.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Alex asked beside me, his voice soft but tense. I knew he was trying to keep calm, but I could hear the worry seeping in.

"Honestly? I have no idea." I glanced at him, a half-smile tugging at my lips. "But we'll find them. I promise."

We pressed on, stumbling over rocks and roots, every step taking us deeper into unknown territory. I wanted to tell him it'd be fine, that we'd make it through this, but I couldn't ignore the strange, creeping feeling that something was watching us. My body was on high alert, every instinct telling me to stay sharp.

A rustling sound to our left made me freeze, one hand instinctively reaching out to push Alex behind me. "Stay close," I whispered, trying to keep my voice steady.

Alex

The air was thick with tension, and Kai's protective stance didn't help my nerves. I could tell he was tense, his whole body wound tight like he was ready to pounce.

But then, it wasn't just nerves. Something else—something big—moved in the shadows ahead. I could see it now, crouched low, watching us with reflective eyes that glowed faintly in the moonlight.

"Kai..." I whispered, a flicker of fear rising in me. My instinct told me to get us out of here fast, but Kai stepped forward, his gaze locked onto the creature.

"Kai, don't get any closer!" I hissed, reaching out to grab his arm. But he looked back at me, his eyes intense and focused.

"I have to try, Alex," he said, his voice low. "If I can reach it... if I can talk to it..."

He took a deep breath and stepped forward, his voice soft but firm. "We don't want to hurt you," he said, as if the creature could understand him. "We're just passing through. Please, let us go."

Kai

The creature's eyes flickered, and for a second, it looked like it was listening. My heartbeat pounded in my ears as I continued, the words coming almost instinctively. "We're looking for our friends. We don't mean any harm."

The creature shifted, almost as if it was considering my words. It took a step back, its gaze lingering on me before it turned and slunk back into the shadows. I let out a shaky breath, the tension leaving my shoulders.

"How... How did you do that?" Alex asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"I... I don't know," I replied honestly. "It just... listened."

For a moment, we just stood there, both of us absorbing what had just happened. I wanted to laugh, to brush it off, but the truth was, I didn't know what I was doing. All I knew was that something in me had made that creature hesitate.

Alex

We walked in silence, the weight of what just happened hanging between us. Every few steps, I caught myself glancing at him, trying to make sense of it all. "Kai... maybe there's more to you than we realized."

He raised an eyebrow at me, looking half-amused, half-serious. "And what about you? You can barely walk straight and hold back trees at the same time."

I blinked, realizing what he meant. Without thinking, I'd reached out to steady myself on a branch earlier, and it had bent to give us a clearer path. I hadn't even noticed.

"Maybe we're both discovering new sides of ourselves," I said quietly. And as we pressed on, that thought lingered, each step taking us further into the unknown.