The wind shifted ominously across the training field just outside the Guild perimeter. The sun hadn't fully risen yet, and the morning fog draped the ground like a heavy blanket. Ellee stood silently, eyes scanning the document in her hand, the seal of the Guild marked boldly at the top. Her companions stood nearby, fully equipped and alert.
"Code Marvel," she read aloud, her voice calm but sharp. "Spy mission. Location: East perimeter border. Report of Class A monsters. Objective: Observe. Intervene if necessary."
"A spy mission," Xion said, arms crossed. "That usually means trouble."
Zion gave a small grin. "We live for trouble."
"Stay focused," Maya muttered. "The report said these monsters are... strange."
"They appear human-like at first," Kate added, glancing at her twin, who nodded in agreement. "But can shift forms rapidly. And they multiply when injured."
Ellee folded the paper and tucked it into her coat. Her special uniform, light blue with black accents and a silver insignia on the shoulder, gleamed softly under the early light. The team moved in formation, silent but deadly as they passed the gates.
---
By the time they arrived at the eastern perimeter, the fog had thickened, casting ghostly shapes through the trees. A broken trail led them to the reported site. There were signs of a recent struggle: claw marks, scorched ground, remnants of shredded fabric.
"Stay alert," Ellee whispered. Her instincts tingled. Something was here.
Then it came. A sharp hiss, followed by a blur leaping from the shadows. The first monster emerged, humanoid with black scales and elongated limbs. Its face was covered by a bone-like mask, eyes glowing red.
"Engage!" Ellee commanded.
Zion lunged first, blades flashing. He landed a clean cut across the creature's side.
But instead of collapsing, the creature split in two.
"What the—?" Zion backed away.
"They divide," Kate shouted. "Every time you slash it, it duplicates!"
"Aim for containment!" Maya ordered. "Don't slice, immobilize!"
The team adjusted tactics quickly. Maya summoned a barrier to trap one of the duplicates, while Xion used his energy chains to bind another.
More emerged from the woods, drawn by the scent of battle. Their snarls grew louder.
Ellee clenched her fist. Light crackled at her fingertips. She hadn't used this power for awhile. It was unstable, but they were outnumbered.
"Ellee!" Kate called out. "No, not the light element—your body—"
Too late.
Ellee stepped forward, her eyes glowing faintly as she raised her palm. A radiant burst of light exploded across the battlefield, disintegrating several of the monsters in its path.
The others shielded their eyes.
Silence.
Then the light faded.
Ellee staggered, one hand on her chest. She coughed—and blood splattered onto her glove.
"Ellee!" Zion caught her before she collapsed. "You said you wouldn't use it again!"
"I... had to," she murmured, dizzy but still conscious. "We would've been overwhelmed."
Xion scanned the field. "They're retreating. The remaining ones are dissolving."
"Mission succeeded," Maya said grimly. "But at a cost."
Kate and Maya helped Ellee sit down under a tree. Her face was pale, but she smiled faintly.
"At least... we know what we're dealing with now," she said. "They're not just monsters. They're engineered."
"Like us," Xion added quietly.
The breeze carried a strange metallic scent. Ellee tilted her head, her vision still blurry. "They left something. A symbol... burnt into the ground."
Zion examined it. A triangle intersected by a double helix.
Maya knelt beside it. "A mark of the Scientists. This wasn't random."
Ellee exhaled slowly, then looked up at the sky. "This war... it's only beginning."
Their silhouettes stood against the rising sun, shadows long and eyes resolute. The blood of experiments pulsed quietly beneath their skin, calling them back into the fire once more.