Liana dropped her pack and sat down.
"Training was rough," she said. "Seraphina didn't hold back today."
Fenric handed her some water. "You okay?"
"I'll live." She drank, then looked up sharply. "Do you feel that?"
Fenric froze.
Yes.
Movement.
Not people.
Not normal animals.
Three presences were approaching the village edge.
Fast.
Heavy.
Fenric stood up slowly. "Three monsters."
Liana's eyes widened. "Already?"
"They're not high rank," Fenric said, focusing. "But they're not weak either."
Seraphina appeared almost instantly, stepping out from between buildings.
"Rank 2 entry beasts," she said. "Probably drawn by mana residue from training."
She looked at Fenric.
"This is not a lesson," she said. "This is real."
Fenric nodded. "Understood."
The first monster burst from the trees.
A horned stone hound—shoulder-high, gray skin like rock, eyes glowing dull red.
Behind it came two others:
• A long-clawed shadow lynx
