"You know, impatience causes a rapid increase in the aging process," the voice said mockingly.
This was in response to Zhu asking when they would get to where he was.
"Ah, so you have jokes?" Zhu narrowed her eyes, vowing once again to knock him in the head the second they met.
"What jokes? These are facts, my dear. Facts." The voice managed to sound mocking and smug at the same time.
"Tch." Zhu focused on creating a small pit for the fire.
"But to answer your question, you will arrive at your destination at noon tomorrow if you keep a steady pace."
"Okay." Zhu sat back as the fire came to life. They had changed out of their blood-soaked clothes and stored them in H's space bag. They ate jerky and berries because cooking might attract beasts. They had to make a fire because the night was bitterly cold.
"Ah… m-my lady…"
Zhu turned her head to look at the older woman who spoke, but she didn't say anything.
"May I know where we are going?"
Zhu looked at the two adults now turning to her for guidance. She gestured for Mara and Herkid to join her in a semicircle around the fire.
She sighed, then clapped her hands together. "Alright, this staff meeting is now called to order. First thing on the agenda: I'm Lin Zhu, sixteen years old, an orphan raised in Greenvail. I ended up here while escaping an abuser."
The adults looked at each other, something they had been doing a lot over the past two days. This girl was a bit unhinged, with a mysterious voice emanating from her body and giving them instructions. It had been a long couple of days gathering ingredients from all over the forest so this odd little girl could survive.
One thing they had learned about this monster girl, however, was that she was considerate. While they gathered ingredients, she would gather "food," mostly berries and fruits from the forest, even though she could barely move and looked half-dead herself.
Mara went first. "I'm Mara. I was sold to a brothel when I was nine. I… I started serving when I was fifteen. I was bought by Master Brain a day before going on this expedition. I'm an F-Level Spiritual Healer."
"I am Herkid," the man said. "I was hired from the guild for this mission. We had already been trapped in this forest for days. I am in my early thirties and a widower. I am a D-Level Wind Elementalist."
"Alright, it is very nice to meet you, Ms. Mara and Mr. Herkid. Welcome to the team." Zhu smiled and clapped her hands together.
She was genuinely happy to have more people to talk to besides stinky Faral. The two adults seemed a bit serious, but overall they were nice and cooperative, even if they probably thought she was a little crazy. She had noticed the looks they exchanged whenever she did something out of the ordinary, like suddenly laughing out loud when no one had said anything.
But it wasn't her fault. Sometimes she and Faral would be having entire conversations that the others couldn't hear, and she would accidentally respond out loud.
"Oh, right."
Black, glittering smoke rose from her arms where the cubs rested. The creatures materialized on either side of her. Zhu lovingly scratched beneath their chins under the stunned gazes of the adults.
"This is Rose and Thorn, my darling babies."
The world seemed to go silent.
Mara's breath caught in her throat. Herkid's shoulders stiffened so suddenly that the crackling fire sounded deafening in comparison.
The black cubs sat beside Zhu with eerie grace, their sleek fur swallowing the firelight instead of reflecting it. Thin silver markings glowed faintly beneath their coats like moonlight trapped under skin. Their eyes—one pair crimson, the other gold—locked onto the two adults with unnatural intelligence.
Nyxari cubs.
Mutated wolf panther mix.
Not ordinary shadow beasts.
Nyxari.
Mara's fingers trembled in her lap. Every child on the continent grew up hearing stories about them. Ancient predators born from corrupted mana streams deep within forbidden territories. Creatures so rare that kingdoms would wage wars over sightings alone. Mature Nyxari could wipe out entire caravans without leaving corpses behind.
And Zhu was… hugging them.
Actually hugging them.
Rose melted against Zhu's side as the girl scratched under his chin. Thorn rolled lazily onto her back, exposing her stomach while letting out a low rumbling purr that vibrated through the ground beneath them.
Mara nearly blacked out from shock.
A Nyxari exposing its stomach was something scholars would dedicate entire libraries to documenting. Those creatures trusted nothing. Loved nothing. They were territorial monsters infamous for slaughtering even their own kind over dominance disputes.
Yet this little monster girl was treating them like spoiled house cats.
"She named them…" Mara whispered weakly.
"Of course I named them," Zhu replied casually. "You can't just call someone 'baby number one' and 'baby number 2' forever. That's rude."
Herkid stared at the cub, pressing its face into Zhu's palm with visible affection.
The wind elementalist had spent years working dangerous guild commissions. He had seen mutated bears rip armored men apart. He had watched rank-C beasts devour adventurers alive. Once, during a border escort mission, he saw an injured wyvern reduce an entire squad to ash in under three minutes.
None of those memories frightened him the way these cubs did.
Because those monsters acted like beasts.
These things were thinking. Watching. Judging.
And worst of all… they were protective.
The moment Thorn's glowing eyes shifted toward him, Herkid felt every instinct in his body scream danger. His mana core flared painfully. The cub was still lying on its back beside Zhu, still appearing relaxed, yet the pressure leaking from it felt like a blade pressed against his throat.
One wrong movement.
One threatening gesture toward Zhu.
And he knew—with terrifying certainty—that the cub would kill him instantly.
Not attack or even warn just instant Kill.
Mara clearly realized the same thing because her complexion had gone pale. Sweat formed along her brow despite the freezing night air. Rose hadn't moved from Zhu's lap, but the creature's crimson gaze never left them.
Watching. Measuring.
Waiting.
Strangely enough, Zhu seemed completely oblivious to the suffocating tension.
"Aren't they cute?" she asked brightly. "Rose likes head pats and Thorn bites things when she's annoyed. Oh, and they hate Faral."
"How come they have not indicated such to me?" the ancient voice asked dryly inside her head.
"I don't know." Zhu snorted carelessly. "But it's the truth."
Mara and Herkid exchanged another glance.
There it was again.
That random response to invisible conversations.
At this point, they were too exhausted to question it anymore.
Still… the existence of the cubs changed everything.
Before tonight, they had followed Zhu because they had little choice. Survival in Hollowveil Forest alone was nearly impossible. The girl possessed terrifying knowledge, strange abilities, and some connection to an ancient entity guiding her through the forest. Staying near her dramatically increased their chances of living long enough to escape.
But now?
Now they understood something far more dangerous.
This girl was not merely unusual.
She was someone acknowledged by Nyxari.
Not enslaved or contracted beasts..
Acknowledged. Trusted. Protected.
That realization settled heavily over the campfire.
Herkid slowly lowered his gaze. His cautiousness toward Zhu deepened instantly, but so did his resolve. Following her was dangerous beyond reason… yet leaving her would be even more foolish.
A girl capable of taming Nyxari cubs while surviving mortal injuries inside Hollowveil Forest was either destined for greatness… or destined to become a calamity.
Possibly both.
Mara swallowed hard before forcing a shaky smile.
"They are… very adorable, Lady Zhu."
Volatile, dangerous, murdering, machines but cute she continued to think, maintaining her smile.
Rose's crimson eyes narrowed slightly as if testing the sincerity of her words.
Mara almost cried.
Then Zhu beamed brightly, completely unaware that her "babies" were psychologically torturing two grown adults.
"I know, right?!"
The adults looked at each other they silently added delusional to Zhu's character description.