I Can See Evolution Paths

The golden barrier flickered again. For a moment, the purple fog pushed several inches into the Light Zone before the golden light forced it back.

Luna’s expression tightened. Arthur immediately noticed. "So it really is weakening."

Luna nodded. "I can keep it active, but..."

Another impact shook the barrier.

BOOM!

A corrupted beast slammed into the golden wall and was thrown backward, the Miasma surging around it.

Luna’s fingers tightened around the Mirror. "It won’t last forever."

Sun looked at the horde surrounding them. "How long is forever in this case?"

Luna gave him a helpless look. "I don’t know."

Sun stared at her. "You don’t know?"

"I’ve never used the Light Mirror in a place like this."

Mithra looked toward the purple forest. "Then we can’t calculate how much time we have."

"Exactly," Luna said.

Athena frowned. "Can you tell what determines how long it lasts?"

Luna hesitated. "The Miasma." Everyone looked at her. "The stronger the Miasma becomes, the harder it is for the Light Mirror to maintain the protected area. If the concentration becomes high enough..." She looked at the golden barrier. "...the Light Zone will shrink."

Arthur watched the edge of the barrier. She was right. The golden boundary had already become slightly smaller.

"And if it shrinks enough?" Vedas asked.

Luna’s expression became serious. "Then the Miasma enters."

Silence.

Sun looked around. "So we’re standing inside a shield that gets smaller the longer we stay here."

"Yes."

"And we’re surrounded by something that wants to destroy the shield."

"Yes."

Sun sighed. "Wonderful."

Melo glanced at him. "You could try being positive."

"I’m being realistic."

Kong patted Sun’s head. Sun looked upward. "You agree with me?"

Kong shook his head.

Sun’s expression fell. "Traitor."

Despite the situation, Mithra almost laughed.

Almost.

Then another impact struck the barrier.

BOOM!

The golden light rippled violently. Mithra’s smile disappeared. "We need to move."

Arthur nodded. "We do."

Luna looked at him. "The Light Mirror can move with us, but maintaining the zone while traveling will consume more energy."

Arthur looked toward the forest. "How much more?"

"I don’t know."

Arthur stared at her.

Luna raised both hands defensively. "I told you. I’ve never used it like this before."

Arthur nodded. "That’s fine."

Mithra looked between them. "So what do we do?"

Arthur studied the terrain beyond the barrier. The forest was a disaster. Trees had fallen across one another. The ground was covered in deep cracks. Some sections had collapsed completely, leaving large pits filled with purple mist. Roots twisted through the earth. Broken branches and debris covered what little clear ground remained.

And beyond all of it was the Miasma.

"We move."

Vedas immediately nodded. "Good."

Sun looked at him. "You sound excited."

"I was getting bored."

"We’ve been here for five minutes."

"Exactly."

Mithra shook her head.

Arthur turned toward Melo. "Melo."

The fox girl smiled. "I know."

Her body began to change. Silver light spread across her form, her human figure dissolving into a wave of cosmic pink and blue fur. Five enormous tails appeared behind her, each one carrying intricate silver moon patterns, and a crescent-shaped third eye opened upon her forehead. Dream mist began trailing from her body. Small moon sigils slowly orbited around her, and wherever her paws touched the ground, tiny points of stardust appeared.

Melo lowered herself. "Luna."

Luna understood immediately. She climbed onto Melo’s back and grabbed onto her fur. "I’m ready."

Arthur looked at the others. "Stay close to the Light Zone."

Vedas nodded. "Understood."

Athena looked toward the forest. "I’ll take the front."

"Don’t go too far," Arthur said.

"I won’t."

Sun raised his staff. "Then I’ll stay near the middle."

Mithra looked at him. "You?"

"Why are you surprised?"

"Because you usually run toward whatever looks dangerous."

Sun gave her an offended look. "I can be responsible."

Kong immediately shook his head.

Sun looked upward. "Nobody asked you."

Arthur looked at Star. The slime bounced once. "Stay with me." Star bounced again.

Eden moved to Arthur’s other side. "I’ll stay here too."

Arthur nodded. "Good."

Luna lifted the Light Mirror. "Everyone ready?"

Vedas raised Dusk. "Let’s go."

The Light Zone moved. And the moment it did, the forest came alive.

...

Corrupted beasts rushed from every direction. Athena moved first, swinging her weapon through the nearest creature and knocking it away from the golden barrier. Vedas followed, his spear piercing through another beast before he twisted the weapon and threw the creature into the trees. Mithra attacked a third.

"Left!"

Arthur turned. A corrupted beast lunged from behind a fallen tree. Star immediately stretched outward, its body slamming into the creature and knocking it sideways.

Arthur glanced at the slime. "Good." Star bounced proudly.

Then the ground beneath them cracked.

"Move!" Arthur shouted.

The earth collapsed. A section of forest dropped into a deep purple pit. Melo leaped across it while Luna held the Mirror high as the Light Zone followed them. The golden barrier passed over the gap, and purple fog immediately surged upward from below.

Luna’s face tightened. "Keep moving!"

Melo accelerated, her five tails streaming behind her as dream mist poured across the ruined ground. She leaped over fallen trees, slid beneath collapsing branches, and twisted around massive roots.

Luna clung tightly to her. "You’re faster than I expected!"

Melo glanced backward with one of her eyes. "I have five tails."

"Does that make you faster?"

"No."

Luna blinked. "Then why did you say it?"

"I wanted to sound impressive."

Luna laughed despite herself.

Behind them, Sun shouted. "Could you two flirt later?!"

Luna’s face turned red. "We’re not—!"

Mithra burst out laughing. Even Arthur smiled slightly.

Then—

BOOM!

A tree collapsed directly in front of them. Melo skidded to a stop, the massive trunk blocking the path.

"Problem," Melo said.

Vedas stepped forward. "I’ll clear it." He swung Dusk, the golden spear smashing through the trunk, and the tree split apart. "Path’s open."

Sun stared. "That was unnecessarily dramatic."

Vedas looked at him. "It worked."

"...Fair."

They continued. The further they traveled, the worse the region became. The Miasma grew thicker. The golden Light Zone grew smaller.

Arthur noticed the difference. At first, there had been nearly thirty meters between the barrier and the edge of the fog. Now there were barely twenty.

Luna noticed too. Her breathing had become heavier.

Arthur looked at her. "Luna."

"I’m fine."

"How much?"

She looked down at the Mirror. "I don’t know."

Arthur frowned. "Luna."

She finally answered. "It’s getting harder."

The words immediately caught everyone’s attention. Mithra turned. "How much harder?"

Luna swallowed. "The Light Mirror is still protecting us, but the Miasma here is much denser than before." She looked at the shrinking boundary. "If we stay here long enough, I won’t be able to keep the zone this large."

Sun’s expression became serious. "So we can’t just keep running."

"No," Luna said.

Athena looked around. "Then we need to find whatever can strengthen it."

Arthur nodded. "Exactly."

Vedas looked at him. "You already know where?"

"No."

"Then what are we looking for?"

Arthur looked into the purple forest. He remembered the previous corruption. The Phanetium. The strange material that could resist the Miasma. The reason they had come here in the first place.

His eyes narrowed. "We need something that can push the Miasma back."

Mithra immediately understood. "Phanetium."

Arthur nodded.

Luna looked surprised. "The material from the records?"

"Yes."

Sun looked between them. "Wait. You think that stuff can strengthen the Light Mirror?"

"I don’t know." Arthur looked at the shrinking golden boundary. "But if Phanetium can resist the Miasma, it might be able to help us."

Athena’s expression sharpened. "Then finding it isn’t optional anymore."

"No." Arthur looked at everyone. The forest stretched endlessly before them. The Miasma pressed against their shrinking sanctuary. The corrupted beasts continued following.

Arthur tightened his grip around Dusk.

"Then we’re not looking for somewhere safe."

Everyone looked at him. Arthur’s eyes remained fixed on the darkness ahead.

"We’re looking for something that can make us safe."

For a moment, nobody spoke. Then Vedas smiled. "Now that’s a plan."

Mithra nodded. "Agreed."

Sun adjusted his grip on his staff. "I prefer that."

Athena looked toward the ruins hidden somewhere beyond the forest. "Then let’s find it."

Luna raised the Light Mirror again. The golden barrier expanded slightly. "Then we keep moving."

Melo lowered herself. "Hold on." She launched forward, the five-tailed fox tearing through the corrupted forest, Luna riding on her back as the Light Zone moved with them.

Behind them, the Miasma followed.

And somewhere ahead, buried beneath the ruined land, something waited. Something that might be the only reason their Light could survive.