TerraWorld~The Youngest One.. (#8)

Chapter 18

The night was cold, and the stars above twinkled faintly, casting a dim light on the forest as the team continued their pursuit of Shadow. The tension in the group was palpable, but not everyone was as heavily involved in the front lines of the conflict. For too long, characters like William, Willow, and Stacy had played supportive roles, staying in the background while others led the charge. But things were about to change.

William walked slightly behind the rest of the group, his mind deep in thought. He had always been the strategist, the one with the plans and calculations. He knew the importance of every detail, every small decision that led to victory. But he also knew that strategies weren't enough anymore. They were up against a power that defied logic—Shadow was unpredictable, dangerous in ways they had never encountered before.

Beside him, Willow's usually calm demeanor seemed more troubled. Her dark eyes scanned the trees, her fingers twitching near her weapons. She was a talented fighter, but the emotional weight of the situation was clearly getting to her. "We're chasing a ghost," she muttered, barely loud enough for William to hear. "How are we supposed to stop something we can't even catch?"

William looked at her and sighed. "We don't stop him with brute force. We find out what he's after. Everyone's treating Shadow like a wild card, but there's always a reason. We need to figure out what that is."

Willow glanced at him, her eyebrows raised. "You really think there's some grand plan behind all this? I don't know, William. He seems more like the kind of guy who just enjoys messing with people."

"That might be what he wants us to think," William said. "But he has ties to Kevin's past. People like that don't just come out of nowhere without an agenda."

Stacy, who had been silent up until now, finally spoke up. "Look, maybe we're overthinking this. He's dangerous, yes. But maybe he's just bitter, angry at Kevin for something. We've all seen how these things can go—brothers at odds, unresolved drama. What if we're making him more of a threat than he really is?"

Willow shook her head. "Stacy, this isn't some family feud. Shadow is dangerous. You saw what happened the last time he showed up—he nearly destroyed us."

Stacy crossed her arms. "I'm not saying we don't take him seriously. I'm saying we need to stop making him into some untouchable villain. If we think he's invincible, we'll never find his weakness."

William looked between the two, nodding in agreement. "Stacy's got a point. We need to treat him like any other enemy. The more we build him up in our heads, the harder it's going to be to bring him down."

They walked in silence for a while, their footsteps crunching softly on the forest floor. The rest of the team was up ahead, focused on the path before them. But William, Willow, and Stacy were deep in thought. This was their moment to step up. They couldn't rely on Kevin and Enna to handle everything. The time had come for them to take a bigger role.

Suddenly, Stacy stopped in her tracks, her sharp eyes catching movement in the shadows. "Did you see that?" she whispered, pointing toward the treeline.

Willow and William followed her gaze, their eyes narrowing. Something—or someone—was moving through the trees, barely visible in the faint moonlight. It wasn't Shadow, but it was something unusual.

"Stay back," William ordered, his voice low. He stepped forward cautiously, pulling out a small device from his belt—a sensor he had been working on to detect terrabeast energy. "Let's see if this picks anything up."

As he activated the device, the screen flickered to life, and sure enough, there was a reading. "It's a terrabeast," William muttered. "But it's not one of ours."

Willow frowned. "Another one? Out here?"

Before anyone could react, a figure stepped out of the shadows. It was a young woman, her eyes glowing faintly in the darkness. Her body language was tense, defensive. "Who are you?" she demanded, her voice sharp. "And why are you hunting me?"

Stacy immediately raised her hands in a non-threatening gesture. "We're not hunting you," she said, stepping forward slowly. "We're just trying to figure out what's going on with all the terrabeasts around here. Are you with Shadow?"

The woman's eyes narrowed. "I don't know who that is, but if you're after me, you're making a mistake."