It had been a quiet few weeks. Or maybe I'd just started getting used to the noise. After the Chimera incident and parting ways with John and Caleb, I stuck to the back roads, followed whispers, newspaper clippings, coded hunter forums—anything to keep moving. John was back to his obsessive map and crusade, Caleb chasing whatever was left of his contact's lead… and me? I was chasing something less defined.
The trail started, oddly enough, with a local obit. Middle-aged hiker goes missing near Blue Earth, Minnesota—locals blamed wild animals.
Nothing new. But then another. And another. Three disappearances in the same stretch of forest, no bodies, no tracks, no solid explanation. Just weirdness. The kind that makes your skin itch.
I was already halfway through Minnesota when I picked up the pattern.
By the time I rolled into the edge of Blue Earth, the sun was dipping behind a haze of pine and heavy clouds. Not exactly the most welcoming town I've been to, but that's saying something.
"Small town charm. Big forest dread." I muttered under my breath as I parked my car.
Before stepping out, I pulled on the old suit jacket and FBI badge. Still had the alias ready—Agent Quinn, Wildlife Division. Easy enough to pass through small-town red tape.
The sheriff's office was a cramped building tucked between a hardware store and a diner that looked like it hadn't updated its menu since '85. Inside, it smelled like burnt coffee and frustration.
A deputy glanced up, squinting at my badge, probably wondering if I was real or one of those clipboard guys from the federal census.
I gave him a tired smile and asked for the sheriff.
---
Sheriff Carter was the kind of guy you'd expect to see on an old wanted poster—grizzled, sharp-eyed, and entirely too done with the world for someone still breathing. He gave my badge a once-over, didn't ask too many questions. Small blessings.
"We've already had Fish and Wildlife sniffing around," he said, leaning back in his worn chair.
"They blamed wolves. Gave us pamphlets and left."
"I'd like to take a look at the areas where the victims were last seen," I said, keeping my tone official. "Compare some patterns. Quietly."
He studied me a beat longer, then slid a manila folder across the desk.
Inside were copies of missing persons reports, hand-drawn maps, even a few crime scene photos—well, "crime" being generous. No blood, no body. Just gear found scattered, like whoever owned it had just dropped everything mid-step and vanished.
"I've been here twenty years, Agent," Carter said. "People don't just vanish around here. Not without a trace."
I nodded. "That's what I'm here to figure out."
---
A couple hours later, I was standing at the edge of the forest trail. The wind carried a scent that didn't belong—wet bark, damp earth… and something older. Decay, maybe. Or rot. Hard to place.
Locals avoided the forest now. Didn't blame them. Something about the trees felt… wrong. Not evil. Just off. Like they were watching you.
I checked the equipment in my bag—salt rounds, iron blades, a collapsible axe I'd had Caleb forge with pure iron.
Just in case. Ever since the Chimera, I'd been leaning more on instinct, letting myself feel the hunt before rushing in. Part of me wondered if that was what Caleb meant when he said I was adapting too fast.
Still. I was here. And something out there was making people disappear.
---
I moved deeper into the woods, each step crunching old leaves and twigs underfoot. The trees were close here—claustrophobic, almost. Not dense in a normal way. More like the forest wanted to close in behind you. Like it didn't want you to leave.
A flash of movement caught my eye—just a shape in the corner of my vision. I stopped, listening. Heart rate steady, breath controlled. No birds. No insects. Just silence and the wind.
'That's never good.'
And then the cold hit. Not the kind you expect from Minnesota in late fall. No, this was wrong. Bone-deep. Like something had sucked the warmth out of the air itself.
I reached into my jacket and clicked on my EMF reader. The needle spiked, then died. Fried.
Electromagnetic interference. One of the signs.
'Great. That's not ominous at all.'
That's when I saw the first sign—carved into the bark of a dead tree. A strange spiral, not unlike Norse runes, but with an organic curve. Blood stained the center. Fresh.
I leaned closer, something tickling at the edge of my thoughts. The symbol wasn't just warning. It was a claim.
Territorial.
And now I was inside it.
---
The forest around me creaked and groaned, the trees swaying as though they were part of something larger, something that was watching me.
The presence was almost tangible. It had been following me for the past ten minutes, staying just out of sight but close enough for me to feel its weight in the air.
I could hear it moving—stealthy, almost playful—like a predator testing its prey. The rustling was getting closer, and I fought the urge to look back.
I knew it was watching, waiting for me to make a mistake. The wind whispered through the pines, but beneath it, something else echoed—footsteps, but not quite footsteps. More like the soft shuffle of something moving through the underbrush, too fluid to be human.
"Come on out," I muttered under my breath, eyes scanning the tree line.
The moment I spoke, everything went still. The air felt thicker, like the forest had just decided to exhale all at once. And then, from behind a cluster of birch trees, a shape stepped into view.
It wasn't a man—no, that was too simple. This thing was humanoid, but the way it moved, the way it stood—there was something unnatural about it.
Its posture was wrong, slightly hunched, like a creature trying to mimic human form but falling short. And its eyes, glowing faintly in the dim light, seemed to pierce through the forest, through the very air around us.
It was the Leshy, or at least, I thought it was. The descriptions didn't do it justice. The rumors had said the Leshy could take any shape, but this… this was something else.
I gripped the iron blade tighter, the cold metal pressing against my palm. My heart rate spiked as the creature cocked its head, regarding me with what almost seemed like curiosity.
Then, without warning, it shifted—the air around it rippling as if reality itself had bent. In a flash, the Leshy was no longer standing before me.
Instead, it had transformed into a massive, hulking version of itself, towering over me like a nightmare made flesh. Its body rippled with muscles, each one impossibly large, and its glowing eyes burned with a hunger I couldn't quite place.
But it wasn't just the transformation that made my blood run cold—it was the way it seemed to read me, to know what I was thinking.
The Leshy's eyes locked onto mine, and for a split second, I could feel it probing my thoughts.
"The forest knows you, hunter. I know you." It said in an almost distorted voice.
I staggered back instinctively, my breath coming fast. That feeling again, like I was being watched—not just by the creature in front of me, but by something else, something vast and ancient that was tied to this forest.
And then, it moved.
The Leshy lunged forward, faster than I thought possible, its massive arm shooting out toward me.
I barely dodged in time, the air charged with an unnatural cold as the creature's hand swept past me. I gritted my teeth and leapt to the side, avoiding a deadly swipe that could've torn me in half.
It didn't stop. It was relentless, moving like a force of nature, a tidal wave of power that wasn't bound by the rules I understood.
'This is bad.' My mind raced, weighing options.
The usual tricks wouldn't work on something like this. Iron, fire, those had their uses, but against a creature this old, this powerful… I was going to have to think on my feet.
I could feel it. The power in the air.
'I need to get closer', I realized.
The Leshy's strength was incredible, but it wasn't invulnerable. I needed to find its weakness. It was always the same—no creature, no matter how powerful, was never truly indestructible.
'Wait for it...'
I waited, letting the Leshy come to me. I could feel the thrum of its presence—its thoughts, its movements, all echoing in the space between us.
Then, as it lunged again, I darted forward, this time closing the distance in a single, controlled move.
The Leshy's massive arm swung again, but this time I didn't dodge. Instead, I sidestepped, my blade cutting through the air as I closed in. The Leshy's reaction was fast, but not fast enough. I drove the blade into its side, feeling the metal sink into its form.
It screeched, the sound loud enough to rattle my bones, and for a moment, I thought I had it. But then, its body shimmered—its form flickered—and it was gone.
I blinked in confusion, my instincts screaming. Before I could react, a sharp pain shot through my back, and I stumbled forward. The Leshy had teleported, reappearing behind me, its twisted form now bearing down on me with terrifying speed.
The pain was immediate—cold, burning cold—like frost creeping through my veins. I gasped, trying to shake it off, but the Leshy's power surged again, this time using its telekinesis to slam me into the ground.
My vision blurred as the Leshy loomed over me, its glowing eyes now filled with something darker, something that seemed to feed on my very fear.
"No time to think", I reminded myself. 'Move. Now.'
I could feel the strength of my powers—the abilities I had absorbed in the past. I needed them now, more than ever. With a sharp inhale, I reached out, tapping into the energy I had absorbed from my past hunts. The power surged through me, strengthening my resolve.
I focused on the Leshy's next move. As it raised a massive foot to crush me, I used everything i had in me, pushing myself off the ground and launching myself at its head with everything I had.
The momentum carried me forward, and I slammed into it with a sickening thud, feeling its skull cave in under my assault.
But it didn't stop.
The Leshy's eyes flared bright, its energy surging in an overwhelming blast. The ground beneath us shook as the creature used its telekinesis to throw me back, sending me crashing into a nearby tree.
My back throbbed as I staggered to my feet, the force of the Leshy's telekinetic blast still echoing in my body.
I could feel the exhaustion creeping in. I wasn't invincible. My body, though resilient, had limits.
But in that moment, as the Leshy loomed closer, I wasn't thinking about my limits—I was thinking about how to end this.
I couldn't let it drag on. The longer it lasted, the more dangerous it became. The Leshy's immortality meant it would never tire. But me? I had only a finite amount of energy. It was time to turn the tables.
I wiped the blood from my lip and steadied myself. This thing was too strong to go down with just brute force. I needed to think strategically.
I closed my eyes for a split second, forcing myself to focus. I could feel the pulse of power inside me, the abilities I'd absorbed before—the strength, the speed, the raw energy of those creatures I'd faced. But I needed something more.Something to tip the scales.
Then, I felt it—a shift in the air, a tingle down my spine. The Leshy had moved closer, too close. It had learned to predict my movements. That was its mistake.
The Leshy's form flickered again, changing shape in an instant, its body morphing into a mass of writhing branches and bark, like a living nightmare made from the forest itself.
But this time, it wasn't just an appearance change. The forest seemed to respond to its presence, as if the trees themselves were bending to its will.
The Leshy's eyes locked onto me with cold malice, and I realized just how deep this thing's power ran.
It wasn't just a creature—it was a force of nature. A god of the wild. I could feel its thoughts swirling around mine, trying to worm their way into my head, to break me.
But I had learned to fight back against that kind of thing.
I focused, narrowing my thoughts, pushing away its whispers.
With a roar, the Leshy raised its arm, summoning a storm of branches and roots to lash out at me. I wasn't fast enough to dodge the initial onslaught.
The wooden limbs slammed into me with bone-crushing force, sending me crashing into the dirt. The ground trembled beneath the weight of its power.
'This is it.' The thought crossed my mind for a fleeting moment, but I wasn't about to go down like this. Not today. Not to this thing.
I gritted my teeth, hands pressed into the ground. "Focus. Breathe."
Then, I felt it. A surge of power building inside me, just like every time I'd absorbed another ability, another essence. It was like a spark of fire that could ignite everything inside.
I let it flow through me, and as I did, I could sense the Leshy's power—a vast, ancient energy that flowed just beneath the surface. And I realized something.' It's all tied to the land no wonder i couldn't feel the power in the thing itself, not enough for my ability to work atleast.'
The Leshy's connection to this place, its very essence, was what made it so dangerous. It wasn't just a physical threat—it was a manifestation of the forest itself. I could feel the air grow colder still, the temperature dropping as the Leshy's presence grew stronger. But I wasn't afraid anymore.
I used that fear. I let the energy rise within me, tapping into the abilities I'd absorbed, and focused on the Leshy. The power I needed was already inside me—I just had to harness it.
The trees around me groaned as I stood, and I could sense the Leshy's power begin to shift. It was no longer just a physical threat—it was a mental one, trying to break me from the inside out.
But then, in the thick of that pressure, I reached out. Not with my hands, but with my mind.
I didn't have telekinesis—not yet—but I had something else. Something that wasn't about moving things, but about manipulating them. The roots and branches around me seemed to respond to my will, twisting and shifting as though they had a mind of their own.
The forest was bending, shifting in response to my command, its natural force momentarily subdued by my focus.
"Now, strike."
With a surge of energy, I channeled my new abilities—speed, strength, the raw power of my absorbed abilities—and launched myself at the Leshy. I moved faster than I thought possible, closing the gap between us in an instant. The Leshy was slower than before, its form flickering, struggling to keep up with my speed.
I aimed for its chest, knowing that if I could land a direct hit, I could shatter its form. My fist connected with the Leshy's ribcage, the force of my strike causing the creature to stumble back, its body cracking under the blow.
But it wasn't enough.
The Leshy screeched in fury, its eyes glowing with a dangerous light as it shifted again—this time, its body splitting into multiple forms, each one attacking me from a different angle. It was trying to overwhelm me, to outnumber me.
I gritted my teeth and spun around, using my speed and strength to dodge each attack. But the creature was relentless, its forms melding and shifting with every strike.
And then, in a split second, I saw it, a weakness. Its form wavered as it teleported again, reappearing behind me. Before I could react, the Leshy slammed me into the ground, its claws digging into my skin.
Pain shot through me, but I didn't stop.
I reached deep within, feeling the pull of the forest, the power of the Leshy's own connection to the land. And with one final surge, I absorbed it—not just the power, but its essence, its nature.
The Leshy faltered for a moment, as if it felt the weight of my absorption. It's power, the magic that had sustained it for so long, now flowing through me. The connection to the land, its powers—it was all mine to wield.
And with that, the Leshy collapsed.
---
The silence didn't last long.
Birds resumed their chirping. The wind carried the scent of pine and damp moss again, no longer tainted with that strange, otherworldly heaviness. I sat against the base of a tree, letting my breathing slow, heart still thudding from the fight.
The Leshy was dead. I'd won.
The power I'd taken from the creature pulsed inside me like a second heartbeat. It wasn't just strength or speed—this was something deeper, something ancient. The Leshy hadn't just been a forest spirit—it had been a guardian, a god to some. And now part of that was buried in me.
I stared down at my hands. Nothing had changed physically, but I could feel it humming under the surface, like static before a storm. I needed to know what I could do now.
"Time to test the new toys."
I rested for a while then stood and walked to a fallen tree, thick and sturdy. With a sharp exhale, I gripped it with both hands and heaved. It came up like it was made of cardboard, weightless.
'Super strength, check.'
I took off in a sprint, weaving through trees, my feet barely brushing the ground. Everything blurred around me, the wind rushing in my ears, trees flashing by like shadows. I stopped after a few seconds—easily a hundred yards from where I'd started.
'Speed too.'
I focused next on the weirdest one—shapeshifting. The Leshy had used it like breathing. It had taken the form of people it had seen, twisted creatures, even damn foliage. I wasn't sure how mine would work, but I remembered something the Leshy did—touching something personal.
I reached into my jacket and pulled out the small badge I'd used earlier—my fake FBI persona. I focused on the face. The form. There was a prickling at the back of my neck, then a warm rush through my body. My skin shimmered, shifted—and then settled.
I looked down.
" Holy hell. That's not my hand." i exclaimed with wonder.
The shapeshift held for a minute or so before it started to flicker. Not perfect yet. Probably needed practice. Or maybe the Leshy's form of shifting had limits when passed on.
" Now then it's time to test Telekinesis my favorite and probably the most versatile power i could think of."
I scanned the area and spotted a rock—decent size, maybe thirty pounds—resting near a tree. I stood still, breathed in slow, and reached out… not with my hand, but with that part of me that felt newly wired, like a phantom limb I never had before.
It twitched.
The rock trembled.
With a sharp exhale and a flick of focus, the rock launched across the clearing and slammed into a tree trunk, splintering bark. A nearby bird exploded out of the branches in a panic.
I blinked.
"Okay… that's... AWESOME"
I tested it again, this time with more control—lifting the rock, holding it mid-air, then gently lowering it back down. It was like flexing a muscle I'd never used but somehow knew how to control. Efficient. Dangerous. Definitely going to come in handy.
I took a moment to center myself. This wasn't just a power boost. I wasn't the same hunter who'd walked into this forest a few days ago.
And then there was the last piece—the one I still didn't fully understand.
The world around me felt… different. Like I was tuned into more than just sound and sight. I could feel things: a presence here, the absence of something there. Patterns. Pulses. The forest had a rhythm, a song, and I could almost hear it.
'Some kind of extrasensory perception well i will have to check the panel to know what it is.' Like a radio signal I hadn't quite tuned into. Maybe that was a good thing. I wasn't sure I was ready to know what the universe was whispering.
But I was ready for more.
The hunt had been brutal, nearly fatal—but I walked away stronger. More dangerous. And in this line of work, that's the only kind of progress that mattered.
I opened my interface with a simple thought, watching as the familiar shimmer coalesced into text.
---
[Status Panel]
Name:Alex
New Abilities:
- Super Strength (Around 3 tons)
- Super Speed ( Around 70-80 km/h)
- Regeneration (enhanced)
- Shapeshifting (Limited to humanoid forms)
- Telekinesis (Basic stage)
- Partial Cosmic Awareness (Not tested)
---
I let the panel fade. The forest was still quiet.
" Time to find a motel, a hot shower, and about three pounds of food. Then maybe—just maybe—I'll let myself sleep for a whole night."
Because tomorrow, the hunt continues.
----