The forest was quieter than it had any right to be. Crickets, which had chirped joyfully earlier, now fell into a nervous silence. A gust of wind rustled the treetops. Alex sat by the dying bonfire, his back against a mossy rock, his senses straining. His eyes flickered toward the shadows beyond the flickering light.
Wiry humanoids, standing around 3.5 to 4 feet tall. Their skin was a sickly shade of green and gray, mottled with darker patches. Their oversized eyes glowed faintly yellow or red in the dark—clearly adapted for night vision. Ears were long and pointed, almost bat-like. Their noses were flat with slits like a predator. Long fingers ended in sharp, dirty claws.
"Sentient," Alex whispered in his mind. "What exactly am I looking at?"
The reply came immediately.
"Six hostile entities. Diabolic class. Primary classification: Flesh-Eaters. Locally referred to as aswang. Four feet tall, humanoid. Skin density equivalent to tree bark. Teeth and claws capable of puncturing bone. Agile. Poisonous saliva and claw toxin. Weaknesses: fire, sunlight, weak bones. Attacking in approximately fifteen minutes."
Alex froze.
"Are you serious?" he muttered. "I don't even have a real weapon! My kamagong sticks are no match for these creatures."
"Correction," the system replied. "You don't have conventional weapons, but you have enhanced strength and agility, elemental manipulation, and tactical advantage. Strike first."
Alex swallowed. "Okay. Let's say I'm crazy enough to try. What's the plan?"
"Retrieve a burning ember from the bonfire; use it to create a fire to blind them. Encase your hand in stone using Earth Elemental. Break bones with force. Eliminate with wind blade."
"Wind blade?"
"Manipulate air. Shape it into a thin, sharp disk. Accelerate it using a throwing motion. Impact with precision. Trust your instinct."
Alex glanced at the sleeping students around the campsite. They were snuggled into their tents and sleeping bags, the giggling voices from earlier now replaced with deep slumber.
"Alright," he whispered to himself. "Let's see if I'm actually a superhero now."
He stood and moved slowly toward the fire, careful not to wake the others. Reaching toward the flickering flames, he extended his hand. The fire responded to him—burning hotter, brighter. He whispered, "Earth element… coat my hand."
Stone rippled over his fingers and palm like crawling ivy—thick, protective, solid. He reached into the fire and retrieved an ember, its heat licking the stone but failing to touch his flesh.
He turned and scanned the darkness.
There. A movement. A blink. Eyes. Multiple sets. Watching.
"Time's up," Alex muttered, flinging the ember forward as it expanded, fire shooting forth like a bullet.
It arced through the air like a miniature comet and struck something in the shadows. There was a screech—horrible and shrill, like metal scraping across bone. Alex bolted forward.
A creature lunged at him from the left. Its claws slashed the air where his head had been a split second ago. Alex ducked and drove a stony fist into its ribs. He felt the impact crunch through bark-like skin. The creature flew backward, tumbling over rocks.
Another charged from the front. Alex pivoted on one foot, sweeping low, his leg connecting with the beast's knees. It folded with a howl, and he crushed his elbow down onto its chest, shattering bone.
Two down.
But now the others were upon him. One leapt from a tree branch. He felt it coming and threw himself sideways. Mid-roll, he grabbed a handful of air and flung it at the creature. "Air element," he thought, "slice."
The air spun like shurikens as Alex twisted the wind into sharp, slicing blades. One caught a creature across the cheek—it screamed, staggering back, black ichor leaking from the wound. Another wind blade shot forward, this time like a spinning discus. It cut through the waist of a fourth creature all the way, splitting it in two.
"Four down," the system reported. "Others fleeing."
"Oh no, you don't."
Alex's legs were a blur, his new agility surging. He closed the gap in seconds. One of the creatures looked back, wide-eyed—and caught a flying knee to the jaw. Bone shattered like dry twigs.
The last one tried to disappear between the roots of a massive tree. Alex's instincts flared. This one was different—smaller, weaker. A caster, maybe? A shaman? It must have been the one who lulled the students to sleep.
He launched another wind blade, this one sharper and faster. It struck the creature's back, cutting deep. It shrieked and collapsed.
All six. Neutralized.
Alex panted, heart thudding in his ears. Around him, the forest was silent again. Slowly, the night sounds resumed, as if the creatures had never been there at all.
"Combat complete," the system chimed. "Skill improvement in progress. Fire Element proficiency +2%. Air Element proficiency +3%. Earth Element proficiency +4%. New combat skill unlock possibility: 20%."
Alex wiped the sweat from his brow, the stone dissolving from his hand.
"Holy crap," he whispered. "I'm still alive."
He looked toward the tents. The students hadn't stirred at all.
But he wasn't done yet.
Alex turned back to the fallen bodies. They lay in twisted heaps, ichor staining the forest floor. If he left them there, the smell would wake the students—or worse, attract something bigger.
"Sentient," he muttered, "what's the safest disposal?"
"Fire. Burn the corpses. Purification through elemental control is advised."
Alex knelt by one of the bodies. He placed a hand on the corpse while holding an ember. "Ignite."
Flames sparked from his palm and caught the skin of the creature like dry leaves. It burned quickly. Too quickly.
He moved from body to body, igniting each one. Within minutes, a controlled blaze formed a rough circle beyond the campsite. Smoke curled into the sky, but not enough to draw attention.
As he watched the fire consume the last of the remains, he whispered a short prayer—not for them, but for the innocent lives they might have taken if he hadn't been there.
He doused the embers with a gust of wind and scattered the ashes.
The forest felt calmer now. The danger had passed.
He returned to the camp and sat down beside the bonfire again, the flames having reignited slightly from his earlier use of fire.
"Sleep tight, kids," he muttered, voice dry but affectionate. "Your big brother just saved your lives."
Above him, the stars shimmered in a blanket of quiet wonder.
Alex leaned back against the rock once more, eyes never leaving the tree line.
Morning was still hours away.
And the war had already begun.