GREEN TIGER

In the Wide, Dark Forest of Tresia

A single man walked through the forest, He wore only a white shirt, black trousers, and leather boots. In one hand, he held a torch—its flame swaying gently with each step. His movements were aimless, yet he walked in a straight line, unwavering. Behind him, a strange silence followed mimicking his every step like shadows with no will of their own.

Suddenly, he stopped.

He didn’t turn around.
He didn’t take another step forward.
He stood perfectly still—statue-like—frozen in the darkness.

A minute passed.
Then five.
Then thirty.

Still, he did not move.

Whatever had been stalking him from behind had finally lost patience. Slowly, it crept from the tall grass, inching closer to him. Silent. Predatory. Its eyes fixed on its prey.

Two centimeters away from sinking its fangs into the man’s back—

Poof.

He vanished.

The beast blinked, confused, glancing around. Nothing. He was gone.

Panic flared. The creature turned back toward the grass, retreating—

THUD.

CRACK.

The torch, now smoldering and blood-soaked, was buried deep into the beast’s skull—right between the eyes. It fell, lifeless, the forest silent once again except for the hiss of the flame.

Seconds later, the man reappeared in the air, descending slowly like a wraith.

He landed beside the corpse, grinning.

"It died just like that. How funny. That’s what you get for thinking I was your prey."

He cackled until he fell to his knees from laughter. Wiping a tear from his eye, he leaned over the dead creature and examined it curiously.

"Looks like a tiger… but why is it green?"

Unbothered, he drew a small blade from his belt, slit open the belly, and tore into the raw flesh with his bare hands, chewing without hesitation.

"Mmm. Not bad. Hope it’s not poisonous."

He ate in silence for nearly an hour. When finished, he yanked the torch from the creature’s shattered skull, still stained with blood and brain matter, and resumed his path—as if nothing had happened.

Chief Headquarters – Night

Gasp!

Sunflower jolted upright, her breath caught in her throat. Her skin was clammy. Her heart was pounding.

She looked around.

Still the Chief’s office.

A dream. Just a dream.

She exhaled slowly, wiping the sweat from her brow. It was nearly time for her shift, but something in her gut stirred—a lingering unease. She decided to check in on Reality before heading out.

Reality, being a high-ranking mage from the capital, wasn’t housed in one of the motels. Dawn had made sure to honor her properly by assigning her a room within the Chief’s headquarters itself.

Sunflower made her way quietly down the hall and stopped in front of Reality’s room.

Knock knock.

No response.

She waited. Tried again.

Knock knock.

Still nothing.

Concern creeping in, she pressed her ear to the door.

Silence.

Then—

A sound. Faint. A voice.

It was Reality.

But she wasn’t speaking words. It sounded like… struggling. Choking. As though she were holding something back, resisting.

Sunflower’s instincts kicked in. She reached for the door, ready to break it down if necessary—

Then Reality’s voice rang out, loud and sudden from within the room:

"Burn—"

Sunflower froze.

Something was wrong.

Terribly wrong.