The Whispers

The loud, sudden banging on the door broke the calm moment between Shen and Lina. They froze and looked at each other. There seemed to be a wave of fear coming from the other side. Shen said, "Stay here," in a calm but firm voice after holding Lina's worried gaze for a moment. He felt a spooky feeling that was like what he felt on the battlefield before all hell broke loose, but he went to the door anyway.

He opened the door, and a soldier who was soaked in sweat and out of breath stumbled in. His armor was covered in dirt, and his big, scared eyes were scarred with fear.

"Commander," the soldier gasped, each syllable a battle. "The Whispers—they started an attack... Admiral Takeda wants you to come to the stronghold.

Before Shen could finish speaking, he saw something in the sky that caught his eye. A big shadow quickly swooped down on them. Shen's eyes went wild as the soldier's last words were drowned out by a loud scream. A gray thing suddenly swooped down, grabbed the soldier, and flew him into the air. The beast lifted him up very quickly, and his scream echoed faintly before it was cut off.

Shen had never seen anything like what was happening in front of him. The huge monster had a strong body covered in a gray hide with veins that looked like armor. Its skin had a soft shine in the low light that helped it blend in with its surroundings. It moved with the deadly accuracy of a machine and the grace of a hunter. Its face, or lack of one, was the worst part of all. It had a cold, blank mask made of smooth bone instead of eyes. It couldn't see, but it moved with perfect accuracy. Its huge bat-like wings that stretched behind it gave it control over the skies that no other creature could match.

Shen's gut feeling came to life. His mind snapped into focus, but his body tensed up in shock.
After looking up at the sky, he quickly realized that the monster wasn't alone. A few dozen of the same type flew silently overhead, their wings flitting in and out of the clouds. Their armored skin, eyeless masks, and scary bodies were all the same. These Whispers hunted quietly and killed their unsuspecting prey with deadly skill.

"Whispers," Shen said in a voice full of wisdom. He had just heard about the threat, but all of a sudden, it was very real.

Lina stood still behind him, her face pale with fear. "Stay here, Lina," he said with authority. "These animals are worse than they look."

Lina paused, and her eyes got bigger. "But what about you, Shen?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Shen held her hand tightly and looked her in the eye. "Don't worry about me. I'll be back," he said in a calm, firm voice. He drew his sword and kept it by his side as he went outside and shut the door. He paused, taking a deep breath as if he were making a silent vow to himself.

The streets outside were eerily quiet, like the calm before the storm. The once-bustling city now looked like an empty shell, as if it had lost its energy. As the sky got darker and the Whispers' huge wings blocked out the last of the light, Shen looked around. He felt a familiar tension building inside him, the kind that only happened right before a fight. Shen sped up toward the fortress, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly.

The huge stone walls of the fortress were just a few blocks away, but Shen was still looking up at the sky. The Whispers moved with a creepy grace that made their threatening silence stand out. The terrible presence of these beasts seemed to dwarf even the fortress, which stands for strength and safety. Shen knew it would be hard to get to the stronghold, but he was determined to see Admiral Takeda.

As Shen walked through the streets, he heard a faint rustling sound. He let go of his sword and stopped, looking for signs of life in the alleys and on the roofs. The noise got louder and then went away. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end when he realized that the Whispers were following him around instead of just watching him.

One of the beasts suddenly lunged from above, its claws cutting through the air. As Shen ducked, the wind from the hit brushed against his cheek. He couldn't deal with this directly, so his mind raced. Not quite yet. He needed to know how it moved.

Shen stepped back and looked at the Whisper, watching how it stood and how its muscles stiffened before each move. It hit again, this time low. Shen stayed away from it, and the street's narrow spaces made it hard for it to move. There was a subtle pattern to the Whisper's movements that became clear with each strike: a small pause before jumping, and the way its wings changed in the middle of an attack to keep it balanced. Shen took in all the facts and came up with a plan.

"They're not unbeatable," he said to himself. But they move fast. Not fast enough for me to fully match.

The Whisper lunged again, and this time Shen fought back. He didn't want to kill it; he just wanted to break its rhythm. His sword cut up and touched the creature's wing. Shen had a moment to move back toward the fortress while it screamed and fell. He moved slowly, carefully thinking about each exchange and response.

Another Whisper came into the fight, circling above like a vulture. Shen's heart was racing, but he didn't let fear change his mind. As he changed how he held the sword, the weight of it kept him grounded. The second thing dove, and Shen rolled to the side, making it crash into the ground where he had been standing. As Shen's blade hit the wing joint, it hit the mark as it tried to get away. The creature let out a guttural scream and moved slowly away.

Shen thought, "They're strong, but they're not perfect," with more and more confidence. "I can survive if I can outlive them and find their weaknesses."

When Shen got to the fortress gates, his body hurt, and he was breathing hard. He made himself stand up straight, even though his sword felt heavier than it had before. The gates creaked open, and Admiral Takeda stood there with a blank look on his face. He was as tall as the stronghold itself, a rock of stability in the middle of the chaos.

In a strong but funny way, Takeda said, "You're late." Shen looked up at the sky carefully before answering, still out of breath.

Shen put away his sword and said, "The creatures chose to keep me in the air for a while." Even though he was tired, there was a small flicker of laughter in his eyes.

Takeda's face got tense again, and his lips curled into a tiny smile. "Come in now. He turned to look inside the stronghold and said, "We have a lot to talk about."

As he followed, Shen couldn't stop thinking about the Whispers. They were different from any other enemy he had ever faced because they were so precise, quiet, and powerful.