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The Fog

  By morning, the fog hadn’t lifted.

  If anything, it had thickened. Pale and wet, it hugged the ground like breath from something vast and unseen. No sun reached the clearing that day. The light that did filter through came silver and soft, without warmth.

  Alex woke early, drawn by a sound.

  It wasn’t an alarm, or screaming, or combat. It was softer than that. Repetitive. A dull tapping.

  He stepped from his lean-to barefoot, breath puffing slightly in the cold. His eyes adjusted to the mist just in time to see Jason pacing along the southern trench line, blade unsheathed, tapping it against his leg in a slow rhythm. Not frantic. Not panicked.

  But watchful.

  “You hear something?” Alex asked.

  Jason didn’t turn. “No. But I can’t sleep. And I don’t like how quiet the forest is.”

  “Yeah,” Alex said. “I know what you mean.”

  Behind them, camp had begun to stir. A few torches glowed dully through the fog—yellow halos barely cutting more than a few feet. The usual clangs and groans of early work were gone. Even Dev and Roger’s hammering on the new tower frame had stopped.

  Wren appeared out of the mist like a ghost, hair tied back in a tight braid. She carried a bucket in each hand, water sloshing with each step. “Fog’s thicker toward the east,” she said, setting the buckets down. “Can barely see the second post.”

  “Should we send scouts?” Jason asked.

  “Not yet,” Wren said. “Yusuf and Camila are doing a sweep of the inner perimeter. Raj is posted with Grace and Matt in the northwest. We’ll keep rotation tight until it lifts. Sending someone out in this fog is just asking for them to get lost.”

  By midday, the camp had gathered near the central fire for warmth. No one ventured more than a few meters beyond the fencing. Even chores—wood splitting, snare checking, mushroom sorting—were done in silence.

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  Jake sat beside the Obelisk, his notebook balanced across one leg.

  “Still at thirty-one,” he muttered, scratching at his temple. “No new path takers.”

  Ellie sat across from him, slowly turning a small icicle between her fingers, molding it into different shapes. “They’re probably waiting. The fog’s got everyone spooked.”

  “I get that,” Jake said. “But waiting too long is its own kind of risk. What happens when another Devil Fruit disappears?”

  He didn’t say the other thing aloud.

  What happens when someone else comes here?

  Nearby, Dev practiced slow footwork drills beside Jason. He kept an eye on Jason’s Zanpakuto, he couldn’t wait till he got his.

  At the training ring, Yusuf stood with Travis, guiding him through a breathing exercise. The air shimmered faintly around them—barely perceptible threads of aura curling in the mist.

  “You’re holding it better,” Yusuf said. “Now push it out. Not with force—like a pulse.”

  Travis exhaled slowly. A ripple of Ren burst out from him, brief but real.

  Wren, leaning against a nearby post, gave a satisfied nod. “Told you he’d get it by today.”

  Yusuf grimaced. “Yeah, yeah. Chocolate’s yours.”

  She held out her hand. “I’ll share it later. Maybe.”

  “Generous of you.”

  “Don’t mention it.”

  Elsewhere, Li sat cross-legged beside Hana near the stream’s edge, the two of them hidden by fog but comfortable in silence. Both were attempting rune shaping, carving patterns into soft clay plates they’d dried over the past week. Clay recovered from the stream they’d been using.

  “I think this one channels heat,” Li said, tracing a circle. “Maybe a spell amplifier.”

  “Or a stove,” Hana muttered, wrapping her coat tighter. “Either way, I’ll take it.”

  They laughed quietly, the sound muffled by the air.

  Then, without warning, a shape passed behind them—distant but real. A silhouette. Tall. Thin. Too far to make out. The girls froze.

  “Did you see that?” Hana whispered.

  Li didn’t answer. She was already on her feet.

  But the fog held still now. Silent again.

  They ran.

  Back at the camp, tension spiked the moment they returned.

  “Tall,” Li said breathlessly. “Seven feet, maybe. It didn’t move like a goblin. Too quiet.”

  “Where?” Miriam asked.

  “South” Hana said. “Near the bent pine.”

  Miriam turned to Camila. “Take Jason and Grace. Check it. Don’t engage unless you’re sure.”

  They vanished into the mist without another word.

  Alex moved to stand beside Ellie, who was gripping her half-finished icicle like a dagger.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “I’m fine,” she said. But her eyes didn’t leave the fog.

  Camila, Jason, and Grace returned an hour later, weapons ready but unbloodied.

  “Tracks,” Camila said. “Too big for goblins. Bipedal. But not barefoot.”

  “Shoes?” Jake asked, shocked. “You’re sure?”

  Camila nodded grimly. “Something out there walks like us.”

  They didn’t hold a meeting that night.

  But the watch was doubled.

  Jake’s Updated Tally:

  ? Naruto – 8

  ? One Piece – 8

  ? Fairy Tail – 6

  ? Hunter x Hunter – 5

  ? Bleach – 4

  Total Chosen: 31 / 86

  Remaining: 55

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