Bathilda's perception of power had been utterly inverted. In her previous life, size equated to strength, a simple, primal truth. Now, in this bizarre, overgrown world, she was a tiny whirlwind of lethal efficiency. The reptilian assassin, a creature of sinuous muscle and venomous intent, had been dispatched with a casual flick of her wrist. Then, the lumbering goril and the colossal turtle, two titans of the forest, had fallen like felled trees before her enhanced Wing Ssh. It was a macabre ballet of power, a testament to her unexpected evolution.

  Ascending above the swirling, cotton-candy clouds, Bathilda surveyed the vast, alien ndscape. Her white hair, catching the sun's rays, shimmered like spun moonlight. A warmth bloomed in her chest, a flicker of something akin to joy, but she quickly tamped it down. The mission was paramount: find people.

  Opening her status window, she was met with a rush of satisfaction.

  Name: Bathilda

  Race: Lesser Vampire

  Css: None

  Title: Rodent Exterminator

  Level: 39

  XP needed until next Level: 48,000

  HP: 24,670/24,670

  MP: 18,514/18,514

  "Skill Points Avaible"

  The numbers were exhirating. Her level was climbing at an unprecedented rate, a stark contrast to the grueling grind of her initial evolution. "It's all about the XP," she murmured, a predatory gleam in her scarlet eyes. "And these oversized critters are practically walking experience points."

  "But what about finding people?" Hiro's disembodied voice echoed in her mind. "You're starting to sound like a bloodthirsty hunter."

  Bathilda chuckled. "Don't be dramatic, Hiro. People are still the priority. But if a few monsters happen to get in the way... well, accidents happen." The prospect of evolving further, of attaining a more mature form, was a tantalizing lure. She imagined herself taller, more imposing, a true apex predator.

  With a surge of energy, she summoned two clones, identical miniature versions of herself. They hovered silently, their scarlet eyes devoid of life, unlike when Hiro controlled them.

  "Why have you left me out?" Hiro grumbled. "That's not fair."

  "This is an experiment," Bathilda expined, her voice sharp. "I need to test the limits of these clones, see how far they can travel before they... dissipate. And hopefully, they'll stumble upon some signs of civilization."

  "Oh," Hiro said, his tone defted. "So they're disposable."

  "Not disposable," Bathilda corrected, though her voice cked conviction. "Exploratory. They're exploratory clones."

  She instructed the clones to conjure clothing, and with a ripple of illusion magic, they were cd in simple white dresses, mirroring her own attire. "We'll send them in different directions," she announced. "They'll scout while we continue north."

  With a mental command, she dispatched the clones, watching as they vanished into the vast expanse of the sky. Then, she descended below the clouds, using the dense forest canopy as a guide. The world below was a tapestry of verdant green, punctuated by the occasional lumbering monstrosity.

  Bathilda moved with a dancer's grace, a whirlwind of motion. [Wing Ssh] after [Wing Ssh] ripped through the air, felling any creature that dared to cross her path. The experience points flowed, fueling her insatiable hunger for power.

  "This is incredible!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the silent forest. "I'm a fucking superhero!" She twirled and soared, reveling in the freedom of flight, the sheer exhiration of her newfound abilities.

  In the distance, a stark anomaly appeared: a vast, cleared patch of nd, enclosed by a towering wall. As she approached, she saw that the wall was designed to keep the forest at bay, a clear indication of human presence.

  The air hung heavy, thick with an unnatural stillness that pressed against Bathilda's senses. The vibrant, teeming life of the surrounding forest, a symphony of chirps, rustles, and buzzing insects, abruptly ceased at the stark boundary of the clearing.

  It was as if an invisible curtain had fallen, silencing the world beyond.

  The towering wall, constructed of an unfamiliar, dark material, rose like a jagged cliff face, its smooth surface betraying no handholds or imperfections. It was a barrier, not just against the encroaching foliage, but against the very essence of the wilderness.

  As she descended, the whir of her repulsor engines died down, leaving an echoing silence that amplified the unsettling atmosphere. The cleared expanse was a barren wastend, a stark contrast to the lush, verdant chaos of the forest. No bdes of grass, no wildflowers, no tiny creatures scurried across the parched earth.

  It was a void, a sterile canvas upon which only the dome-shaped structure dared to exist.

  The dome, a perfect hemisphere of dull, metallic gray, possessed a monolithic quality, as if it had been carved from a single, immense block. Its entrance, a gaping, dark maw, yawned open, promising secrets and perhaps, dangers. The silence within the dome was palpable, a tangible weight that pressed against her eardrums.

  "This pce is creepy," Hiro whispered, his voice barely audible, a thin thread of unease in the oppressive silence. "I don't like it. Something feels… wrong." His gaze darting around the desote clearing, as if expecting something to emerge from the shadows.

  Bathilda, however, was transfixed. An invisible force, a pull of curiosity, drew her towards the dome. The precarious hinge of the entrance door creaked ominously as she gently pushed it open, revealing a bare, circur room.

  The stark simplicity of the interior amplified the strangeness of the pce. The walls were featureless, the floor smooth and cold. In the center, stood an obelisk, a silent sentinel. Its surface, impossibly smooth and cold, reflected the dim light, casting long, distorted shadows across the room.

  "I don't think you should touch that," Hiro warned again, his voice ced with a tremor of dread. "It looks… dangerous." He took a step back, his eyes wide with apprehension.

  "I know," Bathilda replied, her voice a hushed whisper, her eyes fixed on the obelisk. "But I feel like I have to. It's like… it's calling to me." A strange compulsion, an irresistible urge, urged her forward.

  She approached the obelisk, her hand trembling slightly as she reached out. The air around it seemed to shimmer, distorting the light. As her fingertips brushed against the cold, smooth surface, a jolt of energy, raw and untamed, surged through her body. It was a sensation unlike anything she had ever experienced, a wave of pure, unadulterated power that overwhelmed her senses.

  The world around her dissolved, the bare room, the ominous obelisk, Hiro's worried face, all fading into a blinding, all-encompassing white light. The light pulsed, expanded, and then… nothing. She was adrift, lost in a sea of pure energy, her consciousness fragmented, her thoughts scattered.

  As the light consumed her, a flicker of concern sparked in her mind. She hoped, with a desperate, fading hope, that her clones, scattered across the vast expanse of the forest, were having better luck. That they were finding answers, or at least, avoiding the same fate. She hoped, with a growing sense of dread, that they weren't all being drawn to the same, silent, ominous call.