Chapter 7: Chapter Seven: Shadows in the Park

Clutching her wand, the magical girl with golden twin tails hovered high above, gazing down at the wetland forest beneath the night sky.

By day, it had been a vibrant, beautiful park brimming with natural charm; now, under the darkness, it resembled the gaping maw of a predator, waiting for prey to step inside.

This faint sense of danger sent a chill down her spine, making her involuntarily frown.

"Xiaolu, I've got a bad feeling."

A voice filled with Solemn tone sounded beside her ear.

The speaker was a peculiar creature resembling a kitten, entirely pink, covered in fluffy fur, with a pair of tiny wings growing from its back—anyone would think of a fairy from a fairy tale.

The fairy flew over from beside her to land behind the girl, its face lined with worry: "The residual magic in the air is so faint, yet it's made all my fur stand on end—this enemy is likely very dangerous."

"... Yes, I can feel it too."

The magical girl—or rather, Lin Xiaolu—forced herself to shake off her inner fear, fixing her gaze straight on the trees below the park: "I can't explain why, but I feel it's extremely dangerous."

Yet despite her words, her hands didn't stop moving. She swung her wand and slowly descended onto the park's grass, performing a quick scan of her surroundings to ensure her safety.

The inspection yielded nothing, yet that faint unease still clung to her heart.

"Moke, can you still sense the enemy's location?"

She turned to the pink fairy for help.

The fairy named "Moke" closed its eyes, fell silent for a moment, then suddenly opened them: "No, I can't. Before we landed, I could still lock onto the enemy being right here in the park—but now I can't pinpoint its position at all."

Lin Xiaolu stared in shock: "Has this ever happened before?"

"Never."

Moke looked helpless: "I should've told you before—I'm a fairy, and this is my first time in the material world. A lot of things are just unclear to me."

"Moke... you're useless."

"Saying something like that to a fairy? I'll get angry!"

The magical girl and the fairy slowly advanced across the wetland park's grass, watching for any trace of the enemy. Yet even after nearly ten minutes had passed and they reached the park's central area, they found nothing.

Hovering in the air, Moke couldn't help speaking again: "Xiaolu, should we retreat for now?"

The magical girl frowned: "Why?"

Moke explained: "I have a strong feeling this Remnant Beast isn't ordinary. The two of us might not be a match for it. Returning to the Special Strategy Bureau to consult my lord and seek help would be safer."

"Huh? But asking my lord for help—doesn't that go against the identity of a magical girl?"

"Now is not the time for childish stubbornness!"

"Umm... fine."

The lingering chill at her back made Lin Xiaolu abandon her resistance; she quickly agreed to the fairy's suggestion: "If we still find nothing by the time we reach the park's center, we'll leave."

Moke nodded eagerly: "Hurry up!"

They agreed: if no enemy appeared by the time they reached the park's center, they would turn back immediately.

Walking across the grass, they soon saw the outlines of pavilions and pavilions with ponds and bridges appear before Lin Xiaolu's eyes. Seeing they had reached their destination, she lifted her spirits and strode forward.

"Still no sign of the Remnant Beast."

The girl blinked, tilting her head toward her side: "Moke, can you sense anything now?"

What met her eyes was empty space.

The fairy, who should have been flying beside her the whole time, had vanished without notice.

"... Moke?"

Only the magical girl's lone voice remained trapped within the park.

Realizing events were slipping beyond her control, Lin Xiaolu finally grew tense and began frantically searching for her partner's whereabouts.

"Moke?"

The dense forest acted as the perfect sound barrier, cutting her voice off from the outside world.

Walking forward with growing urgency, Lin Xiaolu suddenly heard a rustling sound from the bushes beside her.

Her heartbeat surged; the magical girl instantly turned her gaze toward the source, hastily adopting a battle stance, then shouted with forced bravado:

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

The reply was a faint whisper: "Run..."

"What?"

"Run, Xiaolu!"

This time, the magical girl clearly heard it.

As she recognized the voice from afar, a blurry pink shadow flew toward her and crashed into her arms.

The figure before her was none other than her missing partner—Moke.

But unlike moments ago, when Moke had been unharmed, it was now covered in wounds; one of its wings was missing, deep gashes ran across its body, and glowing pink particles continuously spilled from its injuries, leaving it in a pitiful state.

Yet Moke paid no attention to its own injuries—it gasped out: "Run! This Remnant Beast—"

—"Hululu lulu lulu lulu."

A beast's roar echoed from the shadows among the nearby trees.

Before Moke could finish, a terrifying monster stepped from the darkness, its claws sinking deep into the soil without a single sound, appearing silently before Lin Xiaolu.

"Gululu lulu lulu lulu, hroaaoo..."

Without doubt, this was a Remnant Beast.

No animal in the park could possibly be over four meters long, let alone have two heads.

Its dark purple fur was stained with unknown fluids; its glowing green eyes burned with nothing but murderous rage. Strange tubular structures protruded from its body, connecting to its two drooling, monstrous heads.

Merely standing there, it inspired dread.

For a magical girl like Lin Xiaolu, this should have been impossible.

After all, magical girls have no reason to fear Remnant Beasts.

She gained this power to fight the Remnant Beasts and protect others from harm—why should she fear an enemy meant to be destroyed?

Lin Xiaolu did not understand, yet she could not suppress the negative thoughts in her heart.

Could she really lose?

The moment this thought arose, it was interrupted by an external voice:

——"Xiaolu!"

Her partner's voice sounded again in her ear: "Hurry up and run!"

It was Moke—Moke was calling her to flee.

At that moment, she suddenly remembered the action she most needed to take—survival.

Raising her wand, the girl caused the air around her to churn violently, and with a whoosh, she shot into the sky. She had entered this park by aerial flight; logically, escaping through the air would be the safest route.

Lin Xiaolu thought this, yet she noticed the Remnant Beast on the ground showed no reaction—even as she chose to flee upward, it merely stood still, watching everything with eyes glowing faintly green.

Was there a trap?

Before Lin Xiaolu could ponder further, she realized her upward momentum had stopped.

In its place came a powerful pressure pressing against her back.

The wounded fairy beside her struggled to ask: "What's wrong, Xiaolu?"

Clearly, her partner was confused by her sudden halt in flight.

Seeing the same confusion and panic on her face, it raised a claw toward the sky above—only to feel a repelling force, then have its claw snapped back.

"A magic barrier..."

This time, even the fairy's face showed a look of despair: "It's over—it was a trap from the start!"

In an instant, both the magical girl and the fairy's spirits plunged to freezing depths.

Yet unlike the fairy, Lin Xiaolu still retained some combat awareness, and had kept her gaze fixed on the Remnant Beast below.

What chilled her most was not being blocked from fleeing, but the expression now on the Remnant Beast's grotesque face as she stopped.

Could a Remnant Beast make such a human-like expression?

As she thought this, her vision suddenly flickered, her sight blurred—and where the enemy had been, it was gone.

"—Xiaolu!"

In the next instant, amid the fairy's cry of anguish, she received her answer.

The Remnant Beast's claw had already reached before her throat.

The last thing she saw was the cruel, mocking sneer—something that should never have appeared on a Remnant Beast's face.