Night.
White mist curled through the trees, and the rain came down in sheets.
Ice-cold droplets, crystal clear, slapped against the thick leaves and burst into tiny sprays.
A tall, beat-up motorhome rumbled along a narrow mountain road.
The terrain was treacherous. There was only one thin path ahead, and beside it yawned a bottomless drop. One wrong move and you'd be smashed to pieces.
Rain streamed down the windows in steady curtains.
Maybe because of the storm, the temperature had dropped sharply tonight.
Lucian sat in a black shirt, his dark eyes calm and unreadable as he watched the swirling fog outside.
The rain kept falling.
He lifted his coffee and took a small sip.
"I wonder how the fox girl is doing…"
With the Four Great Guards there, she should be fine, right?
But before he could dwell on it, an argument in the back pulled his attention away.
"Hey, doofus, I'm all set. On my birthday I'm going to KTV and throwing a party. Can you stop always arguing with me for once?" Gwen glared viciously at her Cuz.
"Sorry, Miss Know-It-All. I've got the Sumo Slammers launch event that day," Ben replied, totally unbothered.
"You…" Gwen shook with anger.
Grandpa Max kept both hands on the wheel, focused on the slick road.
Then, out of nowhere, a dark figure burst in from the side.
"They're here!"
It was a chubby little boy, face pale as a sheet, eyes wide with terror as he stared at the Rustbucket.
Grandpa Max didn't even think. He slammed the brakes.
Screeeech—
The Rustbucket instantly fishtailed, sliding hard. It swerved past the boy… and then shot straight toward the cliff.
"Ahhh!" A piercing scream filled the cabin, nearly shredding everyone's eardrums.
Whoosh!
A blue afterimage blasted out through the window and appeared at the edge of the drop.
XLR8 tapped the Omnitrix on his chest, his body swelling rapidly.
"Humungousaur!"
A humanoid Humungousaur spread his thick arms like a wall, blocking the Rustbucket's path.
Bang!
With brute strength, Humungousaur grabbed the out-of-control Rustbucket and held it fast.
"Back you go!"
He planted his foot and pushed, forcing the Rustbucket inch by inch back to the middle of the road.
Through the window, everyone saw just how intimidating Humungousaur was up close.
"Whew. Thank goodness Lucian was here, or we'd be in real trouble," Grandpa Max said, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Oh man… I almost died," Ben muttered, still rattled.
He'd been busy bickering with Gwen and hadn't even had time to react.
"Cuz is seriously awesome… unlike someone." Gwen snorted.
A faint green glow flashed, and Humungousaur reverted.
Everyone climbed out into the rain.
Lucian's expression tightened as he walked over to the boy.
He was a little chubby, with brownish-yellow hair, a bulbous nose, and freckles scattered across his cheeks.
He wore a green T-shirt and shorts, already soaked through by the downpour.
The kid looked like he'd been badly frightened. He was completely unconscious.
Grandpa Max leaned in, frowning.
"What is that?"
Everyone followed his gaze to the boy's arm.
On the pale skin was a patch of purplish-red markings, twisted and ugly, like some lurking beast hiding inside him.
"It looks like… some kind of fungus," Gwen said thoughtfully.
"Oh, so now you know everything again?" Ben shot back.
Lucian stared at the blotches, a vague sense of familiarity stirring.
This place was dangerous.
His first instinct was to get everyone out of here. But the more he thought about it, the worse that idea felt.
If they just left like this, the consequences could be unimaginable.
Whatever the source was, it had to be stopped here.
The rain pattered on, endless and cold.
With the boy still unconscious, Grandpa Max thought it over and decided to head for the nearest camp to find medical help.
"I saw a sign for a camp earlier. Let's go there and see if we can get this kid to a nurse, maybe even to a hospital," Grandpa Max said, rubbing his chin.
"And we need to check the Rustbucket too. That little stunt just now really put my old buddy through it."
"Grandpa, this boy's name is Gilbert," Gwen said suddenly.
"Huh? Nerd, how do you know that?" Ben asked, confused.
"It's written on his shirt," Lucian pointed out.
Ben looked down and, sure enough, it was there.
The letters on the fabric spelled out [Gilbert].
Boom!
A thick bolt of lightning tore across the sky, shattering the momentary quiet.
Purple light lit up the entire mountain range, adding something eerie to the black, rain-soaked night.
In a place like this, it was easy to feel anxious… even start seeing things.
Rain plastered Grandpa Max's gray-white hair to his head.
He picked Gilbert up and carried him toward the Rustbucket. "Let's move. It's late."
Ben and Gwen exchanged a look, then both huffed and climbed in after him.
Lucian turned and glanced toward the distant mountains.
For a moment, he thought he saw countless pairs of eyes staring straight at them from the darkness.
Then he blinked, and it was gone.
All that remained was blackness, and the sound of rain in his ears.
Drip, drip…
A damp, freezing wind swept over him like claws, slipping under his shirt and stealing away his warmth.
"Seriously… it's unusually cold tonight…"
Lucian let out a quiet snort, turned around, and climbed back into the Rustbucket…