Two days have passed. Kenji, Bel, and Hender hop from branch to branch, hiding their presence from the huge beasts while searching for food and water. They hide behind trees from huge wolves and drink water from a river with big fishes swimming nearby. They pick fresh fruits from trees.
While Kenji and Bel are picking fruits and mushrooms, they see Hender not moving, staring at something. Kenji approaches, and Hender raises his arm to stop Kenji. Kenji is confused and gazes at what Hender is looking at. It's another scene where a summon fell prey, but this time, it's not an animal but a trap. A huge bear trap clamps its whole body, meeting its demise.
Bel walks past Kenji, unaware of her surroundings, when Kenji hears Bel step on something. Out of instinct, he pulls Bel, and a huge log swinging on a rope crashes into the trees. The loud sound alerts all the beasts nearby. Bel's heart beats fast.
"What the hell!!" she shouts at the sight of the log that could've crushed her if Kenji didn't pull her.
"We should head back," Hender commands. He hears something and immediately stops. Suddenly, an arrow flies past his face and hits a nearby tree. They all stare at the arrow.
"What is going on?" Bel panics. Kenji looks back at the track they walked on and sees barely visible strings that weren't there before. He approaches one of the strings and touches it. He hears a click and something glints in the corner of his eye. He immediately ducks, and a spear flies over his head.
"It's a trap. They all are," Kenji says. Bel sighs under her breath. They move cautiously through the woods, avoiding traps and beasts until they reach their resting place, a small cave where huge beasts can't fit. They gather the food and dried wood they collected. In the middle of the cave are ashes from a previous campfire. The sun sets, and Kenji lights up the fire by rubbing two sticks together.
"Why are there traps all of a sudden? Is this one of the strange phenomena the instructor mentioned?" Bel's mind is filled with questions. Kenji vigorously rubs the stick on a dried tree trunk to create fire.
"It's impossible for someone to put all of them in just a few moments behind our back," she adds. Smoke comes out from the wood. Kenji fills it with dried bushes, and fire appears, revealing the cave wall around. Hender grabs the dried sticks and hands them to Kenji.
"It might be," Hender replies to Bel, who seems to be ignored. "And there is a chance that something new might pop up out there in the following days." He adds. The fire grows big, and the three surround it to absorb its warmth. The night passes.
Bel and the others wake up to rain pouring outside. They block the entrance with rocks, soil, and branches to keep water out. It's their fourth day. Hours pass, and the rain intensifies. Thunder roars in the distance. Frogs sound everywhere. The smell of dirt fills the cave. For Kenji, all the sounds relax him, but Bel is annoyed by the rain.
"I'm booooored!" she whines as she watches the rain outside. Hender is sharpening a stick with his dagger when Bel breaks Kenji and Hender's attention.
"Hey guys! We have a visitor!" Kenji glances outside and sees a girl summon with a boy on her shoulder. She struggles to drag her wounded comrade as she seeks shelter from the rain. Hender and Kenji stand up and walk outside as Bel watches. They chat under the rain for a while before Kenji grabs the wounded man and carries him inside. Bel welcomes the girl inside. The girl is shivering as she points her palms at the fire. Bel approaches, offering her an apple, but she pushes it aside.
"What happened?" Bel asks, concerned.
"Those bastards..." she glances at her comrade, being treated by Kenji and Hender.
"Who?" Bel presses.
"Those two bastards. One of them is Reilly, and I don't recognize the other who is wearing a clown mask." Kenji freezes from cutting the man's clothes and listens intently. Hender notices and glances at the girl. She has long braided black hair and a slim body. Like the others, she is wearing a black leather suit that perfectly fits her body. Water drips from her. The girl continues.
"There were supposed to be five of us, including me and him," she points at her wounded friend. "Our leader got alarmed by the sudden appearance of the traps, so he decided to search for other summons in the rain. Suddenly, our two friends got attacked and fell dead. The attackers were those two bastards. We tried to fight back, but they were stronger and more agile than us. We couldn't protect ourselves, which led to our injuries. Our leader bought us time to escape, and we saw the three of you." Kenji is satisfied with what he hears and returns to cutting the wounded man's clothes. The girl stares deeply into the fire.
"I will kill them," she declares. The clothes are finally removed, and what Kenji sees makes him swallow hard. The girl sees the seriousness on Hender's face.
"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with him?" she stands up and peeks at her friend, seeing his bulging veins and violet wound.
"Poison," Hender whispers. The wounded man screams in pain, feeling the cold air crawling in his body. Kenji and Hender hold him down to calm him, but the pain is unbearable.
"Is there something to cure him?" The girl panics.
"Please, tell me. I'll do anything!!" Bel puts her hand on the girl's shoulder. The girl glances at Bel and sees her sad face.
"What's with that face?" She awkwardly laughs. "Did you lose your favorite toy or something?" she adds. Bel stares into her eyes with pity.
"Unfortunately, ever since we entered this forest, we haven't found herbs for wounds or anti-infectants, let alone anything to remove poison," Bel explains.
"Then..." the girl glances at the boy struggling in pain. "How about we extract the poison ourselves?" Her face shows signs of worry. Bel just stares at her, eyes pained but face straight.
"No," she whispers. Tears begin to appear in her eyes. Bel stands beside her as they watch.
"The poison seems fatal and strong. He will die one of the most painful deaths. Letting him live now means letting him suffer," Bel's voice is low and straightforward.
"And what are you suggesting?" the girl is angry at Bel.
"It's obvious from the moment we learned he was poisoned. Didn't our instructors teach us what kind of poison this is?" Bel replies.
"No, no, please tell me you're joking." The girl glances at Hender and Kenji with hope, but their faces are dark and serious. She falls to her knees, sobbing. Bel kneels beside her and whispers.
"It's better to bid your farewell now than never." The girl opens her eyes from crying and sees Hender and Kenji staring at her. She slowly approaches the boy.
"Vince, please talk to me..." she struggles to speak, sobbing. The boy, struggling in pain, grabs her hand and squeezes it tight.
"I'm sorry, Freda. But I will leave you behind. I'm aware of my situation, and the chances of me leaving are near zero. I only have one request. Please," the boy frowns in pain, "please find someone." Tears flow from his eyes. "Find someone who can give you happiness. Someone who can give you what I can't. Please get out of this forest and escape. Live a normal life for me. Promise me." The girl wraps both arms tightly around his
"Stop it!! I don't want to keep this promise. How can I easily replace you..." The girl cries as the man struggles. The mark spreads around like a virus. The man yells again, the pain even more unbearable now.
"Just.... promise!!" he yells.
"Vince, Vince, please Vince." Bel gently pulls the girl from the man. Hender takes out his blade to end the man's misery when the girl stops him.
"I'm so sorry, but we have no choice," Bel whispers.
"I'll do it," the girl shouts, her voice trembling. Hender stops, and the girl approaches them. Hender hands her the blade and steps back. She points the blade at the man's chest where the heart is located. The boy struggles to speak but manages a few words.
"Goodbye.... my love," the girl kisses him on the lips before pushing the blade in. Bel, Kenji, and Hender watch in silence.