It was already afternoon. The sun was high in the sky, shining burning rays to the ground. Fishes swam against the river's flow. Birds peacefully fed their sprouts. Everything was silent until it was broken by a deer running away from something. There were people after it, leaping from one branch to another. Two people were ahead, hiding behind trees, waiting for the deer to pass. When it neared, they pulled a vine, tripping the deer and making it fall to the ground. Four others jumped over the deer.
Denber approached Hender. "Thanks for teaming up with us. This would be much harder without your help."
"Sure, anytime. We agreed to this, so you don't have to be thankful," Hender replied as he tied the deer up. Denber noticed how big the deer was—it was as big as a moose. "This forest is really a weird place, huh?" he sighed. Hender glanced at Fenny and Kenji, who were talking to each other. They seemed to get each other's vibes. Meanwhile, Bel and Grey had an awkward atmosphere surrounding them. "Anyway, I can't help but notice how cautious you three were when we met you," Denber said, breaking Hender's attention.
"It was nothing. It's just that we don't trust other summons," Hender replied.
Denber was confused. "And why is that?"
Hender looked him in the eyes. "Because there are these two summons that hunt others down for unknown reasons."
This statement made Denber concerned. "It was Reilly and that masked guy," Hender added.
"Reilly? Yeah, I know him. He was rough whenever he had a duel. He was always grumpy, and one time, during a duel with him, he let out a word to me: 'You make me want to kill you.' It chilled my backbone. Maybe this explains his behavior," Denber said as he helped tie down the deer's feet.
"Oh well. Everyone knows him for going overboard during a mock battle. He accidentally killed one of the summons during their duel, but the instructor just let it slide. Apparently, this incident pleased him and got into his head. Since then, he has become a lunatic who fights like he wants to kill his opponent," Denber explained.
"Really? He has never defeated me before, so I didn't notice," Hender replied.
"That explains why he is constantly staring at you," Denber sighed.
They finished tying the deer's feet together, but transporting such a huge animal was a problem. "We have to seek shelter before..." Hender began.
"The wolves," Denber cut him off. "Don't worry, they won't come back," he explained.
"And how can you be sure?" Hender asked him.
"Before entering the forest, I sneaked out at night and went to a nearby library. I do it every time I have the chance to go to the library and read stuff there. Of course, I always come back shortly after getting what interests me so they won't notice I'm missing. Coincidentally, I pulled this book called 'Mystic Forest,' and all information is listed there." Hender listened intently to what he had to say. The others were also interested. "The context says that the origin of this forest is unknown. It existed in ancient times. Apparently, this forest has different stages. On the first and second day, huge animals appear everywhere. On the third and fourth day, traps will be scattered. On the fifth and sixth day, all animals will hunt down those summons. We saw you getting pestered by those wolves last night. Today is the seventh day, and tonight, a deadly smoke will arise. This smoke is deadly and will kill everything that breathes it. On the eighth day, strange creatures will appear, both day and night. On the ninth day, it mentions a plague where rats and crows are everywhere, devouring everything they see. The tenth day is hallucinations. The book didn't mention much about this, so I really didn't understand what this hallucination is all about. On the eleventh day, all food resources will disappear. The fruits in the trees and the giant animals, and even if you gathered enough food, the food will somehow disappear. We don't have a problem with this since the instructor is already starving us in that hell place. On the twelfth day, a red smoke will chase us. The smoke will turn us mad. On the thirteenth day, the whole forest will move on its own, trying to eliminate us. We have to survive all of this until the fourteenth day, which is when we finally escape this forest," Denber explained.
Kenji and Fenny looked at each other due to Denber's statement. "Are you sure about this information?" Hender pressed on Denber.
"That's what the book says. It even mentions that sometimes, these phases will change," Denber replied.
"Then what should we do with this deadly smoke?" Bel asked.
"Isn't it obvious? The reason why you guys saw us in that tall tree is because we are seeking shelter," Denber replied.
"Is that so?" Kenji asked as he glanced at the giant deer on the floor.
"What about this deer? How do we transport it up to the tree?" Fenny asked eagerly.
Denber glanced at him and sighed. "Are food the only thing you are worried about?" he jokingly asked Fenny.
"Of course! They barely give us enough during our training. And now that I have freedom, I want to enjoy myself," Fenny replied. Everyone laughed at Fenny.
"Don't worry, I have a plan," Kenji said, standing up while holding a vine. All of them worked together. Some were skinning the deer and washing it in the river, while others tied the vines together. They then attached the vine to the deer and to one of the twigs from the huge branch before cutting it. The weight pulled the deer up, and everyone cheered as their plan succeeded. By the time they succeeded in lifting the deer up, the moon had begun to rise. Kenji and Fenny were on the huge branch, waiting for the others to come up. Grey climbed first, leaving the others behind. Before Denber could climb up, they heard Bel's voice behind them. Hender and Denber glanced back and saw another two summons, holding Bel and covering her mouth with a dagger at her throat.
"Don't move, or we will kill her," the man holding Bel shouted. One of them sat behind the man, laughing at the sight.
On the huge branch of the tree, Grey successfully climbed up while Kenji and Fenny were chatting in front of the fire. He then joined them, sitting beside Fenny but remaining quiet and not responding to Kenji's greeting.
Hender tried to calm the man down while Denber observed them. He saw smoke crawling towards them like regular fog. "Hmmm," the man glanced at Bel. "You are as beautiful as usual," he said, licking Bel's face, which freaked her out. "I've been watching you during training, you know that? I'm your admirer. You should give a reward to your fans," he added. The smoke rose quickly, already at their waist level. Their attention shifted to the sound of choking behind Bel and the man holding her. The man coughed so hard that blood started to come out from his eyes, nose, and mouth. This gave Bel an opportunity to grab the man's jewels and squish them as hard as she could. The man yelled in pain and dropped the blade. Bel turned around and kicked the man into the smoke. "If Kenji was here, he'd kill you!!" she shouted. The smoke was nearly at chest level, and the three of them immediately climbed the tree as fast as they could. Bel struggled to climb due to her panic. The smoke climbed the tree so fast that it seemed like it was chasing them. They climbed at a constant speed. The smoke covered all the trees below, yet it was still rising. By the time Bel, Hender, and Denber successfully climbed the huge tree, Bel immediately glanced down at the smoke. The smoke seemed to have stopped. It made it look like they didn't climb that high. Kenji, Grey, and Fenny watched as the three panted and breathed heavily, panic written on each face.
"What's up with you guys?" Fenny asked curiously.
Bel ran to Kenji, jumping into his arms. "Wahhh, I almost died there, Kenji," she said. Kenji comforted her as he brushed her hair. Bel noticed the glances of the others and pushed herself away from Kenji, taking her seat properly beside him. Hender still recalled the scene.
"We got attacked by other summons," he whispered.
"Reilly?" Kenji asked, clenching his fist.
"No, but we already dealt with them," Hender replied. "Would it have changed if Kenji was there?" he thought. He glanced at Kenji, who calmed down and patted Bel's head while she pouted. He remembered the dark aura he felt twice. Once when Reilly insulted Bel, and the other when they were standing in front of a tombstone. He ground his teeth as he watched Kenji. "Just how dangerous can you be," he murmured to himself.
Bel, Grey, Kenji, and Fenny surrounded the fire. They roasted meat as they chatted and laughed. Denber noticed Hender sitting alone, looking at the stars shining brightly on the horizon. He sat beside him.
"What's the matter?" Denber abruptly asked as he took a bite of the roasted meat on his stick. Hender looked at him, seeming tired.
"Nothing," he sighed as he straightened his back, raising his hand.
"But you seem troubled," Denber pushed. Hender's eyes were saddened. His curly hair covered them. "I'm just wondering, what does being worthy mean?" This made Denber laugh and glance at the sky.
"Based on what the instructor says, being worthy is surviving this forest until the end." Hender also followed Denber's gaze and both stared at the stars.
"I feel like there is more to it, though," Hender mused.
Denber nodded, contemplating. "Maybe. But for now, let's focus on surviving."