Volume 1: Path – [Mist Forest Arc]
Chapter 40: Regretful
Caelus immediately began his move as Aiv headed in the opposite direction, running as far from the pool as possible. 'A huge Mist Deer at Rank 1 Peak… impossible for us to defeat. This is the only way. I can't die yet, not before I fulfill my promise to Uriel.'
He could have fled back to the academy with Aiv, but abandoning the mission meant facing penalties. Refusing them would put a bounty on his head, branding him a criminal, which is something Caelus refused to become, knowing it would end his chance to explore the world freely.
His vision was limited, so he could only make it this far thanks to Aiv's guidance. Caelus could see only about ten steps ahead, unlike Aiv, whose sharp sight reached fifty.
He had to be careful. One wrong move and he was dead.
"Woosh." Caelus exhaled slowly, then drew in a steady breath. His gaze fixed on the Mist Deer, still dancing with serene grace. Looking down, he saw the Fog Ferns, plants that scream loudly when touched. He had noticed them earlier on his way here.
"Alright… let's go."
He tensed every muscle, replaying the sequence in his mind as he had done more than ten times already.
Moving in a blur, he plucked a Fog Fern from the ground, tossing it high into the air before it could release its scream.
The instant his hand was empty, he bolted, running as fast as possible while remaining careful in the treacherous terrain. He needed to reach the moss road before the Mist Deer caught him.
Fog Ferns had closed mouths along their petals, and stems so sensitive they reacted to the slightest disturbance. Their roots gripped the earth deeply, forcing Caelus to use his full strength to pull one free quickly.
These plants supplied mist to the pools, absorbing fog from the air, condensing it into mist, and channeling it back to the pools. This cycle continued until the plant was uprooted, its final act marked by a piercing death scream.
His poor visibility wasn't only because of the darkness and light fog. Despite the name "Mist Forest," the area had more fog than true mist, the latter belonging mostly to the plants and animals with mist affinities.
"Huff… huff…" Caelus's breath grew ragged. He had only run a few steps, yet exhaustion was setting in, not from lack of physical strength, but from the intense mental focus of rehearsing his escape over and over.
Near the lake, the Mist Deer roared, enraged, expanding its senses through the surroundings. It detected the sound's source, a Fog Fern. From the way it was uprooted, the deer realized the plant hadn't failed naturally but had been disturbed by an intruder.
Its perception spread from fifty meters to a hundred in seconds. Caelus, now at two hundred meters, struggled for breath.
The Mist Deer followed the trail to where the fern had been plucked, finding only a hole. It stepped onto the air itself, pursuing the tracks until they abruptly vanished.
It used its senses to search for the intruder who enraged it, but even though the deer's senses reached 100 meters, which is the peak of its range, it couldn't find anyone.
Suddenly, a loud sound echoed from the pool. The deer hesitated, then decided to investigate. If the pool or its water source were damaged, the creature would be consumed by fury and lash out at everything nearby.
After all, who wouldn't be enraged if their only home was destroyed?
As the deer moved away, Caelus emerged from a bush located just four steps from where his footprints had ended.
He had chosen to hide there, knowing it would keep him concealed from the deer. This plant, known as the Invisible Mist Bush, possessed a unique trait, and that is it could camouflage itself so perfectly that no living being could detect it. Beasts and monsters in this forest considered these bushes a delicacy.
The bush not only hid itself but also anything within it, protecting its occupant out of self-preservation. However, there was a danger: the longer one stayed inside, the more their body would gradually turn into mist, eventually becoming nourishment for the bush.
That was why Aiv had planned to throw a massive rock into the pool as a distraction, giving Caelus the chance to escape. The plan had been made just before they split up: Caelus would lure the deer away while Aiv collected the flowers, stowing them in his bag, then create a loud splash to draw the deer back toward the pool while Caelus hid inside the bush.
They had discovered this bush earlier while searching for mist pools to locate the mist flower, and Caelus had already decided it would be the perfect hiding place when they attempted to steal the flowers from the deer's habitat.
Wasting no time, he sprinted toward the moss road. He knew exactly where to go because they had marked each tree along the path with Mooncap Mushroom powder. Even in its powdered form, the fungus emitted a faint glow, but only for a few minutes before slowly fading into the night.
Behind him, loud noises erupted, but Caelus ignored them, remembering Aiv's instructions: don't look back, don't hesitate, just run.
Within minutes, he reached the moss road. Collapsing onto it, he felt the damp earth beneath his back, wet, yet soft and smooth.
The fresh, rich scent of rain-kissed soil filled his senses. It was his favorite smell.
It had been over ten minutes, yet Caelus still hadn't seen Aiv. Worry gnawed at him, the thought creeping in that something might have happened. Rising from the ground, he was about to head back into the forest to search when he caught the sound of pained groans and ragged breathing.
From between the trees, Aiv emerged, his body marred with numerous injuries. The moment Caelus saw him, he dashed forward, sliding to a stop just in time to catch Aiv before he collapsed to the ground.
"Aiv, are you okay… Aiv?"
"I'm fine, just… tired," Aiv murmured, his eyes beginning to close as sleep overtook him.
---
Meanwhile, near the mist pool, the heart of the Mist deer's habitat, a shadowy figure leapt down from the branches above. Its gaze fell upon the pool, now completely dried, and on the ground before it lay the deer's core.
A core is the vital essence of any living being, whether human, beast, demon, or monster. The shadow's eyes widened in surprise; there was no sign of the deer itself, only a lone, grey-colored core.
When a Mist Deer dies, its body due to being composed entirely of mist dissipates into the air, gradually nourishing the surrounding plants over the course of several months.
This particular shadow had been trailing Caelus under orders from the head bishop of the Church of Aevum.
"To think a Rank 1 Medium Stage could defeat a Rank 1 Peak Stage beast, and one with a water element no less… I should report this to the apostle."
The shadow stooped to pick up the core, then melted back into the darkness.
--
Caelus on the otherside was feeling bad for Aiv that he had to go through all this cause he was the reason they went to this mission, he was the one that suggested to go to the mission hall though they don't have any merits they have many other ways to gain them like doing a voluntry for an hour or two would give them like 5 merits.
But Caelus wanted to know more about the world he is going to live in for the next five years, so he wanted to go on a mission that is outside of the academy.
Just then, he remembered something from the dream, no, it should be called a nightmare, he had had.
'No, that can't be true... that can't be true, right?'
<
'Yes, that is true too, this is just a normal hurt.' Caelus calmed himself down with that thought.
... In a few minutes, Aiv stirred awake, his breathing steadying though his injuries still looked raw and painful. In the meantime, Caelus had carefully wrapped the wounded areas in strips of clean white cotton cloth bandages he had brought from the academy in case of emergencies. His hands worked with quiet focus, the fabric tightening snugly over bruises and cuts.
Aiv's eyes softened as he watched Caelus finish. "Thank you… for looking out for me," he said, his voice low but sincere.
Caelus shook his head slightly, meeting his gaze. "No, I should be the one thanking you. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have chosen this mission."
"Don't say that," Aiv replied, a faint smile tugging at his lips despite the fatigue in his eyes. "I don't have many merits either. Even volunteer work can't give me enough to rest properly."
Those words left Caelus silent; he only nodded, feeling a pang of guilt.
With a gentle, almost teasing grin, Aiv reached into his bag and drew out thirteen fog flowers, neatly stored in a rectangular preservation box. The container glimmered faintly, designed to keep the flowers from dispersing into mist after being picked.
"Here," Aiv said, holding the box toward him, "take these and keep them with you."
Caelus frowned. "No, you keep them. You earned them by planning, fighting, and even getting injured."
"Well, if you put it like that," Aiv chuckled softly, "I might just take the flowers out of the box so we can get a new one."
"No, don't do that," Caelus protested quickly. "They'll go to waste."
"Then take them," Aiv said simply, his tone leaving no room for refusal.
"…Okay," Caelus relented, accepting the box.
"Now, then, should we go and get the last piece of material we need?"
[End Of Chapter 40]