Chapter 5
"Huff... huff..."
Nick bent forward, resting his hands on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath.
"We've come quite far."
Miguel stopped beside him, breathing just as heavily. Their small bodies were exhausted from hours of walking through the forest. Whatever strength they had gained from their escape hadn't changed the fact that they were still trapped inside weak, unfamiliar bodies.
Miguel wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Our physical condition is terrible."
Nick straightened slowly.
"Tell me about it. If we had our old bodies, we'd probably have covered this distance without stopping."
Miguel glanced behind them.
"At least no one's following us."
Nick looked into the dense forest behind them.
"I guess."
Neither of them sounded completely convinced.
The forest was enormous. Trees stretched in every direction, their thick branches blocking most of the sunlight. They had no idea where they were going, and every unfamiliar sound made them wonder whether something was hunting them.
Nick sighed.
"We need to get out of this forest soon."
Miguel nodded.
"Agreed. Staying here forever isn't exactly a survival plan."
They continued walking.
After some time, Nick suddenly stopped.
"Wait."
Miguel turned.
"What?"
Nick pointed toward the trees.
"Boars."
A small group of bulky boars was moving through the forest.
They weren't ordinary animals. Their bodies were larger than the boars they remembered from Earth, and their tusks looked sharp enough to cause serious trouble.
Nick lowered his voice.
"We need food."
Miguel nodded.
"Let's follow them."
They quietly followed the herd through the trees.
After several minutes, one of the boars separated from the others.
Nick immediately signaled Miguel to stop.
"That one."
Miguel nodded.
They followed the separated boar from a safe distance until it moved far enough away from the herd.
Nick raised his hand.
A small fireball appeared above his palm.
Miguel formed a sphere of water beside him.
They attacked together.
The boar barely had time to react before their magic struck it.
Afterward, the two boys dragged the animal away from the path.
Nick looked at the boar.
"Well... now comes the difficult part."
Miguel frowned.
"Cooking?"
Nick nodded.
"We have fire."
Miguel looked at him.
"And water."
Nick smiled.
"Exactly."
Using their magic, they prepared the meat as best they could.
When the first cooked piece reached Nick's mouth, his expression changed instantly.
"This is actually good."
Miguel took a bite.
He nodded.
"Not bad."
Nick looked at the remaining meat.
"We should keep moving after this."
Miguel agreed.
They ate enough to regain some strength before continuing deeper through the forest.
Hours passed.
The sun slowly began to descend.
Neither of them knew where they were.
Then Miguel suddenly stopped.
"Nick."
Nick turned.
"What?"
Miguel pointed ahead.
"People."
Through the trees, they could see three humans traveling together.
Nick narrowed his eyes.
"Should we ask them for help?"
Miguel remained silent for a moment.
"Maybe."
He looked at their clothes, then at the weapons carried by the strangers.
"But we don't know who they are."
Nick's expression became cautious.
"True."
Neither boy wanted to repeat their experience in the prison.
They moved farther into the trees, keeping themselves hidden.
Nick whispered,
"We could approach them."
Miguel shook his head.
"Too risky."
Nick glanced at the three travelers.
"So..."
Miguel slowly raised his hand.
"Let's test them first."
Nick understood immediately.
He formed a small fireball.
Miguel formed a sphere of water.
They aimed at two different travelers.
Nick whispered,
"On three."
Miguel nodded.
"One."
"Two."
"Three."
The two spells shot through the trees.
The travelers barely had time to react.
The water ball struck one of them directly.
The fireball struck another.
Both men immediately collapsed.
Nick stared.
"...What?"
Miguel's eyes widened.
"They went down from one hit."
Nick slowly lowered his hand.
"They're weak."
Miguel didn't look relieved.
If anything, he became more cautious.
"Then why?"
Nick looked at him.
"What?"
Miguel stared at the remaining traveler.
"If those two were that weak..."
He tightened his grip.
"...why didn't the third one react?"
The remaining man had stopped walking.
He was standing completely still.
His eyes slowly turned toward the trees where Nick and Miguel were hiding.
Nick's expression hardened.
"...He knows we're here."
The man's hand moved toward the weapon at his side.
Nick formed another flame in his palm.
Miguel raised his hand as water began gathering around it.
Neither boy moved.
The forest suddenly became silent.
The remaining traveler took one slow step forward.
Nick whispered,
"Looks like we picked the wrong group."
Miguel stared at the approaching man.
"Stay ready."
The stranger stepped out from between the trees.
To be continued...