The stream was left behind with only damp boots and faint laughter lingering in memory. By the time we were packing up, the forest air had changed. The sun filtered through the canopy in thin streaks, but the breeze was colder, sharper — as if warning us we were getting too close to something we weren't meant to see.
"On your feet," Veyra said, standing tall with her hand resting on the hilt of her blade. "The Chained Forest isn't far. Stay sharp."
Lex cracked his knuckles, rolling his shoulders like he'd been waiting for the command all along. "Finally. I was getting bored."
"Don't get too eager," Lily muttered, slinging her bow across her back. "You'll be the first to scream if something bites your leg."
"Wouldn't be the first time," Lex replied with a grin, marching ahead.
Phoebe walked beside me, adjusting the strap of her sword. Her eyes were fixed on the shadows between the trees. "It's quieter than yesterday. That means something's watching."
I glanced around too. She wasn't wrong. The usual chirping of insects was gone, replaced by a low hum in the air, like the forest itself was holding its breath.
We didn't have to wait long.
The undergrowth shuddered, and three beasts burst through hunched wolf-like creatures with patchy fur, their eyes glowing faintly red. Their bodies were warped by Thread of Ash, the smell of burnt iron thick in their wake.
I yanked my chain loose, the links sparking faintly with tension. Nolan moved up beside me, raising his shield as a faint shimmer wrapped his body. Lex surged forward with knives flashing, his skin already hardening under Bone Skin.
The first beast lunged a blur of ash and teeth. Nolan caught it on his shield, grunting as the impact shoved him back. Lex was already there, striking low into its flank, his blade crunching against its twisted ribs.
Another rushed Vivi. She lifted a hand, her voice barely a whisper Decay. The creature staggered, its flesh blackening before Lily's katana cut it down in one clean stroke.
The last came straight for me and Phoebe. She muttered, "Icicle," and shards of frost speared forward, slowing the thing mid-leap. My chain lashed out, wrapping around its neck, dragging it down hard onto the rocks. My blade finished it.
The fight was over in moments, the beasts twitching as their threads fizzled into smoke.
"Very good" Veyra said
'Pretty good eh' I thought
After that we extracted resources from the beast, We actually had made various make shift bags for water, food and materials for fire.
With the help of Nolan we separate germs and various bacteria's in water and food, We also found some flat rocks and some root fibers to make quick torches.
Lex, Phoebe and Nolan all had their advancements and now were much strong, Easily dealing with Layer 2 Beasts were a normal thing for most of us, Of course I couldn't defeat layer 2 on my own, But we were getting less injures by engaging in a fight.
Lex could set his skin ablaze with sparks of fiery red, He became more agile.
Phoebe could now slow or fast forward time around small objects for few moments, Her icicles became much more powerful and more cold.
But what was most important was the advancement of Nolan, He could now summon a shield indefinitely as long as he has essence, He also unlocked his Thread of Singularity.
He could now select a point in an area to make a small gravitational pull.
Setting that aside, we moved forward.
After while, We started to come across various ruins of the same kingdom.
The whole path we walked, Which was atleast 2 km wide looked liked it was scraped of by a giant rope or a giant snake.
As usual the rain started to pour down, But this time it was different. Instead of a steady fall, The rain came heavy, The whole atmosphere changed, The sky turned dark and the forest grew silent, We moved forward in the rain, As it was pointless to stop now, Most of the beasts would be searching for shelter too.
My white hair became damp sticking close to my face and felt a cold sensation of wash all over my body. The the chain which lay wrapped around my chest became heavy.
Lily who is responsible for scouting above from trees, Came down.
"Beasts?" Instructor veyra asked raising a eyebrow.
Lily shook her head and said with even tone.
"There's a structure, It's still standing." She paused for a while and added "We could stop for the rain to slow down."
Instructor Veyra nodded giving a affirmation to the suggestion
It was actually becoming normal, In the past few days we encountered a few structures, which looked like small huts, although there were no symbols of the kingdom.
I was especially intrigued by the ruins, I wanted to know what the novel didn't reveal.
Then again my trust in the knowledge of future pummeled, I didn't what more variables could enter the stage. Various questions began forming in my head. Strangely, I tried to recall the author of the novel and I have no memory of ever reading the author's name.
Who Transmigrated me? Who wrote the novel in my world? How did my universe died?
Is the novel even reliable anymore? I didn't think so, I am certain the some parts of the novel were true, But the rest of it, I am not sure.
After pausing my train of thought I decided not to overthink.
After a while we arrived at what looked like a giant field, Infront of the field was a Big structure It looked almost like a cathedral.
But Our eyes didn't stop their, They went beyond the cathedral.
Beyond the cathedral was once again a forest, But not a like this one, But with Huge Pine trees and dark atmosphere, Just looking at it, I felt a chill down my spine.
Veyra stayed silent for a bit and said in a serious tone
"The chained forest"