From the depths of the thorny trees, a sound arose.Out of the plea of those strange thorny trees, a strange sound was emerging, as if… as if someone were screaming.
The echoing voice in the air was leading them astray.That scream—whatever it was—came out from the doors of the woods, and in the midst of those strange thorny trees, it was drawing some young boys and girls into the faint, fearful fog.
The scream pierced everyone's ears, yet each of them clung to the hope that it was nothing more than the cry of some small creature in the forest. Still, their hearts sank deeper into the mist of fear. With a hesitant tremor in his voice, Liam spoke, his words faltering into a question: "Didn't you all hear someone scream?"
At first, no one nodded in agreement, nor did anyone let an expression form on their face. It seemed as though they could not understand what was happening. Waiting for someone else to answer, they all finally nodded together.
The curly-haired boy, recognizing the uncertainty that was growing inside everyone, said, "I think perhaps two animals are fighting somewhere deeper in the forest. Forget it—what matters is that we should focus on those three."
In response to his words, no one said anything.
Leaving the matter where it was, Keave pressed the conversation forward. "We should look for those three. This place is strange."
In a lifeless voice, without expecting any reply, he lifted his lips and said, "You all will help me find them, won't you?"
The sky was taking on a peculiar shade. In the weather, a dryness was spreading like faint sparks. The trees and leaves, bare of branches, looked uncanny. The earth was utterly parched, with not the slightest trace of green grass upon it.
Keave was just about to open his lips to say something more, when suddenly…
Keave was just about to part his lips to say something more, when suddenly…
Before his mouth could even open, something else struck all their ears.
A sound… a coarse, dry sound—another scream, harsher than before, its pitch sharper as it passed through their eardrums.
No one said a word. Only the unease inside them kept growing.
Their lips held on to silence. In their hearts burned a fire, but on their mouths lay stillness. The inner voice would not permit them to give shape to that tolling bell in clear words.
After the mountain-like silence, Drace's voice broke through the calm—the calm so sharp it could recognize the sound of a needle falling. He said, "I will go with you."
The curly-haired boy turned to Drace and said, "I am ready too. I'll come with you."
Keave's golden pupils instinctively turned toward Mave, Adrien, Liam, and Thursday, who stood with their chests pressed in anxious anticipation, feigning calm. Recognizing the direction of his gaze without a word, they all nodded in agreement.
After a brief moment of silent discussion, the plan became clear…
Keave said, "Drace and Rudra will go this way, and the four of you will go toward the other side, like those mushroom-like plants."
Then, once again…
The same scream rang out, louder than ever. It felt much closer this time, and its tone was terrifying.
Mave, pausing the wheel of patience, expressed the subtle nuances of unease in a worried voice: "Are you all deaf? Can't you hear these strange sounds? What… what on earth is happening?"
Watching Mave's unease, Liam said, "Rudra suggested that maybe it's just animals fighting in the forest!"
Tying her words in threads of worry, Mave shot back, "Do you really think these sounds belong to some ordinary creature? And even if you do — you're all mad!"
Adrien looked around at everyone and, in a steady voice, said, "We shouldn't waste time — we must find them. None of us is crazy. If we let ourselves be swallowed by fear, what wiil we do then like ? can we be able to get out of this forest, or face whatever that sound belongs to."
Then, turning his calm prudence toward Keave, Rudra, and Drace, he added, "In this strange forest our three nonsense friends are separated from us. We must find them."