The forest's light slowly shifted from soft gold to pale orange.
The day leaned toward evening, though under the canopy time felt slower. Dio kept walking, following the sun's direction by estimating the shadows on the ground. Not precise, but better than having no reference at all.
The soil here was drier. Leaves piled more thickly, covering small stones. His footsteps were sometimes silent, sometimes loud enough to send a small bird flying from the bushes.
He was starting to get used to the weight of the shield. His shoulders adjusted automatically, without thought. A thin sweat formed on the back of his neck, just enough to make his skin feel sticky.
A few times he paused just to confirm his direction.
When he started walking again, a small sound came from behind him.
Not a breaking twig.
Not rustling leaves.
Heavier.
Like something pressing into the ground slowly, then fading away.
Dio did not turn.
He simply stopped.
The air around him waited with him.
No wind.
No animal sounds.
No further footsteps from behind.
Silence.
He waited, trying to feel whether the ground trembled slightly—as it did when he walked and the earth shifted beneath him.
No vibration.
Just silence that felt… thick.
Dio walked again.
Three steps.
Four.
The sound returned. Distant.
Soft.
Like a large foot carefully set down on the softest part of the ground.
Dio stopped for the second time.
Nothing happened when he stopped.
The forest fell silent again.
He inhaled slowly—not panicked, not rushed.
He turned his head just a little, enough to see from the corner of his eye.
The forest stretched behind him.
No moving shadows.
No eyes reflecting light.
Nothing caught his gaze.
Yet his skin tingled.
He walked again.
This time more steadily.
Not faster, not slower.
If something followed him…
it was no longer trying to hide its presence.
But it also wasn't approaching.
Just keeping its distance.
As if it were evaluating him.
Without overreacting, Dio shifted the shield from a relaxed position to one he could raise instantly. His hand tightened. The sword at his waist felt heavier than before.
He walked farther until the forest began to change shape.
Ahead, the trees gradually spaced out. Evening light seeped in more freely. The air felt slightly warmer. A sound he hadn't heard in a long time returned:
the wind.
He turned his head slightly. Thin leaves on a small tree swayed left—meaning the wind came from the east. That matched the sun's rise… and the direction of the city he sought.
Dio quickened his pace—not running, just walking a bit faster.
But the sound came again.
Farther.
Still soft.
But present.
He stopped again.
The sound stopped too.
He closed his eyes briefly, mapping what he heard.
Its distance… more than a few dozen meters.
Its speed… slow.
Its step size… not small.
Too consistent for a small animal.
Too heavy for a deer.
Too slow for a hunting predator.
More like… something walking to its own rhythm.
Not hungry.
Not aggressive.
Simply… there.
Dio opened his eyes.
He stepped to the left, circling around a thorny bush to find higher ground.
There—a small rise formed by the roots of a massive tree spreading across the soil. He climbed cautiously, stepping on each root. From up there, he could see a bit farther.
The forest stretched in layers:
brown trunks, green leaves, and lines of sunlight slipping through.
No large shadow moving.
No breaking branches.
No silhouette.
But the forest felt different.
Like a large room watching someone from behind a curtain.
Dio climbed down.
No point staring at shadows.
A small movement could make him lose direction.
He continued walking until the sound of wind finally replaced the earlier pressing silence.
And for the first time since he woke in this world… he saw a clear sign of other life.
Ahead, on the ground, lay a track.
Not large.
Not deep.
Its shape wasn't like a human foot.
Nor a hoofed animal.
It was elongated, with its center pressed deeply and the edges lifted. As if something heavy had pressed its body into the earth rather than stepping with feet or paws.
Dio crouched, examining it closely.
The soil at the center was compacted, but there were no claw lines. No drag marks. No blood. No fur or hair.
Just earth reshaped by something passing through.
He touched the edge.
Still soft.
Not long ago.
Maybe an hour.
Maybe less.
He straightened slowly.
No sounds behind him.
No sounds ahead.
But this track told him something:
whatever was following or moving nearby…
did not walk like a person or an animal.
And it was large enough to make a depression that deep.
Dio controlled his breath.
His shoulders tensed slightly, but his face revealed nothing.
He stood tall.
Stepped past the track.
Did not change direction.
He knew something in the forest was watching him.
But he knew one more thing:
If he stopped, he would only give it time to get closer.
So he chose to walk.
Not fast.
Not panicked.
Not backward.
Because sometimes… the safest way to move through a forest is to ensure whatever follows you never sees your back waver.
And the forest, in all its silence, kept watching.