Sleep had already taken Kert and Zerath for quite some time.
Both were sleeping deeply near the dying fire, lulled by the calm sound of the river and the distant murmurs of the nocturnal forest.
Hinata, however…
Still couldn't.
She was lying on her back, eyes open toward the dark branches covering the sky.
Why can't I fall asleep…?
She slowly closed her eyes.
Then almost immediately opened them again.
Her gaze instinctively drifted toward the dark depths of the forest.
A part of her felt like something could emerge at any moment.
A predator.
A mutant.
Or maybe simply…
That strange feeling of being watched.
Hinata turned onto her side before trying once more to sleep.
But nothing.
She changed position again.
Then another.
Still nothing.
Finally, she let out a soft sigh before slowly sitting up near the almost extinguished fire.
Her eyes then settled on Zerath and Kert.
Unlike her, they seemed to sleep without the slightest difficulty.
Then suddenly—
In an awkward movement, Kert violently kicked Zerath in the stomach in his sleep.
Zerath's face tightened slightly.
Still asleep, he mechanically grabbed Kert's leg before pushing it farther away without even opening his eyes.
Then the silence immediately returned.
Hinata remained still for a few seconds before letting out a small smile.
Even while sleeping… Kert still found a way to bother others.
Her gaze then rose back toward the night sky.
The forest was calm.
Strangely calm.
But her thoughts kept spinning endlessly in her mind regardless.
Maybe I should splash some water on my face…?
She finally shook her head gently.
No.
I'm just overthinking.
Hinata lay back down with determination.
This time, she was going to sleep.
She frowned slightly before forcefully closing her eyes, as if she wanted to force her body to fall asleep.
But quickly…
Whispers began to echo in her mind.
Indistinct voices.
Incomprehensible.
Like distant murmurs floating in the darkness.
Her eyes suddenly opened.
…I'm thinking way too much.
So Hinata stayed awake.
Again.
And again.
Until finally…
Sleep slowly took her.
…
In her dream—
A figure stood in the darkness.
A man.
Long white hair floated gently around him under an invisible wind.
He wore a dark blue kimono.
His red eyes silently stared at Hinata.
But contrary to what she might have thought…
They held no malice.
No kindness either.
Just…
A strange neutrality.
The man's face remained difficult to distinguish.
As if the darkness constantly distorted his features.
Hinata stepped back slightly.
— Who… Who are you…?
The man remained silent for a few seconds.
Then a faint smile slowly appeared on his face.
A weak voice then echoed in the void.
— We must… talk, you and I…
His figure seemed to flicker slightly.
— I want… to speak… with you, Hinata.
Hinata's eyes immediately widened.
— You know my name…?
But the man did not respond.
Instead—
His voice simply began to echo around her.
Hinata…
Hinata…
Hinata…
The entire world seemed to repeat her name.
As for the man, he slowly began to crumble.
Like dust carried away by the wind.
Hinata immediately reached out toward him.
— Wait!
Her voice trembled slightly.
— Tell me who you are!!
But already—
The stranger's body was completely disappearing into the darkness.
Then suddenly—
Hinata abruptly opened her eyes.
The dream had just vanished.
She was breathing slightly faster while the morning light was already passing through the trees of the forest.
And right in front of her—
Kert was crouching, arms crossed.
— How long have I been calling you…? Finally awake, princess?
Hinata blinked several times before letting out a light sigh.
— So it was you calling me…
Kert immediately straightened up.
— Well yeah. Who else did you expect it to be?
Then he turned his back to her while stretching his arms.
— Come on, get up. We have to get moving again.
Hinata unconsciously placed a hand against her chest.
Her heart was still beating slightly faster than usual.
Then she gently lowered her eyes.
Phew…
…It was just a dream.
Hinata eventually stood up before joining the other two near the almost extinguished fire.
Kert and Zerath already seemed ready to leave again.
When she approached, Zerath slightly turned his head toward her.
— You woke up after us today…
A faint amused smile appeared on his face.
— Usually, you're up well before everyone else.
Hinata remained silent for a few seconds.
As if hesitant.
Then Zerath calmly asked:
— Did you sleep well at least?
Hinata immediately put on a slight smile.
— I just had a bit of insomnia last night.
She slightly looked away.
— And when I finally managed to fall asleep… sleep completely caught up with me.
Then, before they could continue the discussion, she had already moved past them.
— Let's go. We still have a long way to go.
The three then resumed their march through the immense forest.
And the hours continued to pass.
Then days.
They went deeper and deeper into this endless place.
The trees became more immense.
The sunlight rarer.
And the atmosphere increasingly oppressive.
During their progression, several mutants appeared.
Creatures sometimes gigantic.
Sometimes deformed.
Sometimes even almost human.
But despite everything…
They survived.
Or rather—
Hinata made them survive.
Because even after all this time, Zerath and Kert remained unable to regain their powers.
As if this forest deliberately continued to block all magic from them.
Finally, after several more days of walking, the three eventually stopped at the top of a massive rocky hill to catch their breath.
Kert almost immediately collapsed onto the ground before letting out a deep sigh of exhaustion.
— This is seriously getting old…
He ran a tired hand through his hair.
— It's already been more than ten days since we've been walking in this forest…
His gaze hardened slightly.
— And still no sign of an exit. Still no magic. Nothing.
He slowly clenched his fists.
The frustration in his voice was now impossible to hide.
— Entering this room was probably the worst decision of our lives…
He lowered his eyes.
— We signed those damn waivers… and now we've been stuck here for days like idiots.
His jaw tightened.
— The more I think about it… the more I feel like we were simply trapped.
He abruptly raised his head.
— That lunatic Mo-Zus probably just wanted to get rid of us under the pretense of "training."
His voice rose slightly.
— And we fell for it that easily…
Then he looked away with anger.
— We're going to die here. It's obvious.
Hinata remained silent.
Sitting a bit farther away, head slightly lowered, lost in her thoughts.
Zerath looked at Kert for a long moment before replying in a calm voice:
— Calm down…
He slowly inhaled.
— Let's not lose hope now.
Kert almost immediately snapped:
— You still have some, you?!
He stood up abruptly.
— It's been days we've been wandering in this forest without the slightest clue! Days without any power!
He then pointed at Hinata.
— And all this time, she's the one who keeps saving our lives against those monsters!
His voice trembled slightly with anger and frustration.
— How long do you think she can keep going before she's completely exhausted?!
Suddenly—
Hinata stood up abruptly.
— We still have four days left before the official end of the tournament.
Her voice was calm.
But firm.
She then slowly turned her head toward Kert.
— And I'm not exhausted from protecting you yet, you know.
Kert remained silent.
Hinata then continued:
— So let's not lose hope.
Her gaze lifted toward the depths of the forest.
— Maybe that's exactly what this place wants.
She paused briefly.
— To see us completely disoriented.
Then she turned her back to them.
— Let's keep moving… I have a feeling that—
CRAAAK.
The ground beneath her feet suddenly cracked.
Hinata's eyes widened.
— Huh—?
BOOOOM.
The rock instantly gave way beneath her.
And her body suddenly disappeared into the depths.
— HINATA!! Kert immediately shouted.
— HINATA!! Zerath shouted as well.
Meanwhile—
Hinata fell several meters before crashing violently onto a rocky ground.
BOOM.
She rolled slightly before immediately getting back up.
The place was plunged into almost total darkness.
Only a faint light descended from the opening high above.
Hinata slowly raised her eyes.
The crack she had fallen through seemed tiny from below.
Above, Kert was already panicking.
— Is she okay?! What was that thing?! A trap?!
Zerath immediately approached the hole before shouting:
— HINATA!!
Hinata's voice faintly rose from the depths:
— I'm fine!!
A slight relief immediately crossed their faces.
But Zerath then remained silent.
Thoughtful.
His gaze observed the dark opening for a long moment.
He was thinking quickly.
Go down?
Look for another path?
Wait?
But one thing was certain:
Without Hinata…
They became infinitely more vulnerable.
From the very beginning, she had been their greatest strength against the creatures of this forest.
And now…
This forest had literally torn that protection away from them.
Zerath took a deep breath before turning his head toward Kert.
— Kert…
He calmly pointed at the hole.
— I think the best thing to do would simply be to go down as well.
Kert looked at him as if he had just gone insane.
— Have you completely lost your mind?!
But before he could add anything—
Zerath had already jumped into the crack.
— ZERATH?!
Kert remained frozen for a few seconds before letting out a huge sigh.
— Seriously… why am I hanging out with people like this…?
Then, resigned—
He jumped into the depths as well.