In the middle of the forest, a young boy stood facing a small group of teenagers.
Birds screeched in the surrounding areas, and the wind moved through every branch and bush, carrying a faint dampness with it.
"What do you think you are doing, Derek?" Reith spoke with frustration.
However, he held back his emotions, not wanting to start a fight because it was obvious that the instructors would also be watching them.
Letting out a light chuckle, Derek backed down and plucked the last flower from the bush. Without saying a word to Reith, he turned around and kept walking.
Reith could only sigh. If he struggled with Derek concerning that flower, it would only look like he made the first move and Derek had no choice but to defend himself.
Shaking his head, Reith cleared his thoughts. If things continued like this, he would have nothing to show forth for this trip.
He followed silently behind the group, playing around with his watch, trying to know how deep they had gotten into the forest.
The wet sounds from branches and the cries from bats made their nerves stay on edge.
The deeper they went, the darker it became, even though the sun shone brightly above them.
The trees here were thicker, and their twisted branches created an almost woven roof, blocking out most of the light.
Reith exhaled and suddenly slowed his steps.
"What's wrong?" Peter glanced at him when he couldn't hear any more footsteps from behind.
Reith raised his gaze, unsure of how to put what was in his mind. "Can't you sense it? The Hana..." he said slowly, as if in a daze. "It's different."
Peter raised his head, trying to see past the blanket of trees that covered them. The thick, murky swamp smell was what filled his nose, so he didn't understand what Reith was saying.
"The only change I sense is the heaviness," Peter replied, pushing his bangs from his face. "And this strange fog."
"Fog?" It was then Reith snapped back to his senses.
"Was the fog here previously?" he turned to Peter until realization hit him. "Where are the others?"
Peter stood straight, and his eyes darted around from tree to tree, but the fog was preventing him from seeing anything.
Twigs cracked underneath his feet, but that was the only thing he could hear.
"I can't find them," he concluded with a sigh.
Reith nodded. "The fog must have separated us. Be careful. I knew something was wrong with this place." He answered, looking around.
Peter dipped his hands into his pocket, his brows furrowing. The fog had gotten thicker. "I think we should go back the way we came," Peter said, turning around.
"Hold on." Reith crouched to the ground, brushing his fingers against a bush. "This place is dangerous. We can't just make a move. The Hana here is richer. Purer. It's flowing through the plants."
"You can sense that?" Peter raised a brow, crouching down beside Reith. "Guess that talent grade of yours is actually more than useful." He let out a sardonic chuckle.
Reith didn't find it funny but he also didn't mind. "Yeah. I can sense the flow of Hana." He narrowed his eyes, causing the Hana lines to appear before his vision, though he wasn't going to tell Peter that he could also see them clearly.
"We need to go where the Hana is thinner," Reith suggested.
Peter shook his head and showed the bingo paper. "If the Hana is thicker here, don't you think we'd find better items? We can't leave here."
"But–"
Standing up, Peter gripped Reith's shoulder. "The instructors already told us everywhere was cleared and we didn't have to worry about anything." His reasons were logical. Way too logical.
Reith nodded. "Then we have to be very careful." He stood up, dusting his clothes.
Mists crawled around the ground, hiding roots that dug into the soil. Reith pushed aside a curtain of branches, and cold dew drenched his sleeves.
"Smells like something died in here," Peter twisted his nose, but Reith only smiled. It was the same way it had smelled everywhere.
Then a signal tugged at Reith's brain and he turned abruptly. "Follow me," he said in a low tone and rushed forward.
Ignoring the branches that seemed to tear through his clothes and dig into his skin, he jumped over a log. Peter rushed speedily after him.
"You got something?" Peter uttered as soon as he caught Reith beside a bush.
"You need to see this," Reith's voice came out excitedly, and he didn't bother looking back.
Peter stepped forward, and suddenly an alarm on his Ralaxy watch began to ring. "What's happening?" Peter was confused. He moved the large leaves and branches covering Reith and stepped forward.
Reith looked up with a large smile. "I found them. I think all the items are here."
"That's not possible," Peter said as he crouched closer. It was actually impossible to see everything you needed in one place.
Peter asked Reith with a raised brow, "You don't think it's a trap?"
"I know it's a trap but we shouldn't just leave all this here. The Hana energy is very thick here," Reith answered, and he began to harvest the herbs.
Seeing him move, Peter went into action. They plucked every herb, ensuring to scan it over their watch. There were even good herbs that weren't listed in the bingo list.
"Jackpot." Peter found himself chuckling, as he was very invested in what he was doing.
Reith could sense the flow of Hana and he could see every plant with the thickest Hana Core. His hand went for them. His abilities suddenly felt like a cheat.
"The fog is getting closer," Reith muttered, feeling how the lower part of his trousers was becoming more damp, and the silence around them seemed to thicken.
Peter looked up and answered, "I noticed also. I'm done with my list, and you?"
Reith nodded in response and stood up.
"What's your plan on getting out?" Peter asked. He turned his eyes to every corner, but they were all covered by the dense fog which seemed to be growing more and more.
Reith turned to his left. He had to search for one of the lines, something that was not too thick and not too thin.
"Something's wrong..." Reith mumbled and took a stance.
Sensing the sudden hostility and the drop in temperature, Peter turned his back to Reith's back and faced the other side.
"Yeah, something is definitely wrong."
The sounds of cracking twigs echoed in their ears, and the hairs on their skin stood on end.
Reith glanced at Peter. "If we can't, we run."