The forest did not yield this time.
Where the approach had felt like a drawn-out silence, the exit pressed back. Roots knotted higher from the soil, glowing spores drifted in the thick air, and branches groaned, leaning overhead like crooked fingers. Each step Garrick took under the weight of the unmoving man was careful and deliberate, though not as heavy as the chill crawling down his spine.
The soul of the Demon Lord lingered close, unseen, observing. So the forest resists. Not to guard me, but to keep me within. It fears me. As it should.
"Garrick, slower!" Rosalie half-tripped over a raised root, flask sloshing, bow bouncing against her chest. "He'll bruise if you carry him like a sack of potatoes!"
"Focus on walking," Garrick growled, yanking her back before she could tumble into the man's dangling hand. "You want to get crushed before the exit?"
She stuck her tongue out, tipsy, eyes bright. "Better crushed by him than a tree beast."
The earth erupted. Roots split like veins in stone, earth showering down. From the rift surged a colossal guardian, bark twisted into jagged limbs, eyes glowing green like molten glass, its maw grinding like wood on wood.
Garrick dropped the man onto a mossed stone, shield braced, axe ready. "Down! Stay low!"
Rosalie fired an arrow, magic-tipped, igniting into fire that seared bark and sent splinters flying. The guardian staggered, then swiveled with unnatural speed, a massive limb swinging in a horizontal arc.
"Rosalie!" Garrick shoved her aside, shield taking the blow. Splinters rained down, biting into his armor. He dug his boots into the soil, pulling her back. "Eyes up! Fight smart!"
She scrambled, loosing two more arrows—one burst into fire, the other crackled sparks, skittering along the guardian's hide.
Leo's eyes blazed, sword aloft. "I'll carve legend from this fight!"
The Demon Lord observed through his soul's veil. Foolish pride. Yet… something in that flare, in the chaos of his movements… familiar. The resonance of his soul… a shadow of another time. I have felt this before, and it cuts deeper than mere chaos.
Leo swung, and radiant light erupted, drawn not just from his sword but from ambient mana threaded through the forest floor, twisted into a chaotic flare that blinded the guardian. Roots shrieked as if recoiling, spores spiraling into a shimmering haze.
The guardian reared, staggered, then lashed sideways. A massive limb shot toward Leo.
"Idiot!" Garrick charged, yanking him back by the collar, shield raised. The limb smashed into the earth, stone shattering under the force. "Want to be a hero or mulch? Fight smart!"
Leo gasped, grin widening. "See? Even the forest fears light!"
Pathetic. They flail, they bleed, and yet… that boy… echoes something I cannot name. The Demon Lord's analytical mind noted the pattern, the unpredictability of Leo's bursts, the chaotic resonance—like a song half-remembered from a long-lost battle.
Elion stepped forward, glyphs weaving in the air, tendrils of blue mana coiling into the soil, siphoning energy from the roots. The bindings writhed and struck upward, attempting to ensnare the guardian, forcing the ambient mana into precise form. The forest's energy twisted and resisted, but the magic responded to Elion's control, albeit imperfectly.
Garrick intercepted a downward swing aimed at Elion, axe biting the bark. Sparks hissed, splintering branches. "Cast, don't stare!" he barked, shoving the mage to safety.
The forest thrashed around them. Roots surged, branches clawed, spores thickened into choking clouds.
"Too strong!" Elion shouted. "It's drawing mana from the soil itself!"
Garrick's jaw clenched. "We're not winning here! Fall back!"
Leo raised his sword again. "No retreat! Heroes never"
"Heroes die the same as fools," Garrick snapped, grabbing him by the shoulder. "Move!"
Rosalie fired a final arrow, bursting in a thunderous flare. She screamed, "Don't forget the handsome one!"
Garrick's eyes flicked down he man's body still in his grasp. With a grunt, he hoisted him over his shoulder. "Fine. Let's go!"
They ran. Roots surged like living walls, branches clawed at their path. The guardian crashed behind, roaring, limbs smashing against earth and wood. Rosalie nearly tripped; Garrick yanked her upright without slowing. Elion's bindings snapped under the guardian's force, buying only moments.
Leo swung again, radiant bursts scattering through the spores, staggering the guardian slightly. But the creature's momentum remained relentless.
The Demon Lord drifted nearby, cool, detached. Struggling insects. Yet the boy… his flare, his soul… faintly familiar. I cannot name it, but it cuts close. So like him… the one I knew. Fools, yet fascinating.
The guardian lunged, vines snapping, limbs sweeping. Garrick barely parried, dragging Leo and Rosalie past. The man's body bounced with each step.
Then a whisper, colder than wind, brushed the air, unheard by mortal ears.
"Struggling insects. To think you dare clutch my body while cowering before a tree."
The guardian faltered mid-stride. The party did not notice, only felt the pause in its fury.
Something familiar in that boy… the Demon Lord mused, observing Leo's chaotic, resonant bursts. Could it be…?
The forest roared around them. The guardian lunged again, relentless, but the chapter ended as the chase pressed onward, leaving the Demon Lord's cold line as a shadow over the party's desperate escape.