The small, weak body crawled tremblingly. The boy gritted his teeth and continued to push forward. The determination to live was clearly etched in his eyes.
The other children still terrified looked at him. Seeing him continue to struggle moved the others. They stopped crying and crawled after him. In those fearful eyes, there was still a will to live. They all wanted to get out of that forest safely.
The Forest of Darkness.
The forest of darkness mentioned in a fairy tale. The forest was filled with darkness. Not only darkness there. It was said that the forest was connected to the hell of darkness, better known as the Abyss.
The Abyss were where terrifying creatures resided. Creatures created from evil and darkness. They enjoyed devouring human souls alive.
But it turned out that this wasn't just a fairy tale.
Why didn't the terrifying creatures within come out into the outside world?
Even though the forest was quite far away, wouldn't there still be at least one story about it?
Why did the forest become a fairy tale?
The reason no creatures came out of the forest was that they didn't need to leave if the souls of living humans were already inside. Even if someone accidentally entered and got lost, that person would never come out alive.
The kingdom had long known the truth about this forest. Not only the kingdom of Serenia, but other kingdoms knew it as well.
That was about a thousand years ago. The kingdom's history recorded the destruction of the continent caused by creatures from the Forest of Darkness.
Many people died. Parts of the continent were destroyed. What destroyed the continent was no ordinary creature.
Moreover, there was one creature more terrifying than the others.
A giant black dragon with black scales and golden eyes.
A ferocious and arrogant dragon. With just a breath of its breath, a tall mountain could collapse instantly.
With such terrifying power, how was this world still okay?
Why were people still able to live their lives?
A secret known only to the reigning king. The ancestors of the kings dared to face the dragon. They all prostrated themselves before it. Their eyes were filled with fear. Despair had overcome them.
"M-my goodness... please forgive us!!"
They thought, even though the dragon might not understand what they were saying, a powerful creature must have an instinct.
The dragon would surely understand their pleas for mercy.
The black dragon looked down with its proud golden eyes. Seeing the terrified humans begging for mercy made it happy.
"If I spare you, what will you give me?" A voice sounded arrogant and terrifying.
Everyone who heard it immediately trembled with fear. They never imagined the black dragon could speak human language.
"W-we will do whatever you ask." Someone spoke for the others.
"Good, good. Destroying this world so easily would be boring anyway." The dragon cackled with a roar.
"Give me food in the Forest of Darkness. But not just for me, but for others too."
"F-food?" Someone asked cautiously.
"Yes. Living souls desperately hoping to survive."
They were all shocked to hear that. They immediately understood that the black dragon wanted them to sacrifice humans.
"H-how many do you want, great dragon?"
"The amount and timing are up to you." The dragon grinned slyly.
"If anything goes against my wishes, you will know what will happen." The dragon roared with laughter.
After that, the black dragon and other dark creatures returned to the Abyss. The abyss at the bottom of the Forest of Darkness.
After that, the ancestors began to rebuild their kingdom. They also agreed to sacrifice some citizens into the Forest of Darkness.
But as time passed, the citizens began to grow afraid. They feared that it might be their turn to be sacrificed.
So, how was it different from when the dragon destroyed the continent?
They felt it was unfair that they had to be sacrificed just to maintain life in the kingdom. The citizens began to flee and rebel.
The king who was in office at that time began to feel panicked. He did not want the kingdom that had been revived to be destroyed because of the stupidity of those lowly people. The king then ordered his troops to capture the citizens who fled.
By force, the citizens were dragged into the Forest of Darkness with their bodies covered in wounds. They had no energy to escape. They could only cry and close their eyes. Horrifying creatures began to approach them. Their bodies disappeared without a trace.
Not only the Kingdom of Serenia treated its people like that. Other kingdoms in the agreement did so as well. In the kingdom of Rainwall, they initially used imprisoned prisoners and began kidnapping some of their citizens to take them to the Forest of Darkness.
Other kingdoms were no different.
Compared to the suffering and lives of their people, they were more afraid of the dragon that could destroy them at any time.
Really, what difference did it make?
Wouldn't they eventually die of old age?
Perhaps because they had power, at least they didn't want to lose it.
The kings and nobles began to devise a plan to ensure the sacrifice would not be interrupted. Someone proposed using marginalized citizens who would be ignored by others. By kidnapping, oppressing, and torturing them until they were afraid to run away, it would be easier for them to move unnoticed by the public.
And as time went by, they began to manipulate the story of the Forest of Darkness, which was nothing but a fairy tale.
And after a thousand years, their kingdom still stood strong. The creatures of the Forest of Darkness also posed no threat.
Then a rumor began to spread, reaching the king's ears. That the black dragon that lived in the Forest of Darkness could grant immortality to humans. A mere empty statement with no evidence to support it, only based on the tales they heard.
But even so, the previous kings including the current King Erwin Von Serenith, were intrigued by the rumors.
They were all still searching for a way to safely enter the Forest of Darkness.
The exiled citizens were one way to find out.