There was no sound except the sound of the car and Joseph's voice as he directed Jesse toward the path he should take, while Nicolas was asleep, waiting for them to reach their destination. As for Ethan, he kept staring at the white flower he had brought from the garden. Meanwhile, Jenny was simply looking at the road, lost in her thoughts with a frowning expression.
Joseph broke the atmosphere by saying: "I'd like to warn you about something, guys. I don't know if you've all heard about this, but I have to tell you. As you know, monsters are a real danger in this world, but there's an additional threat you must be wary of."
Jesse looked at him with surprise from the corner of his eye, confusion written on his face, and asked: "What is it?"
Joseph took a deep breath while relaxing in the car seat and said: "Human monsters. Humans who have exploited this chaos and the absence of laws in this world to freely pursue their sick desires. They kill their own kind with complete brutality, without the slightest care. They enjoy torturing people just like themselves. But the biggest problem is that these human monsters have gathered under one empire — the Katuran Empire. Everyone in it is a human monster, distinguished by a circular burn mark with a dot in the center (☉) on their right or left shoulder. They consider themselves superior to normal humans and distinguish themselves through these marks."
Jesse replied with a look of astonishment on his face: "How were they able to unite despite their violent nature?"
Joseph answered him: "No one knows, man. All we know is that they were united by an unknown person twenty years ago."
Jesse took a deep breath and said: "Alright."
They continued on their way until the features of the forest gradually began to appear. Joseph spoke in a loud voice: "We're getting close, guys."
Nicolas slowly opened his eyes and said in a low voice: "Are we there yet?" Then he started yawning.
A short while later, they arrived at their destination — a dense forest filled with thin trees of a dark brown color, with multiple branches covering every inch. When looking into the distance, one would see nothing but thick red leaves so dense they blocked the sun, along with green grass that seemed like an intruder in the entire forest.
Everyone remained completely silent.
Fear was visible on Jenny's face, astonishment and anxiety on Nicolas's, and awe and curiosity on Ethan's.
Jesse pulled out his personal pistol (with "William Thornfield" written on it), ignoring the forest as if it were a normal sight to him.
At the same time, he threw a small bag at Jenny without warning.
Jenny instinctively extended her hands in a frightened defensive motion and caught it with difficulty before it fell to the ground. She pressed the bag tightly against her chest, her eyes wide with surprise and slight worry.
Joseph stepped forward with steady steps, and the others followed him quietly, with Jesse and Nicolas raising their weapons in preparation for any potential danger.
Joseph suddenly stopped and began examining the area. After several seconds, he turned to them with his usual smile: "Alright, we've arrived. This is the intended place."
Nicolas replied to him sarcastically: "Wow, we wouldn't have known without you."
They advanced cautiously into the forest, their eyes scanning the place with curiosity and extreme caution.
Small birds stood on the branches, flying from one to another. The light flapping of their wings echoed in the still air. Their feathers were a deep red that matched the color of the upper leaves, making them look like part of the forest itself, disappearing and appearing between the shadows with frightening speed.
They felt as though they were being watched, but there was no sign of any person or thing nearby except for the birds and the trees.
After an hour of tedious walking, all they encountered was the repetitive sight of trees. They stopped in a small clearing free of trees — just a green circle struck by sunlight from above, in contrast to the usual darkness of the place.
Joseph moved ahead of them to the center of the clearing, examining it with great focus before turning to them and saying in a firm tone: "We're close. They told me that once we reach this point, the tree would be nearby. The problem is they didn't describe the path well, as you can see."
He then pointed his fingers toward two trees — one in front of him and one to his right. Both looked eerily similar, both covered in scratches of unknown origin, and completely leafless.
Joseph continued: "But it's not a big problem. All we have to do is split up and search for the tree we're looking for."
Nicolas raised his left eyebrow, then gave him a sharp look: "Split up? You're joking, right?"
Jesse nodded and said: "I agree with him. Splitting up will only cause us problems."
Joseph replied, pointing his finger at them: "Don't worry, guys. Just trust my decisions. This forest is known not to harm you as long as you don't harm it."
Nicolas replied in astonishment: "What is that supposed to mean?"
Joseph answered him: "Just do what I tell you. Nicolas, Jenny, and I will go forward, while Jesse and his brother will go to the right."
Jenny whispered in a low voice: "I don't like this…"
Joseph sighed lightly, placing his hand over his eyes, and said, trying to reassure them: "I know this is your first time around here, but trust me. The forest is empty of any threats, unless you harm the trees. Otherwise, you're safe."
Nicolas placed his palm on his forehead in annoyance and replied with some irritation: "Fine, just let's finish this quickly."
Joseph sighed one last time, then pointed firmly with his hand toward the two directions, as if closing the door on any further discussion. "Good. Only half an hour, then we return here. Don't go too far, and don't touch any tree unless you have to. If you find what we're looking for, shout and we'll meet back at this exact spot so we don't have to wait too long."
The team finally began to move, despite the tension that filled the air like a light mist creeping between the trees.
While Ethan and Jesse were walking, the boy tripped over a rock, causing him to fall to the ground.
Jesse quickly helped him up.
A few drops of blood fell from Ethan's head, and his face showed signs of pain.
Jesse took some bandages from his pocket and wrapped them around his head, saying: "It's not a serious injury. Luckily, the blood will seal the wound soon."
After applying the bandages, they continued their search for the seed. After twenty minutes of walking, they suddenly heard Joseph's voice shouting from afar: "We found it!"
Jesse turned his head back and said in a surprised tone: "Oh… that was quick."
They turned back toward the area where they had split up. Nothing broke the silence except the sounds of the birds, the wind, and their footsteps on the damp ground.
Jesse turned to Ethan and said: "The situation is a bit boring. Let me give you some advice that might help you instead of walking around uselessly." He paused for a few seconds after tripping over a rock on the ground, but quickly regained his balance and continued: "I'll tell you how to deal with creatures that have no eyes or cannot see in some way. Dealing with these creatures may seem a bit difficult. Any sound you make, even a small one, will let them know your location, but at the same time, it's their weakness. All you have to do is pick up anything on the ground and throw it hard away from you. That will make them follow the sound. Keep doing that several times until you escape or manage to kill it somehow. But there's something you need to know: sometimes if you use this trick too much, it will make the monster angrier, causing it to become more agitated and much more aggressive. This may lead to an unexpected increase in its strength or it starting to destroy everything around it as a way to kill you if you're nearby."
After he finished speaking, he and Ethan reached the place where they had last split up. There was no one there but them. Jesse looked right and left with a puzzled expression and said: "Strange. They're supposed to be here."
Suddenly, they heard the sound of running coming from the trees. Jesse immediately pointed his gun in that direction, ready for any incoming danger. The sound grew clearer and clearer until Joseph and the others appeared, running fast as if they were fleeing from something. Jesse looked at them in confusion, but Joseph shouted at him in panic: "Run!!"
Jesse didn't understand what was happening, but he noticed something strange in the distance. He saw the trees falling one after another. Seconds later, he noticed there was something gigantic heading toward them.
Its skin blended with the trees, which was why he hadn't noticed it quickly. Before he could comprehend what was happening, right before his eyes appeared a giant creature larger than the trees themselves, with a massive eye occupying the place of its head. Its body was huge and solid, its arms reaching down to its knees, and its body covered in scales and fungi.
Jesse's eyes widened in terror. His heartbeat accelerated in seconds. Without warning, he ran in the opposite direction of the creature with all the speed he had.
To be continued...
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