The forest was as quiet as always, disturbed only by the occasional howl or shriek of a distant monster.
See? I reassured myself. Nothing to worry about. Looks the same, sounds the same—nothing’s changed.
Still, I couldn’t shake the unpleasant feeling covering my body, like something had coiled itself around me.
I moved the slaves to the vanguard position and sent them ahead to scout, leaving the Fourth Brigade in the safer rear position. Little by little, we pushed deeper into the forest. I couldn’t tell how much time had passed. The crushing feeling didn’t fade, and my discomfort gradually morphed into fear. Each new step brought a new surge of dread, and the atmosphere began to thicken with tension, which only caused the dread to surge even more. It was a vicious cycle. I willed myself to calm down, to think clearly, but the words seemed to hold little meaning.
We’d come across four monsters, the last of which was currently being disposed of with far more force than was warranted for a creature of its size. The monsters seemed nervous too. Their attacks weren’t the synchronized, shrewd movements I knew. They were reckless and brutal.
We could see one change in the forest now: There weren’t enough monsters. Usually at least ten of the creatures would have attacked us by this point—but that wasn’t the worst of it. The four monsters we had encountered weren’t the natural inhabitants of this forest but experiments created by our kingdom’s mages. Born of the magestone and designed to attack other monsters—and only other monsters. They shouldn’t have been able to attack a human.
But they did, so what’s gone wrong?
Perhaps... Perhaps there was something waiting at the center of the forest. I didn’t think I’d be able to progress any farther in my current state—actually, I didn’t know if I’d be able to force myself to move farther into the forest at all. The fourth and final monster finally fell, and I sighed with relief. The knights slackened too, nerves giving way to exhaustion. Fatigue could be fatal in this place.
“We’ll rest for a while.”
I knew how ridiculous the command must have sounded to them. How could anyone rest in a place like this? At the same time, we couldn’t just up and leave the forest every time we needed to catch our breath. It was here or nowhere, and it needed to be here and now. If my men couldn’t regain their composure soon, they’d end up behaving as recklessly as the now-dead monsters.
I ordered the slaves to stand watch as we rested. My command was met with blank expressions—as they always were. Slaves didn’t show emotion. They didn’t need feelings—they’d never needed them. They’d been slaves since the day they were born.
I suppose they don’t feel fear either.
Right now, I envied them for that.
A few minutes passed, and I began to look around, covertly trying to examine the condition of my men—which was when a beam of light shot past us and out of the forest. It was gone before I’d actually realized something happened. It had lasted for less than a second. A single ray, like a flash of lightning. There’d been no warning. No chance to defend.
Screams rang out from around the clearing. The light—whatever it was—had lasted for less than a second, yet it had fanned our collective fear more than the rest of the mission so far. I surveyed myself and my men. No one was injured. No one was unconscious.
Obviously. It’s just light. Light can’t hurt us.
Yet my heart was racing, and I could feel the sweat dripping from my brow. I drew my blade and waited. Nothing happened. The forest was silent—
Until light surged out of the very earth itself and into the sky.
I heard screaming and the sound of fleeing footsteps. I tried to command them to halt, but the words caught in my throat. My legs crumpled beneath me, and I fell to my knees, desperately gasping for breath.
Calm down. I have to calm down!
Somehow I managed to get to my feet and survey the scene. My men lay scattered around the clearing. Some had fainted, their faces etched with terror; others cowered, arms wrapped around shaking knees.
I took a deep breath and gave the order to withdraw. We had to get out of the forest—now.
We made for the open plains just beyond the border. It wasn’t a long journey—we hadn’t ventured far by this point—and yet, everyone ran like their lives depended on it, desperate to escape even a minute sooner.
“Commander, the slaves are gone.”
I hadn’t noticed, but now I looked around, there wasn’t a single slave in sight—something that should have been impossible. Their slave seals had been reinforced by the power of the magestone. They were bound to the kingdom with the strongest chains magic could create. So for them to escape...
Something is definitely going wrong.