I was a bit disappointed, the forest didn't seem that special after all.
We had been walking for several hours already, but aside from the oversized plants and trees, nothing magical or remarkable had shown up.
"What a bore~"
Julia's little voice echoed once again. Did she ever shut up?
Well, I talked a lot too, but at least I kept it all in my head! I wasn't bothering anyone.
Amelia looked very irritated.
"I already told you, if you're bored, you can leave. Maybe you'll find a unicorn?"
"Very funny, beanpole. I don't care about unicorns. I want to see a demon!"
"Beanpole? You're the midget here, brat. Show some respect to your elders!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
The verbal sparring between those two seemed endless. Didn't their vocal cords ever get tired?
But Julia had a point. Maybe we'd die of boredom before we died of hunger.
We hadn't found food or water yet, and at this rate, we wouldn't last more than two days.
Plop plop.
We all stopped.
Ethan perked up.
"Did you hear that?"
"Yeah, it sounded like..."
"Water!"
Amelia frowned, the little pest had dared interrupt her!
Finally!
I was dying of thirst. My mouth was so dry I could barely talk.
"So what are we waiting for?"
I ran frantically toward the sound, which was getting louder the closer we got to what we hoped was a stream or at least a small lake.
Plop plop.
It was just a few meters ahead. I could feel it.
I was already picturing myself gulping down liters and liters of water, drinking until my stomach burst.
But just as I passed the next tree...
Disappointment.
My whole body froze.
I wanted to scream but held it in.
In front of me, a big gelatinous pudding wobbled from side to side. It was blue but slightly transparent, with a fist-sized rock floating in its center.
My new companions arrived a few seconds later, also shocked by the strange sight before us.
Despite my disappointment, I smiled.
"If that's not magic, I don't know what is."
Klaus snorted.
"Magic? Even a puddle would've been better than this horror."
"It does look liquidy... Anyone want to try drinking it?"
I turned to Julia, wide-eyed. Drink it? It was clearly alive! What if it did weird stuff inside my stomach?
Amelia couldn't help herself.
"Why don't you try it, midget? Worst case, you'll go to hell and meet your demons."
Julia frowned but didn't reply. Was she really hesitating?
Ethan picked up a small branch and threw it at the creature,
We watched a live acid dissolution. Within seconds, the stick sunk into the monster and vanished, not a trace left.
Ethan's eyes lit up as if he'd just discovered the most beautiful thing in the world.
"Fascinating. Incredible! The properties of this thing demand study! I already have a hundred experiments in mind, and if I–"
Amelia smacked his shoulder.
"Calm the hell down. Did you forget we need to reach the tower? If we die out here, you can shove your experiments up your ass!"
Ethan took a deep breath and calmed himself, giving the red-haired woman a serious look.
"A lady shouldn't be so vulgar."
"Fucking asshole."
Hehe, those two were really something.
But Klaus was still too serious. Was he just stuck-up, or did his face literally never change?
"Instead of arguing, we should keep moving, at least until nightfall."
Apparently, he was just stuck-up.
*
We walked for several more hours without seeing anything but endless trees and rocks. Hopefully tomorrow will be a bit more… eventful.
We agreed on a watch rotation. We weren't crazy... maybe a little, but definitely not stupid!
The ground wasn't very comfortable, but after spending so much time in that damned cell, it didn't bother me. The fresh outside air was actually really nice. A shame, I'd almost gotten used to the stench and dampness of my dark cage.
I closed my eyes, the distant hoots of owls rocking my mind as I slowly drifted to sleep.
*
In the center of a foul-smelling basement, a metal box just big enough to hold a child had been sitting there for years.
Inside that little box, a young boy sat. He couldn't move much, the cold, oppressive walls of his cage kept him pinned.
It was more than just a cage to the boy.
It was his world.
The only place he had ever known.
He didn't know what the sun looked like.
He didn't care about the moon's appearance.
He had never heard the wind blow.
He had never felt the earth tremble.
He didn't know warmth.
Cold was his only companion.
But the craziest part?
The boy was smiling.
*
I slowly opened my eyes. The touch of a small hand on my shoulder had woken me from what I think was a nightmare, judging by how drenched I was in sweat and how fast my heart was racing.
I took a couple of seconds to calm down.
A feminine, almost childlike voice broke through my daze.
"Are you okay? You were tossing and sweating a lot."
My eyes met a pair of dazzling, azure eyes, almost hypnotic in their beauty.
I gave her a small smile. You always had to smile, right?
"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks, Julia. Is it my turn?"
She smiled back, but hers looked so... real. Genuine.
"Yes, the moon is already almost set."
The moon, huh? I used to not care about it, but after seeing it at least once, you'd have to be blind not to admire it.
"I'll take over. You can go rest."
I leaned against the tree beside me. Hunger gnawed at my guts, thirst tore at my throat.
If we don't find food or water soon, I won't last another day. I was sure of it — I knew this feeling all too well.
The feeling of dying from hunger or thirst.
I'd come close so many times I couldn't count.
No matter. I had to keep watch.
But this girl still hadn't left. Why was she sitting next to me?
"You should go get some sleep."
She didn't reply.
Why was she staring at me with those eyes and that little smile?
I was starting to feel... guilty.
"You don't have to smile, you know?"
My blood froze. My heart skipped a beat.
What did she say?
Had she seen through me that easily?
Impossible. Even they never suspected a thing. So how...?
"Your smile is hideous."
My lips trembled.
"Hideous?"
I didn't understand. How could she say that with such a radiant smile?
Was she trying to hurt me?
Humiliate me?
Tear me down?
I knew my smile wasn't the prettiest, but I had practiced. It shouldn't be hideous.
"Yes. You smile with your brain, not your heart."
But that...
I knew it.
I knew it far too well.
No matter how hard I tried...
I just didn't understand how to do it.
It was beyond me.
A smile is just a muscle movement, isn't it?
It has nothing to do with the heart — except for the blood it pumps into those muscles.
Was it a metaphor? If so, I didn't get it.
So I'll do what I've always done.
I'll keep smiling.
Even if it's disgusting.
Even if it insults those who smile from the "heart."
I'll keep smiling.
It was the last promise I made to her.
And I won't break it.
*
Dawn came quickly. I stretched my aching muscles and stood, sore from yesterday's forced march.
I had already erased the little conversation with Julia from my memory.
Who did she think she was?
We didn't know each other.
I owed her nothing.
She owed me nothing.
She should just leave me alone.
I gently shook the others awake, one by one.
Klaus shot up so fast he nearly smashed my nose with his forehead.
What, did he want to kiss me?
I barely dodged a kick to the chin from Amelia.
And Ethan? I thought he was going to murder me with his eyes when I woke him. Maybe he was having a good dream?
Waking these guys up was more dangerous than exploring the entire forest.
Once everyone was on their feet, Klaus took charge again, leading our little group toward the looming tower.
The end of our trial.
And the beginning of a new life.
I almost wanted to scratch my skin off from the excitement!
I just hoped I wouldn't die before then.
But if I did... I'd make sure it was thrilling.
The girls were still bickering, they were giving me a headache. Where did they get all that energy?
We, on the other hand, were much calmer.
Maybe it was a girl thing?
Probably not. Ethan argued with Amelia too.
I glanced behind me.
Okay, at least she wasn't pulling her hair...
The tall tower was getting closer bit by bit.
Was this a hiking test or what?
Were they just checking if we knew how to walk?
Grrr.
My legs stopped on their own. My companions froze as well.
It wasn't an illusion.
I had definitely heard something.
A low, raspy growl. Faint, but a growl nonetheless.
I scanned every corner of our surroundings.
Would a predator jump out from behind a tree? A bush? A rock?
Would it be a wolf? A tiger? Or something mysterious and esoteric? Maybe a dragon or-
"A puppy?"
Klaus's voice pulled me from my fantasy.
A small puppy, stood before us. Its fur was gray and white, panting with its little tongue out.
Though my dream of meeting a legendary creature had just gone up in smoke, I had to admit it was cute.
Amelia stepped forward, arms outstretched, stars in her eyes.
"Aww, so cute! But what's it doing here? Come here, little guy—"
Grrr.
She had barely taken a step when another low growl sounded.
This deep, threatening sound came from the seemingly harmless ball of fur in front of us.
I couldn't help but feel uneasy.
"You should back off, Amelia. Don't let that cute little thing fool you!"
My words did the trick. Amelia took a few steps back and stood behind our self-proclaimed leader.
The five of us stood in a line, facing the little creature like we were off to war.
I was almost amused by how things turned out. Us, a group of criminals, each more dangerous than the last, scared of this tiny being?
Well, let me tell you,
Yes.
That thing was not what it appeared to be. I could feel it, and so could my comrades. It was dangerous, and it reeked.
A stench I knew all too well.
The smell of blood.
A thick, coppery stench radiated from the body in front of us.
None of us dared move.
The little creature didn't wait any longer.
Its body shuddered, morphed, its skeleton expanding, then shrinking, then expanding again — into grotesque, twisted shapes.
Eventually, it stopped moving.
It looked nothing like it had moments ago.
Its body was humanoid, its skin pitch black. Two long arms reached from its shoulders to its bent knees. It was skin and bone. Its face was flat and empty, no nose, no mouth, nothing. Just a smooth, expressionless plane. Small black spikes ran down its spine to a long pointed tail swaying rhythmically across the ground.
It was the very embodiment of horror.
And yet, the five companions all had only one thing in mind.
Amelia was the first to say what everyone was thinking.
"Alright, I'm placing bets, who thinks that son of a bitch is edible?"
My stomach growled just imagining that creature roasted over a spit.
"Hehe, I bet it is."
Klaus added,
"I just hope it doesn't taste like it looks."
Julia frowned, pouting.
"We haven't eaten in almost two days. Don't be picky, Klaus."
Ethan ran a hand through his hair, a look of pure ecstasy on his face, he looked like a mad scientist.
"I could run countless tests on its flesh! Just imagining the possibilities fills me with joy~."
Maybe I'm not the craziest one here after all?
*
A few kilometers away, two men in the same black uniforms as those on the ship were watching the five strange individuals. Even without tools, they could see and hear them clearly.
At that very moment, the strongest chill of their lives ran down their spines.
Cédric turned to his colleague. Both had wide eyes and sweat dripping down their faces.
"Holy shit... Did you hear what they just said?"
Cédric didn't even bother answering.
He just kept staring at the five figures in the distance.
But both were thinking the exact same thing:
What kind of insane bastards had infiltrated their world?