Everything but a few stubborn ones had died, and the foliage that had survived scathed in agony, gingerly perishing with time. As if their last distressed endeavor, they slowly twisted and turned, trying to inch out of the forest. Just a hint at first, but as the trio prowled deeper into the thicket, their strain became more transparent. It looked as if time had stopped and the forest was trying to back away.
The ground was coiled in vines, creepers and roots; all muddled. All dead. All looked like they were crawling over each other on their way out of the woods. Even above, the branches met and wrangled with each other doing the same. Near the core the trees grew even more twisting, desperate, pitifully plumbed to the Earth with their limbs sprawling as far as they could. The giant ones, once proud and indomitable, were now lay winding closer to the ground and in their assay to escape absorbing everything in their path.
Maybe I was not needed, Tristan thought. After all it was obvious where they were headed. No guide was required here to navigate; no one would dare to lose their way and sprauchle about to this place. They were going to where everything else was running away from. He didn't even remember how everything looked before. A memory that felt so distant he could hardly believe that was only a month since the attack.
He had led the woman as best as he could have, finding the easiest path that would take them the shortest amount of time. She never complained or questioned him, instead decided to follow him in silence with few occasional grunts when there was rough terrain to be traversed.
Olean's tracks however, were anomalous and easy to discern, and they headed bluntly toward the Monster, no regard for terrain or easier pathing, forming an almost straight line from what he could apprehend. Strange as the girl herself. He had a much easier way in his mind than to climb up that six feet tall trunk and then jump on the flimsy branch that was barely holding up. The girl was unnatural.
The sun was up, but it was still not bright enough to be comfortable and especially in the woods it felt even darker. An eerie silence filled it, no birds, critters or even wind rustling the leaves. Most of the flora had died. Animals had disappeared; now only some of the people remained. And they too were passing slowly. Tristan wondered about the other villages, if they knew or if they were facing something similar. No news had reached them in the past month, nor were they able to send any. With the nearest village at least a day away, they couldn't associate.
He detected the smell first, a strange mixture of acrid, misty and sweet odor. He turned to look at his party. The woman continued to have the same whitened look. Face grim, lips still, eyes calm and vaguely curious as they studied the surroundings with utmost precision. Unable to construe that expression, he could only imagine if she was worried about the girl, or something else. Tristan wasn't worried. He was certain of what they would find inside. But there was something in his heart that didn't make sense to him. Like a weight he didn't know he had on him had been lifted a few hours after he had seen Olean leap out in the dark, and what it implied he dared not think about. Another reason he came here, to confirm it. So afraid he was of it that he didn't even finish the thought. Instead, he pushed his mind onto Olean, the main and most important reason of his intrepid escort to a place from where no one returned alive. He felt guilty for not ringing the bell, and letting her come here alone. Not that he knew how he could have stopped her but the remorse remained. She had saved his life the day before, and he had ceded hers in return.
---
Over the rubble of broken rocks and dusty dead weeds they now stood in front of it - The Chasm, which the monster had taken as its realm. There was a peculiar murk that filled it, like a thick, dark fog. He hadn't told anyone but, Tristan had been here before, more than once, mostly during the day or around noon. The safest he could feel was in daylight. He had felt a lure, enchanted to be there and feel…powerful. He came here for that, and just standing outside was enough.
But there was something different today. There was no heaviness in the air that he would feel before. He blinked, shocked like he just woke up and looked around him. Everything looked the same. And the woman with him was looking directly into the mist with a deep frown. But he was sure, the air was lighter and the power he used to feel was much milder, almost nonexistent.
The hope came creeping back and he crushed it mercilessly.
"Wait here."
The woman's warning came from beside him, her voice sharp as a knife in that stillness that surrounded them. She strode ahead, not waiting for his reply. The tracks also were leading to here. Olean definitely went in but there were no signs of her coming out. Beyond here was an unknown territory even for a hunter like him. He tacitly witnessed the woman's form slowly disappear into the darkness.
He scowled at the sight, remembering the similar moment from the previous night. Dubious women came and jabbed into places they shouldn't have, right in front of him, leaving him liable for stopping them. He looked around, to see if anything would change his mind, then held his breath and he too plunged into the darkness.