Daniel kept glancing at Wendy, who looked like she didn't care about anything and wanted to go to sleep. She was hugging herself into the corner of the car seat and was snoring softly. The bag that she was carrying filled with their clothes now became a divider in the middle.
"Your cousin seems tired. Did she stay all night for you?" asked Prof. Ian, who was currently swerving to enter a turn to head for the detour route directed by the Musi Lake Team. His voice sounded very serious, rather than the usual which was wise.
The banyan tree dominated the place around, with rattan which was hanging like hair which was more like a place to shoot a horror film than a place to use as a substitute for the main road. Did people think about that?
Ignoring the rattan that seemed to shower them, Daniel replied, "Not really. Wendy slept and only woke up when I was in pain." Daniel almost talked about the boy with transparent eyes to Prof. Ian, but deep in his heart he strictly forbade his decision.
Why could he be like this? Even though it was Prof. Ian, a teacher even closer to him than Uncle Ted. And Daniel could see the figure of a father in Prof. Ian. But why was it always like this?
And that had all happened since Prof. Ian returned from his trip. Previously Daniel would not have doubted his teacher one bit. Even if Prof. Ian told him to jump into a dark hole, so Daniel wouldn't hesitate to do that. Because the real Prof. Ian would ask for that crazy thing for the sake of Daniel's safety.
But now? Never mind getting down and jumping into a dark hole, to get into Prof. Ian's car and go to the hospital with him made Daniel was already feeling doubtful. There was a strong intuition that made him want to stay away from Prof. Ian, but when his eyes caught the warmth of a nurturing teacher and also the father figure Daniel longed for, his judgment became blurry again.
"Are you okay accompanying me, Prof? You said that you just came home from somewhere. You must be tired." It was just a trick question. For Daniel, he only wanted to get deep information from Prof. Ian. But in the midst of all that, his chest felt even more burning. He tried to be calm and look normal. His eyes, which were brittle due to pain, sometimes glanced at the rearview mirror of the car, and occasionally Daniel saw another face that he should have found belongs to Prof. Ian.
Daniel shook his head to himself. When he regained consciousness, Prof. Ian's face was the only face he currently recognized. His face grew worried.
"Are you all right, Dan? You better go to sleep and stop talking. Besides, Wendy was asleep, too. Maybe we'll bother her. You can use that opportunity to rest. We still have a long way to go because the route has to go around. I will wake you up when you arrive," said Prof. Ian with a reassuring tone.
Daniel did not want to leave all of this to Prof. Ian who couldn't be trusted. Especially when Daniel left earlier, the child with transparent eyes didn't seem to like Daniel's idea of leaving the house. And why did Daniel's chest hurt again? That's what he should think carefully about.
But in the end, Daniel seemed to fall into his weakness. Because the pain struck again, Daniel suddenly seemed unconscious even though he did not moan and scream like before. In that unconscious state, Daniel had many terrible dreams.
…
What's the time? Thirty minutes later? After suddenly Daniel opened his eyes and he found himself paralyzed and in front of the monster twig that had eaten him.
Sulfur smoke rose from the monster's irregular mouth with sparks burning like embers that exploded in his eyes and mouth when it was opened.
Now that Daniel's head was down, his long clothes that had been used to dispel the cold were now spilling and falling in the air, exposing his belly and a little exposed chest.
"I'm sure I gave you a present that night. But why are you still able to heal yourself?" growled the monster, which this time sounded like the scraping of an extremely old branch forming erratic sound waves. The monster thought it was because of Daniel's universe core that gave him healing, but in fact, it wasn't.
Daniel's face bounced upwards, pointing to the tip of the monster's nose which looked like it was dented and injured. But Daniel knew that it was just the true form of the monster.
"Let me go! And where do you hide my cousin! " shouted Daniel breathlessly. He hadn't felt anything worse was happening to him until he found that the craziness of being torn was aggravating his chest even more. At that time Daniel saw that at the point of the heart of the branch monster, there was a flash of red fire that seemed to produce something or perhaps gave a magnetic effect to attract Daniel's life.
Maybe this was the reason the boy with transparent eyes forbade Daniel to approach monsters. Because at the point in the life of the monsters that clinging to their hearts, it would have an impact and also absorb negatively on Daniel's body. If that's the case, that meant the child with transparent eyes is a good side?
But then why didn't he come to save Daniel? Or give the clearest warning about Prof. Ian?
The monster laughed very loudly. His black body like a charred twig was now creaking and creaking endlessly. For one occasion Daniel saw the billowing horn now slightly burning on the top of his head. And what kind of appearance was that? Daniel hadn't seen it at all.
Some monsters could give the impression of an illusion, which was why Daniel called it an illusionist monster. However, in their original form, they would never change. Or did it mean that the branch monster in front of him had another form? It seemed as if the world of monsters still had to deepen by him again, with limited resources that made him sick.
"I've finished the man and skinny girl. Now they just have to wait patiently for Spodo to swallow them up when the time comes." The monster swung Daniel's body again until it made him want to vomit, taking him in various unpredictable directions.
From above Daniel could only try to close his eyes and also open them at the same time. Below he found the ground covered with dead, damp leaves. That meant they were not inside the portal! Not to mention that Daniel didn't feel half-conscious in that place.
And what did that branch monster mean? He said as if Prof. Ian was also a victim here.
Daniel's body lifted as the hand of the monster's clawed branch gave a drag from another direction. Daniel's head was already up, his face was already purple from almost vomiting from excessive dizziness.
His eyes that roamed in the darkness with the light emanating from the monster's embers were now wide.
Around him, there was a forest that was not too dense, dark, and also different, quiet, and also made goosebumps. Not far from the place where he was now hanging, Daniel saw a giant spider with a green flame wrapped around Prof. Ian patiently.
His tall body was wrapped in cobwebs in half of his body, now it had reached the stomach area. While right beside Prof. Ian, there was an unconscious Wendy who was now attached and hanging miserably on another snare.
Daniel then glanced at the branch monster, then at Prof. Ian. Did that mean Prof. Ian wasn't a monster?
***