Though Angel said she packed everything for the trip, she didn't present a backpack or anything when we were ready. She was empty-handed. Where she hid those things was beyond me. Unlike her, I had a small bunny knapsack stocked with snacks and water for the trip. The supply wasn't going to carry us through the entire journey but it would sustain us for most of it.
Whatever Sabastian and Angel did for the bandit worked. His simple armor protected him from the sun and its rays. Sabastian could even touch him without the poor ghost flinching or getting a burn. The sunglasses helped me to look at his face without the thought of being sucked dry. I had to say it was my favorite feature of his new appearance.
Regardless, I still had my doubts about him. His story was sad enough to crumble some of my barriers. Some, not all. He was still a ghost bandit. He was desperate enough to follow his friends to take an innocent life. That resolve hadn't disappeared. It was inside him somewhere. The mega ghost who hunted him was out there. There would come another time when the bandit was going to get desperate again. I had to be prepared for that.
We headed out early in order to get to the Forest of Beast before sunset. The village was larger than expected. It had everything one could find in the world of the living. Not many children were on the streets as when we came. The alleys were empty and roads weren't busy, either. A handful of vehicles cruised on the road. Rush hour had passed. School was in session and the adults were at work.
It took us half the day to get to the other end of the village. No one could mistake the exit. A tall tower-like iron gate with danger and stop signs nailed in the ground in front of it. It opened in our presence. We walked out into a field of waist-length grass decorated with dandelions. No sun was present in the sky, still, the heat and brightness it held pounded us.
"The forest is that way," Angel pointed north. "No one let their guards down. We are not safe here. The grass is tall enough to hide any creature. Let's stick together. They may be intimidated by all our combined energies."
She didn't have to warn me twice. I stuck by the alpha's side. The last time she gave a warning, I broke it. This time, no one was going to say I did anything. Someone else was going to get us in trouble.
The gate to the village disappeared behind us.
Angel noticed my puzzled stare and explained. "Even though we are not yet in the forest, various animals are hiding in the grass. The village protects itself from them by changing the location of its gate."
Made sense. The villagers were made up of people who even belonged to the world of the living like Bellamy and his friends. Without a doubt, there were others like those kids.
"How are we going to find it on our way back?" I asked.
If the gate changed its location, we would have to take a different route on our way back. It depended on what we faced on this journey, it would be a relief if our journey back was less hustle.
"Who said we are coming back?" Sabastian questioned me. "Once we dip in that pool we'll get our desires and it will send us home."
I didn't point out he used 'we' and 'us' in his statement. His slip-up was a give away he didn't hate me as much as he acted. The fact washed me with a strange feeling. I couldn't pinpoint what it was at this moment.
"The big guy is right," Angel added. "Once we find Goddess Oscuro everything will work itself out."
I hoped so. It would suck to die after the mission was completed.
The grass color changed with each step we made. The closer we got to the forest, the more visible the path became. The grass that converted from lime green to soft blue was the pathway. With each passing of a slight wind, the outer grass flickered from bright pink to red to orange to bright yellow. One who observed these colors and the reaction to the wind would analyze it and say the colors dictated where was dangerous and where was safe. The outer field had colors that represented danger. While the pathway acquired cool go colors.
The wind played a great part in this journey. It was our guide rather than the path. It showed us where to walk. Either Angel was not aware of this or she thought we would have figured it out, but once again she left out vital details.
"Once we reach the forest, we can rest at the edge," Angel announced. "It will be safer there. None of the vicious and large creatures venture on the outskirts. Those beasts can be found in the inner zones. The most dangerous beast wandered from the middle to the next end of the forest."
A well-put-together security system. This strategy warded off people from getting to Destiny Peak. I could bet the Goddess and her Guardian weren't thinking there would be a day, they would have to go through their own security system. An irony.
"I just hope this Goddess isn't an old woman," Sabastian wiped the sweat from his forehead. "It would suck to go through all this to rescue someone who isn't at all appealing to the eyes. Think of how great it would be to get the package deal. A gorgeous goddess and what I desire."
I rolled my eyes.
Angel snickered. "Don't worry, you won't be disappointed."
We trod through the grass. I was grateful for the breeze. Without it, we would have suffered from the raw heat of the day. The missing sun didn't matter. We were beated with warmness. The wind eased away most of the humidity in the atmosphere.
The pelting heat slowed our hike. Our limbs grew heavy and moving became labored. I pulled four water bottles from my knapsack and distributed them to the others. The water didn't help much. As soon as we drank it, we sweated it out.
I disposed of the bottles back in my bag. We would need them to collect water when we passed a stream.
The forest soon came into view. Tall trees shot up to the sky. From afar, it appeared to be dark inside between those gigantic trees.
Too busy observing the spectacle down the end of the path, I had realized the grass next to me had turned red. When it became obvious, my heart skipped several beats. Without thinking, I grabbed onto the alpha's arm. He paused, getting the others' attention. Their gaze followed mine to the red grass.
Sabastian pulled me behind him. Some other time, I would have commented on it. Not now, like a helpless child, I cowered behind him. The bandit slipped off his glasses next to the alpha, both ready for a fight.
The grass shook. Anxiety flooded my system. The wave of red came closer to us. I held my breath. Nearer. The bandit and the alpha narrowed their eyes at the tall grass.
Something jumped at Sabastian and the bandit caught it. The potential enemy was a small blue and white striped frog. Sabastian observed it with a laugh.
He turned to me with a tease. "It's a frog, redhead. I never knew you were such a coward."
How was I supposed to know what it was? A warning was a warning. At least, I found out the change in grass color.
I dusted imaginary dirt off my clothes. "The grass turned red, smart ass. Red means danger. I could never have thought it was a small animal."
"Right," Sabastian drawled.
The bandit still held the creature. He raised the thing to his face. Their eyes met and within a minute the animal turned to power and drifted away with the wind.
"Why did you do that?" I yelled at the ghost. "It was harmless. You didn't have to kill it."
"He did," Angel picked up. "If he didn't it would have grown and came after us. You were also correct. Red means the most dangerous animal is near. The frog might be small but it will be dangerous. It can grow as large as eight feet tall and as wide as a small building. The striped frog takes only twelve hours to get to its full size. They never forget and they often use their vulnerable form to scout out food because no one kills it when it's so small."
The ghost covered back his deadly eyes with his glasses. The once red grass returned to lime green.
Sabastian shaded his eyes with his palm. "Is it just me or does that damn forest look like it's not getting any nearer?"
I glanced at it. The trees were the same size and height as when they were first seen.
"It's still a grave distance away," Angel explained. "As I said before, we won't make it there until nightfall."
By the way this heat pelted us, it didn't look like we were going to make it there at all.