It was murky around her.
From the moment she stepped into the Hangrooves, she couldn't see anything at all. She stepped forward in the direction where the susurruses continued. The bushes which had grown to her height obstructed her from moving forward. Diana pushed them aside as she moved forward, following the noise which was still audible.
The toughest thing of all was that she should not make any noise. She would end up in danger if she does. Diana tried her best to move slowly, steadily, and silently. She was already drenched, but it was just sprinkling now. But these sprinkles obstructed her hearing ability. After walking for about twenty feet, she could not hear any muffles or rustles. Diana paused and listened carefully. Still, she could not hear anything, not even the sounds of insects.
'What kind of forest is this?', she thought. It was as if the whole forest is mourning someone's death. Quiet and sulky.
Diana moved forward hoping to find a pointer. She wasn't sure which direction she should move. After taking ten steps forward, she came out of the bushes and stood at the beginning of what appeared to be the 'real forest'.
With bushes which a lot shorter, it looked exactly like woodland. She understood that the bushes and trees behind her were a boscage that hid the real view of the forest.
If what she saw previously was a magnificent view, what she was seeing then was heavenly. This view was clearer and cleaner than she thought. Its picturesque beauty didn't disappoint Diana. It was a pleasant surprise indeed. But the strangest thing was that she was able to see things. There was some source of light in the shouting distance from where she was standing.
Luminescence in the middle of a killer forest, she could write a novel once she step out of this forest. But before that, she needs to find her stupid, badass best friend.
'What could ignite a fire inside a forest which is forbidden on a rainy day?' Diana still wondered as she carefully walked into the land. Could it be their king colluded with the knights and planned something inside this forest and purposely hid it from the villagers? The king and the knight who had always been villains in her mind became the only suspects she could think of.
She must find out! Wyatt must also be somewhere near the light. Now that she thought of it, there was a possibility that Wyatt was abducted because he saw something in this forest.
Diana sneaked into the forest, further.
She accelerated towards that source of light. When she walked half the distance, she saw a pond, a little far away. There was also a cave-like structure by the shore. She halted a moment to analyze it then moved forward, studying the environment. Because if she got caught, she must hide somewhere. So she was also devising her escape plan on her way to the target.
When she almost reached the light source, she soundlessly hid behind a tree and watched closely.
It looked like a bonfire. The fire source was placed on a metal plate. Diana wondered how could there be a fire amid this rain. Though it was just drizzling, it's still impossible to burn something.
When she looked up, she could see a metal shield that covered the fire from the rain. It was set up like an umbrella to protect the fire from extinguishing. The thing that was burning, burned brightly. So the one who lit the fire purposely added something that could burn vigorously.
So, not only there was a fire, but also there were some metal shields to protect it from extinguishing. 'There is no room for doubts. This forest is not unpopulated, or at least not unfrequented.'
Diana started to wonder if it was all a plan. The way the fire shone brightly reminded her of an old hunting technique she studied in school. She started to wonder if this fire was purposely lit to attract the 'prey'.
She could understand that there was something massive happening there.
If only she could save Wyatt and escape, she would bring these people to light. But, judging from the way everything was prepared to catch the 'prey', she was not confident anymore. She might not return home forever!
Still, she looked around with the hope of finding more pieces of evidence. Suddenly, she heard a whizz from behind. She turned around.
There was nothing... She stepped forward in that direction with a slight frown...
Again, she heard a branch cracking sound. When she looked up at the trees behind her, there was no one... nothing...
Diana breathed in...
Again, she felt someone standing right behind her as if their breath touching her nape. The hairs on her body stood still as she felt a chill. Still, Diana thought she would not see anything this time either, as she turned around.
She was wrong. She saw something swiftly retreating from her. It was so fast. It crossed the distance between a few trees in a second. Finally, it halted about fifty feet away from her!
Diana froze the moment she saw it. Her eyes widened. She felt fear like no other time. She had never felt that scared in her entire life. She gasped once, then was left open-mouthed.
The figure she was witnessing looked like a human, a man in particular. But it was not. How can a human move at that speed?
Besides, there was other proof that he wasn't normal. His eyes.
Sapphire-like eyes... Diana had seen many people with blue eyes, indeed, but none of their eyes could glisten in the dark... It was predator-like eyes...
Diana felt like her head spinning in fear. She already started to shake like a leaf! She had always thought of herself as a fearless adventurer but now, she had to try a lot to whistle in the dark.
Diana could have run away, but the lightning speed of the silhouette explained that it was impossible to run and escape. So maybe she should play dead?
As she was shaking, suddenly, the speedy silhouette went in the opposite direction and disappeared, as if it was hiding from something.
'Is it scared of me? It cannot be me!'
When she started to ponder, she heard the rustles of the dried leaves behind her. She broke out in a cold sweat.
'Not again!', her heart almost stopped beating.
'Don't tell me the speedy silhouette hid from the 'thing' behind me!!!', she closed her eyes in fear.
This time, she didn't want to turn around and look what it was. Maybe it would just let her go assuming she was one of the bushes!
She was really out of ideas then. She couldn't even think about running. She just saw how fast it was. Still, she was ready to attack any time. Dying voluntarily was not something she would do.
The rustles seemingly approached her again from behind. The one behind her is not willing to let her go! Diana sighed and turned around. 'Let's face it!'
What she saw was once again a deadly surprise.
It was also a man! A man like something... She was only seeing a silhouette.
When Diana turned around, he halted for a second, then moved towards her, one step at a time. Unlike the previous one, this one seemed quite patient.
'What a mess?'
She slowly stepped back pointing the sword towards the new silhouette.
Unlike the speedy silhouette, this man steadily approached her! Maybe because of his long legs, he had closed the distance between them to a few feet within a few seconds. Still, she could not see his face in the dark.
This man looked taller than the earlier one. There was also another significant difference between them that confused Diana.
It was the eyes... His ruby eyes!