Two hours later….
"Are we there yet?" a voice sounded from a region in the forest.
It belonged to a lady addressing her companion and a strange man.
After one hour of journeying blindness, Kaleyx began voicing out her exhaustion.
"No, Miss Kaleyx. I believe we are close," replied the man named Aeron.
He walked in front of the duo. Occasionally, whenever he turned his head back, he would catch a glimpse of Kaleyx flexing her sharp fingers.
It seemed the more he annoyed her, the more willing she was to kill him…and the boy beside her…
To Aeron's knowledge, his name was Keiran. He was as quiet as a stalking prey. His thoughts remained a mystery, but he always kept a steady eye on Aeron.
Just like Kaleyx, Keiran didn't trust Aeron.
Aeron thought, 'I am a fool. I should never have approached them. Now, things just got more unpredictable.'
He wanted to cry, but the tears were currently unavailable.
"Hey, are we there yet?" Kaleyx's voice broke him out of his deep sea of regret.
"No, Miss Kaleyx. I estimate a few more minutes."
"You smell of lies. Tell me the truth, how far are we?" Kaleyx shot back.
Aeron confessed instantly, "W-We have a couple of hours left."
"A couple of hours?!"
"I-I don't know. The trail of time is hard to grasp in this forest."
"You fox! How can I believe a single word you say?"
"I wouldn't lie to you, Miss Kaleyx."
Whilst, Keiran sighed for the umpteenth time. Poor Aeron hadn't figured out that Kaleyx was playing with him.
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An hour later…
"Are we there yet?"
"Yes, Miss Kaleyx."
"Finally."
The group crossed a narrow river, void of any life in it. The water current was quite mild, so it was a smooth crossing.
They stood still before a tall rock formation, high enough to challenge the sky. It appeared serene and prideful, gazing upon its peak would present a dreamy aura to the onlooker, as if its height was infinite.
There was a split hole in the rock formation. A warm breeze rushed from the hole, but it was quite strange. The hole revealed what was on the other side of the rock formation; more trees and green life.
Yet, the air originating from the hole was warm… too warm.
Looking at this hole, Keiran and Kaleyx instinctively felt alarmed.
Being a sensitive person, Keiran perceived the hole as something unordinary.
He asked, "What is it?"
Smiling, Aeron asked, "You can feel it, can't you? As I thought, the both of you are really impressive. The first time I saw it, I felt nothing but pure normality."
"What is it?" Keiran asked again. This time, he wasn't asking kindly as his soft voice became louder and hostile.
"There is primal magic in this forest. It is omnipresent, inaccessible to everything. A permeating force that can only be wielded by nature. The longer you live in this land, the more magical phenomena you will find. This is just the tip of the iceberg."
'Hmmm...' Keiran went into deep thought.
Magic wasn't exactly something he was ignorant of. His parents were warmongers, beings that ripped a form of energy called Ether from the lands.
The contradictory existences to that were called Mystics. They manipulated mana, an omnipresent force of life.
The two classes of beings represented the magical side of the world. They often had to deal with bizarre things.
Keiran was privy to all these from a young age, but this was his first time experiencing something deeply magical. The cursed weapon in his home was the only exception.
He was fascinated with this phenomenon.
"What does it do?" Keiran questioned.
Aeron smiled, "It is better you find out for yourself."
"I see…" Kaleyx nodded after reaching a decision.
The group walked into the hole.
A sharp tingle erupted in Keiran's head. He held his head gently as he went to his knees.
Kaleyx went through the same thing. Only Aeron seemed unaffected.
After a few seconds, the shock disappeared. Keiran stood back up.
Kaleyx shot a spiteful eye at Aeron. "What was that?"
"I don't know," replied Aeron.
Keiran ignored the two and focused on the scenery before them.
'It is a cave!' He was surprised.
The hole was hiding a cave, which appeared as a town-sized gorge. Keiran spotted multiple buildings in the cave. Apparently, there was a settlement here.
Feeling curious, Keiran walked down the stone stairs leading below where the majority of the settlement resided.
Aeron spread his hands wide. "Welcome to Paradise. I have gathered a group of survivors like yourself, for the common goal of, well, surviving. Together, we can produce a better chance at that."
The other survivors approached Aeron with smiles on their faces. They greeted him before walking towards the duo, the new faces around.
"Everyone. This is Kaleyx and Keiran. They are new. Make sure they feel comfortable."
"Oh, what a lovely pair…."
"Hi…"
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A day.
It had taken a single day for the duo to get used to their new home.
Currently, they sat in their new place, a tent made of tree branches and covered with green leaves. It was a bizarre place to sleep in, but it was better than nothing.
After a day of familiarising, the two of them sat together to compare notes.
"What do you think?" Kaleyx whispered her question. In this place, the tent didn't exactly feel soundproof.
"Huh?"
"You have been quiet for a while now. Tell me, what's on your mind?"
Keiran spilled, "I don't know. It just feels–"
"--too good to be true, huh?" Kaleyx interjected.
"Yes. some things lack clarity like who exactly is this Aeron? How did he find this place? How much does he know about this forest? How is he still alive?"
"Apparently, Aeron claims to have been here for more than five years."
"That would answer a few of my questions," admitted Keiran.
He caught a strange expression on Kaleyx's face. There was a smug look on her as if she was begging him to ask about it.
"What is it?"
"You haven't realized it yet, have you?" Kaleyx smirked.
"What?"
"Oh, pretty boy. I guess I have to enlighten you. " Kaleyx stood up and paced around Keiran while speaking, "There is a certain factor in play when observing the survivors. It is not random. I-This is not the first time I'm meeting you and the others."
"Huh?" Keiran eyed her curiously. She already got his full attention.
"You don't remember, do you? We have met before. We have been in the same place before. Remember the Fall of Thyur."
"Yeah… How do you know about that?" Keiran gazed deeply at her.
His mind wandered as he was getting to Kaleyx's point.
The Fall of Thyur.
That was his origin. He was born from that devastation as his memories before that were lost.
If he recalled correctly, he was the only survivor of the fall. There were others!
"Are you saying each one of us is a Thyur survivor?"
"Yes. I'm sure of that. Your faces have been engraved in my memory many years ago," replied Kaleyx.
She went on. "Aeron claims that he has been here for many years now. I believe he is lying. All of us are in the same situation. It would make more sense if we were summoned here at the same time range."
Keiran contemplated her words, "But why would he lie?"
"I don't know. It is up to us to find out, as soon as possible."
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Countless days passed.
Keiran and Kaleyx inched closer to the truth.
Whilst Kaleyx went around questioning the other survivors, Keiran analyzed his surroundings.
Every day, he would trek to the cave's mouth and sit there. It was a peaceful spot. Meters away from where he sat was another terrain.
Every night, the two would meet up in their tent and discuss their discoveries.
However, it was not all smooth. After a while, Aeron's shadow was on them. He would have his men, who adored him fervently, stalk the two.
His meek demeanor also changed. Occasionally, he would show hints of his inner self, a complex side of him.
After two months, an event disturbed the duo.
It was called The Hunt.
Occasionally, Aeron would gather a group of fierce men and women. They would venture outside to secure resources for the future.
However, every time, fewer people return. Sometimes, only Aeron would survive!
For this occasion, Aeron had handpicked Keiran and Kaleyx. This was not a strange decision. Keiran and Kaleyx had survived an encounter with a giant worm.
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"Are we ready?" Aeron stood among the crowd. He addressed a group of people that separated themselves from the crowd.
In that particular group were Keiran and Kaleyx.
After rounds of cheers from the crowd, the group left the cave. A tense atmosphere spread around as soon as they breathed the cold air of the forest.
'I'm back,' thought Keiran.
Even he was scared of the forest.