In a hurry, Aria quickly placed several items into a small leather bag.
Sir Cedric watched her from the living room, enjoying a piece of whole-grain bread and a cup of herbal tea made by Aria's foster mother.
Shortly after, Aria's mother, Mayada, entered from the back door of their house. "Have a meal before you leave, so you'll be stronger," she advised. Mayada appeared extremely caring and affectionate toward Aria.
"Mayada, I might be gone for quite a while. Please pray for my safe return," Aria said while sitting beside Mayada.
Mayada hugged Aria warmly, leaving Sir Cedric feeling puzzled. "What is Aria actually going to do?" he wondered.
"Cedric, please take good care of Aria."
"Of course. But may I know what's really going on?"
"Hasn't Aria explained?" Mayada asked, her face graceful.
Sir Cedric shook his head. "A pack of warwolves is attacking again. This time, they've targeted the Southern village. The villagers there have been having nightmares every day."
This was the moment Sir Cedric had been waiting for – to eradicate the warwolf pack that indiscriminately attacked. However, he was perplexed. How could Aria know that the Southern village was under attack by a pack of Warwolves?
Oh well, maybe this was one of the powers they possessed. Sir Cedric thought, even though he wasn't sure what kind of power could deliver such dire news to the girl so quickly.
"In truth, I haven't understood why these warwolves enjoy attacking humans without reason. Haven't we coexisted peacefully for so long? We've never harmed each other," Sir Cedric remarked, longing for answers to the questions that had haunted him for a decade.
Mayada remained silent. At almost 100 years old, she must know what caused the feud to happen. Her mind wandered, recalling the tragedy from 20 years ago. Her gaze remained fixed forward, but she was still unwilling to confide in anyone because she hadn't received a clear account of the issue herself. As a creature of peace, she refrained from blaming anyone.
Mayada's graceful demeanor caught Sir Cedric's attention, especially as she sipped herbal tea from her cup. "I'm quite sure that you can resolve this issue, even if it means facing challenges," Mayada remarked without turning.
Aria interrupted, inexplicably feeling concerned for Sir Cedric. "I'm sorry, but he doesn't know about the new power that the warwolves possess now."
"What kind of power?" Sir Cedric asked, puzzled.
"The power to manipulate the minds of their opponents," Mayada replied. "Some of them acquired this power from one of the Nervanas they kidnapped, and now that Nervana is in the Forbidden Forest, where the warwolf kingdom resides." For some reason, Mayada's face appeared sorrowful when she mentioned this, as if her inner peace had been disturbed.
Sir Cedric grew increasingly perplexed. There were so many questions he wanted to ask, but it didn't seem like the right time. Everything felt like a mystery, as if he had to find the answers on his own.
"We don't have much time. We need to leave now," Aria commanded, preventing Sir Cedric from asking more questions.
"Wait a moment," Mayada said, reaching into her robe pocket. She handed over a bundle of white silk fabric, to Sir Cedric.
"What's this?" Sir Cedric asked, hesitant to open the white bundle he now held.
"You can use this in times of need. Hopefully, it will be of use to you."
"You only need to return the item after you've finished using it, and make sure your problem is truly resolved," Mayada added cryptically. Her message left Sir Cedric even more puzzled.
"Very well, then. We will go," Aria said, rising from her seat and embracing Mayada tightly. Mayada warmly reciprocated the hug. "Take care of yourself. Return safely."
"You too. Take care of yourself. Let me know immediately if anything happens here," Aria said, releasing the embrace.
They hurriedly departed. Aria didn't give Sir Cedric a chance to ask anything further.
As they passed by several other wooden houses, Sir Cedric felt somewhat uneasy. He didn't see any other Nervana creatures. It wasn't until they crossed a curved wooden bridge that Aria slowed down a bit, as she had to retrieve something from under the tree roots.
"What are you looking for?" Aria asked, puzzled by Sir Cedric's restlessness.
Sir Cedric smiled as he squatted down, holding a kerosene lamp that he was lighting up. "I should have stayed longer so that I could get to know this village better," he answered, standing up.
She walked ahead, raising the lamp high, and then entered the misty forest. In truth, this was what made Sir Cedric reluctant to leave this place. "How can I come back to this place if I don't have a kerosene lamp like that? Can I use a torch instead?"
"No," Aria replied curtly. But then she laughed a little, sounding sweet, melodious laughter. For a moment, Sir Cedric stole glances at Aria's profile. "Besides being beautiful, she's also funny," he mused silently.
Of course, Aria felt extremely awkward and embarrassed hearing the compliment, even though Sir Cedric didn't express it directly. "Ahem!"
Not long after, they continued walking, and suddenly the girl stopped. She gave instructions to Sir Cedric to halt as well.
Aria scanned her surroundings, her eyes darting cautiously and her sharp gaze exploring every corner of the forest. Then she closed her eyes, and her small mouth whispered an incantation.
Sir Cedric couldn't do much but stand behind Aria, looking bewildered. However, he also prepared for any possible situation. His right hand gripped the hilt of the sword, still sheathed at his waist. He sharpened his senses and scanned the area, though he had no idea what was actually happening.
They stood there for quite some time until Aria instructed them to continue their journey. But before that, she intentionally dimmed the oil lamp's flame, reducing their visibility. "Don't stray too far from me," Aria whispered. This was misinterpreted by Sir Cedric; his face turned red, but his heart felt joyful.
The misty forest seemed denser than usual, with a dark greyish hue. Sir Cedric truly felt uneasy the longer he stayed in this forest. As far as he could remember, the mist here was typically white the previous night, and the air felt normal. He wanted to ask Aria about what had just happened, but Aria immediately instructed him not to make a sound. They had to be careful not to step on dry branches.
As they passed a large tree with slightly different branches, as far as Sir Cedric remembered, this was where they had entered the previous night. However, for some reason, Aria led them deeper into the misty forest.
Not far from where they were walking, Sir Cedric faintly heard the angry growling of a warwolf. The growling became clearer as time passed.
Quickly, Aria extinguished the oil lamp and pulled Sir Cedric's hand, leading him to hide in a ravine overgrown with large trees. Underneath the tree was a large, protruding root, providing enough cover for both of them.
Behind the tree, footsteps echoed in sync with Aria's racing heartbeats. Once again, the girl closed her eyes and whispered an incantation. Sir Cedric was ready to draw his sword from its sheath.
The approaching footsteps grew louder. One of them said, "I sense a foreign creature here."
"Really? Is it the scent of that man?" The strong scent grew closer.
Sir Cedric wanted to stand up. He felt ready to fight, unable to hide like a coward. However, with agility, Aria grabbed Sir Cedric's arm, her eyes still closed, and her mouth whispered an incantation. She shook her head slowly, signalling him not to act rashly.
"No," the warwolf creature behind the tree replied. "If he enters this ravine, he'll surely be devoured by other wild beasts."
Suddenly, there was a sound of a heavy object falling to the ground, startling the warwolves. They sniffed briefly and then left. "Damn! It turns out this is the scent of a snake."
Once they felt safe, Aria finally opened her eyes. However, they weren't entirely safe yet. Aria had to relight her oil lamp to see their way again.
Aria's hands trembled, making it difficult for her to adjust the oil lamp's wick. Sir Cedric tried to help her light the lamp. He couldn't understand why Aria was suddenly so afraid, especially since she had seemed the bravest before.
Her face appeared panicked. Several times, she glanced behind the trees, unsure of what he was monitoring. "Are the warwolves still there?" Sir Cedric asked, raising the already-lit Petromax lamp.
Just as the lamp was next to Aria, a very large green snake head with four long, protruding fangs emerged from behind the tree they were hiding behind. The snake's head was so massive that Sir Cedric and Aria were frozen in place.
The hissing sound was louder than Aria's heartbeat.
When Sir Cedric realised this, he immediately pulled Aria's arm and ran aimlessly. Behind them, a 5-metre-long green snake continued to chase them.
It wasn't until Aria realised that they had ventured deeper into the misty forest. The girl was getting more confused. She had never been further around this misty forest before.
However, strangely, the mist here had started to dissipate. It wasn't as thick as before. They could see their surroundings without the help of the Petromax lamp. But the forest here looked very different. The trees were becoming denser and taller. The sunlight couldn't peek through, even from between the leaves.
"Are we still in the misty forest area?" Sir Cedric asked Aria. He thought that Aria must be familiar with the places in this area.
"I don't know. I'm not sure either," Aria replied, looking around.
Suddenly, they were startled by the flapping of very wide and large bird wings. The bird almost landed on Sir Cedric's head. Fortunately, he quickly lowered his head, avoiding the sharp claws from hitting his body.
The bird was exactly the same as the one Sir Cedric had seen earlier in the morning. It flew gracefully, avoiding the leafless branches, then disappeared into a cave entrance.
Aria's expression changed when she saw the bird. "That's it!" Aria exclaimed, running in the direction the bird had gone.